How do YOU decide?

[TinkNH]

DH and I booked our trip sometime last month and made ADR's for breakfasts around what park we planned on being in that day. My best friend and her hubby decided that they would come to WDW as well..flying down with us but staying at different resorts. SO we decided to do some things together, but planning it has become an issue. MY DH and I decide on what to eat based on where we are, so if we are enjoying the MK with DD..we will get something to eat there. Friend and her DH have food as #1 concern (not so much the interst of their 2 kids!) She insists on a sit down full service meal for lunch or dinner everyday..and has to be a highly rated place for food. This means she plans on leaving parks to go eat at AKL and FWL. So we have had some trouble coordinating activities together. I was just wondering how some of you DIS experts decided where to eat and why...I am asking partly out of pure curiosity..and partly cause I can't sleep..too excited and trip is still a month away!

 

[loralie]

When we were on the DDP in 2005, we first made a list of the TS meals we wanted to try. Then we figured out which days to go to which parks based on EMH. Then we would pick the restaurants that go with each park and make ADR's for those days. If we wanted to try resort restaurants we would go to the ones that are near the park we are at each day. For example...I would not try Chef Mickeys at the CR on an AK day.


Maybe you should get together with your friends for part of the day but if they want to waste time traveling all over just for the food you can then go your seprate ways and meet up again later in the day.


Have a great time,

Loralie

 

[MissMagnolia]

I planned what parks we were going to see on what day (we usually do the MK-MGM-EPCOT-AK route) and then looked at the restaurants at or near those parks. We are on the DDP so we did book TS ones as well as had ideas (from the disboards) on good CS restaurants.

I knew we had to do Crystal Palace because we enjoy it. DD3 and DS6 love the Pooh characters. We also had a priority to eat at CRT (DD3's special trip for "mastering the potty" and she LOVES the princesses).

So...our plans are:
MK day - CP for breakfast; CRT for late lunch; CHH probably for dinner
MGM day - Cape May Cafe for breakfast; 50s PTC for late lunch
Epcot day - Teppanyaki for lunch; Le Cellier for dinner
AK day - Boma for dinner
free day - Chef Mickey's for breakfast; WCC for dinner
free day - Spoodles for dinner

 

[bleeps]

Our fourth trip in as many years is coming up, and our managing of ADRS has evolved over that time. As much as we do like to sit down and eat, and as much as we enjoy nice restaurants, we've definitely discovered that it breaks up our park time too much to have too many ADRs. We also focus first on where we are and that's how we pick restaurants -- no running all over the place for meals!

If you calculate that you need to allow about an hour to get from one park or resort to another (generally speaking/worse case), that you need to arrive about 15 minutes ahead of your ADR time, and that you still might have to wait to be seated, etc. etc., it quickly illustrates that you'll give up too much park time if your meals are out of your parks.

If your friends don't want to hear this, just see if they make any plans that align with yours (oh, sure, we'll be in MK that day too so we could all meet for lunch at CP or whatever); if not, then lament that it looks like it just won't work out and don't let it sway your own plans.

 

[IluvDonald!]

Hmmm...it's a toughie, isn't it? We were running into the same problem with our upcoming trip, meeting my parents & sister's family there...We dediced to hook up for early breakfasts, and late meals. That way, we have ample time to get to the park early or finish up & then go eat.

We stayed away from out-of-the-way places, with the exception of FWL.

Good luck!

 

[kellyg403]

Our family decides what places we want to eat and then plan around it. We wanted to do CRT and had a hard time with ressies for it. Anyway, so we have ended up planning our days around that one hard to get reservation!

This time my mom and dad are coming. They are coming to some of the meals with us, 3 out of 8 to be exact. I explained to them early on that we will be doing alot of character meals with dgd who is 5 and they may not want to. So they ended up getting reservations elsewhere on the days we are doing a character meal. I tried to be as upfront with them as possible from the minute that they decided to come so we would not have problems later.

So, we pick the few meals we want and then plan around them. Try to get the best days for the park they are in and go from there.

Kelly

 

[mtrak17]

A few years ago, we had a large group of family members in Disney for a week. Before everyone went down, we chose 2-3 TS restaurants we all agreed we really wanted to try out (we also did this for the attractions). Other than the few specific things we all wanted to try out, we had an openly-discussed policy before going on the trip that "this is my plan for this day...we'd love to have you join us, but we're really not interested in changing anything..." Throughout the week, we met up for some things (i.e. safari first thing in the morning), and a few really special dinners, and then separated for other parts of the week. It worked out so well. There were absolutely no hurt feelings, everyone got to see and do what was most important to them, and the times that we did see each other (for example, at Alfredo's in Italy, then Illuminations), we had such a great time talking about things we had seen that it was a really special event (and no one was sick of each other).

I've heard horror stories from people who went on a vacation with "best friends" and everyone was so aggravated with each other by the end of the trip that they hardly speak to each other. I would plan a few special meals/attractions together and then say nicely that you really don't want to change your plans any more than that. I think if you compromise what you had intended too much, you'll really regret it.

Good luck!

 

[Terk-1]

I'd make a list of the restaurants you plan on dining at on each of the days you will be there, then send your friend your list. Let her know that this is where you plan to dine on your trip and if they would like to join you at that restaurant, then to let you know ahead of time, so that you can increase the headcount on your ADR. If they want to join you, then great. If not, then that's ok too. You need to remember that this is YOUR vacation with YOUR family.

 

[lovmy2girls]

We decide by which park we will be at for that day or if its a free day which means we are either staying at the resort or have no plans for a particular park that day.

I don't like eating 2 table service meals a day. One if enough for us. We like food a lot, but it really is to much for us, and we are big eaters. So I make an ADR for one Table service meal a day. 2 table service meals a day really does cut into your time.

 

[dizfanz]

When I am hungry I look at my wife, who is sipping her Chardonnay, and I say, "Where do you want to eat?" She says, "I don't know." I reply, "How about Flying Fish?" She responds, "Sounds good." It never fails.