Has anyone gone without advance planning???

[kjs1976]

We only make PS's for busy places. And if we know we want to eat there for sure, then we go ahead and do it. We've made spontaneous PS's when at WDW and never had a prob either.

But what I am glad that I do before we go is to really study the menus. Counter service wise, my DH will eat anything, and I'm the picky one. I need to go to a place with a salad because I just don't eat the fried stuff. It has saved us a lot of time not looking and thinking of what to eat by having me know the menus. I remember one of our first trips with no planning and we walked around one day for like 45 min. to find a place with food that both me and my vegetarian friend would eat! It also helps to know the sit down menus so you can narrow it down when your at a park and be like, hmmm, I'm in the mood for steak...let's get a PS for Le Cellier!

 

[lmhall2000]

I so do agree with Jennymouse...at 6pm with three hungry children and a husband that starts getting a headache if he misses a meal...the last thing you want to do is try to come up with a consensus on where to eat...it's a battle not worth fighting...so instead, it's "Mom, where do we head now?" Then they get the chance to review each choice and note whether they'd repeat...they think they're restaurant critics!

Also, there are usually 5 restaurants we don't want to miss and they seem to be the same ones others don't want to miss....so chancing getting a walk in seat is too risky for us. I don't sort my laundry (okay sometimes I might put colors together...but all my whites share the love with all the other colors) but sorting out PS's saves me loads of headaches!

We will wait for a ride, we will wait for valet service, we will wait for the rain to stop but this family on the go doesn't want to waste park time waiting to get into a restaurant!
Tara

 

[NJDisneymom]

We do quite a few character meals so I make those PS's 90 days out. If I decide to change them and there is availability then no biggie, but at least I have something to fall back on.

I'm also traveling with my 2 and 5 year olds and want to schedule times to eat before they are tired/cranky/hungry!!! If I schedule a breakfast I might schedule a dinner but not a lunch. If I schedule a lunch I don't usually schedule anything else.

I like to plan my park days in advance too. I've heard so many people come back from Disney not feeling the magic and when I ask what they planned in advance its usually nothing. I think there is a happy medium, what that is just depends on the person.

 

[conmama]

I will be there for 3 full days and and extra evening...basically 10 meals. I have PS made for 6 of them...places I really would like to try and don't want to full around waiting in line.

I think it is wise to plan for at least 50% of your meals or more in busy season. I might even make 1 more, but plan on leaving some because we may see a neat place we want to try!

Also, remember that you can go ahead and make PS and cancel it when you get there if you would rather! '

I'm a planner and hate waiting at restaurants, so I love this option. But I do like the idea that we can let the kids decide on a few.

My PS consists of (this is our first time at WDW):

Character Bkst at Crystal Palace
Bomas - Dinner
Liberty Tree Tavern - Late lunch right before parade starts
Rainforest Cafe - dinner
Mama Melrose - Lunch
Biergarten - Lunch

conmama

 

[Turner5]

I hope it's okay to wing it. We made PS for Hoop-De-Du one evening and a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's for one morning. This is it for 5 days!
Last time we went to Disney (the first time), I made dinner PS for every night, and I got tired of having to be at a certain place at a certain time. We often changed what we wanted to do. It started becoming a little bit of a hassle.

This time, I am trying to wing it, but now I am a little worried because we are going the week before Easter. You all are scaring me a bit!!!

 

[conmama]

Well, we've never been so you are more experienced than I. However, what I did was decided what park we would like to do each day, then plan accordingly.

Since you don't want to be tied down to go to a certain place all the time, why don't you plan just one meal each day, be in lunch or dinner. Maybe one day lunch, the next day dinner. That way you will have 50% of your meals planned and then the other you can wing it however you feel that day.

I think that is a nice medium and may make you feel a bit more comfortable without the feeling of being free. Just a thought.

conmama

 

[NeverlandClub23]

The first time we went my mom made PS for EVERYTHING 90 days in advance and for HDDR the two years in advance. Now we make none (of course we go at not very busy times) and decide where we're going to eat that morning for dinner that day and make a PS before we leave our room just to be on the safe side. We even did this for HDDR the day we went to it! We also let everyone pick the one place they really want to eat and make a list of those and some others that we really like so that we know basically of where we would like to eat when we get there.

 

[LibertyLover]

About the best I do is get my DH to agree that we want to go to Ohana's one night and Boma another and maybe Morocco. This last trip, our first with the kidlet, we discovered that the old saying about best laid plans was certainly true - or to put it another way, parents propose but the toddler's needs dispose. Several times our plans for eating were changed at the last minute because DD was simply not up, tempermentally or stamina-wise, to traveling anywhere to eat. In fact our last night we had PS for Kona Cafe and ditched them for room service because she was simply exhausted and needed to stay in the room.

At this point, we go with ideas about where we would like to eat and once we are there, see if we can get PS. Usually we have no problems, but sometimes we have to fall back to a second or third choice. No biggie - there are so many good places to eat at WDW. This will probably change in a few years where DD, who is 2 now, wants to do Cindy's or another popular character meal. But for now, truthfully we don't hassle it.

 

[HollyJoy]

We planned only TWO meals for our recent December trip. One was the Princess Storybook Breakfast in Epcot, and the second was at the Liberty Tree Tavern on the night of MVMCP. We did fine! We were able to get in to the Biergarten in Epcot for lunch and a show, and also into Mama Melrose's in MGM with only a 5 min wait in both places. The rest of the times we either ate at the resort or did counter service. It was actually rather relaxing not having so many time "restrictions"!

 

[MinnieM21]

That would be impossible for me. I'm an obsessive compulsive Disney planner!

 

[dznymom1]

I am leaving in 9 days and don't have a single PS. I am sure we will eat very well in spite of it

Sometimes having all those PS's and rigid planning makes for too much stress anyway Making a PS the day before or in the morning is about as much planning as I can handle. We eat at slightly off times, and rarely have a problem walking in. Lunch right at 11 or after 1:30, or dinner before 5 for instance.

I would recommend making an advance PS for anything that is a must do for you, and after that Wing It and have a ball!

 

[LAWalz23]

It really is a matter of yours or your family's way of doing things. My family are compulsive planners. Planning our trip is half of the fun. Personally, it would be stressful to me if I had to wing my meals everyday. Also half of my fun on vacation is sitting down to a nice meal once a day so I like to have it planned in advance. But again that is just me. If you want to wing it, more power to you.