Are advanced dining reservations needed for late September/ early October trip?

[valerie1003]

We are going to Walt Disney World from September 26 through October 5, 2008 and staying at the Polynesian Resort. We are going to do advanced dining reservations for all the dinners shows like Hoop Dee Doo and Spirit of Aloha as well as signature restaurants like the California Grille and The Coral Reef Restaurant, 180 days in advance...but since it is off season do we need to have all other reservations for everyday planned 180 days in advance? A month or 2 weeks in advance? Or can we wait til we are there and call then???

I seem to think we need to book everything well in advance...my boyfriend thinks he'll be able to call and make reservations day of. I really don't know who is correct and I need your help. It's hard planning 3 meals a day, 6 monthes in advance. We have bought the deluxe dining plan. What route would you guys take? I really need and value everyone's opinion on these boards and I really could use your expertise. Thanks in advance for your help and happy planning!

~Val

 

[ksbean]

If I bought the Deluxe plan I'd be making most if not all reservations as soon as possible. You can always change or cancel them later, but at least you'll have something arranged to fall back on. You can take the chance but you cannot count on restaurants being availalble especially during the popular eating time frames. If you prefer to eat at the non traditional time you may have a better chance getting into places last minute. Places like LeCellier, CRT and a few others book up quickly. If they are on your list you'd want to make those 180 days out. We just visited end of Nov/Dec and we did have one night we tried to change plans to eat at Ohana and they didn't have a slot open in a 2 hours window so we ate at our original reservation Garden Grill. You just never know.

Have fun planning. Karen

 

[Tricia1972]

We are going to Walt Disney World from September 26 through October 5, 2008 and staying at the Polynesian Resort. We are going to do advanced dining reservations for all the dinners shows like Hoop Dee Doo and Spirit of Aloha as well as signature restaurants like the California Grille and The Coral Reef Restaurant, 180 days in advance...but since it is off season do we need to have all other reservations for everyday planned 180 days in advance? A month or 2 weeks in advance? Or can we wait til we are there and call then???

I seem to think we need to book everything well in advance...my boyfriend thinks he'll be able to call and make reservations day of. I really don't know who is correct and I need your help. It's hard planning 3 meals a day, 6 monthes in advance. We have bought the deluxe dining plan. What route would you guys take? I really need and value everyone's opinion on these boards and I really could use your expertise. Thanks in advance for your help and happy planning!

~Val

We went Sept 30-October 13 last year.

We made our ADR's at 180 days out and for the biggies like LeCell and Chef Mickey's we were unable to move things around closer to the date to change party size, without having to take ridiculously late times for dinner (8:45 Chef Mickey with a 4 YO and a 2 YO?!?!) We ended up just leaving things the way that I'd reserved them at 180 days.

For others, if you're flexible with your dining times and with where you eat, you'll be able to find something to eat. It just may not be the something that you want to eat when you want to eat it.

I'd say it's safest to make reservations now and if you want to move things around when you're there or as the date gets closer, call in and see what can be done.

 

[smep013]

If you do not want to end up eating at the closest counter service because you are starving and could not get in to any table service restaurants - I would make ADRs for all your sit-down meals.

 

[Sorsha]

That's Food and Wine Fest... most places will fill up quickly.

If you want Le Cellier, Ohana, Boma, Jiko, pretty much anything in Epcot, or anything character... you need to make those at your 180 day window... when I went at the end of last September... Le Cellier filled up SO fast... we had to take what we could get and we made our ressies in April.

 

[RMulieri]

As other posters have said 1) that is food and wine fest and 2) popular restaurants book early...low crowds or not.

 

[Cinders Mum]

definately book early. It is also Free Dining for those on the Bounce back deal and for UK bookers. (No word yet on free dining for everyone else at this time) but you can bet there will be plenty who will make ADR's just in case the deal is released again this year.

Do it as soon as your dates come in, to save disappointment.

We may see you around the Poly, we check in on 09/27 for 3 weeks. Have fun

Val
xx

 

[Lynne M]

If you bought the deluxe dining plan, you absolutely need to make your ADRs well in advance of your trip. If it were me, I'd book every TS meal at 180 days out.

If you try to book day-of during that busy period, you'll probably get a seating at some TS, somewhere on Disney property, but it may not be your first choice. Or even a second or third choice. It may be at 9PM, or at a theme park you weren't planning to visit, or at a resort.

Long story short - you've already paid for those TS meals. Why waste the credits at restaurant that's not your first choice?

 

[LowesChevy]

We like to eat at ts restaurants every night so I make a reservation each night. If our plans change, I can at least see what else is available without getting shut out. Last year we went October 4-13th and it was crazy busy at most places. I did not make the ressies 180 out-maybe 120, but this year I will be rising to make the ADRs at 7:00 AM April 5.

I am not worried about what I am in the mood for 180 days in advance, because every place we dine is great. I plan my days around my meals.

 

[LSchrow]

we went around the same time last year (& will be there around the same this year ) for the F&WF.
absolutely make ADRs!!!!
we saw soooooooo many ppl turned away in every restaurant (especially in EPCOT). the CMs would try finding ressies anywhere on property for walk-ups. if they were successful, the ADR was norm very late at a less popular resort restaurant. many walk-ups were very upset that they had to wait hours to eat (especially hard on groups with little ones ), as well as having to travel elsewhere (even most of the deluxe resort restaurants, near parks, were booked solid).

not worth the frustration, IMHO ~ stick with your plan & make those ADRs

 

[ZoZo]

We always go in October. You will definitely need some ADRs that time of year, especially if you want to dine at the more popular TS restaurants. I think of ADRs as a "necessary evil" - unless you want to get stuck with all counter-service or the less popular restaurants, make some ADRs. You don't need to do them 180 days in advance, but you should make at least some ADRs. Remember, you can always cancel them if you decide you don't want to be "tied down", but you can't make ADRs materialize out of thin air if you haven't made them in advance!!

Regarding going in October: We eat, at most, at only one TS restaurant per day. Because October is Food and Wine Festival time, we often end our days at Epcot and graze our way around the food booths at World Showcase. Because of this, we make (maybe, at the most) 3 or 4 TS ADRs when we go in October. We go to Kona, Le Cellier, California Grill - maybe one other. Otherwise, we get by with eating breakfast in the room, F&W Festival food, and CS at the other parks.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I have the deluxe plan for my next trip, which is the same time as yours, (late September into October,) and I am going to make all of my ADRs 180 days out. Better to be safe then to be sorry!

 

[Pakey]

We just got back from a week there. January is very slow, the parks were empty, empty, empty. We had our ADR's and I was so glad because each place we ate was packed. We waited 40 minutes past our ADR time at Ca Grill; we've never waited that long there. I think the days of walk ups for most places are gone now.