Bond to reservations?!

[ltkacz]

Ok....I would so appreciate some advice.

Today, went to book Chef Mickey's for any dinner between Sept 15-22. Appparently I must have lost my mind thinking that something just might be available. Yeah right - at 9 pm each night we are there!

So....I managed to book Hollywood and vine lunch on the 16th at 12:15. The person I was speaking with kept saying, you're going to have to make reservations for the entire time you are here.

My gripe is....I don't want to be bond to a reservation. What if we are having too much fun, and don't want to leave for a darn reservation? Am I the only one that thinks booking an entire weeks worth of reservations is insane??

With that being said....is there anywhere I should eat, that without a doubt we shouldn't miss, and we should just bite the bullet and get a reservation? Also, since Chef Mickey's is out - what about the Garden Grill - good/bad?

Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

 

[Scornelius]

First of all, welcome to the DIS!
Seconly even though your argument makes sense in theory, Disney often doesn't rely on logic. It seems you're going during free dining. If you're on the DDP (Disney dining plan, free or not) and you don't make some reservations, you're going to be eating a whole lot of counter service. Deptending on your style that could be OK, but not necessarily the best bang for your buck. My opinion (for what it's worth, though for once I'm pretty sure it will mirror that of most people here) is that if you want to eat at table service restaurants, you should make an ADR (advance dining reservation) for every night.
If you're paying OOP (out of pocket, not on a plan) then you're more free to eat when you want without ADRs, because you wont be losing anything if you're stuck with burgers. Just don't expect to be able to get into any of the more popular sit-down restaurants.
Thirdly, I think Garden Grill is a great restaurant. The character interaction was terrific when DH and I were there last year. We also really enjoyed going Mama Melrose's before Fantasmic. If you can get the reservation, I would highly recommend either one.
Happy planning!

 

[disnut8]

It's not a bad idea to make a reservation for every meal that you want to have. That's one of the reasons I don't do the Dining Plan. It's not worth it to me to have to make reservations every day.

You aren't actually bound to a reservation. Unless it's a restaurant that requires a credit card, it doesn't cost you anything to cancel or to not show up (although it would be kind of rude not to cancel if you have no intention of showing up). I'd book something and if it works, it works. Otherwise, make sure you check out all the counter service offerings because that's what your options will be.

 

[Contemporary_Man]

You are rarely bound to anything with Disney's quasi-reservation system. They don't even require any notice unless it is one that is guaranteed with a credit card. Since I’m not a big fan of fast food, I make a table service reservation for lunch and dinner everyday. If it happens that we decide against a place, I call the concierge and have it changed. If you are not staying on a club floor, have the WDW Dine number handy. We have made several changes on the fly in the park. Think of your reservations as more of a safety net than an anchor.