Confused newbie seeks dining help!

[JennaGlatzer]

Hi! I'm about to come to Disney with my daughter for the first time! I've been there as a kid, but this is my first time being the "one in charge!"

Anyway, I'm lost about ADRs. I've made a couple in the park, but there are few spots still available. I see people recommending going to resorts, but how does that work? If I'm in WDW, how would I get to a nearby resort for lunch and get back? How long would it take out of our day? Would it be faster or slower than waiting on line for counter service, usually?

I'm not a big foodie and neither is my daughter, so I'm mostly looking for fast options so we can spend as much time in the park as possible.

Also, how literal are the times on reservations? What if we're stuck on a line and have dining reservations coming up? Is there a "window" that's allowed if people are a little early or late?

All suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

 

[bumbershoot]

We have been late for some ADRs and it has been fine.

We have rented a car for our trips, so how to get there isn't going to be helpful from me if you don't, but we tend to save our resort dining for either the end of a day, or for days we take off from the parks.

 

[cbg1027]

If your main focus is doing as much as you can in the parks, then it's best to stay there for meals, especially if you're not at Disney to experience food.

The fastest options will be the CS in the parks. Going to a resort restaurant will be significantly slower.

If you do decide to try a resort restaurant, you can take the bus there and back. They run back and forth between the resorts and parks. There is also boat and monorail service between certain parks and resorts.

ADR times are literal, but they won't turn you away if you arrive late. You just might have to wait longer to be seated. You still take priority over a walk-up.

Reservations work differently at Disney. They don't reserve you an actual table. Having an ADR means you get seated at the next available table for your party size. So if you have an ADR for 7pm, and arrive then but the restaurant is completely filled, you will have to wait until a table comes available.

 

[tobikaye]

Most people who do decide to leave the park to eat at a resort will try and eat at a resort close to that park. Even though they still may lose time with the travel, it is not as great. It is great if you just need a break from the parks for a while, but can still take some travel time as you might have to wait for the boat, monorail or bus.

Some examples:

MK:
Contemporary - Walk or Monorail
Grand Floridian or Poly - Boat or Monorail
Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness - Boat

Epcot or DHS:
Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin - Walk or Boat

If it is your daughter's first time at WDW, I would suggest it would be easier for you to just grab something to eat quickly at the park you are in and not worry to much about having and ADR for every meal. This will give more time in the parks to explore everything. Then on future visits you can try and incorporate some of the resort hotel restaurants.

 

[Quin]

Are you on one of the Dining Plans, or are you paying out of pocket? Especially if you are paying oop, I would not worry about trying to get a sit-down TS meal every day. The CS locations have a great variety of food: you CAN live on hamburgers, but you can eat CS for a week and never touch one.

If you have not done so, check out the park hours and get an idea of which park(s) you might visit each day. Remember that you can go in and out of the same park the same day, like if you decide to go back to your resort and swim or nap, but you must have Park Hopper tickets if you want to go to a second park even if it's just for a meal. www.easywdw.com has good calendars and suggestions. Only you know your own family, to decide whether an early-morning park is good for you or if you only want ones that are open late.

If you are on the standard DDP, of course you do not want to have unused TS credits. Let us know what your park days schedule is and what ADRs you already have, and we may be able to make more suggestions.

 

[JennaGlatzer]

Thank you so much! No dining plan here. We're planning to be at WDW Nov 9-10, then Animal Kingdom on the 11th and Hollywood Studios on the 12th. I'm glad to hear there are good options for counter service... we'll mostly stick to that, then! I have ADRs at the Rainforest Cafe for when we're in Animal Kingdom, and Liberty Tree or something like that the first night.

 

[NLD]

Thank you so much! No dining plan here. We're planning to be at WDW Nov 9-10, then Animal Kingdom on the 11th and Hollywood Studios on the 12th. I'm glad to hear there are good options for counter service... we'll mostly stick to that, then! I have ADRs at the Rainforest Cafe for when we're in Animal Kingdom, and Liberty Tree or something like that the first night.

A little confused here. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are part of WDW.

Are you saying you'll be in Magic Kingdom Nov 9 & 10, Animal Kingdom Nov 11, and Hollywood Studios Nov 12?

(And... does this mean you're not going to Epcot at all?)

Just trying to understand your itinerary to help.

I agree with staying in the parks for your sit-down meals. Takes a lot less time than going to a resort.

Counter-service meals take less time than table-service, even if you stay in the park for the table-service.

 

[catne]

You have about 15 minutes leeway on your reservation time...after that, they'll drop your resevation and if you show up, they will put you on the walk-up list which means you might get bounced completely. Just depends how busy the restaurant is at that particular time. I've seen walk-ups get seated within 10-15 minutes...but I've also seen people who are late getting turned away.

Magic Kingdom counter service options we like:

At Magic Kingdom, I would try to get Crystal Palace buffet for dinner instead of Liberty Tree Tavern...you get characters & lots of choices at the buffet. Liberty Tree dinner is just the "thanksgiving" type meal, served family style (i.e. you don't order off a menu to get what you want...they just bring out a platter & bowls of all the foods on a traditional Thanksgiving meal...turkey, ham, m. potatoes, stuffing, etc.)

Cosmic Ray's at Magic Kingdom is a great counter service place with multiple stations which all offer different options...there's the traditional hamburger meals (huge "fixings" station where you can customize your burger with pickles, onions, tomatoes, etc.) Also have the chicken nugget type meals, and our personal favorite: the ribs & chicken combo meal (it's huge, big enough for 2 adults to split)

Columbia Harbor House if you like fish sandwiches and the like.

Animal Kingdom: We love Flametree BBQ...if you choose to eat there, after getting your meal on a tray, walk all the way around behind the building and follow the little path there past the reflecting pond all the way down to the "lake" overlooking Mt. Everest...gorgeous place to sit & watch the coaster while eating pretty good BBQ. Another option at Animal Kingdom is Pizzafari if you're wanting pizza. Rainforest Cafe is not actually inside Animal Kingdom...it's located at the entrance to the park.

Hollywood STudios is not known for great counter service options. It has numerous burgers & fries places (way too many) If you want a themed place, they have "Pizza Planet" like from the Toy Story movie...it has OK pizza, and all the arcade games all over (so it's NOISY) but it's an "atmosphere" for sure. We love Starring Rolls for lunch (small place tucked in the corner near Brown Derby...outside seating. Couple of gourmet sandwich choices and lots of fancy bakery options for dessert. But they close early--by 4 PM, and once they run out of sandwiches or bakery treats that's it for the day, they don't replenish supplies. So if they're real busy, they could be done with lunch foods by 2 PM.

Too bad you're skipping Epcot...they have the BEST counter service options there, including the wonderful Sunshine Seasons located in The Land building. Awesome choices there (most not at all resembling fast food. Like grilled pork chop dinner, or Asian plates, etc.)

 

[emmabemmainc]

I'm guessing she means Magic Kingdom on the 9th and 10th, but I could be wrong. I would not leave the park if I were you, especially if you don't care that much about food. There are some quick service or sit down choices in every park, so if you really aren't that concerned about what you eat, just stick with those. Have fun!

 

[emmabemmainc]

Crystal Palace and LTT are NOT counter service options! Just don't want the OP to get confused.

 

[JennaGlatzer]

Thanks! Oops, yes, I meant Magic Kingdom for the first few days. Skipping Epcot. I tried for any of the character meals, but didn't find a single one open for lunch or dinner either day. I'll keep watching for cancellations.

 

[B-Ride]

Our first trip to WDW we stuck to CS meals. It is much quicker giving more time for the attractions. Also much easier for your first time.

 

[JennaGlatzer]

Oh, good, then I'm not nuts. I see people all over the board talking about all their reservations, and I figured that must mean it's important because CS stinks or something. I'm glad to hear we'll be fine!

And congrats on post #2000.

 

[Buckalew11]

Jenna, I rarely do TS ADRS. I usually choice about 1, maybe 2 ADRS per trip and eat CS the rest of the time. Usually they have a good selection and I'm sure you all will find some very tasty selections at each park.

Have a wonderful, magical trip!

 

[kirsangel]

The food and wine festival is going on at Epcot during your trip. Different food booths from around the world! If you get a taste for something adventurous, head over to Epcot. No reservations needed, just walk up to food booths and order. It is a big place though so maybe a map with each food booth offering would help. Enjoy your trip!

 

[ktlm]

Thanks! Oops, yes, I meant Magic Kingdom for the first few days. Skipping Epcot. I tried for any of the character meals, but didn't find a single one open for lunch or dinner either day. I'll keep watching for cancellations.

How old is your daughter? Mine is 5, and from the time she was 2 years old, her absolute favorite park other than MK was Epcot and still is. In fact, when we took her to Disneyland, the only thing she complained about missing from world was Epcot. You might want to rethink skipping it, especially if your daughter is at an age where she still likes princesses at all as there are a ton to meet in the afternoons at WS.