Fastpass and dining

[marinejjh]

We are trying to get all our dining times fine tuned before we can book our fastpasses. What is an ideal dining time for lunch to make sure your fastpasses dont overlap? What do most people do for there lunch and dinner times? Any help is appreciated, this is the first time using the new system.

 

[Hootch]

Are you looking at CS for lunch? Dinner? TS for either?

For CS lunch we generally try for 11:00 - 11:30 for CS and about the same for TS. We may get one FP before lunch. We like to schedule the other FPs in the early afternoon looking at afternoon mostly to try to get the fourth or fifth pass. If you have a character meal you're looking at 90 - 120 minutes for places like Ohana or Chef Mickey. CRT will be closer to an hour.

Dinner is all over the place - usually when we can get what we want and filling in the FPs at the 60 day mark.

 

[marinejjh]

Are you looking at CS for lunch? Dinner? TS for either?

For CS lunch we generally try for 11:00 - 11:30 for CS and about the same for TS. We may get one FP before lunch. We like to schedule the other FPs in the early afternoon looking at afternoon mostly to try to get the fourth or fifth pass. If you have a character meal you're looking at 90 - 120 minutes for places like Ohana or Chef Mickey. CRT will be closer to an hour.

Dinner is all over the place - usually when we can get what we want and filling in the FPs at the 60 day mark.

I am looking for table service, we have them booked but are looking for better times.

 

[jenineh]

I actually booked my fast passes around my dining. My dining was done at 180 days out and most of the stuff I wanted was booked up so there was really no way to fine tune or change my dining. On my fast pass day I had all my dining written down and just cross referenced my list when making my fast passes. I had to keep going back in to change some times after I made my initial ones but I wanted to grab the hard to get ones first. I also wanted to get most fast passes for early in the day so that I may have a chance to grab more after I used the first 3. In the end I got everything I wanted.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I usually book my ADRs and then book my FPs around them. Usually I will allow 2 hours after a meal before I book a FP, but if its something that I know I will be able to get to quickly I might only do an hour (for example if we have lunch scheduled for noon at Liberty Tree Tavern I might schedule Splash Mountain or Thunder Mountain for 1 PM bc they are super close to each other. We usually get the deluxe plan so we end up scheduling 3 TS meals per day and I usually try to get times for breakfast between 8 and 8:30 but the earlier the better since we are early risers, lunch I usually do around noon and then dinner is usually around 5:30-6 depending on where we are going for dinner. I usually try to eat in the same parks as we will be in that day so it saves time. I love the plans I have been able to work out because it usually flows well. My theory is to make the FPs around my ADRs. Basically the ADRs set the plans in motion for what days I do when, lol, and I try to book FPs in the same areas as my ADRs so I am not walking from 1 end of the park to the other.

 

[kayteekt]

Basically what others have said..my condensed version
#1 ADRs first. We usually do 2 TS per day. DH main motivation is the food. We usually do either breakfast and early dinner or brunch and normal dinner time.
#2 Choose FP+ around ADR schedule (or any other things we for sure want to do parades, shows etc...)
#3 FP times...most likely shooting for early afternoon. Maybe 1 before lunch other 2 right after.
#4 Take into very important consideration location. We don't want to be eating at one side of park and then have to run the other for a FP. I try to plan efficiently. For example, we have a BOG dinner ressie, so I'll be making our 7DMT FP for either right before or after. Since so close ill prob book our times close or even tech overlapping bc i know we can there at the tail end.
Ok, so this ended up not being condensed lol. One last tip, i like to book back to back and do one on the tail end and then the next at the beginning. Really good for top attractions that are close...think ToT and RnR