Advance lunch reservations

[mugglemom]

We are tying to figure early entry into the schedule but have heard that the early opening parks get much busier by the afternoon so I am wondering if we shoud park hop?



Oh the stress of making all these wonderful decisions!

Any great advice on scheduling all this in the most timely fashion?

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Hi - The Brown Derby is one of our favorite restaurants, so I wouldn't hesitate to eat there as long as you don't mind spacing your nice meals just a day apart. If it were me and my family, I would probably choose to eat at the Brown Derby on Tuesday (I love the Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake), then go back to the hotel to swim or rest for a bit. Once rested, we'd head to Epcot in the late afternoon, visit Future World around 4 pm when the crowds have thinned out, and then head into the World Showcase when it begins to get dark.

To keep the cost down, but still eat well, we'd probably choose to eat a counter service meal of really good Fish and Chips in England (there are some nice tables and chairs set up nearby that overlook the lake), but there are many choices of meal-size snacks around the lake to choose from - I like the egg rolls in China, and the Yakatori place in Japan is nice too. Eat a snack, walk awhile, grab a dessert, watch Illuminations when you're rested after a quiet afternoon - sounds like heaven to me. Hope this helps!

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Whoops - You were talking about staying at MGM for Fantasmic, not going to Illuminations. Sorry - my original answer wasn't helpful after all.

We have never found park-hopping to be a big issue, so we don't tend to spend long days in any one park. Early in the morning through late evening in MGM seems like a bit much to me, but you guys may have way more stamina than we do.

If you don't mind park-hopping a bit, what about stretching out your "best meals" and making a reservation at the Brown Derby on another day for as late a lunch as possible (2:30? 3?) Then it can serve as a kind of lunch-dinner, with only a snack needed in the evening. You could then plan on an afternoon, evening at MGM, ending with Fantasmic. That would give you plenty of time at another park in the morning - either for the entire time until lunch, or just during the morning hours, with a break in the middle of the day to rest by the pool. (Mid-afternoon seems to be when the crowds are the worst and everyone's a little droopy.)

By the way, I would definitely make a reservation. We haven't found it very hard to get into the Brown Derby usually - we go to WDW at less busy times of the year - but you can always cancel a priority seating, and having one will eliminate any potential disappointment.)

Hope this is more helpful than my first attempt