Do I really have to book exactly 180 out?

[Davey-D-99]

I have already booked our very first family trip to WDW for next April...8 nights POR w/DDP. Me , DW, DS (9), DD (6)

Friends of ours, who have been a couple times, tell me that I better book all the restaurants we plan on eating at exactly 180 days out, each day.
That would mean starting Oct. 28th I have to book a restaurant a day for 8 straight days...
If that is true...HOLY $*** I am going to need some help.
I figured I had more time to learn and plan which restaurants to book.
What are the best restaurants in each theme park for a first time family??

Right now I'm planning for 2 days at MK, 2 days at EP, 1 day at MGM, 1 day at AK, 1 at POR restaurant.
The restaurants also have to be peanut safe because both DW and DS have peanut allergies.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[mjf2wdw]

Once your vacation is 180 days away, you can book your whole trip, up to 10 days of adrs. Most restaurants do not need that much time. You can find good adrs 30-60 days out in a lot of good restaurants. If you want to eat in the castle or book a dinner show, I would book as far out as possible but otherwise dont panic. Have fun

 

[mickeymousemom]

FIrst off, you can now book 180+10 days out if you're staying onsite. Which means, if you're staying in a WDW resort then you could book all your eight days at 180 days out(all in the same day).
I think your friend is being a little extreme. Of course, there are places you'll want to book ASAP, such as Cindy's Royal Table, or maybe LeCellier, and some of the more upscale TS places. Otherwise, I think you'd be fine if you wait a bit.
I couldn't decide every place we wanted to go at 180 days, so I did only what we were sure of first(and the harder to get places). That also made me a little more open in my scheduling. After I did have it all scheduled, I still changed my mind a few times and made a few more phone calls. I leave in two weeks, and made my final ADR's only about a month ago.

Relax. Really. Think about what you want and make a few ADR's for those hard to get places first. Then relax some more and fill in the blanks later.
You'll be fine.

 

[CamColt]

While I usually like to book my ADRs asap, I have found it is not always necessary. Last week, 2 months before my next trip, we made some adjustments to our plans. I was able to book dinner at Kona Cafe on the night of my choice at 7:10 (10 minutes off what I was looking for). A bit before that, I was also able to get Mama Melrose under 3 months in advance of my trip, again for the day and time I wanted for dinner.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

If you want to eat at any of the popular character meal buffets or popular restaurants, you will need to do it 180 days in advance. For the others, 3 months seems to be the average time now to ensure you get the times that you want.

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

Some restaurants are easier than others...I was still juggling my ADR's around 30 days before our trip...but there were some restaurants that were unavaible for my Sept trip back in April

Now that i'm a certified Dis-nut who's mental health surrounding my vacation can be called into question, I'll have my ADR line up in place and ready to book at 180+10...just because there are some places we missed this year I really want to do...

I see you're from Canada...if you want to try Le Cellier for instance...I suggest you be on the phone at 7am at the 180 mark...

if you are going during a busy travel period...ADR's as soon as humanly possible are a MUST!

 

[ekmom]

We were there last year during President's Week and ate at Chefs de France and Sci-Fi Dine-In, both for lunch. We were able to get reservations at the concierge desk at POR only a day or two in advance. Maybe those places aren't very popular.

 

[Davey-D-99]

 

[burberryplaid]

I just wanted to add..if you tell any restaraunt at Disney about the peanut allergies, they will accomadate you. When you book your ADR's mention it, then mention again to the conscierge when you check in, and when you check in at the restaraunt.

 

[dreambound]

I booked my big ones at 180 days, but the rest I have been doing over the weekend and yesterday at less than 60 days. I'm getting almost everything I want. The things I am not getting are dinner at MK on a MVMCP night (popular) and Saturday dinners between 5 and 8. That's it.

Actually, I switched my CRT at 160 days and had NO trouble getting what I wanted and I had many times to choose from. Once upon a time, you had to use an atomic clock the morning of 180 days and if you didn't get CRT in the first 5 minutes, you weren't getting CRT at all. Ever.

You can always make ADR's and change them if you change your mind.

Good luck!

 

[debaone]

Anything popular you want to be on the phone at 7am either 180 days out or 180+10 days out. I booked all of them 190 days out my last trip. You can then make adjustments as needed as you get closer, but you always have something booked....and you can normally get just the time you want when you book this early.

 

[crisi]

No. If you are looking for hot restaurants and prime times, yes. But we made reservations about 60 days out and got everything we wanted when we wanted. We weren't looking for a Princess meal, a character meal or Le Cellier, nor did we want California Grill over fireworks - but there really is only maybe 10-20 "hot" dining reservations you need to book early.

If you want Le Cellier, pick a day now and book it. If you want a character meal, pick that one and book it. (Some character meals will have openings much later - Cape May and Liberty Tree Tavern are much easier to book that Chef Mickeys or Cindy's). Pretty much everything else you can wait until your trip gets a little closer, unless you are really picky.

 

[Davey-D-99]

Thanks for the help...
I think I will book a Character dinner at the MK early for sure. We know which day we want to spend at the MK, however...
What MK restaurant would be best character experience for 1st timers??

Our friends also highly recommended the underwater restaurant at EPCOT, I think I will book that one early too.

MGM, AK, I really have no idea yet what would be a good choice.

 

[auroraarielella]

Rose and Crown (England) during Illuminations is another hard one you should book 180 days. It's basically the only TS you can watch Illuminations from.

 

[crisi]

Rose and Crown (England) during Illuminations is another hard one you should book 180 days. It's basically the only TS you can watch Illuminations from.

But only about 30% of the tables are outside, and they won't guarentee a spot outside. You can leave your inside table and stand out on the patio during the show, however. Its a hard reservation to get, but a lot of people are disappointed when they end up inside the restaurant.

 

[3for Me]

Thanks for the help...
I think I will book a Character dinner at the MK early for sure. We know which day we want to spend at the MK, however...
What MK restaurant would be best character experience for 1st timers??

Our friends also highly recommended the underwater restaurant at EPCOT, I think I will book that one early too.

MGM, AK, I really have no idea yet what would be a good choice.

I would suggest either Crystal Palace (1st choice) or LTT (2nd choice) in the MK if you are specifically looking for a character dinner. The only other choice available IN THE MK is Cinderella's.

The restaurant you are referring to in Epcot is Coral Reef. It is a very nice experience - just unbelievable sea life - they give you a chart to help you identify certain species as you watch them from your table.

MGM has long been a source of frustration for not having a lot of choices. If you are looking for something a little nicer then the Brown Derby is your best choice. If you like italian, then try Mama Melrose. The Sci Fi is fun for kids, but the food is just average.

At the AK, Yak and Yeti may be open by the time you go, although I have not been keeping up with this, so you may need to do a little more research. We have always just had counter service here or eaten at the Rainforest Cafe. We save a nice resort dinner for our AK day.

Not sure about POR since I have never stayed there, but there are a TON of great restaurants at the resorts. Go to the top of the page and look at some of the menus, or go to allears and check theirs out as well.

Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[auroraarielella]

But only about 30% of the tables are outside, and they won't guarentee a spot outside. You can leave your inside table and stand out on the patio during the show, however. Its a hard reservation to get, but a lot of people are disappointed when they end up inside the restaurant.

That is a good point. I know that, and I don't mind watching by coming outside from an inside table, it's better than staking out a place on the railing hours before illuminations starts, but that might dissapoint some.

 

[vicki845]

If you are staying at POR you might want to try some restaurants in DTD. There are a lot of restaurants to chose from there. Boatwrights is the name of the ts restaurant at POR. We ate there in 2005. I didn't like it but my dh and db did. POR is a beautiful resort. We stood there in 2005 and had a really good time. Have a great trip!

 

[crisi]

I would suggest either Crystal Palace (1st choice) or LTT (2nd choice) in the MK if you are specifically looking for a character dinner. The only other choice available IN THE MK is Cinderella's.

It isn't inconvienent to get to Chef Mickey's from the MK - from the back of the park its probably 15 minutes to the front, and another 15 minute walk to the Contemporary.

But it is, I think, important to realize Disney is 50 square miles - its big. While getting from Fantasyland to Chef Mickey's is reasonable, getting from Animal Kingdom to Chef Mickey's is a long haul.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you're going during spring break, make sure you book any restaurant at which you really want to get a table as soon as you can.

This is especially true if you plan on eating during peak mealtimes.

My opinion is that you should ALWAYS book ASAP, no matter what time of year you are traveling, if you want Le Cellier or CRT, or maybe Chef Mickey's.

I don't know what is meant by a "peanut safe" restaurant, but if you at least note on your reservations(including buffets) about the allergies, they'll make sure the allergic ones don't get anything with peanuts involved. The reservation agents should be able to help get it noted. I am not sure what you do about counter service places.

If you are on the dining plan, be aware that there are several restaurants at DTD that don't take it.