KellyHonos
DisneyDivaxo
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2018
- Messages
- 484
Hey y'all! Right now I'm in the middle of planning a trip to WDW, and as you all know, part of the fun is making your dining reservations! As I was doing this, I realized that I had a method to my madness, and I thought I may share some of my advice, since maybe some people struggle with picking, get overwhelmed with options and may be visiting for the first time!
First, I'd like to say that this is my sixth trip to WDW, so I would not consider myself an expert by any stretch, but I'm moderately informed and aware of the restaurant options. I also keep up with the dining reviews the DIS Unplugged posts as well as other Disney-focused youtube channels. With all of that being said, take this as suggestions and not rules of thumb. Everyone has different dietary restrictions, tastes, budgets, etc. I'm just simply sharing some tips and tricks I use when it comes to picking out restaurants.
1. Look at your options. This may sound self-explanatory, but seriously, look. When I went back in 2013, I hadn't been since 2007 as a teen. In that time difference, so much changed and I didn't even know. I called in 2013 to make our dining reservations and I simply asked the customer service rep to suggest me a couple good restaurants in each park and reserve the one that had a more convenient time for me and my family...I had NO clue I could go on line and look at the vast variety of restaurants they had to offer in addition to photos and menus! Even though it can be time consuming and require some attention, you really give yourself the power to pick the very best options for you and your family.
2. You simply cannot do it all in your short stay--let go. There may be 15 restaurants you want to try but you only have 5 TS credits. JUST PICK 5 and let it go. So often we hear about people beating themselves up over not doing that and not doing this, but lets be realistic--you can't do it all, so do what you can. Once you relieve yourself of the FOMO (fear of missing out) pressure, you will be more relaxed and not have so much anxiety over feeling like you missed an opportunity or you picked the wrong place.
3. Compromise. Unless you are riding solo on your WDW trip, (which happens often and sounds amazing), there will be people in your party you most likely have to compromise with. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't pick all your favorite restaurants and not allow anyone else to pick things out. I think coming to an agreement with your family/friends is the best way to approach this. You can either only dine at places that sound equally good to all or a majority of you, OR you can split the days that you're staying and say that so and so can pick dinner these days, and so and so can pick dinner these days. Don't complicate it, just compromise. More than likely, there will be something on the menu for you, even if you didn't fancy the menu.
4. Alternate. I think one of the biggest mistakes I have made in previous visits is that since I'm a creature of habit, I like to revisit restaurants I've been to before that weren't worthy of the second or third visit. Maybe it's the nostalgia-freak in me, or the fact that I don't like making decisions, but either way, I've gone back to restaurants that weren't necessarily worth the visit back. I think looking back on previous trips, and really asking yourself if that meal was top-notch or just okay. There are plenty of opportunities to get top-notch meals with amazing scenery (and lets be real, you're paying a hefty price, so it might as well be top-notch if you can help it), so why settle for "eh" ones? I would suggest keeping 2-3 restaurants you really enjoyed from your previous visit(s), and then trying new things for the rest. The reason I suggest this is because there is so much to see in Disney, that you will never see it all in one visit. Give yourself the chance to see as much as possible and try new things! You may even find your new favorite!
5. Listen to reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. Restaurant reviews are very helpful for many reasons. It allows you to see people's honest reactions to the food, scenery, service, overall atmosphere, drink options, etc. This is really useful when it comes to making decisions on where to eat...BUT keep in mind that a meat eater will not have the most outstanding impression of a vegan restaurant and a vegan will not have the most outstanding review of a steakhouse. I say this because sometimes people go into restaurants to review menus that they themselves wouldn't be drawn to in the first place. If you're not a seafood person, you're most likely not going to enjoy a lobster dinner. If a menu looks compelling to you, and you watched a review on it that wasn't great, I say give it a try. If there are 3-4 bad reviews, that may be different. But if one bad review is making you question going somewhere, just go and form your own opinion. YOU may end up liking it!
6. It's JUST food. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have the most amazing experience, but in reality, we shouldn't take it so seriously. It's really just food. If you have an isolated incident that was underwhelming, remind yourself that you server is a human being with feelings, a personal life, a family and their own stresses. Just because you're at WDW doesn't mean you get to take your disappointment out onto people in forms of aggression and cussing. If you don't enjoy your meal, express that to your server. If problems continue to arise during your visit at any given restaurant, kindly ask for the manager. Then, if that doesn't put you at ease, ask for a contact higher up in management. If it's a health code violation or unprofessional/inappropriate behavior from a cast member, absolutely report it. Otherwise, LET IT GO. You're in WDW to have fun and escape your real life issues. Be kind, be patient, it's just food.
I hope some of these tips help you narrow down your restaurant choices when dining at WDW! If anyone has others, feel free to share!
First, I'd like to say that this is my sixth trip to WDW, so I would not consider myself an expert by any stretch, but I'm moderately informed and aware of the restaurant options. I also keep up with the dining reviews the DIS Unplugged posts as well as other Disney-focused youtube channels. With all of that being said, take this as suggestions and not rules of thumb. Everyone has different dietary restrictions, tastes, budgets, etc. I'm just simply sharing some tips and tricks I use when it comes to picking out restaurants.
1. Look at your options. This may sound self-explanatory, but seriously, look. When I went back in 2013, I hadn't been since 2007 as a teen. In that time difference, so much changed and I didn't even know. I called in 2013 to make our dining reservations and I simply asked the customer service rep to suggest me a couple good restaurants in each park and reserve the one that had a more convenient time for me and my family...I had NO clue I could go on line and look at the vast variety of restaurants they had to offer in addition to photos and menus! Even though it can be time consuming and require some attention, you really give yourself the power to pick the very best options for you and your family.
2. You simply cannot do it all in your short stay--let go. There may be 15 restaurants you want to try but you only have 5 TS credits. JUST PICK 5 and let it go. So often we hear about people beating themselves up over not doing that and not doing this, but lets be realistic--you can't do it all, so do what you can. Once you relieve yourself of the FOMO (fear of missing out) pressure, you will be more relaxed and not have so much anxiety over feeling like you missed an opportunity or you picked the wrong place.
3. Compromise. Unless you are riding solo on your WDW trip, (which happens often and sounds amazing), there will be people in your party you most likely have to compromise with. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't pick all your favorite restaurants and not allow anyone else to pick things out. I think coming to an agreement with your family/friends is the best way to approach this. You can either only dine at places that sound equally good to all or a majority of you, OR you can split the days that you're staying and say that so and so can pick dinner these days, and so and so can pick dinner these days. Don't complicate it, just compromise. More than likely, there will be something on the menu for you, even if you didn't fancy the menu.
4. Alternate. I think one of the biggest mistakes I have made in previous visits is that since I'm a creature of habit, I like to revisit restaurants I've been to before that weren't worthy of the second or third visit. Maybe it's the nostalgia-freak in me, or the fact that I don't like making decisions, but either way, I've gone back to restaurants that weren't necessarily worth the visit back. I think looking back on previous trips, and really asking yourself if that meal was top-notch or just okay. There are plenty of opportunities to get top-notch meals with amazing scenery (and lets be real, you're paying a hefty price, so it might as well be top-notch if you can help it), so why settle for "eh" ones? I would suggest keeping 2-3 restaurants you really enjoyed from your previous visit(s), and then trying new things for the rest. The reason I suggest this is because there is so much to see in Disney, that you will never see it all in one visit. Give yourself the chance to see as much as possible and try new things! You may even find your new favorite!
5. Listen to reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. Restaurant reviews are very helpful for many reasons. It allows you to see people's honest reactions to the food, scenery, service, overall atmosphere, drink options, etc. This is really useful when it comes to making decisions on where to eat...BUT keep in mind that a meat eater will not have the most outstanding impression of a vegan restaurant and a vegan will not have the most outstanding review of a steakhouse. I say this because sometimes people go into restaurants to review menus that they themselves wouldn't be drawn to in the first place. If you're not a seafood person, you're most likely not going to enjoy a lobster dinner. If a menu looks compelling to you, and you watched a review on it that wasn't great, I say give it a try. If there are 3-4 bad reviews, that may be different. But if one bad review is making you question going somewhere, just go and form your own opinion. YOU may end up liking it!
6. It's JUST food. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have the most amazing experience, but in reality, we shouldn't take it so seriously. It's really just food. If you have an isolated incident that was underwhelming, remind yourself that you server is a human being with feelings, a personal life, a family and their own stresses. Just because you're at WDW doesn't mean you get to take your disappointment out onto people in forms of aggression and cussing. If you don't enjoy your meal, express that to your server. If problems continue to arise during your visit at any given restaurant, kindly ask for the manager. Then, if that doesn't put you at ease, ask for a contact higher up in management. If it's a health code violation or unprofessional/inappropriate behavior from a cast member, absolutely report it. Otherwise, LET IT GO. You're in WDW to have fun and escape your real life issues. Be kind, be patient, it's just food.
I hope some of these tips help you narrow down your restaurant choices when dining at WDW! If anyone has others, feel free to share!
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