Fast Pass and Dining Reservations for Those With Stamina Issues?

[darkpixie08]

We'll be traveling with someone who is ill, and is prone to health and stamina issues. For those of you in the same boat, how are you handling Fast Pass and Dining Reservations? With dining reservations and the cancellation fee, are you planning on just doing counter service type meals and room service, or are you taking a chance with the dining reservations, and just willing to deal with the cancellation fees if necessary?

Are you trying to book your fast passes in the late afternoon/evening when lines seem to get the longest, or are you booking them in the morning to get through your must do's more quickly?

I feel like this needs to be a more go with the flow vacation, but there are 9 of us, so I know that if we want to eat at table service restaurants we need to make reservations.

 

[lanejudy]

With a group that size -- if the "ill" person decides he/she isn't up to doing dinner, will that impact everyone? I would think that person plus maybe one or two others would return to the resort to rest, and the remainder of the party continue about your day. In which case, make your ADRs based on the full party, and if you have fewer when you arrive it's no problem.

How many ADRs may depend on your style. We don't do a lot of table service meals anyway, so we only plan two or three ADRs in a week. CS doesn't have to meal burgers and fries all day every day, there are a lot of options.

FP+ again, will everyone stick together for all rides throughout the day? If someone gets tired, will all of you return to the resort? Or just a couple/few? I'd make morning FP+ (assuming you are morning people and plan to get out to the parks then). Hopefully that will be enough to give the "ill" person a chance to experience what they want, before leaving the parks for a rest. Others will then have the opportunity to schedule 4th, 5th, etc. FP+ for more attractions. Some of you may have different interests as far as attractions anyway, so you may end up scheduling different FP+ for different members of the party.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[jmartinez1895]

We have made our ADRs with our sons limitations in mind. If we have a breakfast ADR then we will call it night early the night before so that he can get the rest he needs. If it is a lunch ADR we will sleep in or take it slow in the morning and if it is dinner we will take a break during the day so he can rest. As pp sais you can get some good options for CS meals if you go that route. One of my favorites is the steak at the American Pavilion in Epcot.
We have personally found that lunch and breakfast ADRs work best for us.

 

[ttintagel]

I have heard individual stories from people who have reported having a cancellation fee refunded when they called and explained that the cancellation was due to an unexpected illness. However, I believe they were done at the discretion of individual staff members, and that it's not an official policy or anything like that. I mentally file that under "Possible, but can't count on it."

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . I believe they were done at the discretion of individual staff members . . .

1) The decision is up to the manager AT THE END OF THE DAY.
. . . when there is a non-show, the podium no-show hits a special key on the computer
. . . the notation shows up at the end of the day
. . . the manager reviews the notations and makes his/her decision
2) The manager may or may not take advice/suggestions from hourly CM's.
3) It just depends upon the manager's mindset that day!