Feel like quitting before I begin!

[LittleTee]

Hi, I am new here!


I have been looking into a WDW trip for Sept this year. I have gone to DLR for the previous three years and would like a bigger adventure!
I travel with my husband and son and we normally 'wing it'; last minute bookings, no dining reservations etc and we've always had the best time. I thought 5 months in advance to start booking would be ok, but it seems maybe this is considered last minute for WDW.
I put in some 'test' dining reservation requests online and could not get *anything* I wanted. Chef Mickey especially. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or if it's truly too late to be planning this holiday.

At Disneyland we were able to just get on a standby list and wait to be seated if we really wanted to eat somewhere or just stumble upon a restaurant and not have any issues. Am I totally stupid thinking it would be similar at WDW?

I am totally confused (and lacking enough research) to move forward. Starting to think we'll have to wait until 2016

Any help/ideas would be so greatly appreciated!

 

[goopysolelady]

DD wanted to sell her DVC points and asked her sister if she wanted them for 2015. She was interested in a November trip; there was nothing available for DD to book using DVC points. Judging from that, I'd wait until 2016. We've made 1 "spur of the moment" trip to WDW during spring break 2012. We managed to get dining reservations but all were at "odd" times...3 :30 PM for "lunch"; last reservation available for the day for dinner at Prime Time. MNSSHP begins in Sept. as well as the Food & Wine Festival. I'm afraid you might be "late to the party" this year. I'd play around with odd times for reservations and check on resort available ASAP. That should give you some idea of availability and then you can make your final decision. Good luck!

 

[ArmyVet80]

DD wanted to sell her DVC points and asked her sister if she wanted them for 2015. She was interested in a November trip; there was nothing available for DD to book using DVC points. Judging from that, I'd wait until 2016. We've made 1 "spur of the moment" trip to WDW during spring break 2012. We managed to get dining reservations but all were at "odd" times...3 :30 PM for "lunch"; last reservation available for the day for dinner at Prime Time. MNSSHP begins in Sept. as well as the Food & Wine Festival. I'm afraid you might be "late to the party" this year. I'd play around with odd times for reservations and check on resort available ASAP. That should give you some idea of availability and then you can make your final decision. Good luck!

I agree with this. After traveling to WDW for the first time in many years in 2009, I had no clue what an ADR was. My wife and I got into a few eateries but they were at random times. I would plan for 2016 and once your 180+10 (if you stay on property) opens up I would be on the computer at 6 AM (EST) or on the phone by 7 AM (EST). This will give you plenty of time to plan the entire trip out and once your window opens up you can have everything done in one smooth (if you can call the ADR part of the website smooth) motion. Also remember that if you have BOG as a priority (seems like everyone does) it should be the 1st ADR you try and get as soon as you can get logged on.

We are going to WDW 19 Sept. 15 to 26 Sept. 15 and put our ADR's in on 3/22/2015 which was our 180+10 day. If they offer "free dining" during that period people lock up a bunch of ADR's spaced apart by 2 hours I believe. An example is: They will have an ADR for BOG at 5 PM but also have an ADR at 7 PM at Tony's. I am not sure why people do it but they do. I guess if they don't get free dining they will eat at Tony's and if do get free dining they eat at BOG. I have read this on numerous different posts on this website.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

I have never been to DLR but have been to DW multiple times, you could make it happen and would be a good trip but you may have to eat at more QS restaurants than you may want to. I like to plan at 7 months out once the crowd calenders come out.

 

[LaurenT]

Dining becomes available at 180 days out (plus up to 10 days of an onsite stay), so the most popular places will book up. This will usually include Chef Mickey, Cinderellas Royal Table, Be Our Guest and Le Cellier. The rest should have availability at this point, we're still five months out and Sept is a low crowd month. You won't find the most sought after times - specifically the very first breakfast ADRs at the in park places, but the rest you should be able to get - and there are tons of great places.
So, if your vacation will be ruined if you don't dine at Chef Mickey's (couldn't pay me to eat there, but it's popular), then you should move your trip to at least 6 months out. If you just want a fabulous trip - it is by no means too late ... Sept is HOT, but has some of the lowest xrowds of the year.

 

[LittleTee]

Thanks for your reply. Was so excited to be planning and now feeling pretty bummed that it may not happen. Haven't run into any issues when looking for accommodation, it's just the dining that appears to be a major sticking point. I really only want a few restaurants over the course of 8-10 days...

Does the fact that the dining reservations are exhausted have any reflection on what the crowds will be like? One reason we chose Sept was that we read it was quieter.

 

[LittleTee]

Thanks LaurenT -- no, the trip won't be ruined if we miss Chef Mickey's. I personally loathe the food at some of the buffets but I was just looking for a character meal for my son that doesn't involve too many princesses. He really loves Tigger.

I'll keep looking and researching. Thanks again.

 

[LaurenT]

Check The Garden Grill for availability. Rotating restaurant in the Land Pavilion at Epcot.Family style meal with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Way nicer than Chef Mickey.
And crystal palace has tigger, Pooh Eeyore and Piglet.

 

[LaurenT]

Oh - I also love Tusker House and the breakfast at Cape May - both character meals - princess free!

 

[LaurenT]

And if he loves animals, get yourselves to Sanaa at the animal kingdom lodge (Kidani)!
You
Can watch the giraffe, zebra, etc out the window while your eating. Take a break from the heat there during your AK day and have lunch! The resort is beautiful and you'll be able to see the animals better than after dark.

 

[Karin1984]

It might be a little late for the most popular restaurants, but you still have plenty of time to arrange everything else Princess-Free character meals:
1900 Park Fare -Breakfast: Mary Poppins, Mad Hatter, Alice, Pooh, Tigger
Cape May Café - Breakfast: Donald, Goofy, Minnie
Crystal Palace - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: Eeyore, Piglet, Pooh, Tigger
Garden Grill - Dinner: Chip n Dale, Mickey, Pluto
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ - Dinner: Chip n Dale, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie
Ohana - Breakfast: Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto
Pirates and Pals Fireworks: Late night Capt Hook & Mr. Smee, Peter Pan (added as it is perfect for adventurous boys)
Tusker House - Breakfast/lunch: Daisy, Donald, Goofy, Mickey

If you stay 8 - 10 days, it should be possible to find a few nice restaurants to eat, next to the character meal. I would suggest to get yourself a copy of The Unofficial Guide to WDW to look for restaurant ideas. And keep checking, people always cancel or change their dinner plans.

Don't give up! There is time!

 

[Crystal824]

I agree that if you are just looking for a character meal (minus princesses) try Tusker House at AK, it is way better than Chef Mickey's in my opinion. It is probably my favorite character meal. The character interaction is good and the food is much better than most buffets. The Garden Grill at Epcot is good too.

I think you can still have a great trip booking now for September. You might have to be a bit flexible with dining though. With that being said, you should still be able to get into some sit good sit-down restaurants. A friend of mine just booked for the last week in Sept. She got everything she wanted except Be Our Guest. I don't think she tried for Chef Mickey's.

 

[pmaurer74]

I booked my ADRs one day late, past six months out and had a tough time getting what I wanted. Consider dining buddy if you need to pya someone to find an ADR for you. The other good time to look is 45 days out when people cancel trips. We just did a last minute trip for June and I got all ADRS I wanted, I was very surprised but going during free dining is likely the challenge.

 

[momof2n2]

I agree with the others, OP. I think you can still have a fantastic time.
September is a great time to go. Crowds are near the lowest of the year, and the weather is still gorgeous.
As a family that does like CM, I understand your disappointment, but there are some other options. (Karin1984 did a great job explaining.)
Just make sure you are on your computer at the 60 day mark to grab FP+s.

 

[Tomh]

I booked a Chef Mickeys breakfast for 7:20 am in August just about two weeks ago. If you have room to be flexible / creative with the TIME you want you have your meals, you should still be able to get most of what you want. I was also able to get Rose and Crown in Epcot, but had to settle for 7pm instead of the 7:30 - 7:45 (a great time to sit down if you are hoping to stay for Illuminations) that I prefer.

However, for future trips to Disney World, dining reservations are best done at exactly 180 days out, as soon as reservations opens for the day. They do fill up quite fast.

One more thing, if there is one particular meal you REALLY want, keep trying for it every day. Sometimes there will be a cancellation, and you can get that much wanted meal booked before you travel.

 

[LittleTee]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Feeling much happier now. Some of the suggestions sound great.

At the risk of being a pest...one final question for now... Can I secure an ADR online using MDE account even without a room reservation yet? Likely to book an on site room but won't be booking via Disney - is it possible to get it all linked up?

 

[vrajewski10513]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Feeling much happier now. Some of the suggestions sound great.

At the risk of being a pest...one final question for now... Can I secure an ADR online using MDE account even without a room reservation yet? Likely to book an on site room but won't be booking via Disney - is it possible to get it all linked up?

Yes, as long as the reservation is 180 days out or less you can book it without a room reservation on site.

 

[cjparker0110]

Welcome to the board! Good luck planning your trip. As previously answered, the crowds in September aren't bad at all. It's one of the better times as the weather is grand and the crowds are smaller (kids just returned to school, college just started back). Be flexible with your ADRs and you should be ok. They only have so many ADRs available for various party sizes at each time, and they fill up fast. As suggested you may just want to play around with different times/places. If you're looking to eat a noon lunch, it probably won't happen. But you might have luck at 1:15 or something like that. Most of all, have fun! You'll enjoy the trip. Hang around this place and you'll find TONS of tips and suggestions which should help you in planning.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

I think what is happening is people are expecting free dining so have booked up all the times at the very popular places.

WDW is very different than DL. Most things need to be planned in advance.

Good luck! Personally we love Disneyland better.

 

[rwdavis2]

Thanks for your reply. Was so excited to be planning and now feeling pretty bummed that it may not happen. Haven't run into any issues when looking for accommodation, it's just the dining that appears to be a major sticking point. I really only want a few restaurants over the course of 8-10 days...

Does the fact that the dining reservations are exhausted have any reflection on what the crowds will be like? One reason we chose Sept was that we read it was quieter.

Don't get hung up on dining at WDW. Most restaurants are average at best. By the way September is very low crowds for WDW.