Overwhelmed!!

[jtblcarney]

Friends are telling us we must make ADR for our upcoming vacation or we won't get in anywhere. Haven't been there in 14 years and then we just winged it-which is more our style. Where do I start, the thought of doing this so far out is overwhelming, what if I'm not in the mood for what I book, or change my mind?

 

[kdfogliano]

It is a good idea to make reservations for the popular restaurants.
Like:
Le Cellier
Tutto Italia
Cinderellas Royal Table
Mickeys backyard BBQ
Tusker House, Chef Mickeys
california grill

and pretty much any character meal plus a few other restaurants I am sure other posters will add to

How many people are you? I find it easier to wing it if we are 2 people, but anymore than that it may get tricky

make some reseravtions and you can always change and cancel if others are available!

 

[Mrs D]

Friends are telling us we must make ADR for our upcoming vacation or we won't get in anywhere. Haven't been there in 14 years and then we just winged it-which is more our style. Where do I start, the thought of doing this so far out is overwhelming, what if I'm not in the mood for what I book, or change my mind?

to the DIS boards!

If you want to eat at sit down restaurants your friends are correct. Of course this is depending on your dates of travel, times and location you'd like to eat.
If you are only looking to eat at counter serve location than you don't need ressies for that. However I would not purchase the dining plan with sit down meals and NOT make ressies- I wouldn't risk not being able to eat when and where i want.

Here's what I do to decide where I want to eat.
I check out TouringPlans.com Crowd Calendar for my trip dates and decide what park(s) I will tour each day.
I then check out the menus on Allears.net to see which sit down restaurants at the park (in in nearby hotels) appeal to me.
I have a plan in place for the day I can make my reservations (@ 180 days prior to arrival). I like the WDWinfo.com calculator.

I have had good success with booking dining online but you can also call 407-WDW-DINE.

Let me know if you'd like recommendations on restaurants, etc. Feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[Kellybelly777]

First off, welcome to the Dis!

I deffinetly understand where your coming from. I'd say, set aside a little (or a lot, depending on you) time to look at each night and figure out a few basics:

*What kind of food do I want: interntional, old favorites, something new etc?
*Do i want to try a character meal?
*What's my budget per meal?
*Do I want casual or fancy?
*Does it need to be kid friendly?
*Will I be willing to travel to a different park/ different hotel/ Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk, or do I want dinner in the park/hotel I'm already at that day?

Once you figure those and a few other things you think are necessary, I'd recommend going to Disney.go.com (the disney website) and make your way over to restaurant profiles. This way, you'll get a feel for the theme and general atmosphere and will be able to look at the menu and prices.

I'd also recommend checking out a few of the dining reviews on Disboards. It can really help you get a feel for what the different restaurants are like.

Number one thing is don't stress about it. If you relax and give yourself plenty of time, you'll have a fun, magical trip!

 

[DISNEYNV]

Most definately make reservations for your table down meals if this is important to you. Counter service is not a problem though. I think other posters have broken it down really well as to what and where you will want to eat and in what parks, hotels, etc.

 

[dzneelvr]

It's very normal to make ADRs WAAAAYYYY early if you want to experience the best of WDW Absolutely make them for the "experience type" eateries in each park: ie Sci Fi, Cinderella's Castle, Biergarten, BOMA, etc. Any character meal also. Keep in mind that some of these places will be booked 9 months in advance and you won't get in, so have a second choice ready. I love finalizing all the ADRs early so no more worries 'bout eating There's plenty of CS and vendor choices to catch a quick snack or special drink from depending on your mood that day or park choice.

 

[havoc315]

Start with the "musts" if you have any. If you want to do The Royal Table, that must be done pretty much 6 months in advance.

I agree, it's quite difficult to plan all your meals far in advance of your stay. For me, the challenge was the later days in the trip. I feel confident in what parks I intend to visit the first 2-3 days... but then not sure about which parks to return to.

So I'd just suggest table reservations be made for those days and times that you are fairly confident about. If you know you want to catch Fantasmic for example, you can plan a dining reservation before the show. If you know you are using evening EMH at 1 park, plan a dinner at that park, that evening. If you know which park you are going to on the first day, you can reserve a lunch that day.

If you are going at an off-peak time, I believe you will still be able to make last-minute reservations at some of the less popular restaurants, at least for off-times.
But if you want to eat at a fairly popular restaurant, during high crowds, and during peak times (lunch at 1 pm, dinner at 6:30), then expect to need a reservation.
Example -- I just checked their online reservations for tonight, at 6:30.... 32 restaurants had some availability within a 1 hour time frame, 43 restaurants had no availability. (And crowds are light right now)

 

[TDC Nala]

I do not think it is necessarily the case that if you do not make reservations you will not get in ANYWHERE.

If you have restaurants you know you want to go to, or a park you know you want to be in on a certain day and you are sure you want to eat in that park, you should probably have a reservation.

If you are certain you want ANY of the ultrapopular restaurants (Le Cellier, CRT, Chef Mickey's, 'Ohana at dinner, California Grill anywhere close to fireworks time, Fantasmic dining package anywhere) then you should have a reservation. It may also be a good idea to have reservations for any character meals you may want.