The hassle of a trip to WDW,why??

debbiepump

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 10, 2005
Messages
514
I'm a major WDW lover, been going since it opened and I live on the west coast in Seatte! I've found over the last few years it's getting harder and harder to get ressies, for either somewhere to stay or to dine. Last night, found myself asking DH if he wants to go to the Food & WIne Festival next year, will need to get our ressies in Feb so we can indeed get ressies! Forget dining, forget trying to change anything. This 'hassle' is taking the 'fun' and 'enchantment' out of my visits to WDW. Feeling that perhaps it's time to consider selling my DVC at the Beach Club. I'd hope when the rain 'gets to us' here in Seattle, would be able to utilize our DVC and grab some sunshine, but forget that!! Ressies a few weeks or even a month in advance???? RIGHT! Dining has become a crap shoot anymore-take what you can get and forget about those changes you want to make. Anyone else feeling this pressure?
 
It's not so much an issue for me for a bunch of reasons. I'm only just getting old enough to pay for my own trips to Disney, so I guess I don't know how the good old days were. We didn't get our first choice of resorts this year, but there was SOMETHING available, and I would think that's true most times of the year. I also can't really take last minute trips. Vacations need to be coordinated at work, money exchanged to US currency etc. so I'd usually need that extra time to plan anyhow. As for the dining reservations, that's the only mildly annoying thing. I remember my mom taking me and my brother about 10 years ago, and we'd walk into a restaurant in the morning to make reservations. No way we'd be able to do that now!

I understand where you're coming from though. I don't think WDW is a vacation that you can do last minute or very leisurely. I think that's why alot of people don't enjoy Disney very much the first time around, they go in not knowing they need to plan.
 
Hi...you can see by my handle that I stay Jan, Feb, March next to Disney. We eat at Disney a lot and most of the time can get ressies same day or a day or two ahead for most anyplace we want. There are usually two of us. Also had good luck walking up to many restaurants and getting in, especially Kona, Olivia's, Germany, Grand Floridian Cafe (excellent), Jikos, Cape May (always very open after 8PM), Mayan at CS (excellent) Usually we need to eat pretty early or late for dinner to miss the rush, like 5PM or 8 to 8:30 PM. Breakfast at Kona about 9:30 is usually no problem.
If we happen to hit a day when nothing is available we head for a local favorite like The PUB for the best English fare around. Or maybe wander over to Boardwalk and grab a table in the bar section at ESPN for a great fish sandwich or rueben.

Don't forget the great restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin that are usually pretty available if you call.

Good Luck...Ted



We have not figured out the reservation system...they will indicate a place is full and walk ups will work fine...maybe people just overbook and no show...or maybe they always keep a certain number of tables open
 
We don't tend to make a lot of reservations for restaurants...we're more the "fly by the seat of your pants" types. We usually do OK, and if there are times we don't get what we want, well, there's always next time!

Hotels I usually do at the 11 month window for DVC...I'm a planner, although the few times we have done last minute stuff I have been lucky to always be able to get something.
 

I love to plan, so that's not an issue. We've done the ressie for sure since we planned so far in advance. But just for a few nights. We always found a place to have luch... we ate at around 11:20 - 11:45am,and 4:30 - 5:00 pm so not in the rush time. We also ended up eating outside of WDW and found it lot cheaper, we went to TGIF, Olive Garden and few more places... it was great.
 
Last year, an opportunity came up to visit WDW. I had to go to the US (East Coast) for work, and I stayed a week longer to go to Florida (woohoo, transatlantic flight paid by company!). I knew that... 10 days in advance. I left without any ADR, I just went each morning to guest relations and asked what they had available, and I was able to always get my first choice for that park, even within the time frame I asked. This was the beginning of May.

In October, I am going again, this time with my mom. A couple of weeks ago, I called for my ADRs and got every single one I wanted. Guided tours, character breakfast, Coral Reef dinner, Spirit of Aloha, ... All was available, within the time frame I wanted.

It can be I was twice very lucky. But I was also very flexible and alone or with two, which makes it easier as opposed when you need atbale for 17 or so.
I don't think this would work during free dining or high season, but it worked during Flower and Garden festival and now during Food and Wine.

Regarding hotels: I always wonder if it matters THAT much in which hotel one sleeps? I guess we are not resort-style people when it's about Disney. If I want to spend time at the pool, I'd rather go a week to Morocco or Tunesia or so, way cheaper. :) No, really, does it matter that much whether you sleep at POR instead of POFQ (as an example)? Just be flexible, and it will all be much simpler :)
 
(hey, I'm in Seattle...errr, Kirkland too!)

Going to WDW is a much bigger hassel that DL. We go to WDW about every 4 years or so, but we go for an extended amount of time. I don't mind doing the extra planning half a year (or more) in advance, because once the reservations are made, you're good to go until right before the trip. Of course, I enjoy trip planning, I see it as a non threatening activity that has nothing to do with work.

Since you're in Seattle, have you thought about going to DL more? as an adult I love it. We fly down there once a year and it's so much more relaxing than a WDW vacation. Of course, we stay at the GC, spend time in the spa, go to all the nice resteraunts, and never go into the parks except for right when they open and the couple of hours before closing. The inbetween hours are best spent on other relationship building activites.
 
I'm a major WDW lover, been going since it opened and I live on the west coast in Seatte! I've found over the last few years it's getting harder and harder to get ressies, for either somewhere to stay or to dine. Last night, found myself asking DH if he wants to go to the Food & WIne Festival next year, will need to get our ressies in Feb so we can indeed get ressies! Forget dining, forget trying to change anything. This 'hassle' is taking the 'fun' and 'enchantment' out of my visits to WDW. Feeling that perhaps it's time to consider selling my DVC at the Beach Club. I'd hope when the rain 'gets to us' here in Seattle, would be able to utilize our DVC and grab some sunshine, but forget that!! Ressies a few weeks or even a month in advance???? RIGHT! Dining has become a crap shoot anymore-take what you can get and forget about those changes you want to make. Anyone else feeling this pressure?
My dh and I avoid a lot of hassles by going in JAn/Feb. We love it. As we speak I am in the process of making our iteneries for 2008. I go over what park has extra hours, what resort we haven't checked out, what resturant we haven't tried and than I just start filling in the blanks. We already have our package bought and yesterday I got the airline tickets. So by the end of this week I am hoping to call with our ressies for the resturants we want. There are a couple of resturants I do have to hurry to get but I will do the best I can. It is true the sooner you book (even if you might have to conceal or change plans) the better.
Have a good day.
 
I don't know what it is but my DISfreinds and I love the planning. It is what makes going to WDW so much fun. We have one ressie a day with characters and we plan for each day what park we will be at around special events etc. I would love a DVC but the expense upfront would mean I would have to skip a year at DIS and I just couldn't do that. Keep me posted it you decide to sell though!

Try going without all the plans once and see how it goes, maybe it won't be that important too you now that you know all the ins and outs.
 
We're going in 2 weeks time.

Two weeks ago, I'd made no ressies and it was only when I started reading on here and talkdisney that people were struggling that I called WDW.

I wanted to book tables for 7pm at 12 restaurants and of those 12, I managed to book 9 successfully. We had to book lunch at another and 9.30pm at another.

There was only one that we couldn't get at all (Kona Cafe strangely!)

I don't know if we simply struck lucky but I really didn't think it was that difficult at all to get ressies.
 
(hey, I'm in Seattle...errr, Kirkland too!)

Going to WDW is a much bigger hassel that DL.

Since you're in Seattle, have you thought about going to DL more? as an adult I love it. We fly down there once a year and it's so much more relaxing than a WDW vacation.

Interesting ~ I think just the opposite. For us WDW has always been much more relaxing than going to DL. We mostly stay at the YC or BWI since we love the Epcot area.

We are originally from Seattle and made many trips to WDW from there. The "worst" part is the long flight and the time change - always figured in 2 days just for travel :) Love the now 2-hour flight from northern VA to Orlando!
 
I'm in the Midwest, and I go to WDW usually 2 or 3 times a year. During Food & Wine Festival, I graze at the food booths when in Epcot, rather than eat at table service restaurants. I can understand how you would need to reserve your resort way in advane if using DVC points. I wouldn't find that too much of a burden, because I generally plan trips way in advance. I have 5 trips in the works now for the next 12 months. :)
 
Interesting ~ I think just the opposite. For us WDW has always been much more relaxing than going to DL. We mostly stay at the YC or BWI since we love the Epcot area.

We are originally from Seattle and made many trips to WDW from there. The "worst" part is the long flight and the time change - always figured in 2 days just for travel :) Love the now 2-hour flight from northern VA to Orlando!

For me, the shorter flight time and lack of time change is a big factor in the relaxation issue. We also stay on site, so we don't have to worry about transportation, we just walk where we want, when we want. We do about five or six days at DL, and because there's only two parks, we don't feel pressured to go and do it all. Lots of naps, lots of couple time, use the spa, etc etc. Not to mention that the vacation planning services help out in a huge way.
 
For me, the shorter flight time and lack of time change is a big factor in the relaxation issue.

That makes sense of course. I guess I didn't think of it in those terms so much since we always stayed at least 9-10 days on each trip and had plenty of relaxation time. Now that it's a much shorter flight for us it's great to sometimes go down just for a long week-end :cool1:
 





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