Ok, help out a disney newbie....

[honkytonkmama]

I dont for the life of me understand all this 180 days in advance stuff. So, If I want to go to dinner in any of the resorts I need to call them 180 days in advance? What about food in the parks? Is it only certain places? If I dont STAY at the resorts, can I still go eat/drink/look around there?

My head is about to explode. thanks!!

 

[wdwrich]

WDW table-service restaurants tend to book up well in advance due to several reasons, not the least of which is a dining plan/package that Disney sells (or sometimes gives free with certain resort packages). Anyone (staying in a Disney resort or not) may call up to 180 days in advance and make an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR). Some places are so popular that they book solid within a couple of days of the 180 mark. Most times, walk-ups are turned away. The bottom line is if you really want to try certain WDW table-service restaurants (inside the parks or at the resort hotels), you need to call and make ADRs well in advance. The number is 407-WDW-DINE.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Or.. you can do like some of us.. sort of play the lottery and book when you get there and go where the day takes you.. As long as you are flexible, you will be surprised what may be available..

If you have specific restaurants you do want to eat at, then I would book ahead at the 180 mark.... Good luck.

ps, visited Petersburg when I was in VA.. loved it..saw the battlefields and the museum...had to say it.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Another vote for not overplanning!

We book two or three table-service ADRs for an eight-day trip. And we never book at 180 days! I think the farthest out I ever booked might have been 8-10 weeks. We just hum along the rest of the trip, eating counter service, doing walk-ups, and calling WDW-DINE.

On the other hand, if you want any of the really difficult locations, and you want them at specific days/times, you may want to book at 180 days. I would say that includes Cinderella's table (especially breakfast), LeCellier (especially dinner), California Grill (dinner time that coincides with Wishes), and probably a few more.

Also: Welcome to the DIS!

 

[DVC Jen]

I am gonna take the other side of the coin... my family knows we want to have one nice relaxed sit down table service meal a day. We love to do the research and plan - so we know which restaurants we want to dine at during our trips.

Therefore - I do call 180+10 days (since we stay on site we can call that extra 10 days early) and we book our ADRs.

The last thing I want during vacation is to be stuck eating hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets the majority of my trip. We have been there and done that and do not wanna do it again.

We also go during a busier time of year (June) and know that most table service places are booked far in advance - meaning no space left for walk-ups. Now people do cancel all the time and you could very easily get a table service meal if you call that day and say you will take anything - anywhere. For my family - we don't like that.

 

[Lynne M]

I dont for the life of me understand all this 180 days in advance stuff. So, If I want to go to dinner in any of the resorts I need to call them 180 days in advance? What about food in the parks? Is it only certain places? If I dont STAY at the resorts, can I still go eat/drink/look around there?

My head is about to explode. thanks!!

WDW dining can be complicated, here are the basics:

There are a couple of general categories of eatery at WDW: Table service (TS) and counter service (CS). You can make reservations (ADRs) for TS restaurants at 180 days out, and they're highly recommended. Most places don't have to be reserved at exactly 180 days, but any meal featuring characters should be reserved as early as possible. Some other TS places like LeCellier in Epcot are also extremely popular and should be reserved at 180 days.

Important note: Many TS places no longer accept walk ups. Meaning, if they're fully booked, they won't let you wait for a table, they'll just turn you away. This is why ADRs are so important.

Counter service restaurants are fast-food places like Burger King, McD's, etc. They don't accept reservations.

You can visit any WDW resort whether you're staying there or not, and are welcome to eat at any resort restaurant.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

Definitely research what restaurants you ABSOLUTELY want to eat at and just make a couple reservations to be safe, you can play a lot by ear but you will want a few planned just in case.

 

[Hopefully]

We are another family that enjoys one sit down TS meal a day - at home and on vacation. This is important to us enjoying our vacation.
I plan in advance. We review the menus here on the DIS and on allearsnet.com to decide where we would like to eat. Then I map out which park on which day based on Tour Guide Mike and the Unofficial Guides best days charts. Once I know which park we will be in on which day I match it to a restaurant in or near that park to limit the travel time to our ADR's.
I call at 180 days and book our TS meals. CS is whatever strikes our fancy when we are hungry.
Anyone can book ADR's at 180 days whether you are staying on or off property. Anyone can eat at the resort restaurants whether you are staying on or off property. Most of the popular TS restaurants in the parks and nearby resorts are fully booked in advance and turn people walking up away. As others have said, if you want to eat at odd times, or you don't care where you eat, one of the less popular restaurants may be available of the same day.
If after reviewing the menus there is a TS restaurant you really want to eat at, I recommend making an ADR.
Have a Great Trip.

 

[lazydazy8]

Definitely research what restaurants you ABSOLUTELY want to eat at and just make a couple reservations to be safe, you can play a lot by ear but you will want a few planned just in case.

If you are buying the food plan, absolutely book an ADR for each day you are there, or you won't be getting your money's worth! If you want suggestions, there are thousands of us that will suggest our favorite places!!

Just wanted to shout out a hello to NHTikiBeckie! We pm'ed a while back... (I'm in Wells, ME and spend a lot of time in Portsmouth.) I just met some Disney crazed friends at Margarita's last Friday to talk ADR's for our 2008 trips... I wish I thought to invite you! When do you go to see the Mouse next?

 

[honkytonkmama]

Thank you ALL SOOO much!! We will be sitting down and figuring all this our in the coming weeks.

Thanks again!!