I can't be the only one...

[ilovepete]

My husband thinks I am insane for picking out what meal I am going to order at each of the restaurants we are going to months in advance. I know with all the super planning we have here, I can't be the only one that does this, right?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Ummmm......I have most of my restaurants picked for September 2011!!!! We will be there for 14 nights on the dining plan (yay free dining!!) and I'm waivering on the last 2, but the others are decided.

 

[2Tiggies]

If you know what kind of cuisine you like and dislike you can easily pick your restaurants. As for what you will order ... well that can be decided at the time. I don't know what I want for dinner tomorrow night any more than I know what I want for dinner next year in April. However I do know that I love Mexican and Japanese food and I don't like Chinese food. So it makes picking my TS relatively easy. My only challenge is to narrow the choices down to few enough for the time we are there.

 

[brenalexacamp]

You kind of have to because gone are the days of walking up and getting a table.

 

[inkedupmomma]

Ummmm......I have most of my restaurants picked for September 2011!!!! We will be there for 14 nights on the dining plan (yay free dining!!) and I'm waivering on the last 2, but the others are decided.

I also have all of my meals for September 2011 on the Dxdp!! My DBF and DK's helped pick them even lol

 

[ilovepete]

No I don't mean picking the restaurants, but picking the MEAL at the restaurant, like what you are actually doing to order!

Sorry I guess I worded that wrong!

 

[inkedupmomma]

No I don't mean picking the restaurants, but picking the MEAL at the restaurant, like what you are actually doing to order!

Sorry I guess I worded that wrong!

don't feel bad, i know almost every meal i plan on ordering LOL. It is how I pick my restaurant!

 

[ilovepete]

don't feel bad, i know almost every meal i plan on ordering LOL. It is how I pick my restaurant!

Yay glad it is not just me!

I actually write them down in advance because I want to make sure I'm not stuck with 4 cheesecakes for dessert or 3 steaks in a row or something. LOL My husband is always sick of things by the end because he doesn't plan in advance. I did that once, and ended up eating the same dessert a bunch because of the way the selections are. Like the first night I liked a lot of the options but went with a chocolate cake because it sounded good. Well the second night the only option I liked was a chocolate cake! So I ended up with it again and the next night because of the same thing. So now I plan in advance! LOL I had the same thing happen with pork!

 

[inkedupmomma]

Yay glad it is not just me!

I actually write them down in advance because I want to make sure I'm not stuck with 4 cheesecakes for dessert or 3 steaks in a row or something. LOL My husband is always sick of things by the end because he doesn't plan in advance. I did that once, and ended up eating the same dessert a bunch because of the way the selections are. Like the first night I liked a lot of the options but went with a chocolate cake because it sounded good. Well the second night the only option I liked was a chocolate cake! So I ended up with it again and the next night because of the same thing. So now I plan in advance! LOL I had the same thing happen with pork!

ahahahahaha! you sound JUST like me! i love crem brulee, but man, after my last trip.. I need some variety! This is not to say I won't stray from my choices, but at least I have a game plan! I try not to plan 2 steak places in a row or like SOA and then Ohana the next night...

 

[scdak]

My husband thinks I am insane for picking out what meal I am going to order at each of the restaurants we are going to months in advance. I know with all the super planning we have here, I can't be the only one that does this, right?

You aren't the only one! I made all my reservations based on menus, knowing exactly what I will order at each restaurant, and I imagine out of my week at the world, I might decide on 1 change at the most, and it will be at breakfast. All other meals are decided for me, and I am looking forward to them!

 

[Nadjalu]

No you are not the only one.

It is very easy for me to plan our meals at WDW. I know what I like, what DH likes and can say pretty sure what I would order off the menu at any given time. LOL

Desserts are a bit harder, I usually go with the flow on what sounds good at the moment, but entrees I can pick months in advance.

 

[cntrygal]

Nope not just you, this is how i pick my resturants.

 

[Rekenna]

Typically, I plan out/know what meal I will be ordering-why else have the menus online? I do like to look at the menus once there though, you never know there could be a surprise.

Now I may change what I am going to order, but usually I already know what I'm going to order and what the rest of my peeps will have-they act as if I don't know what they eat or what their likes/dislikes are.

I also take notes on yummy things I read about to make sure I try something new everytime.

Don't feel weird, we are all weird here!

 

[tony67]

My husband thinks I am insane for picking out what meal I am going to order at each of the restaurants we are going to months in advance. I know with all the super planning we have here, I can't be the only one that does this, right?

I agree that it is insane, but what choice do you have?

I have no idea what park I will be in on what day a month from now let alone 120 days in advance.
I have no idea what time I will be hungry or what I will be in the mood for.
But if I want to eat at a TS I have to make a reservation 120 days out.
(Yeah I may get lucky closer to the date, but do not count on it)

 

[n2mm]

Since the menu changes often I never do that anymore. I was ready last July for swordfish at Citircos and got there and it was gone. Same thing happened to me at Coral Reef and Kona last year. So it's just easier now to not know until I arrive, so that I'm not disappointed. Just my last trip in May I went into LeCellier thinking I can't wait to have that wonderful steakburger for lunch only to find it gone now and replaced with an originally cheese burger with fancy fixings. OP, I sure hope you keep this in mind. We go to WDW 4 or more trips a year and the menus change so quickly now, it's hard to get my heart set on a favorite item now. Heck, even the deserts keep changing too.

 

[Kathy Z]

Since the menu changes often I never do that anymore. I was already last July for swordfish at Citircos and got there and it was gone. Same thing happened to me at Coral Reef and Kona last year. So it's just easier now to not know until I arrive, so that I'm not disappointed. Just my last trip in May I went into LeCellier thinking I can't wait to have that wonderful steakburger for lunch only to find it gone now and replaced with an originally cheese burger with fancy fixings. OP, I sure hope you keep this in mind. We go to WDW 4 or more trips a year and the menus change so quickly now, it's hard to get my heart set on a favorite item now. Heck, even the deserts keep changing too.

I understand what you are saying, but it won't prevent me from being crushed if Artist Point no longer has their fantastic smokey portobello soup on the menu on December 14th. That is the most fantastic soup I've ever had in my life!

OP, I'm the same kind of advance planner as you are. I have known the majority of menu choices I wish to order since I formed my ADR list prior to our 180 day booking window. I know what I loved at restaurants where we have previously dined and have made notes from reviews here on the DISboards for what sounds good at the places where we'll be going to for our first time this next trip (Flying Fish & Yak & Yeti.) We'll also be at 2 buffets we'v never tried before but that does not require advance menu choices.

 

[PHXscuba]

I don't so much look at what I'm going to order as what I think my family might want to order. SIX people trying to decide what they want ... I'd better at least make sure there are a few things on the menu my older kids (who aren't very adventurous but too big for kids' meals) would like or I'll have a mutiny. I can always find something I like!

PHXscuba

 

[mom2val]

My husband thinks I am insane for picking out what meal I am going to order at each of the restaurants we are going to months in advance. I know with all the super planning we have here, I can't be the only one that does this, right?

Dh and i love to do this. One year he even went so far as to print out exactly what he was going to order and bring it with him on our trip. The main reason I line to look at the menus is bc we do all TS meals. I like to plan ok I'm getting a steak here, and then tomorrow I want fish there.....oooh lobster bisque that night ect.

 

[Shadowcat70]

My son is a VERY picky eater, so we have to coordinate restaurants that serve an adult choice of chicken nuggets/fish sticks/fried shrimp (he will be 10) with ones that serve unique childrens' choices (my 7 year old is a foodie) and the restaurants my husband and I want to eat at.

I have literally poured through QSDP choices for each park and written down a list of all possible matches. I'm even mapping them out so we can pick the ones that are closest together. I think that having to figure that all out AFTER we arrive on vacation is just going to be a mess. Best to plan ahead!

 

[Brooknwdw]

I plan which park I will be each day of our trip. 180 days in advance..based on the touring plans website for best/worst park to be in that day.
I do that so I can THEN plan which TS we will eat at each day. 180 days in advance. So I draw the line at picking out my actual meal!

Now having said that, some of our ADR'S are buffets and/or family style..(Ohana, LTT, BOMA)

People in our circle who don't "get" disney are just amazed at the way we "plan each moment" of our trips...little do they know THAT'S how we manage to have such a great trip each time...planning!