Dining Question

[Jty1220]

We just booked our first trip ever to Disney and I have read on here that we should start making reservations.
We have not bought our tickets yet to the parks. Do I have to have my tickets to make reservations?

When we make a reservation do we pay up front?
Also, What restaurants would you reccommend? The trip is for my Wife and I (29 and 26) no kids and we prefer nice restaurants. We dont like chains and we prefer to sit down at a nice dinner. She is Gluten free and also has a shell fish allergy.

Thanks

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

As long as you have your reservation you can begin making dining reservations immediately. Depending on when you are going, you may need to start today. During busy times ADR's can be gobbled up starting at 180 days out.

Depending on when you are going to be there you may be eligble for free dining as well.

Some possible suggestions would be:

Breakfast

Your hotel if you do not want character interaction.
Kona at the Poly
Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Floridian

Lunch

Liberty Tree Tavern-Magic Kingdom
Le Cellier-Epcot
Chefs De France-Epcot
Rose and Crown-Epcot
Cantina San Angel-Epcot-Atmosphere
Mama Melrose-Studios

Dinner

All the above plus

Narcosse
O'hana
Olivias
Cape May Cafe
Captains Grille
Citricos
Blye Zoo

There are others and you should check out the menus here on the dDisboards

 

[1girln3boys]

You don't have to have tickets or even have your room booked to make dining reservations. We haven't even booked our package yet and we have all our ADRs made.

 

[orcasandowls]

We just booked our first trip ever to Disney and I have read on here that we should start making reservations.
We have not bought our tickets yet to the parks. Do I have to have my tickets to make reservations?

When we make a reservation do we pay up front?
Also, What restaurants would you reccommend? The trip is for my Wife and I (29 and 26) no kids and we prefer nice restaurants. We dont like chains and we prefer to sit down at a nice dinner. She is Gluten free and also has a shell fish allergy.

Thanks

Congrats on booking your first trip to the World!

You do not need to have your tickets to make reservations, but you should bear in mind that getting to the restaurants in the park does require a valid ticket. So if you don't get park hopping on your ticket, you'll want to spend the day in the park where you dinner reservation is. For example, if you don't have park hopping and you have a dinner reservation at Le Cellier, you should plan on spending that day in Epcot. If you do add park hopping to your ticket, this whole concern disappears. Hope this wasn't an overabundance of information!

You do not pay up front when you make an ADR, however some Signature restaurants require you give a credit card number when you pay. If you're a no-show on the day of your reservation, you get charged a fee. I don't know the exact amount, but someone here will!

Since your wife is gluten-free, you can have that noted on your ADRs. Disney is fantastic at accommodating special dining needs. It can be a little trickier at counter service restaurants, but they're still a lot better than most places.

As for suggestions, you're gonna get a lot of different ones here! My favorites are Le Cellier at the Canada Pavillion in Epcot, Tokyo Dining at the Japan Pavillion in Epcot, The Brown Derby at MGM, and the California Grill at the Contemporary. The California Grill is especially great if you can get a window seat around the time Wishes starts. And if you can't, there's an outside viewing balcony. It's such a cool perspective on the fireworks!

Hope this was helpful!

 

[tzolkin]

One thing to note with your wife's food issues... if you book online there is a box to indicate allergies, if you book over the phone be sure to mention this. At each TS restaurant a chef will come to your table to go over what she can eat and will even offer special alternatives that can be cooked to accommodate her. Even at buffets, they will walk you through and discuss everything with you.

 

[nkereina]

We just booked our first trip ever to Disney and I have read on here that we should start making reservations.
We have not bought our tickets yet to the parks. Do I have to have my tickets to make reservations?
No, anyone can make dining reservations, even if you have nothing booked. Local Floridians often make dining reservations for a night out.

When we make a reservation do we pay up front?
No, you will pay the bill for what you order just like you do at any other restaurant. When you make the reservation, for select restaurants you do have to provide a credit card number to guarantee your reservation and you will be charged $10 per person if you do not show up for your reservation. For some of the dinner shows and fixed menu restaurants, they are pre-pay but they will be clearly noted when making your reservations online.

Also, What restaurants would you reccommend? The trip is for my Wife and I (29 and 26) no kids and we prefer nice restaurants. We dont like chains and we prefer to sit down at a nice dinner. She is Gluten free and also has a shell fish allergy.
Check the disABILITIES board for allergy accommodations. Some restaurants are better about it than others, but most will help her out. I'd also look at signature restaurants for a better dining experience.

 

[Jty1220]

Thanks so much. Looks like I need to get started on booking.
Go Bills

 

[Jty1220]

As long as you have your reservation you can begin making dining reservations immediately. Depending on when you are going, you may need to start today. During busy times ADR's can be gobbled up starting at 180 days out.

Depending on when you are going to be there you may be eligble for free dining as well.

Some possible suggestions would be:

Breakfast

Your hotel if you do not want character interaction.
Kona at the Poly
Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Floridian

Lunch

Liberty Tree Tavern-Magic Kingdom
Le Cellier-Epcot
Chefs De France-Epcot
Rose and Crown-Epcot
Cantina San Angel-Epcot-Atmosphere
Mama Melrose-Studios

Dinner

All the above plus

Narcosse
O'hana
Olivias
Cape May Cafe
Captains Grille
Citricos
Blye Zoo

There are others and you should check out the menus here on the dDisboards

We are going in march. how do we get free dining?

 

[ellie&mattys mom]

free dining depends on your dates
check the information under dreams res listed here!

I got free dining we are march too!

 

[nkereina]

Free dining is a promotion offered on select dates. I'm not sure about March but I'm sure a quick google search will give you the dates. You cannot combine discounts, so depending on where you are staying, often times a room discount may be better than free dining since free dining requires you to pay full price for the room. For example, many people who stay at deluxe resorts find that 30-40% off room discounts saves them more than free dining, so they pay dining out of pocket.

If free dining is available when you go, you just have to call and they can switch your package to the promotion. It is based on availability.

 

[Jty1220]

Where is it listed?
So it is only offered if you are staying at a disney resort?

 

[TDC Nala]

There is no current free dining promotion for the general public. There was one offered for dates in March, but it expired in December. No way to know if there will be another offer for March. Yes, you must stay at a Disney resort to get the dining plan at all. If you are paying for the plan, do research to find out if the dining plan is what you want, which dining plan you might want or if it is a good deal at all for your circumstances.

Also there is a sub-forum on the restaurant board called Restaurant Reservations. On this board you will find a list of the restaurants that require a credit card hold and have cancellation policies. If you don't cancel in time and don't show up for reservations at these restaurants there is a no-show fee. Familiarize yourself with the cancellation policy if you are interested in making a reservation at any of these restaurants. There are 19 restaurants that require a credit card hold for all reservations, and four that require full pre-payment.

 

[nkereina]

Where is it listed?
So it is only offered if you are staying at a disney resort?

Yes. You can only get the dining plan if you are staying at a Disney resort at all. You have to book a package with at least one days worth of tickets to get the dining plan.