planning 1st visit and have a question....

[tngal]

ok..im a newbie here, so forgive the dumb question lol. i am trying to get and idea of the restaurants in wdw and what my family would enjoy, but i have this question. I am not taking the park hopper option due to budget issues and this being our first trip i dont see that we'd need it. If a dinner i am interested in is in a disney hotel, say the grand floridian, do i have the option of going to that dinner any night (given i can get an adr) or are they in certain parks and i have to go whatever day im in that given park? I hope that made sense lol. thanks for your help!

Lisa

 

[katiemely]

OK . . you do not need to go in the park to go to the restaurants in the resorts or to visit the resorts in general. If you want to go to a restaurant in one of the parks you have to go to that park. But the Resorts are separate from the parks. My husband and I love all the different resorts and like to go to the different restaurants at each for nothing else but to see the awesome WDW resorts!!

 

[tngal]

OK . . you do not need to go in the park to go to the restaurants in the resorts or to visit the resorts in general. If you want to go to a restaurant in one of the parks you have to go to that park. But the Resorts are separate from the parks. My husband and I love all the different resorts and like to go to the different restaurants at each for nothing else but to see the awesome WDW resorts!!

Great!! Thank you so much for your help with this! From the pics i've seen of the different resorts, they look almost like a "destination" within themselves!!

Lisa

 

[nvsnot]

The previous poster answered your question, but i'd just like to add...

Unless you'll be taking a cab or have your own transportation, you will have to catch a bus to the closest park without entering it in order to catch a bus, monorail, boat to the resort you will be dining at.

There is no resort to resort Disney transportation so you'll have to do a transfer of sorts.

 

[dgundry]

A few quick add-on's to the PP's:

1. If you are staying on property, you have to take Disney transportation (bus, monorail, boat, etc.) to a park or Downtown Disney and transfer to the hotel you want to visit. Alternatively, you can take a taxi. BE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THIS IF YOU HAVE ADR'S. When we have a meal at GF and we are staying at BC, we leave 45-60 minutes to catch the bus at BC to MK, arrive at MK and walk to the monorail, and take the monorail to GF.


2. The resorts ARE INDEED a destination of their own. Some of our favorites to visit and tour are AKL, WL & FW, and of course, we love the Boardwalk area.


Good luck with your first trip!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I would definately recommend the Boardwalk to have dinner if you have time one night. You don't need park admission and the Flying Fish is one of our favorite restaurants. the best part about having a late dinner on the BW is the entertainment there at night!! My kids love it! It's a must do for us every trip.
good Luck and have fun!!!

 

[tngal]

so i would be correct in saying that ,as a general rule, you should leave for your ADR around an hr before time if you are relying on disney transportation to get you there. Say if your ADR time is 7:15 start making your way there by 6:15?


Lisa

 

[ddluvsdisney]

so i would be correct in saying that ,as a general rule, you should leave for your ADR around an hr before time if you are relying on disney transportation to get you there. Say if your ADR time is 7:15 start making your way there by 6:15?


Lisa

 

[supernova]

so i would be correct in saying that ,as a general rule, you should leave for your ADR around an hr before time if you are relying on disney transportation to get you there. Say if your ADR time is 7:15 start making your way there by 6:15?

Lisa

Better early than late. And since this is your first time, there will be plenty to see as you walk around the resorts waiting for your dining time. It's not like you'll be sitting around bored waiting. Stroll around and just keep your yes on your watch.

 

[GrammyJudy]

You might want to check out the menus on allears.net

 

[LSchrow]

A few quick add-on's to the PP's:

1. If you are staying on property, you have to take Disney transportation (bus, monorail, boat, etc.) to a park or Downtown Disney and transfer to the hotel you want to visit. Alternatively, you can take a taxi. BE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THIS IF YOU HAVE ADR'S. When we have a meal at GF and we are staying at BC, we leave 45-60 minutes to catch the bus at BC to MK, arrive at MK and walk to the monorail, and take the monorail to GF.
!

with certain resorts, it is often easier to plan the day at the neighboring park, and walk/boat/monorail to the resort for dinner.

if eating at the BW/BC/YC, you can walk to them from the back of EPCOT (before the bridge leading to world showcase is international gateway, which leads to the resorts). if you are at DHS that day, you can walk (about 15-20 min) or take a friendship boat.
if going to the CR, you can walk from MK. poly and GF? take the monorail from MK to those resorts (you can take a separate monorail and change over if coming from epcot).
for others, you can just take a bus directly to the resort from the park you are at. just always leave yourself enough to get where you are going, and also to return to the park before closing if going home from there.

 

[wdwrich]

1. If you are staying on property, you have to take Disney transportation (bus, monorail, boat, etc.) to a park or Downtown Disney and transfer to the hotel you want to visit. Alternatively, you can take a taxi. BE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR THIS IF YOU HAVE ADR'S. When we have a meal at GF and we are staying at BC, we leave 45-60 minutes to catch the bus at BC to MK, arrive at MK and walk to the monorail, and take the monorail to GF.

This is true only if you don't have a vehicle (rental or your own). We always rent a car because it makes resort to resort trips so much easier than using Disney transportation.

 

[bopper]

1) Don't worry about not having Park Hoppers...we are what you might call "Park Ploppers"...we just plop ourselves in a park for the day. I would just try to plan a dinner reservation at some place in or near that park if possible.

2) Like others have said, allot 45-60 minutes to get from one place to another, esp. if you have to take two buses. Going from a park to a hotel would only take one bus.

3) I am not sure how up to date this is, but this is a good tool to know the options on how to get from one place to another using Disney Transportation.
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/aspx/twiz.aspx

 

[tngal]

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply.....lifes been crazy around here lately lol. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your replies!!

Lisa

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Remember that you can leave a Park and return to it without a hopper.

To go to a restaurant in a Park you need a valid admission to that park. If you do not have a hopper and leave a Park you cannot go to another Park that same day.

And you can get direct transportation from any Park to any Resort. It is just going from one Resort to another Resort that you generally have to change.

 

[supernova]

I make a point of taking one day out of my trip to just drive around Disney property and visit the different resorts. I do skip a couple (Coronado Springs and Old Key West come to mind) because of the way they are designed and laid out), but for the most part, I try to hit as many as I can.