Going back to room before dinner reservations?

[shellgirl]

I am just curious about whether or not most people go back after a long day in the parks and shower and redress for dinner reservations. I know a few evenings we have later reservations around 7:20 and they are in a different park than we plan on being at during the day. Those nights we will go back to our room before dinner but what about other dinners. On Sunday night we have dinner reservations at Coral Reef(7:30) and we plan on spending the day in that park and want to try to catch the Illuminations after dinner if we get out early enough. Will we have time to do all this in one day if we plan on going back to our room to shower for dinner? Monday we have reservations at 5pm at Hoop De Doo and we are planning on being in MK that day, so do we just stay in the park all day and take the boat over or do we need to shower and dress up for dinner? I suppose we will be hot and sweaty or wet from water rides, does anyone care? What do most people do?

 

[TAKitty]

Really, anything goes. Sometimes we leave in the afternoon and return around 4 and have dinner around 6. Other times we stay in the park the entire day. If it is really hot or crowded, I like to return to the hotel to change and freshen up.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We do go back and clean up if 1) it's July and really hot and we're nasty or 2)it's a signature place that requires/deserves more than park attire.

I would not worry about Coral Reef, it's in a park so attire is different, or Hoop De Doo because it's very casual.

We like to feel "clean" when we dine and we also take lots of pics while dining so we try to look presentable. At many places, yes, you'd need to clean yourself up and change but for those 2, I wouldn't worry about it if you get caught up at the park and don't have time.

 

[chamonix]

I agree, in a park restaurant like Coral Reef it is acceptable to dine in park attire, so no need to leave--unless you just want to for your own comfort. (we enjoy leaving a park and going back to the resort in the afternoon to swim, relax, shower and dress for dinner)

We especially like to go back to shower and dress for dinner when we are dining at another resort, in a signature restaurant, but have not usually done that for park dinners. When we dine at a resort, we may or may not go to a park afterwards. (in our dining clothes, lol)

Either way will be fine. Do what you feel--if you feel exceptionally hot etc change, but don't worry--most will be in park attire, so no need to feel it is necessary to change for park restaurants.

 

[bicker]

Park restaurant: We don't change.

Hotel restaurant: We do change.

 

[jwfla422]

All depends on how the day goes with us. We usually go back to the room later in the afternoon to relax and chill a bit. Sometimes we change and shower, sometimes not, (depends on the time of year, LOL!!)

If we spend the day in a park and plan to eat dinner there we would not bother to leave before dinner, though the rarely happens as we usually plan dinner at a resort restaurant or a park restaurant near the resort we're staying at.

During the warmer months we go to the parks for a few hours in the morning, have lunch there, then head back and go to pool at our resort for a bit and then do the shower thing.

I would say stay at the park when you go to Coral Reef and when you go to HDDR, since that ADR is early hang at MK til later in the afternoon and then just take the boat there for HDDR, that's pretty casual anyway. Most of the restaurants are casual, even the "business" casual establishments are pretty lax, as long as you're not in "pool" wear you'll be fine in park attire.

 

[sleepydog25]

We almost always go back to the room to freshen up. I hate to eat at even a casual place if I'm all hot and sweaty and tired. Plus, going back gets us out of the high heat/high crowd levels of mid-afternoon in the parks. It further allows our young daughter a chance to recharge her batteries via a nap, quick dip in the pool, or even just relaxing in the room. That being said, CR is in a park, so park attire is quite normal. Hoop de Doo is very casual, and certainly no change of clothes is required there.

 

[Wendy31]

We sort of do generally clean up before dinner, whether it's for a resort or a park restaurant, but that's because it fits into our schedule. I do like to definitely freshen up before a dinner at a resort and like to do so as well for dinner in a park restaurant, but, if our plans are to be at the park all day & eat dinner in the park as well, that always doesn't work.

We normally tour the parks in the morning, have lunch, maybe do a little more touring, & then head back to our hotel for rest/swim/clean-up/etc. before we head back out for dinner.

Last year, our dinner at LTT on our first night - so, when we checked into our cabin (FW), we freshened up before heading to the MK for dinner.

We had 2 dinners scheduled at resorts (Boma & 'Ohana), &, both times, we went back to our cabin to clean up & change clothes.

We also did the same thing before dinner at H & V, but that's because we had gone back to the cabin anyway after lunch. When we had dinner at Akershus, we did NOT go back to the cabin because our plans were to stay at Epcot all day.

This year, we have dinners scheduled at LTT, Mama Melrose's, San Angel Inn, & WCC, and, hopefully, I've configured our schedule in such a way that we'll have time to freshen up before dinner - at least that's the plan.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

You don't *need* to, and no, nobody cares.

We *have* done this, in the summer. But one time we went back for a shower and after about two minutes in that hot FLA sun, we were sweaty again, and wondered why we bothered. The only restaurants I could see requiring a trip back to room are the ones with dress codes, but I've never been to one!

HDD is cold. I don't care if it is 40 degrees or 95 degrees outside, they crank the air up so high it is always cold in there. So, I'd bring a jacket/sweater (or a parka!) Coral Reef is no big deal.

We always take that a break in the middle of the day, because I can't deal with all that sun, but we don't always shower.

 

[webray]

If we are eating in a park restaurant we rarely go back to room and change.

 

[Kaycee]

We're in the "it depends" group.

In the summer, we usually go back to the resort to swim and get out of the heat. Then we'll freshen up before dinner, either putting on park clothes if we're going back to a park for the evening or something a little nicer if we're having dinner at a resort restaurant.

In the winter, because the park hours are shorter, we usually stay in the park and go straight to dinner from there.

We rarely eat at WDW restaurants that have a dress code, but when we do, we go back to the room to change before dinner.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I think a lot depends on whether or not you are a "new" visitor to WDW. Folks who are on their first trip (or so) usually want to optimize their time in the parks, so going back to the room at all is usually out.
For us (who've been 29 times now) we always go back to the room--but that's because we only spend an hour or two in the parks
Fot the two spots you mention, I don't think going back to the room is necessary---

 

[jj13]

We usually go in July and go from the parks to dinner.

Typically we'll head for the rest rooms to clean up everybody's hands and faces but that's about it. It's Disney and I think hot, sweaty, tired, tourists whose kid's have chocolate and strawberry stains on their clothes from those ice cream bars that melted to fast are expected.

We've done Coral Reef that way many times and matched many folks in the restaurants. I will admit we typically book Hoop De Doo on a non-park day but I think it would be perfectly acceptable to hop on the boat from MK and go as is.

I do agree that I wouldn't show up hot & sweaty to one of the dress code, signature type places.

Have a blast!

 

[PlutoLuvr]

We almost always go back to the hotel and "recharge" before the evening activities, whether our evening activities are dining, strolling or drinking...or all of the above! We do this even if we're staying off site. I've been to Disney, tho, two to four times a year for 30 years, so I like a break after a couple hours in a park. If we had kids, it might be different, but it's just DH and I.

 

[siestakeys04]

I plan on going back to the room before our dinner ressies too. Just for the kids to wind down some. Then we will go back to the park where our ressies are. I am reallly looking forward to this trip.

 

[lustergirl]

Our next trip is in December so the park hours won't be that long. We usually go back to our resort for a "siesta" giving the boys a chance to swim or whatever then we go to our planned dinner wherever. Maybe it will be different this because it won't be as hot (we went last September- HOT!!!!!!) and we went back after lunch in the parks- enjoyed some downtime and headed back out to dinner. I guess it depends on your endurance and if you have kids to attend to.

 

[Cruz Family]

We pretty much always head back to the resort before dinner. Wheather we take a nap, shower, or just to take off our socks and shoes and put our feet up for a few minutes. It leaves us really feeling refreshed and ready to head out for the evening.

 

[lillygator]

we pretty much always freshen up back at the room!

 

[Leota]

I think a lot depends on whether or not you are a "new" visitor to WDW. Folks who are on their first trip (or so) usually want to optimize their time in the parks, so going back to the room at all is usually out.
For us (who've been 29 times now) we always go back to the room--but that's because we only spend an hour or two in the parks
Fot the two spots you mention, I don't think going back to the room is necessary---

ITA with you UR. In our early days of doing WDW, we didn't always change for dinner. Partly because we didn't know anything about making ressies & ate wherever we could that didn't take too much time away from the Parks. Also, because our son was younger & we did WDW differently & dined differently.

Now as a family of adults, we always head back to the resort & freshen up & change. We tend to go to alot of the dress code restaurants & enjoy dressing for dinner even at home. It's purely a personal choice.

For the 2 places you mentioned, it certainly isn't necessary to go change. You will be just as comfortable in your Park attire as you would if you freshened up. You will see people dressed all over the spectrum.

 

[Aimeedyan]

HDD is cold. I don't care if it is 40 degrees or 95 degrees outside, they crank the air up so high it is always cold in there. So, I'd bring a jacket/sweater (or a parka!)

You are SO right! I find most of the WDW restaurants to be chilly; so much that I throw a jacket in our park bag to pull out in restaurants. I can't enjoy myself with my teeth chattering

HDDR is esp chilly - be sure and grab a jacket. I was glad that I had on jeans and a jacket with me.