Do I have to make PS?

[crz4mm2]

Or can we just eat when we feel like it?
My daughter and I like to just decide when to eat when we are hungry. I don't know what time that will be, so to make PS at lunch time seems like something we could not be able to do. Will we have that much trouble finding something to eat in the parks during the week after easter? I haven't been to WDW since 95 so want to be able to enjoy myself without worrying about being somewhere at some definate time.
THanks.
Cathy

 

[ColetteN]

I have never been to WDW around Easter, but I believe that is a heavy/busy time of year. (hopefully another poster can verify that)

If there is some place you have your heart set on trying, then I'd make the PS. I believe character meals may be difficult, if not impossible as a walk up.

If you're flexible(with where and what time you eat), then you can probably wing it. Just don't be surprised to have long waits at some of the more popular places (esp park restaurants) or be told they aren't taking walk ups.

For lunch, if you and your DD aren't feeling for a 'sit down' place, you shouldn't have problems at any of the park counter service restaurants.

Have a wonderful vacation.

Colette

 

[Kaycee]

Easter is one of the busiest, if not THE busiest, time to go to WDW. Whether or not you have to have PS's depends on what you want to do for meals. If you'd be happy eating a lot of counter service and you don't mind eating at odd times and waiting quite a while for sit-down restaurants, then you won't have a problem. But if you like lots of sit-down meals and won't be happy waiting, you'll need to make PS's or you'll be pretty disappointed.

What we usually do is make a few (4 or 5 for a week-long stay) PS's for our favorite sit-down restaurants or for one that we've wanted to try, then just grab counter service for the rest of our meals. That way, we get all our favorite meals in, but we don't feel like our trip is being dictated by our PS's.

 

[Daisie]

I would at least make a few....that way if you really want to eat somewhere special, you shouldn't have a problem. If you are just interested in quick meals you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[crz4mm2]

THanks for the hints. We are going to do the luau one night and something else 'special' (haven't decided what yet) one other night. We also want to eat at Mexico in epcot (have done that two times in the past and liked it both times). We don't mind quick things and don't want to "have" to be somewhere at a certain time. We will probably do a breakfast our last day. Other than that, I don't have any ideas.
THanks!
Cathy- who can't wait, even though I know it will be busy

 

[sherry8253]

We were there from 11/25 to 12/6. We made PS for Thanksgiving and the weekend after Thanksgiving and decided to take our chances the following week. My DH now understands why I wanted to make PS for the places we really wanted to go - We could not get Le Cellier for any eve that week except at 9:15 in the eve so we skipped this restaurant since we don't like to eat a heavy meal that close to bed time. We also couldn't get a seating at Rose and Crown until 8:00 at night. This made us try some places that we would normally not have not tried - China and Morocco for example were walk ins. My DH said no to Morocco but we did eat at China and it was very good. So my recommendation is if you are willing to take the less popular places or are willing to eat late if you wait to make PS when you get there then you should be okay. Just be forwarned that many of the Epcot restaurants were not taking walk ins at all. So if there is someplace you want to eat, then I would make PS.

 

[magsmom]

Try this...

If you have an idea on where to go a few days (or even a day) before, make the PS then. We did this last year with Narcoosses, and the year before with Boma.

You may still not get good times at places like California Grill, etc. or even Boma (and it also depends on the size of your party) but you never know.

FWIW ... the only times we have been able to wing it as a walk-in at Epcot is during lunch. You may want to try that as an alternative for Mexico (the price is a little more affordable, as well).

 

[crz4mm2]

Thanks again.
We might just make a couple anyway. Hope for the best. We really dont' have an itinerary. Prefer to just do as we want when we want. So it will really be up in the air. There isn't any place we really 'have' to eat so not too worried about it. Might change our minds though
Just can't wait to get there!
Cathy

 

[crisi]

A couple years ago we went for our first trip with kids.

It wasn't a busy time of year (early Feb), we didn't know how the kids were going to travel, so we skipped PSs.

Biggest (and maybe the only) mistake I made that vacation. I haven't been able to look at a chicken finger since. I wouldn't start looking for something to eat until I was hungry, and then the places I wanted to eat weren't taking walk ins. Counter service was fine at lunchtime, but after a counter service lunch, I wanted to eat something decent for dinner.

The next trip I had one PS per day. We changed one last minute - but it was a great way for us to travel.

If you want to wing it:

Eat sit down at lunch, I think its usually easier (although we had NO luck with sit down for lunch at MGM - two hour waits).

Travel with a small party (I've had luck with walk ins pre-kids. Seating four or six which is what we did that year was less possible).

Start looking BEFORE you are ready to eat your own hand. If you decide to "eat when you are hungry" your chances of eating well go down, and your chances of ending up at the first place that will hand you a burger in ten minutes go up.

Know what the less popular restaurants are and head there. We had luck that trip with Marrakesh and Artists Point, but were turned away from Teppenyaki and watched people get turned away from San Angel Inn (where we did have PS).

Make PSs when you get there, or in the morning from your room, or from your cell phone as you walk the World Showcase, or from Guest Services in the park when you arrive. If you can't plan three months ahead, maybe you can plan three hours ahead.

Browse the alternate fast food menus. Chicken fingers, burgers and fries do get old - and that's what we ended up with over and over again in a pinch, but maybe if I had something from the Tangiers Cafe one night, sushi the next, Clam Chowder, the salmon from Tusker House, etc. it wouldn't have been such a horrible trip. But we didn't know where the fast food gems were.

Don't expect great fast food options from the hotel - especially if you are staying in a Deluxe. Made the mistake more than once of deciding with kids to eat back at the hotel. Roaring Forks is fine for what it is, but fine cuisine it isn't.

 

[wannabee princess]

I felt that this last trip was our most successful as to our eating plans, here is why -

I only had made two meal arrangements in advance (for 7 days stay) one was bfast at Tusker House with Sunrise Safari - knew beyond a doubt we would be ready to eat breakfast at 8:30am . The other was Le Cellier with the CP package to eat at 5pm - knew that if we had a lighter lunch somewhere in Epcot around noon time that we would be ready to eat early and would have time to do a little wandering around the WS after eating and before CP (815) - and that worked out great too!

Now, what I did do the majority of the other days - in the morning before we left for the parks I would get a PS (I was fortunate enough to have concierge to assist, but you could do on your own) for the restaurant I wanted to eat at that day. At this point, not every time is available of course, and so it would actually help me to be limited in choice! If the only time I could get a PS at R&C was at 7:20, well, that is what I took! I would plan the rest of my meals after that - not eating until 7:20? okay, we will eat something else around 1pm at a counter service wherever we happen to be at that time! Or, if we wanted to have a bigger lunch, than I would plan a lighter meal for dinner - never did two PS's for one day!

The other thing I did was - when we walked into the park that morning I went up to the info booth, asked what PS they had left for Prime Time around 1pm (thought that might be easier than 12). Took the closest time they had and we were set.

So, you don't have to plan every meal 90 days out, but there are some places that you would definitely want to have that done. It will depend on where you want to eat!