ADR - WDW

[Fiona1973]

Another one of those daft questions, but must you book your meals before you leave the UK?

My friend & I tend to think of our dining options a day or two in advance, and then book a table somewhere, or just turn up and see what we can get.

Somehow having to think of all our dining reservations before we leave, is making our holiday sound more like an regime, not to mention the excel spreadsheet that we will have to take with us to remind us where we are supposed to be on what day!

Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill over this? I appreciate that some really popular restaurants do need to be booked in advance.

 

[ebradley23]

It depends on when you're going. If you're going during the fall when free dining is offered, your choices will be slim. I would guess the same is true for busy summer months (we don't travel then, so I can't say with certainty). To judge, I just pulled reservations for tomorrow night in MK. I found availability for almost all restaurants except BOG.

If you want to eat at specific restaurants, I would highly suggest you make reservations as early as possible. If you aren't keen on going to the "hot" restaurants, then you can probably get by with making them a day or two in advance.

 

[BudgieMama]

If you're on the DDP, it's probably a good idea to book at least some if you're going at a busy time of year. You don't want to be stuck with credits you can't use.

If you're not tied to a dining plan, or not at a busy time of year, you can definitely go with the flow more. As PP said, if you have anywhere you REALLY want to eat, think about booking it.

 

[chmurf]

If you want any character restaurant, or in-park restaurants, definitely book

The most popular restaurants will be booked solid only a few weeks after their booking window opens, even though it's always a good idea to check often for cancellations

If you want to be sure to get a table at a decent time, book at 180/120 days out
If you don't mind waiting an hour or more for a table, or driving to another hotel to get a table, and possibly needing to revert to a quick service, then you can go without booking
You WILL find a table but the question is ''when'' and ''how far from where I'll be''

Planning and booking that far in advance might sound bad, but trying to find a decent sitdown restaurant when and where you're hungry is sometimes even worse

In the end you'd manage without booking in advance, but be ready to hunt and fish for your food