Planning your DDP Reservations

[Salinger]

Hi. Don't know if anyone else has a problem with the search function on the forums here, it hangs forever and never brings back any results for me. I just preface my question with that in case I'm asking a really redundant question that's been answered many times.

So, we're going to WDW in May for a 10 day stay... can't wait!! (of course).

We have park hopper + room package right now, and are going to get DDP. We're just a bit overwhelmed on how and where to make dining reservations for 10 days. What park will we be in on any given day that would make the most sense to dine in that evening etc.

I'm not sure if I'm expressing myself very well, but just wondering how people usually go about planning their dining reservations so far in advance. Should we come up with a sort of itinerary for our park visits and then make the reservations around that?

Any help, links or direction is greatly appreciated!

 

[ToddyLu]

Each year I make an excel spread sheet. I make collumns for every day we will be there. I list the park hours and EMH hours first, then I think about things we know we are going to do like MVMCP twice or MNSSHP twice and plug those in....Then I start ADR's I mostly, of course, plot the Table service dinners. For CA Grill I always make sure what time the FW are going to be on...I look at the park times and get a fill for what we may do and then build around it. If we are going to a MVMCP it is eating somewhere close around 5p.m. Last year we did Whispering Canyon, hoped on the ferry and made it to the party on time...I also include my ressie number beside the reservation....

If you want to PM me with an email address I will send you a copy of what I have in my head so far for our Oct/Nov trip...

 

[madisonsmommy7704]

they should have the park schedule up for may now- like what parks have the extra magic hours the days you are there...any times for the various fireworks shows/ parades- all the kind of stuff you may consider when making your plan, then go from there.. are there places you've heard of and want to try? I try to factor in how easy it is to get from say MK to an Epcot dinner- not to bad w/ the monorail- bigger PITA to get to HS or AK from MK lol also it is pretty easy to go from any park to a resort ressie..
ETA- like pp I have a chart- mine is just a word doc w/ a chart in it- I color code all my choices like pink is all stuff in MK lol green is everything in Epcot LOL

 

[madisonsmommy7704]

I also saw on the Disney Restaurants forum there is a thread for this May trade ADRs with other Disers- in case you can't get what you decide on, you may want to check that out..

 

[kcashner]

The best thing for park meals is to schedule your meal at the park that has Extra magic Hours. That's likely where you will be on those nights. We like many EPCOT restaurants, so I'll make notes to myself like I want LeCellier either Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Then, I make a list of restaurants I want to go to and start arbitrarily filling in my nights, noting which ones I consider "moveable." That way, when I call, I start with the ones that I want on a particular night.

I have my "calendar" ready along with my notes when I call to make ressies. I start with the ones that I really want--like LeCellier--and fill in my calendar as we talk. For instance, I'll say that I want LeCellier on one of these dates...so we start with the first date. Ultimately, I've worked thru my list of restaurants and dates, and have everything filled in with ressie numbers.

THEN...we get to the parks, and my teenager has totally different plans, so I get on the phone to see if I can get what she wants before I cancel anything that I already have....ha ha! Also, if there is something that I want that I can't get in advance, I book one of my "alternative" ideas, and keep trying for what I really want.....don't give up! They do have last minute cancellations. On our Feb. trip, we ultimately got everything we wanted, even though some of it wasn't available until the day before the dinner.

 

[Salinger]

Thanks so much everyone, this is incredibly helpful! You guys are the best!

It seemed so daunting, but now I definitely have an idea of how to tackle it.

I read in the unofficial guide about getting the Fantasmic dinner package or something so you are guaranteed seats for the show, I'll have to work that into my plans as well.

ToddyLu, thanks!! I love excel spreadsheets too! LOL! I'll PM you shortly.

Cheers everyone!

Sal

 

[brokenlola]

I agree with the others, first I planned which park we would be at each day. I did this by deciding in which order we'd like to go to the parks, but I on the other hand wanted to avoid EMH b/c the parks are busier on those days. I had to compromise b/c I really wanted to do MK our first day but it has EMH, so I decided to do AK the first day and then 2 days of MK after that etc.

Then when I had a sense of where we'd be I started looking at which restaurants we would want to go to. We were looking certain things, like lots of character meals and buffets b/c our youngest is not good at sitting for a long meal. I also planned meals in the parks on day I knew we'd be there and resort restaurants on days we were playing by ear (but we don't have PH, so it's not as big of a deal to you).

Also since you are with in your 90 days you will have to be flexible as others have probably already snatched up the prime restaurants at the prime times. Good luck!

 

[colinsdad]

Great advice from the other Dis'ers (but that's expected) but I'll throw some out there too.

If Epcot is having EMH and you're finding it hard getting a ressie, don't forget about Spoodles on the Boardwalk or Cape May Cafe over at the Beach Club. Both are good options that don't book as quickly as Le Celier, Chefs, or Tutto and are very close to the International Gateway entrance between UK and France.

Same for the MK. If they're having EMH, you can expect Crystal Palace, LTT and Tony's to be booked if the 90+10 has already passed for your arrival. Think about the restaurants close by like Kona Cafe at the Poly, 1900 Park Fare or Grand Floridian Cafe at GF, or the Wave at the Contemporary. The Wave is a hidden gem. Chef Mickey's will probably be gone. Even the Whispering Canyon Cafe is a good option (if available) because of the short boat ride to the MK from Wilderness Lodge.

At DHS, Fantasmic has gone down to a few shows per week and as a result the packages go about as fast as a table at CRT these days. I think the EMH's don't always coincide with a F! show anyway (meaning on F! nights, you won't likely have EMH anyway). Your best bet for a F! package is Hollywood Brown Derby because many people on the DDP don't want to use 2TS credits to eat there. If F! is a must do, ask for HBD and pay for it OOP if your on the DDP (as using 2TS is never a good idea on the DDP.

Have a great trip.

PS. If your going to be there on May 17th check out the Mammoth May Meet at Epcot by clicking on this link!!

 

[Salinger]

Guys, again, can't thank you all enough for all the help!

We've decided on 7 of our 10 nights so far, and will finish off tonight. We're also pretty flexible, so if our TA can't get the restaurants we want at the times we want, we're pretty easy going and will change locations or times. We don't need "the best" restuarants, as long as the food's decent and in a fun atmosphere.

A quick question, during the Extra Magic Hours when the parks stay open later for resort guests, do the table service restaurants stay open later too? We're wanting to do a dinner at one of the restaurants in AK (suggestions?) but they close most days at 5:00pm. Would we be able to make an ADR for a bit later during one of the extended evenings?

Sorry again if this is basic info. I've searched around both here and elsewhere and can't find a definitive answer.

 

[Faldred]

We worked it a little backwards from the other advice -- first secured the "critical" ADRs, and then planned our park days around them. This was before I knew anything about "crowd calendars" and the like, but it all turned out well, if the predictions hold true.