Do you think the average WDW go-er knows about all the resort restaurants?

[monkeybug]

I had no idea there was even more than one resort before I started planning this vacation, let alone they had restaurants!
This is our first trip to WDW and I thought it would be pretty much like Disneyland only in Florida and with that thing called Epcot (which I thought was inside of the giant ball thing, and for some reason thought people actually lived in the park somewhere!)
I couldn't figure out why people looked at me like I was growing a second head when I said I wanted to stay at the Walt Disney World hotel!
With out these boards I wouldn't know about fastpass, the dining plan, that Military was getting 40% off (would have been staying at SOG) the rooms,DHS or AK, what a hopper was, or pretty much anything else!!!
I catch a lot of flack from some of my family/friends for all of the research and planning I'm doing (I have to give them some credit...I do have a spreadsheet, and that is a little weird to the rest of the world) but I just can't imagine how our trip would have turned out if I hadn't!!! With two small kids, long lines & no place to sit and eat would have been !
I am sooooo thankful for all the great info. all of you WDW experts have posted!!!!

 

[Micca]

I would bet that many WDW visitors aren't aware of the various components of WDW that contribute to the magic. For many, they are taking the kids to ride the rides at a theme park and that's the end of it. Seems like if you did that once you might notice there are a LOT of other things going on besides the rides.

Having been to WDW 40+ times over the past 30+ years we enjoy the resorts and dining as much as we do the parks.

 

[Razorback]

I think it is funny when I look back to our first visit in 2002. We went to all 4 parks in 2 days and thought we did a really good job and seeing soooo much in just 2 days. Little did I know that we saw soooo little in two days.


This is our first year on the dining plan and I am really looking forward to see many resorts that we have not had the opprotunity to visit.

 

[allshookup]

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when DH & I first went to WDW in the late 80s, we stayed off-site at some cheap roach motel & DH wanted to go on the monorail & have a drink at one of the resorts & I was appalled! "We can't go to those hotels, those are only for the people that are staying there!" He kept arguing with me, but I wouldn't give in. After that first time we've always stayed on site & have since purchased DVC, so roaming around WDW is second nature now, but when I look back I wonder what the heck I was thinking?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

On my first trip I didn't even know about character dining.

DH went every year as a kid and stayed at really nice timeshares with his family but they NEVER ate on site...ever. He said they packed food.

We did our first character dining last year and that was pure luck after having just saw this board two weeks before our vacation and luckily got some ADR's.

 

[Poohbear5]

This spring will be our 4th trip in 25 years of marriage. I must admit, I didn't know about all the resort restaurants.

We've done character meals in the park and Trails End when we were camping at FW.
So this trip, we are doing breakfast and dinners at several resorts as well as the parks and can't wait to try all the places I've read about on these boards!

 

[3boymthr]

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when DH & I first went to WDW in the late 80s, we stayed off-site at some cheap roach motel & DH wanted to go on the monorail & have a drink at one of the resorts & I was appalled! "We can't go to those hotels, those are only for the people that are staying there!" He kept arguing with me, but I wouldn't give in. After that first time we've always stayed on site & have since purchased DVC, so roaming around WDW is second nature now, but when I look back I wonder what the heck I was thinking?

I think this is the attitude of many people coming to WDW. I know the first time DH and I went to WDW and the monorail went thru the contemporary I looked down at all the people and thought, "Boy aren't all those people lucky to eat here. I wish we could stay here so we could eat with Mickey."

 

[maverick61]

I would say that a majority of the Guests at WDW have no clues about almost anything here. Be it Fastpasses, Dining, or whatever. .

I like it that way better for those who are in the know

 

[billfatora]

Many, many years ago, my second wife dragged me to WDW. We stayed in one of the "off-property Disney Resort Hotels". I couldn't understand why she was dragging me to this "child's playland", with "ten-thousand, rug-rats, nipping at my heals". My concept of WDW was "The Magic Kingdom". I've logged too many trips to count since then.... I'm with my third wife now, and I began dragging her to WDW, two years ago.... I planned everything out, and even made a "guide-book" for her - she never read it, or even looked at it ! All she wanted to see was "Small World". Our first day there was spent at MK. We stayed at "The Contemporary Resort" (my personal favorite). The next day we got up, had coffee in the room, and headed out for the monorail. After waiting only two or there minutes, my wife said, "why don't we just walk - it isn't that far !" When I explained to her that we were going to EPCOT, she couldn't understand why we would stay at "Disney" if we weren't "going to the park". It turned out to be one of the best weeks I've ever spent at WDW, and a wonderful time for my wife. For me, because it really tested my knowledge, since I became my wife's own, personal, tour-guide. And for my wife, because she had no idea that such a place even existed! We are both in our 50's. It is so very easy for those of us who have made WDW our "second home", to forget that the rest of the world views "WDW" as they view "Disneyland", or "6 Flags" or any other "Theme Park". As an "Army brat", I spent time in Rome (Italy) when I was very young - over 50 years ago. Now - I wonder how I would feel going back... would I feel "at home", like I did back then... or would I feel more like "a tourist".

 

[mmcguire]

I doubt it. I've been going for years and am still discovering them. Heck, I just found about about Catalina Eddie's at DHS, and that's not even in a hotel!

 

[AlohaAnnie]

I do not think I would have known about them on our first trip to WDW in 2006, if we had not bought Disney Guides, at the book store. We bought Pass Porter and another that I can remember the name of. We also found the Disboards right before we left and did a little research w/o signing up to be members.

I am really glad that I am a planner and a sponge for information!