NO resssies

[rluvsd77]

We are going a week from tomorrow. The only reservations we made was for Fantasmic dinner....we want to play the rest by ear b/c we aren't sure where we will be and if we won't be off disney. Is this a bad idea?

 

[rflorek]

When we went in October 2003, we just winged it. We would enter the park that morning, and decide if there was anywhere special we wanted to eat. We would stop by the booth & make our reservations that day, and got in everywhere that we wanted to.

Good luck!

Robyn

 

[4greatboys]

We are going a week from tomorrow. The only reservations we made was for Fantasmic dinner....we want to play the rest by ear b/c we aren't sure where we will be and if we won't be off disney. Is this a bad idea?

Unless its Labor Day weekened it shouldnt be bad. End of Aug and Sept are low attendance times so you should be okay.

 

[Noah122898]

With the free dining going on now, you may have a problem getting into some restaurants. I guess if you're flexible it could work, but there is nothing worse then being really hungry and not getting in some where to eat. Try really early times I guess. Just because you make an AR, doesn't mean you have to keep it. You can always cancel.

 

[baileybelle]

It might be a little harder to "wing it" this year with all the free dining going on. There was no such thing in 2003. As long as you don't have any
"must do" TS restaurants and are flexible on what time you plan on eating you should be fine.

When you decide which park you are doing on a particular day, I would call for ressies that morning if I had a special restaurant in mind. Lots of people make ressies that way.

 

[rluvsd77]

Do you need ressies for the restraunt in Downtown Disney or Pleasure Island?

 

[PrincessPatty]

We're doing the same thing, we made ADR's for our first night there, only because we're not doing any of the parks, possibly DD, but thats about it, we plan on winging it too, I cant guarantee when we are going to be hungry, if we will be done riding, shopping, ect., I just dont feel I need to be rushed, Disney doesnt give all their tables away in ADR's, I mean MANY people dont plan ahead, so I cant imagine that they would give ALL the tables away.

 

[rluvsd77]

PrincessPatty, glad to hear that someone is on the same path as me. I don't want to be rushed that I need to be somewhere at a certain time. I want to be on my own pace and schedule. When are you going?

 

[bdcp]

I just got off the phone with WDW Dine. We're going the first week in Nov, just the two of us. I got all the times and locations I wanted.

Ohana dinner, Prime Time Lunch, Crystal Palace lunch, Kona breakfast, San Angel Inn dinner, Luau show, Le Cellier dinner. The CM said that most places are booking up fast. We couldn't get the exact time for Le Cellier that I originally wanted, just a little earlier. The rest of the meals will be counter service or attempts at walkups.

 

[PrincessPatty]

Sept 23 - Oct. 2. We've never had a hard time finding a place to eat, yeah you may wait 30 minutes or so, but try going to an Olive Garden or whatever and not waiting that!! Thats our time to sit back, relax, and talk about what we have already done, and what we're going to do later!!! When are you going??

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

If you're flexible, there's no problem. You *definitely* won't go hungry! If there are any places you have your heart set on, you stand a good chance of being disappointed if they're filled up that night- you know the hot ones- Cali Grill, CRT, Le Cellier, Character meals *anywhere* really, 'Ohana, 50's Prime Time, etc.

Remember you can try and make ADR's when you get there, too. Let's say you try for 'Ohana one night and it's packed and you go elsewhere, you can always try for the other remaining days availibility as well. Also, you can try and make an ADR in the morning when you are at the park you choose.

If you still try to wing it right up until meal time, you'd be best off dining earlier or later than most people instead of at the most popular times.

There are also some great counter service places. If you familiarize yourself with those names, you can *always* get a great meal in the parks, even if all the table service places are booked.

Some of my favorites are:

Epcot: Fountainview Bakery, Tangereine Cafe, Yorkshire Fish Shoppe

MK: Pecos Bill's, Cosmic Ray's, Columbia Harbour House

DAK: Tusker House, Flame Tree Barbecue

I've also had a good quick meal at the Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. Beaches and Cream at BC doesn't take reservations and I really want to try the burgers and ice cream sundaes I hear so much about.

If you are staying at a resort that provides room service, that is always a wonderful option and I've found those meals to be the same quality as the resort's sit down restaurants.

If you are staying moderate or value, don't order room-delivery pizza. You would be MUCH better off calling a Papa John's! It is simply terrible. Much worse than the food court.

Some places that you might find easier to get into that aren't counter service:

Trail's End Buffet at Fort Wilderness
Plaza at MK
Kona Cafe at Polynesian

Enjoy your trip whatever you decide!

 

[Briarmom]

Big confession here...

I have never made ADRs for WDW. Seriously. This time I may, because we want to have a char breakfast somewhere (not sure where yet) and to try Le Cellier. But every other trip we have just made a res when we enter the park if we really want one (Brown Derby, etc) or called from the room a few days before (Flying Fish). I rather enjoy not thinking so much about where we NEED to be. We do that in real life. This is vacation! Good luck!

 

[baileybelle]

rluvsd77: Here's a link that lists all the places that take ressies http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/pscalc/dispsreport.html