How much time do dinners take??

[TravelinSouth]

I've booked my ADR's, I've started packing, and now I'm working on our detailed daily plans. Can anyone help me estimate, based on past experiences, how long the following dinners take? If it's helpful, it's me, my DH and my DS4 and DS2.

1) Chef Mickey Dinner - starting at 6pm
2) Liberty Tree Dinner - starting at 5:50pm
3) Biergarten Dinner - starting at 5:45pm
4) Whispering Canyon Dinner - starting at 6pm

Thanks for helping this first timer!

 

[MissionMouse]

I've booked my ADR's, I've started packing, and now I'm working on our detailed daily plans. Can anyone help me estimate, based on past experiences, how long the following dinners take? If it's helpful, it's me, my DH and my DS4 and DS2.

1) Chef Mickey Dinner - starting at 6pm
2) Liberty Tree Dinner - starting at 5:50pm
3) Biergarten Dinner - starting at 5:45pm
4) Whispering Canyon Dinner - starting at 6pm

Thanks for helping this first timer!

There are many variables here that are out of your control. To make plans on things that are out of your control can produce false expectations. We normally do not plan this detail..again we plan things that we can control. In dealing with restaurants you have no idea of what your wait time may be, when you will actually be seated, the performance of the restaurant staff that day etc...

I would recommend that you can block out 1 1/2 to 2 hour segments of time...to be safe...just remember to also block out travel times too.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Dinners typically take an hour to an hour and a half...if you are seated on time...which doesn't always happen. Traveling around the resort could take up to an hour so fact that into your dinner plans. I wouldn't make a detailed time plan for the trip. We make what I consider detailed plans but they are flexible...which is important. We plan what we are doing for breakfast, a morning activity, lunch, a nap/swim break, and a nighttime activity. We leave at LEAST an hour travel time before an ADR. If we are traveling from one resort to another, we don't take the Disney buses...takes too long. We take a cab.

 

[ransom]

First there's transportation time. That can be simply getting across the park on foot, or it can be some combination of monorail/boat/bus. Could be a few minutes or an hour or more.

Then there's the "waiting to be seated" time. That can be immediate or it can be a half hour or more -- even with an ADR!

Next there's the ordering/eating/paying cycle, which can take from 45 minutes at some buffets, to an hour or two at many table service restaurants.

Finally, you have to factor in transportation back.

So in some cases, we plan on 4 hours for the whole process. In others, we plan just a couple of hours.

 

[iluvpluto27]

It really depends on how far behind they are in seating, and how many courses you order but I would plan for between 1.5 - 2 hours per meal.

 

[RMulieri]

Agree with all of the above..Plus if it is during peak travel times like the Holidays, or for free dining...the waits can be quite long at times.So i budget at least 2 hrs for TS during those times.

 

[TravelinSouth]

Thank you for all your experience - especially with how long transportation time can take. I just want to have in my plan what time we should leave wherever we are to get to our ADR's. So, pretty much, it doesn't matter which dinner I'm at, it will take probably about 2 hours.

If we opted not to do Disney transportation, but get a cab, ie. to take us from AKL to MK for our dinner at Liberty tree Tavern, how long would that take and are taxis expensive?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[checkwriter]

If we opted not to do Disney transportation, but get a cab, ie. to take us from AKL to MK for our dinner at Liberty tree Tavern, how long would that take and are taxis expensive?

The AKL is sort of an outlier, and is relatively far from the MK. A cab would probably run about $15-20. I'd figure about 20 minutes in the cab, just to be safe. Keep in mind that, unlike the bus, you won't be dropped at the front gate of the MK. The cab will take you to the TTC, where you can get the monorail or ferry to the MK.

Two alternatives: have it take you to the Grand Floridian, where you can get the resort monorail one stop to the MK, or to the Contemporary, where you can walk to the MK. Either way, figure about 10-15 minutes from when the taxi drops you to when you get to the front gate.

 

[crisi]

Here is what I'm thinking.

I'm reading between the lines - you have little kids. You are thinking that you will head back to AKL to take a nap, then head back to the parks or resort for dinner. Then get the kids back by bedtime.....

1) Chef Mickey Dinner - starting at 6pm

CM is at the CR. From the AKL you'll need to take a bus to the MK (20 minutes between buses, 20 minute ride) and then walk or take the monorail to the Contemporary - 15 minutes. Add fifteen minutes (you are suppose to be there 15 minutes early) - you should leave the resort at 4:45. You can take a cab straight to the CR - plan on $25 with tip and 20 minutes. We discover character meals take about an hour plus add half an hour for 'just in case. You should be out by 7:30. If you take a cab back, you'll be back at the resort at 8:00. If you need to rely on Disney transportation, you'll have to walk back over to the MK, catch a bus (15, 20, 20 - you should be back at the resort around 8:30.)

ETA: Of course, you could get there, find you don't get seated until 6:40, take an hour and a half to see all the characters and eat, and not get back to the resort until almost 10. Or you could end up with the "bad bus" situation - they SHOULD come at a minimum every 20 minutes, but sometimes they don't.

2) Liberty Tree Dinner - starting at 5:50pm

Same deal, but now you you have to get through security to the back of the MK - the same fifteen minutes - or a cab to the CR or GF as mentioned above. 4:30 departure time.

3) Biergarten Dinner - starting at 5:45pm

Now you are catching the bus to Epcot - its a little closer via bus (maybe 15 minutes), but a longer walk back - Germany isn't the far end of the WS, but the WS is big.

4) Whispering Canyon Dinner - starting at 6pm

This is a pain from AKL. You'll take a bus to MK, then take a boat to WL. Or take the cab again.

We had lousy Disney nappers when my kids were that age. When we'd put them on the bus to get them back to the resort for a nap, they'd sleep for 15 minutes, then wake up and not fall back asleep again when we got to the resort (beware the 15 minute nap). We elected to have park naps - my kids would fall asleep on anything that was moving - so we rode the train in the MK. We road the Friendship boats back and forth in Epcot. We still spent a lot of time on transportation, but since the kids were sleeping, it was multitasking.

Or consider renting a car. AKL's one fault as a resort is its in the middle of nowhere. You have a lot of resort meals and small kids.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

We had lousy Disney nappers when my kids were that age. When we'd put them on the bus to get them back to the resort for a nap, they'd sleep for 15 minutes, then wake up and not fall back asleep again when we got to the resort (beware the 15 minute nap). We elected to have park naps - my kids would fall asleep on anything that was moving - so we rode the train in the MK. We road the Friendship boats back and forth in Epcot. We still spent a lot of time on transportation, but since the kids were sleeping, it was multitasking

We had the exact same issue with our kiddo. What we now do is eat dinner later. That way we have time to get back to AKL, if she falls asleep on the bus, we wake her and take her swimming, which tires her back out so she will have a longer nap. The we get up and get ready for dinner. Those 5:30-6pm dinners make that difficult. You will need to leave the parks by noon time to make this work if you want to swim and/or take a nap.

 

[TravelinSouth]

Thank you everyone for your responses (crisi, I appreciate you taking the time to really explain the transportation in detail). I guess before tonight, I didn't realize how much time the disney transportation will take. I certainly am glad I asked this question.

My DH and I are now contemplating maybe not going back during the day on our LTT and Biergarten days and then just ending our day right after dinner. Originally we were supposed to be at WL where it would have been easier to get to our restaurants for the early ADR's, but then we were offered a good deal to switch to AKL that we couldn't refuse. I knew the distance from the parks would be the biggest drawback but definately wasn't aware of how much time was needed.

Again, thanks everyone. I love the DIS!!!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Ya, transportation from AKL is tricky. One of the issues is that the hotel was really dead last year so there weren't a ton of buses. The bus came on the hour, 20 minutes later, 20 minutes later and then on the hour again (so 7, 7:20, 7:40, 8) If you were a second late, you were DEFINATELY waiting 20 minutes for the next bus. The drive from AKL to MK is almost a half hour so definately prepare for that. Last year, we had to have them call the MK bus. We were at the bus stop at 6:55am. The 7am bus never came, the 7:20 bus never came, at 7:30 I panicked (we had 8:10am ressies at CRT). I had the Epcot bus driver call and they sent a bus right away. We literally had to RUN up Main St to get there in time. That was the only major issue we had but we took cabs when we had an early ADR there on in.

 

[crisi]

I have kind of given you the anticipated LONG case, and the worst case. There is a best case. We have had those trips where as we walk to the bus stop the bus we want is pulling in. We get on the bus and fifteen minutes later hit our destination park - and if we need to transfer, have no wait in between getting off one bus and onto another bus or boat or monorail. If you get a trip like that you'll wonder why I made it sound so bad.

We seem to have trips where we have an entire run of one or the other kind of luck with regards to transportation - either its wonderful or its bad.

 

[TravelinSouth]

...I'm definately one of those people that prepares themselves for worst-case-scenarios. That way, I am usually pleasently surprised and on cloud 9 when things go slightly better than planned!

I hope they good reviews of AKL ring true and we're overjoyed with the resort that we won't mind added transportation time to get to our meals!

Thanks again.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I hope they good reviews of AKL ring true and we're overjoyed with the resort that we won't mind added transportation time to get to our meals!

Thanks again.

You will be I'm sure!! I know I mentioned that the buses were a pain but truth be told, we didn't even notice it while we were there!!!!