Am I going to have problems getting reservations?

[angikay30]

We're thinking of taking our kids (ages 5 and 2) the last week of September - 23 through 29th. I know I can get the resort reservations and park tickets - but am I going to have problems getting reservations at the table service restaurants? I'm especially interested in the Character breakfasts (Cinderella, Mickey, etc) - also, would like to get in on some of the show dinners - Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Spirit of Aloha Show, etc)

My daughter is turning 5...and we wanted to make it special....so any advice you could give would be helpful!

Am I going to have trouble getting into any of the entertainment shows - do I need advanced reservations for those? - or is that just a matter of a fastpass?

Sorry, this is our first trip to WDW - and I want it to be special!

 

[Catrin]

Yes, you will have a hard time getting Cinderella meals or Chef Mickeys, as it is already past the start date when they can take reservations!

I would book ASAP and make your ressies the day you book.

There may still be some good choices available but do not wait much longer!
Catrin

 

[mcreste]

Try to have lunch or dinner at Crystal Palace, beautiful setting and great food, with lots of (Winnie the Pooh) characters, perfect for the ages of your children. And if you go to MGM, SciFi is a good choice for dinner, if you're not doing Fantasmic. Good luck with your reservations!

 

[kda]

The character breakfasts are exceptionally popular and are often booked up early. As with anything at Disney, if it's not available, just keep calling back. It seems there can be more availability the week before, so just keep calling. And ask the resort guest services desk to assist you. The princess breakfast at Epcot may have more availability than the one at the castle.

You probably won't have difficulty with other character meals, but may need to be flexible with date/time.

If all else fails, try just dropping in when you're at the park (of course have some other lunch/dinner character meal reservations so you're sure you get to attend some, and don't let the kids know so they won't get their hopes up).

You're going at a time that previously had free dining offered, so there might be a lot of reservations already made ....... but be flexible and keep calling back to check on availability if you don't get what you'd prefer.

I don't know about the Aloha or the Hoop-de-doo. If you're asking about the various shows at the parks, you get a fass pass.

You can call now and get ADR's, even if you don't know for sure about the trip --- they can always be cancelled.

The MK (and perhaps other parks) have a Birthday Button you can get at no charge -- ? at Town Hall -- ask the CMs where to get it. It draws people's attention to DD's special day and she'll probably get lots of birthday wishes and perhaps even a treat or two.

Let us know how you make out when you call Disney Dining. It will help others know the current situation. Or, it would be better post it on the Dining Board.

You'll probably have a spectacular time! It's hard not to because there's so many special things to see and do. Just go with the flow, don't get over-tired, and be flexible.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Call now - there is no reason to wait! You can just cancel them if you decide not to go.

Cindys used to be highly sought after but after the menu changes and price changes, it's not the hot commodity it once was. You may just get lucky! Same with other character meals. If you can't snag a reservation now, just keep trying back for cancellations.

They are open today so make a list of what you'd like and call to find out.

 

[soccr20]

You can take your 5 year old to the boutique at the big World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, I think it's called the Bibbitty Bobitty Boutique or something like that. They do updos and sparkles and make them look so adorable. It reminds me of the Libby Lu stores (if you've heard of those). I think you have to make reservations for it though. Make sure you get to Magic Kingdom when it opens and hit all the kiddie rides first. You can usually get through each one and back track through them again before the lines get bad, then you may have to get fast passes. Dumbo doesn't have fast passes, so that fills up quickly and gets really long. Go directly to Fantasyland and you can hit them in a row, Pooh, Peter Pan, Snow White, Dumbo, Small World (save for last cause it's usually not a very long wait at opening). If you want pictures with the characters, Mickey's Toontown has a bunch (including the princesses) in one place (Mickey is seperate-but still in the same area) and it's air conditioned.

 

[Ms.Mouse]

Yes, in fact, call right today!!!! If you don't get the reservations you want, then I'd call every day until you go to see if you can get into those meals you want. That's what I did for CRT and finally got in.

Until you can get the reservations, you might call and get reservation to where you can that would be acceptable to you and as you call and get the reservations you want, then you can cancel the first ones you made, one at a time.....

Another character experience you may think of is 1900 Park Fare, and there are many good posts for Princess Storybook in Norway.

Good Luck and Hope you get what you want.

 

[Rachel0922]

Call today! We are going the same week and I called two weeks ago to make a couple of changes to our reservations and couldn't get any of the changes I wanted. However, if you continue to try you may find that people cancel the "extra" ressies they've made...

 

[angikay30]

Those are great suggestions! Thanks for taking the time to offer them! I'll be calling now....I'll let you know how it works out!

 

[angikay30]

Okay - Just called....and this is what I ended up with.

(This is my first time to WDW - so, I'd really appreciate some opinions on my selections!)

(we're staying at the Polynesian and I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old)

Saturday: Arrival - Dinner at Kona Cafe (5:30)

Sunday: Breakfast at Crystal Palace (8:20) -- No dinner, we have concierge to fall back on?

Monday: Dinner at San Angel Inn (5:30)

Tuesday: Lunch at Rain Forest Cafe (11:30) - then Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (7:10pm)

Wednesday: Breakfast character meal at Ohanas; then Dinner at Spirit of Aloha (5:15pm)

Thursday: **Daughters birthday** Dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet - Princess Dining - (4:55)

Friday: Breakfast at Chef Mickeys (10:50am) -- then dinner at L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante - (5:15pm)

Saturday: Dinner at Mama Melrose - (5:40pm)

Would have loved to get in on a Cinderella meal - but they were booked solid - so got the princess storybook...hopefully that will turn out nice for my daughters birthday.

Does this look okay to everyone??? Thanks for your time!!

 

[daisyduck123]

Your ADRs look great!!

Just so you know...they will take your family's picture in front of some themed props at Chef Mickey's. We always wear matching Disney shirts in the pictures - they look great!! They offer a package of wallet sized, 5X7s, a magnet, & keychain of the photo.

They may also take a family picture at Ohana's also - I'm not sure.

 

[soccr20]

Wow that's a lot of dinner/breakfast resevations! I don't know how active your 2 year old is, but I just took my 19 month old to WDW and I was lucky to get through a meal at one restaurant, let alone 2 a day. To be honest, you're going to be spending an awful lot of time waiting and eating if you go to that many places. If you're staying on grounds, they have snack bars and dinning rooms at the hotels, plus there are a lot of places to eat in the parks that don't require reservations. Anything with characters is hard to get into, but even if you only go to one or two there are other places to take them to see the characters. The Crystal Palace is nice for the Winnie the Pooh characters and Chef Mickey's is a lot of fun. I can't help you on the princesses though cause I have a son, but I would think that one "sit down" breakfast or dinner a day would be enough, if that. We go for a week at a time also and we usually go to 3 or 4 "sit downs" at most. Plus, a lot of the food the kids would be eating are the same at a sit down or a snack bar. The parks are all so big and sometimes the waits for rides can be pretty long; especially if you're waiting on fast passes. You may find the dining cuts into your play time; especially if the restaurants are at hotels and not in the park you go to that day. The transportation there is wonderful, but it can take up a lot of time because you have to wait for busses and most make numerous stops. I guess it also depends on when you plan on going back, you may want to experience everything. But I think when they're that young it's more of what you want to do and what they can handle. I don't know where all those restaurants are located, but I know Rainforest Cafe is at Downtown Disney and then the Liberty Tree Tavern is at Magic Kingdom- you may want to be careful about doing 2 things in 2 different places. Sorry if this sounds negative, I don't mean it too. I just know I don't like to take that much time away from the parks when I'm there and it's nice to not always have to watch the time, just enjoy the day. Hope this helps.