I know it's easy to get all caught up in the craziness on these boards.. believe me.. it's happened to me LOTS of times.
But remember a few things..
1)
Relax. Its supposed to be a vacation... so if it's stressing you out and you haven't even booked it yet.. maybe you're doing something wrong?
2)
Do the opposite of everyone else. Yes.. POPULAR TIMES for ADR's do book up early.. but the off-peak dining times almost always show some availability.. And my number one recommendation for anyone going to Disney - ANY time of year - is try to eat at the off-peak dining periods. Consider a 10:45 lunch or a 2pm lunch or a 3pm dinner ... look at it without the blinders of "Lunch is from 11am to 1pm" and "Dinner is from 4pm to 7pm" -- I tend to grab something quick at the resort in the morning.. a snack before eleven and not eat lunch til 2pm or 3pm. And then I'll have dinner after 7pm.. This makes a HUGE difference in finding ADRs... AND
it has the side benefit of assisting with your park touring plans. While everyone else is zigging (eating) you'll be zagging (along Big Thunder or Space Mountain or) on any other ride that have shorter lines during typical meal windows...And when you're eating.. they'll be standing in line..
3)
Popular kids ain't always the bees knees. Like everyone else, I wanted to follow the crowds and get my ADR's at Spoodles, Le Cellier and all the 'peak interest' places ... but the last couple of trips, I literally have taken to calling and saying "What have you got in the Epcot or International Gateway/Boardwalk area for late dinner on this date.. " And then picking one of the off-peak availables and eating there. It's a lot less frustrating and I've discovered some amazing menus and foods that I would have never found because they weren't on the
"cool kids" list here on the DIS.
4)
I almost never book an ADR every day. It's too much .. too much food and frequently too much running around. The one time I did, I felt like I kept cutting off the fun we were having so we could make our ADR. What? Huh? I'm having the time of my life in the Magic Kingdom but I have to stop so we don't miss out on a 'popular' dining destination reservation? That's backwards.
5)
Making ADR's is a LOT like making a room request. If you give the reservation agent some general parameters about where on the resort property you're gonna be on that date, you can be flexible with your meal times... They can almost ALWAYS find you something. But if you MUST eat at Le Cellier between 4p and 4:30pm .. you're probably gonna wind up disappointed.
6.
Recognize your plans will probably change. I had the WORST Disney meltdown EVER... after I got super lucky and got a 6:30pm reservation at Spoodles back when it was the hottest of the hot - EVERYONE was talking about it. And as we were walking thru Epcot to wander over to the restaurant,(me with visions of reporting back on the DIS about our AMAZING meal at Spoodles..LOL) ... one member of my party smelled the Fish & Chips in the UK pavilion and that was it.. EVERYONE wanted cheap, greasy fish and chips. I HATE fish & chips.. I can't stand it. I don't care if it was prepared by some magical dream team combination of Emeril Legacé, Julia Child AND Martha Stewart working off the recipes of the Master Chefs of Europe,
I ain't eating fish & chips. Anywho.. after about a half hour of some pretty heated discussions and a few foot stomping tantrum moments... we all calmed down and I realized.. Spoodles just was NOT going to happen. Ç'est la vie.
I know F/D gets busy.. but if you think outside the "popular" box, you can find lots of excellent choices that you would never have even thought of otherwise.
Just a few things to help the F/D 'foodies' make some choices without going insane and pulling all your hair out.
I mean seriously.. what fun is a Florida vacation if you have to wear a wig the whole time cause you pulled out all your hair making dining reservations?
Knox