Do character meals HAVE to be booked in advance?

[quinnc19]

I'll be traveling next month with DD 10 mos and eldery grandparents. I think DD would like a character meal (loved Mickey on DCL last month), but am concerned that trying to make reservations may make things too stressful. Any suggestions?

 

[RMulieri]

Unfortunatley, many of the more popular Character meals save no tables for walk-ups.If you really are interested in doing a character meal, make a ressies and if you decide not to use it then just cancel it.

 

[rgf207]

yes you need a reservation. The character meals are very hard to get into and they book fast.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Depends the time you are traveling and which ones you want to go to . For April I wouldn't chance it. You can always call and cancel the same day. Your better off being safe than sorry.

 

[ChelleinNC]

If you have your heart set on a particular character meal/restaurant, then make the ADR. If you're ok with "if it works out, great if not, that's fine too" then yes you can just walk up and try. Just know it's more possible at some character meals than others.

I have walked up and gotten in to Cape May Cafe for breakfast, Garden Grill for dinner and I also was able to get into 1900 Park Faire for dinner by walking up (after not being able to get an ADR there before the trip or that day at Guest Services) My Dad & Stepmom "accidentally" walked into H&V for breakfast (they went off with out us and didn't know what they were doing )

 

[quinnc19]

We are going in mid-May, not exactly next month Anyway, are there any you would recommend as being more suited for little ones? Thanks for your help!

 

[Evil Princess]

You're going to have a hard enough time getting Reservations for mid-may for some of the more popular ones, let alone the week that you're there. I'd say call and do it as an insurance thing, you can always cancel when you're on vacation and decide that you're not going to make it all the way over to wherever on such and such day.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I don't understand the apprehension of making an ADR. I believe that the OP is the perfect candidate for an ADR. She is travelling with an infant and elderly people. Why wouldn't you want a reservation? This way your wait time is much shorter and you are guaranteed to get it.

Sure your 10 month old won't have his/her heart set on seeing Mickey, but a 2 yo sure would. Why dissapoint them?

Perfect example: I am that person that wakes up early 180 days out before the trip and makes my ADRs. Well, yesterday, while looking for airfare, I found a fare that would save us $300 from what I had been looking at earlier. BUT I had to change my dates of travel from June 12 to June 13. I called WDW to see if my package was available, it was....I booked the new trip, and the airfare.

Today I was on the phone with Disney dining for 45 minutes......I didn't get any of the character meals I wanted for the times I wanted. Sure I got Chef Mickeys on day of arrival at 8:50p, but who the heck wants that after being up for 20 hours...I will call/hound/stalk, Disney dining until a cancellation happens

My point is OP, what could it hurt to make a reservation? Just make it and know that you at least have one character meal lined up.

 

[TiggerFamily]

We are going the end of May and made our ADR a while back and I couldn't get the time I wanted for Chef Mickey. I could get 7:25 or 10:30, the 7:25 was the morning after we go to the Pirate and princess party.

 

[mom2LLN]

I would book an ADR for whatever meals you might be interested in. It is better to have them and not use them, than to have wanted it and not be able to get it.

 

[RMulieri]

Try Crystal Palace ( winnie the pooh) at the MK, Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner at the Mk( Minnie,Pluto,Chip,Dale) or Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary Resort.If Playhouse Disney is your thing there is a character Breakfast and lunch at DHS at Hollywood and Vine

 

[ChelleinNC]

OP, I would like to add another thought. Go ahead and book a character meal that interests you. Check out the menus and see what you would like (your 10mth old won't care), then make the ADR for later in your trip. This gives you a chance to see how your DD reacts to characters in the parks. A lot of small children completely freak out when the characters come near them and the last thing you want is to be seated at a meal and then have your child scream & cry and want to leave when you just paid for a (somewhat)expensive meal.

 

[jsgabel]

Book it now, if you can. We just decided to make a trip in mid May (first trip with DS2, though we've been ourselves many times), and I've been shocked by the difficulty of getting ADRs compared with previous trips. Granted, we started planning relatively late and didn't get the chance to book months ahead, but I even remarked to the person at CRO that I remember making a same-day reservation at Chef Mickey's on the Fourth of July several years ago. Her response was that with the popularity of the dining plans many more people book TS meals, and especially character meals. The per head cost just isn't much of an issue/crowd controller anymore.

For the five nights that we'll be on property, there was ONE dinner slot available, that's any day, any time. I grabbed it.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

I also don't understand the reluctance to make an ADR. You can always cancel it, but you could end up being REALLY HAPPY that you already have a reservation.

We went with the elderly grandparents and they loved the fact that we had a reservation, walked up and were taken right in to our seats. Right past all the people waiting and hoping for a table. It was SOOO relaxing and enjoyable. No stress at all. They liked knowing that we were all meeting at 5pm for dinner - and there was no one unhappy about having to sit around and wait.

You don't have to make an ADR for every meal or even for every day - but make a couple of them. You'll be glad you did.

 

[quinnc19]

My last experience with ADRs (EPCOT 2 years ago) was that there were many options for mid-May. You've all convinced me that this is not the case with character meals and that I should book pronto and keep my fingers crossed I can get something! Good suggestion to not book for the first day so we can see how DD is doing in the parks. I'm not too concerned that she will be scared since we just returned from DCL and she LOVED Mickey - kept trying to touch his nose! Also good suggestion to look at menus to see which the grown-ups will prefer.
Thanks!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

The only way you'll get into a character meal for sure is to make the ADR.
If you make one and decide you don't want to go, you can always cancel it.

April is usually a crowded month because of all the Spring Breaks going on so the odds that you'll be turned away are very high.

You didn't mention any other TS. I know my grandparents always wanted to eat TS so you may want to check with yours to be sure they don't want any. If they do, you'll want to make those ADR's too.

Have fun during your trip.

 

[quinnc19]

Just made ADR's for TH and CM for breakfast and think I will do LTT for dinner as well.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Chef Mickey's is great for breakfast!