Best "Why bother planning?" moment at Disney World

[PrincessKitty1]

OK--inspired by the planning thread--here is a thread to talk about your best "Why bother planning?" moment at Disney!

Here's mine: DH and I drove to Disney for one of our many weekend trips. We had no plans to splurge on a table-service dinner but right around 8:30 PM, with Epcot closing at 9:00, we decided we were hungry, and walked into Mexico for a chance at dinner. No go! They were booked up to the end of the evening and weren't taking walk-ins.

We walked out to the front steps of the Mexico pavillion, and DH whipped out his cell phone to call for ADRs. Moments later, we had an 8:45 ADR at Chefs de France, and we took off around the World Showcase to make it in time. We were seated and had drinks on the table just in time for the restaurant lights to dim for illuminations.....Heaven!

 

[Kitster]

This happened on my DH's very first trip to WDW. We walked out of the Magic Kingdom around 7pm one night because we were getting hungry and wanted to get something to eat. The line for the Express Monorail was outrageously long, so we hopped on the Resort Monorail and headed off on an adventure

Since neither of us were in the mood for steak, we bypassed the Contemporary and on a wild impulse, hopped off at the Poly. Not knowing any better, we walked up to the podium at Ohana to see if they had any tables available.........and here's where the occurred. Not only did they seat us immediately (while the lobby was packed with people waiting for tables), they seated us at a window table overlooking the castle. Just as our appetizers (the wonderful OLD menu items that is) arrived, the lights went down and the music went up for the FIREWORKS !!!!

MAGIC !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dawnball]

Last fall we were on the free dining package with one day passes. We upgraded my ticket and my mother's tickets to APs, but only upgraded Dad's to a 10 day pass because he wasn't sure if he'd come back on future visits. Then we were issued new room keys and they lost dad's 10 day tickets. So we spent an hour and a half at guest services in Epcot trying to get it straightened out (and another 2 hours at the hotel while they called us liars, but that's another story).

Anyway - the two toddlers in our crew spent the entire time chasing and popping soap bubbles that a nice CM was blowing outside guest services. Then he made a giant balloon donald duck for her to take back to the hotel. The sheer joy on her face while she ran around and played with a balloon donald on her head is one of my fondest memories of the trip.

 

[vsimeone]

During our Christmas vacation in 2004, we had ADRs (well, actually PSes) for every day of our trip except 12/30. My brother had left to go back home, we spent the day at Blizzard Beach and my parents were off somewhere in Florida house hunting. They called us as we were leaving BB to go back to POP to tell us that they'd be back at WDW in time for dinner and where did we want to eat? Oh great. It's around 4pm and I don't have any reservations anywhere. We ask at the desk at POP about a handful of restaurants that I can think of - no go. We go back to the room and while the kids are showering, I call Disney Dining. I ask about another handful of restaurants with either no availability or 10pm seating. So, I go a different route and ask if there is any restaurant ANYWHERE that has seating earlier than 9 or so. Sure enough, they have an 8pm at O'hana and we head over and have a cocktail, get seated, have a WONDERFUL dinner AND see Wishes!!! It was a little touch and go there and we thought for a bit that we might be eating in the POP food court but it turned out to be one of our favorite dinners of the trip!

All that said, I don't recommend "winging it" at Christmas for the restaurants that you REALLY want to dine at!!!

 

[Aneille]

Last May we walked up to the Rose and Crown around 7:30 pm and asked if we coud get a table for 8 adults and 4 children and if possible could we be seated outside around 8pm so we could stay and watch Illuminations. We all knew it was a long shot but thought we'd give it a try.

Well I guess we looked like a friendly group because we were seated around 8pm with 2 tables and an excellent view of the show!

We had a great time.

 

[suevee]

In March 2006, the last day of our vacation, we were in MK. It was getting late and everyone was hungry. We had been so busy with the rides we hadn't stopped to eat. Also we had had a late lunch. Well the counter services were closing as it was after 9:30 and the park closed at 10pm. So I too whipped out my cell, called ADR and had reservations at Chrystal Palace at 9:45 pm for 6. Then we watched the fireworks at 10pm from the steps of CP, then went back and finished our dinner. I got great photos of my daughters and my grandchildren watching the fireworks. Also we were the only ones at the restaurant and had the characters all to ourselves. Everyone was so nice!!! It was a magical ending to a great trip.

 

[MinnieM3]

Thanksgiving 2004 was also my DS's 16th bday and we had already "celebrated" with his pick.... Whispering Canyon for a late breakfast. We proceeded to have a fun day and headed back to the Contemporary around 7 or so and figured we'd just get something at the snack bar.

Ii told DH, well, let's at least TRY Chef Mickey's since we're here. I went up to the podium and said something like, "I know this is stupid, but we were wondering if you had any tables open for dinner." (remember it's Thanksgiving day here!) Sure enough, we were seated in under 15 minutes! Whoa! It was quite a surprise. Unfortunately, DS16 started not feeling well and headed up to the room. DH, DS4 and I enjoyed our meal, though. I was shocked at our luck!!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

All that said, I don't recommend "winging it" at Christmas for the restaurants that you REALLY want to dine at!!!

Excellent advice, but it does prompt me to tell my Christmas Eve story.

Christmas Eve 2005, we had ADRs for Yachtsman's Steakhouse for 6 or 6:30. But we were absolutely STARVING at 4 PM. We needed to either eat dinner very soon, or have a snack to stave off hunger.

We were hangin' out near the Rose and Crown (probably waiting for a set of The British Invasion ) when we decided to walk up to the Rose and Crown and see if they had any availability. They handed us a pager and we sauntered in at 4:30, in front of a long line of people hoping for seats, prompting one man to exclaim angrily that we were "butting to the head of the line!"

I held up the pager and said, "No, we were paged to be seated," and he grumbled, "Oh, those reservation things." Nope, just pure luck and good timing (and I think a smiling face never hurts)!

 

[grinningghost]

We decided on a whim to rent a water mouse boat. We went to the WL and they told us DH and I wouldn't be able to ride together, it would be too heavy, so we got a pontoon boat.

Never in a million years, did we think about renting a pontoon boat - but man was it fun!

And.... just as we got "out there", the water dudes started calling all the boats in because a storm was coming. We got about 20 minutes out of it.

We got back to the rental shack and they waived the whole rental fee - and we still got 20 minutes in the big pontoon boat! Not bad for free.

 

[zipuzee]

On our trip in 1995, after we checked into our hotel we headed to MK. It's 5 pm, and we were walking around the park, all pretty hungry, and trying to figure out what to do. After wandering around a bit, we walked up to an empty Liberty Tavern asked what time they started serving and if the had any tables. They seated us immediately as they had just opened and it was a character meal, which we had no clue about. The kids (10 & 6) had a blast and were really excited about getting up close with the characters so soon after our arrival.

 

[photobob]

I'm not one to call for reservations for restaurants weeks ahead of time. We made a few on our last trip either the day before or as we arrived in the park. We always eat at a TS for lunch rather than dinner. Every time we try to make reservations for lunch the earliest they could seat us would be 1:45 or later(probably because of you folks who do plan ahead). We went ahead and took the times they had available. We could never wait that long though. We went to Prime Time Cafe shortly after it opened and were seated with in 5 minutes, went to Coral Reef at noon and were seated with in 5 minutes and went to Sci-Fi at 12:30 and were seated within 5 minutes, went to Alfredo's at 12:30 and you guessed it, were seated within 5 minutes. Not sure I'll bother with the reservations this trip.

 

[tinkerbell60]

DH does not like to "overplan" so last July I only made ADRs at a 3-4 must do restaurants for our 10 day trip. The prior trip we had eaten mostly counter service anyway so I wasn't worried. The first night there we were in Epcot and DH decides he wants to eat at a TS - I am sure we will find nothing - well we were shot down in Mexico and Norway but sure enough tables available in China at Nine Dragons. We did the same thing a few nights later at Alfredos in Italy, were able to have lunch at Rose & Crown and dinner at Chefs de France. So we ended up getting to try a lot of places we hadn't planned on because of lack of planning!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

July 2001. We were at Epcot, and it was getting late (around 8, I believe). We were all hungry, so we figured we'd try Chefs de France since we loved their french onion soup. At the time we were somewhere near the Mexico pavilion, and suddenly it started pouring down raining. We ran all the way to France and were soaking wet (the one day we didn't bring ponchos and umbrellas... ). We asked if they had any tables. The hostess said rather snappily "No! No reservation, NO table!" And this was back when many times you didn't need an ADR (we never did). Anyway, by now it's kind of chilly and we're still soaking wet (and I was in shorts and a tank top ). My teeth are chattering and I'm starting on a sneezing fit. We turn to leave when an older waiter comes rushing up to the podium and says "I'll take them! I have a table for them!" He rushed us back to the glassed in, porch-like seating area, ran and got us fresh table cloths to wrap around ourselves, and then got our food for us all within about 7 or 8 minutes flat. I actually saw him again when we ate there this year, and I had to smile. I don't remember his name, but such a nice man. If he happens to read these boards or anyone here knows him, I never forgot that and still appreciate it. Definitely the nicest waiter I've ever had anywhere.

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

Ive had great luck with finding mvmcp and mnsshp tickets,
In 2004 we had tickets to three other halloween partys but wanted so bad to go the the sold out 31st one.
Just as my mom and I came out of the MK and were about to leave, a lady comes over and says do you need tickets, and she sold us her tickets for what she paid.
That was the year they were selling for a lot on ebay.
Ok in december 2005 we didnt have tickets to the 20th, we had thought we had ordered them but didnt, we knew most everything was going to occur during our stay, so that we really wouldnt have missed anything BUT I was sad about not being able to go,

Well,,,,, while in guest relations we noticed a lady having a hard time trying to get a refund for her tickets,,,, me being the nosy one asked my mom to ask her what kind of tickets, MVMCP tickets

We of course couldnt buy them from her right in front of the cm but we asked the cm if we could buy them after she returned them, and she said yes.
and she only charged the presale price
I wasnt feeling very good that night but that awesome pixie dust feeling made up for it.

 

[lvdsny]

My son and his girlfriend went to Disney World last November. They were hungry and right by Cinderella's Castle in the morning. Lauren walked up to the podium to see if they had any availability (never dreaming they actually would!!). They were seated within a half hour. She had eaten there years ago and had such a hard time getting reservations. Defintely pixie dust!

 

[webray]

LOL, the best no planning for breakfast ever was may years ago...back when they offered the grand plan.

We were playing breakfast by ear, when we decided we were hungry our daughter wanted Crystal Palace, we said ok, we walked up and the place was packed, long wait time. We walked away..I said..call and make a reservatoin..lol. We called, they asked if we were on plan, said grand plan..we had a seating time immediately and we were seated immediately..lol.
That time being on a special plan really paid off, lol.