first Time in a LONG time.

[edcrfv]

OK, I know I'm may get some flack here but here goes.
Going to WDW for first time in 15 years in June, its for a conference. Bringing two college age kids and a friend each for them, staying 8 days, conference only 2. My questions are what tickets to get and do I really need reservations for dinner. If I eat late will reservations still be needed. I'm not the biggest Disney fan would much rather be on an island somewhere. Don't get me wrong I'm a big kid at heart and love rides,but my idea of a vacation is not standing in lines. Not the type of person to say I must eat dinner NOW, but do prefer quality meals,not burgers and fries. If I'm at a one park having some fun, why would I want to leave because I have reservations somewhere else in WDW? Just a little advice would be helpful,hopper,non-hopper?? The whole deal with dinner is, whose knows who will be around for dinner on any given night,kids may be off doing their own thing, so why would I make them stop to have dinner. Staying at Yacht club, if that helps with suggestions for dining.

 

[minnie mum]

Welcom to the DISboards
So first things first: tickets. Since you will be going during a busy time of the year, I would suggest paying the extra for hoppers. Taking advantage of EMH and hopping to a different park to avoid really big crowds makes them worthwhile. (if you were going during quiet times of the year it is much easier to just do base tickets). This will also earn you bonus points with your kids and their friends, since it gives them the freedom to come and go as they please. I understand your feeling about changing parks just for dinner, but it also makes it easier for everyone to meet up for a meal (ie: dinner) after a day of doing their own thing. Sometimes the happiest group vacations are the ones where you AREN'T together all day everyday.

Next: dinner reservations. So yes it's a pain sometimes to have to schedule meals in advance, but the painful truth about WDW and TS meals is that it is usually necessary. So make it as easy as possible on yourself. Figure out which park YOU would like to visit each day (check out easywdw for crowd predictions/best park/worst park) and make a reservation at a restaurant that appeals to you. Let the kids know about this so they can plan accordingly. You don't HAVE to have a TS meal every day. Many of the CS restaurants in the world have a lot of tasty alternatives to the usual "fast food". Check out the dining section at the top of this page for restaurant ideas and menus, or check out allears menus.

Many of us on the DISboards are uber planners, but really you only have to make a few choices ahead of time to have a super vacation at WDW. And if you'd rather spend time on a beach somewhere, might I suggest a day at Typhoon Lagoon? Hope you and your kids have a wonderful vacation.

 

[ZoZo]

Next: dinner reservations. So yes it's a pain sometimes to have to schedule meals in advance, but the painful truth about WDW and TS meals is that it is usually necessary. So make it as easy as possible on yourself. Figure out which park YOU would like to visit each day (check out easywdw for crowd predictions/best park/worst park) and make a reservation at a restaurant that appeals to you. Let the kids know about this so they can plan accordingly. You don't HAVE to have a TS meal every day. Many of the CS restaurants in the world have a lot of tasty alternatives to the usual "fast food". Check out the dining section at the top of this page for restaurant ideas and menus, or check out allears menus.

Many of us on the DISboards are uber planners, but really you only have to make a few choices ahead of time to have a super vacation at WDW. And if you'd rather spend time on a beach somewhere, might I suggest a day at Typhoon Lagoon? Hope you and your kids have a wonderful vacation.

Welcome to the DIS!

All in all, the above is very good advice. I think of sit-down restaurant (Table Service, or "TS") reservations as a "necessary evil" at WDW. If you don't plan ahead, you'll likely be stuck with times or restaurants you don't want, if you can get in anywhere at all. You are going at a busy time of year, and even at the slowest times of year, it's difficult to walk up to a TS restaurant without an advance dining reservation (ADR). Most folks are turned away completely if they don't plan ahead. Remember, you can always cancel your reservations if you decide you don't want to use them!

As this poster said, there are fast food (Counter Service, or "CS") options available that offer much more than burgers and fries. One I especially like is Sunshine Seasons at Epcot. This works great if you don't want to make plans ahead of time.

 

[beer dave]

Welcom to the DISboards
So first things first: tickets. Since you will be going during a busy time of the year, I would suggest paying the extra for hoppers. Taking advantage of EMH and hopping to a different park to avoid really big crowds makes them worthwhile. (if you were going during quiet times of the year it is much easier to just do base tickets). This will also earn you bonus points with your kids and their friends, since it gives them the freedom to come and go as they please. I understand your feeling about changing parks just for dinner, but it also makes it easier for everyone to meet up for a meal (ie: dinner) after a day of doing their own thing. Sometimes the happiest group vacations are the ones where you AREN'T together all day everyday.

First let me say that I am very new to this forum, but not new to disney. The most difficult thing for me is that everyone abbreviates everything, and I am left trying to figure out what it means, LOL. Since you have not been to disney in 15 years, I would imagine you have never heard of "extra magic hours" let alone "EMH".

I agree with thi info by this poster, with a little more explanation. Extra magic hours are times before the park generally opens ( usually one hour) and times after the park generally closes ( up to 4 or 5? hours) during which only guests staying on disney property are allowed to enter the parks. When you check in you will recieve a times guide letting you know when they are. The parks with extra evening hours are generally way more crowded during the day due to the people with one park per day passes trying to maximize their park time. I avoid these parks. Your kids might like them because they are open very late, and crowds sometimes fit in with what the kids want to do.
( you need park hopper passes) The parks with extra morning hours (hour) are great if you can get up in time to be there when they open. Typically getting to the parks at opening time saves alot ot crowd trouble, and using the extra hour in the morning just makes it that much better. There is a rotation through the week for which parks have evening or morning hours, but only one of each per day. I forget which is which day. for example, monday will be extra hours morning in epcot and extra hours evening in studios, and the other parks will have their regular hours. Hope this helps.

Do you know what a fastpass is? LOLOLOL

 

[edcrfv]

Thanks for the info. I was assuming hopper passes. And you are right all the abbreviations are very confusing. I did figure out the extended and early morning ones. The TS and CS, I had no idea until it was literally spelled out. Thanks. Yes I have heard of Fastpass,as they have them at Six Flags right near me, though I really don't know how to use it. I always just go when it opens get on the coasters I want and leave by noon or 1 as I have season passes. As for dinner, not sure what to do. The kids are more than old enough to go out to dinner without us and don't want to MAKE them meet mom and dad just to eat,maybe for a drink late night. Any favorites for "Good" food that we should try to get reservations for? Love top notch steakhouses and seafood,so eather is fine. Are all the restaurants in Epcot always book? I it also trus that Pleasure Island is no more?(That was one way I got the 21 year old to come. I told him there's a night life). Thanks again,I know my questions are simplistic at best,but I really don't have a clue about WDW.

 

[MHSweb79]

You probably won't need dinner reservations if you eat at your hotel or a hotel nearby, so check those out. Also, you'll be near Epcot which has the best dining in all the World. You can always check with your concierge in the morning to see what's available that night. If you're flexible, you'll be fine.

Unfortunately, unless you like to eat very late at night, showing up at a podium and asking for a table will be a crapshoot. There may be a 1-2 hour wait, or no availability at all. Then what? Many times restaurants will post signs stating they are not taking walk-ups at all. Isn't having an ADR better than wasting time walking from restaurant-to-restaurant looking for a table?

My suggestion is to pick up a good guidebook and get yourself oriented before you go. The Unofficial Guide lists all table-service and counter-service eateries, so you will know ahead of time how to avoid the burger/ fries overload.

And yes, Pleasure Island is closed. There's still Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk and other places (Raglan Road at Downtown Disney) offering musical entertainment, although I'm not sure how much fun a teenager would have there.

 

[DVC_Princess]

I was at jellyrolls recently on a Friday night and there were quite a few local Orlando residents who were in their early 20's. It seems to be one of the hot spots now that pleasure island is closed. Yachtsmen Steakhouse is one of our fav Disney restaurants. I would suggest making late dinner reservations there on a weekend night and then plan on heading over to jellyrolls. It would be fun for just the kids or mom and dad (just a note, it is 21+ to enter). My DH and I had a great time and are planning to go again in oct. We're 28 and 30 just for reference

 

[sly1971]

Disney dining has come a long way in the last decade. On my first visit in 1997, the choices were limited, VERY expensive and mostly uninspired to say the least. But to compete and really go after the lucrative adult market (for those traveling without children) Disney really stepped up their culinary game. Do yourself a favor and make some reservations. As one poster said, you can always cancel if you need to, but if you wait until you are onsite and try to "walk up" you will most likely find yourself eating exclusively at quick service places. With your Yacht Club location, you are within walking distance to some great options, including:

• The Flying Fish Cafe
• Les Chef de France (EPCOT)
• Tutto Italia (EPCOT)
• The Hollywood Brown Derby (Hollywood Studios)

and when you have completed an evening at Magic Kingdom, do hop the monorail and visit the California Grill at the Contemporary Resort. This is often sited as peoples' very fave dining experience for valid reason. The service, setting and food are fantastic. Even now, it may be too late for you to secure a res here - but do try.
Good luck with your planning!

 

[Disney Fool]

FYI here are the meanings of abbreviations. Learn them well, ...we use them all the time.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

 

[edcrfv]

Thanks for all the info. The abbreviations table really helps. I guess I need to see about some reservations. Any favorite places, I would rather go to the nicer places if I'm making ADR's.(see I'm picking it up) How about some favorites in Epcot

 

[Disney Fool]

It depends on your tastes. Japan has very good restaurants, as does France, the Bistro is pricier than Chefs de France, Italy has a nice restaurant, called Tutto Italia. check out the restaurant board on these forums for some good info.