What time do you eat dinner in the summer?

[ADisneyQueen]

I am going to make ADRS for late June, I think they will all be for dinner. Any suggestions on time? We always take an afternoon break. Is it too hot to eat at 5:30?

 

[tndisneyfan]

I think each family is different. We find that we like to eat dinner around 6:30 to 7:00. We like that time because normally we like to stay in the parks until closing time or do evening EMH. If you have younger children you may want to eat earlier.

 

[SSRJen]

When we went last Summer we would leave the parks around 1:00 - 2:00. We would take a break until 5:00ish and then head to a restaurant for a 5:30 dinner. By the time dinner was over, it was perfect to get back into the parks for the evening. It was HOT during dinner, but we ate indoors and took our time.

 

[phisigprincess]

If you think you have enough time to leave the park, get some rest, and then go eat, 5:30 is fine. We usually leave the parks at 2ish and get back around 5 - 6 so that's when we schedule dinner. The AC is on in all of the TS restaurants, so you won't be too warm by then.

 

[Hootch]

go in June, including this coming June. We have dinner around 6:00 most days. We take a mid day break and are rested and refreshed by that time. At 6:00 we'e still a bit fresh. Later in the evening we usually have a snack like ice cream while watching Wishes.

It works great for us since we have a light breakfast and an early lunch.

 

[luckytobeme88]

We are going the last week of June too. We will have all of our dinners plan for after 7:00pm. Sunset during the summer is normally after 7 or 8 in the evening. By the time we finish our dinner, the temperature will be cooler after sundown.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We don't go in the summer but either way I would always make our dinner ADR's for between 5-6. I try to keep it early to avoid meltdowns.

 

[cheesekate2005]

In the summer, we try to eat the earliest dinner (at like 4). Often, we try to eat a TS late lunch at very late at the hottest part of the day instead. This lets us recharge when we need it most!

 

[deedeetoo]

When we went last Summer we would leave the parks around 1:00 - 2:00. We would take a break until 5:00ish and then head to a restaurant for a 5:30 dinner. By the time dinner was over, it was perfect to get back into the parks for the evening. It was HOT during dinner, but we ate indoors and took our time.

This is exactly how we do it! The kids have pool time every afternoon when it is really hot and then we go back to the room, change up, and head out to dinner.

 

[Mickey_Man]

When we went last Summer we would leave the parks around 1:00 - 2:00. We would take a break until 5:00ish and then head to a restaurant for a 5:30 dinner. By the time dinner was over, it was perfect to get back into the parks for the evening. It was HOT during dinner, but we ate indoors and took our time.

Another vote for people who do exactly this! We hit a park at rope drop, stay until lunch time, head back to the resort by 1-2, break for the afternoon, and do dinner between 5:30-6:00. We will try to plan our dinner around what we are going to do that night - Wishes, Illuminations, DTD, etc.

 

[Uncleromulus]

6:00 for us almost always. Only exception is our first night dinner at California Grill, which we time for about 8 so we can see the fireworks.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We keep to our kids' schedules and so when we went in July we made ADRs anywhere between 5 and 6. One was at 6:15 (all they had and still do-able for my kids) but we got in early. My kids are used to eating dinner between 5 and 6 so I kept to their normal schedule. And no meltdowns!

We also took an afternoon break everyday. We left the parks no later than 1:30-ish, mostly around 1:00 though. We would have an early lunch (11 or 11:30 when the CS places started serving lunch) and the places were empty...then we would enjoy a couple of more attractions before heading back to the hotel for a break, which was very nice. We then either went back to a park for a dinner ADR or to a resort for a dinner ADR. It worked out very well. We did not think it was too hot at all to eat. I did not think originally that we would be hungry in that heat but with all the walking you do at WDW you get hungry fast!

If it were just DH and myself, we would probably aim for between 6 and 7, still taking an afternoon break at the hottest and most crowded part of the day.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Do you still eat outside CS for lunch in the summer? We love Flame Tree and the seating area, but don't want to feel too hot while eating. I guess I'd rather sit in air conditioning, but I will still get my Flame Tree salad with chicken and bring it somewhere!

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

We typcially eat at a TS for a very late lunch or early dinner to avoid the afternoon thunder storms in the summer. It usually works like a charm.

 

[eas423]

We chose to eat earlier because we have a young one. I think we were making reservations around 4:45-5pm, so we'd be eating by 5:30.

 

[cajunprincess]

We usually opt for about 6 or 7 o'clock ressies. This time allows us to eat and still make any parades, rides, etc. Of course, we do not have any young ones either. We usually leave the park around the 1 or 2 and come back when it's time for dinner reservations.