Now I am booked , how do I plan???

[eeyorefanuk]

The only reason I am slightly nervous about not booking 180 days before is that we are going in August and there are eight of us

 

[disneyholic family]

Since ADR'S moved back to 180 days park hours are supposed to be the same.

"Effective October 27th, theme park hours will be released 180 days in advance."

that's good that the hours will be out, but it's terrible that ADRs have been moved back to 180 days....
most "normal" people in the world don't plan their holidays 180 days in advance.....even 90 days is difficult for some people...

it means there will be a lot of people who will make reservations that they'll never use - "oh gee, maybe we'll go to WDW in august, i better make some ADRs just in case"..
and then i wonder if they'll cancel them when they decide not to go....i bet most of them won't...

 

[eeyorefanuk]

I do find it strange that they put the opening hours etc at 180 days, the exact same day as when allowed to book ADR's?

 

[scojos]

I have already devoured the unofficial guide to WDW and have made marks in it as to which restaurants I like the sound of. My daughter is a coeliac, so meal planning is reasonably important for us.

When do the park opening hours for august 2010 get published?

Mel

dont worry about dining out with your daughter, the chefs at disney are amazing!
(i have severe food allergies and the ddp, chefs last year made everything fresh for me!

tracy

 

[meldud]

I have only heard good things about the chefs at Disney, so I am pretty confident that we will be able to find something for her. She will be 9, but have upgraded her to an adult(10+) ticket in order that she will qualify for the adult menu. The kids menus seem so restricted and I have come across so many jobs worths in this country that I am not prepared to get into arguements while we are away!!!!

Is it essential to book ADRs at the 180 day mark?

Thanks,

mel

 

[mcco5543]

I have only heard good things about the chefs at Disney, so I am pretty confident that we will be able to find something for her. She will be 9, but have upgraded her to an adult(10+) ticket in order that she will qualify for the adult menu. The kids menus seem so restricted and I have come across so many jobs worths in this country that I am not prepared to get into arguements while we are away!!!!

Is it essential to book ADRs at the 180 day mark?

Thanks,

mel

Yes it is essential to book at the 180 day mark if you want

A. a certain time ("I must have 6pm dinner, no exceptions)

or
B. I want a popular restaurant (Le Cellier, Cinderella's Royal Table etc...)


If you have a plan A.B and C for potential places you'd like to eat, the likliehood that you would be able to get one of your top 3 choices is much better. If you can't book exactly 180 days out.

Also if you are willing to eat at "odd" times (not meal times, and/or any time they can offer you) you will most likely get your restaurant of choice.

it depends on how flexible you can be with times and restaurants and how popular the restaurants are.

 

[ukdisney101]

Hi there

Just felt i must chip in, our 1st WDW trip was Feb 2008 and i didn't have any plan or really any idea what i was going to do when i got there, i hadn't done any research (how stupid) thought "oh i'll figure it out when we get there".

I felt like i lost the first 3 days due to not being prepared. I just wasn't prepared for the enormity of it all.

Even if you don't make a plan do some research and make a wish list of what you would like to do. For our next trip Feb 2010 i have made a wish list and a rough plan but i won't let it rule the holiday.

I have enjoyed the planning this time and am even more excited than i was the first time.

Have a fantastic time

 

[zippy99]

On our first trip to Disney Florida in Jan 08, our children were 9 & 8, we only made one reservation and that was for the Lilo & Stitch Breakfast.

We were quite happy playing it by ear and doing things as we went along. I use to check on here and think 'OMG these peoples are freaks - with all this uber planning' - infact it scared me.

The thing to remember is it is so much easier to plan when you have been before.

Our second trip in Sep 09 had loads of bookings, we planed what days we were doing what parks to plan around shows etc.. We were only on the QSDP so not full blown planning - but the discovery of places like Wolfgang Puck were all down to the support on here

October 2010 OKW As for next year (which has not even been booked yet) we have got a list of everywhere we want to eat, and planned where all our credits are going!!

Yes, planning is good fun - but I believe the planning is more fun for those of us who know what we are going back to!

As a first timer don't get too caught up in the planning or worried about it, find out what you need to know, opening hours, magic hours, shows etc.. and be sure to make some reservations for the busiest & most popular restaurants. (We often cancel reservations when we are out if plans change there and rebook without any trouble)

 

[eeyorefanuk]

Can I ask you, if you have booked reservations on the ddp, but say something crops up on the day, will you be penalised for cancelling say the morning of the evening meal??

 

[wayneg]

Can I ask you, if you have booked reservations on the ddp, but say something crops up on the day, will you be penalised for cancelling say the morning of the evening meal??

Quote from Disney, no idea how strict they are or what penelties.

Reservations
must be cancelled at least 48 hours (6 days for Grand Gathering Experiences) before the scheduled seating time or a cancellation charge may be incurred (charge varies by location).

 

[wickesy]

Can I ask you, if you have booked reservations on the ddp, but say something crops up on the day, will you be penalised for cancelling say the morning of the evening meal??

Quote from Disney, no idea how strict they are or what penelties.

Reservations
must be cancelled at least 48 hours (6 days for Grand Gathering Experiences) before the scheduled seating time or a cancellation charge may be incurred (charge varies by location).

I think the only ones you get charged for are the ones where you have to leave a credit card number when you book, which would be California Grill, Cinderella's Royal Table and the Fantasmic Dining Package - and I think there might be a few others as well.

 

[rabit]

I would like some advice on how to plan our itinery for August 2010??

the most important thing to remember is that this is a HOLIDAY, too many people go to florida and try to do everything ,it is not a military campaign you are planning , in august it will be hot and humid and it will rain so you need to be flexible ,by all means look at the guides but in the end suit yourselves.look at the U.S. section of this site and see how the locals do it . have a great time

 

[scojos]

now me, im a military planner!!!
this is what works for us, my asd son "leads" the military, we all go at his pace, we plan max 4 hour stints in parks, rope drop most mornings, out either for lunch or just after, back to hotel for swim/sleep and then (sometimes) back to parks, or dinner in a resort hotel, or trip off site - but everything is planned before we go. All restaurant choices are made before travelling both TS and CS, this avoids conflict when we are there, the menus are all checked before hand, so we know everyone will eat off the menu... we always have an alternative in case we work through the park quicker than planned or the menus have changed between us checking and arriving.
this said, after the first week last year we ended up at MGM every morning for a week to ride TOT and TSM!
flexibility is important, but my advice, is knowledge is power, know where the good places to eat are (yes we are obsessed with food, but you spend time relaxing or queing for bad food- your choice) know the decent snack and where they are available, know quickest routes, which rides to do first etc. if its your first time, no what to avoid, (basically any parks with EMH), decide which parks to do, we avoided epcot on our first trip, but now its our fav park!! use planning videos, plan but be flexible!!
have fun
Tracy

 

[WiganTony]

Throwing our hat into the ring!!! We have generally tended to:

1) Decide well before the 180 day mark which TS restaurants are must-dos, nice to dos and will-dos, for which reservations are required.

2) When park hours are released at 180 days, determine which days are busiest and which parks have EMH days. Also check times of shows and fireworks (e.g. Fantasmic at HS, Spectromagic at MK etc). Then pick parks that are the quietest and have no EMH on specific days. Also determine days for visiting water parks and/or shopping etc.

3) Align our ADRs with TS restaurants for any particular day with our chosen park (or a resort nearby) to avoid wasting time travelling between areas. If at a water park and if on DDP, we would choose a restaurant at a resort or at DTD.

4) When we visit the parks, we have an idea of the most popular rides and get Fastpasses as soon as we enter. Specific rides include Toy Story Mania/Aerosmith at HS, Kilamanjiro Safari/Expedition Everest at AK, any of the "mountain" rides at MK, and Soarin/Test Track at EPCOT. We then just please ourselves as to which attractions to visit/ride, but always keep in mind any show times and rides that have Fastpasses and obtain these as and when we can.

HTH.