WISH Dinner Fri, Jan 6th--Trail's End!! Seats still open--see first post for details

[solotraveler]

Just bumping this up since someone new was asking about meets.....

Solotraveler

 

[keenercam]

We also have DDE so we have another 10 people covered (less DH and me)

 

[chimera]

I also have DDE!

 

[Susan--Ontario]

I'm so glad you guys are carrying on the Trail's End tradition. Last year was so awesome!! I just got a film developed that I didn't know what was on it and it had a great picture of all of us outside of Trail's End. That half-marathon was a huge achievement for me and I believe that all that training and God's hand is what is making my chemo not so bad.

Best of luck to all of you!!!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Susan! I am so glad to hear from you!

Hope you are doing well.

 

[chimera]

Ok y'all...get your votes in. I'm couting 68 if I add correctly for everyone who's voted on the poll. I'll be calling ASAP on Oct 6.

 

[TammyNC]

Can't wait to get together again for TE.

 

[chimera]

The manager will be calling me back on Mon or Tues to see if they can accomodate our group. They have 140 seats in the restaurant at Trails End, but the relief manager said they get really busy on weekend nights.

It would seem to me that if they have 140 seats and we only need 70, that should work since TE is now a PS restaurant, but I don't really know how they do their scheduling. I guess a backup plan would be for us each to make our own personal reservations or maybe 6 or 7 of us could call in for groups of 10 each.

Group dining originally told me we can't make the ressie til Oct 6, so we've got some time to play with this. I'll let you know what happens when I hear back from the manager next week.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wonder what they would care. Busy with campers or busy with us...a paying customer is a paying customer!

 

[TammyNC]

Thanks for checking into everything and doing the leg work. Just let us know if we need to do anything on smaller levels.

 

[chimera]

Fort Wilderness doesn't want to take on a group of 70 all at once, so we have been referred to banquet services. They're going to call back with available venues and pricing. We could choose our own menu this way, but I've a feeling it will be more expensive than going to Trail's End ($16.99 adults, $7.99 kids). Options at Fort Wilderness are Mickey's Backyard BBQ or the beach there by where you rent the boats.

Backup plan: Would there be 5 or 6 people who'd be able to call the morning of Oct 6 to make ressies for a group of 10, just in case the banquet deal doesn't work out? They might stagger our ressie times if we do it this way, but I think most of us would get to eat together or within 15 minutes or so of each other. What do y'all think? Any other ideas?

 

[princessmomma]

Backup plan: Would there be 5 or 6 people who'd be able to call the morning of Oct 6 to make ressies for a group of 10, just in case the banquet deal doesn't work out? They might stagger our ressie times if we do it this way, but I think most of us would get to eat together or within 15 minutes or so of each other. What do y'all think? Any other ideas?

I was just going to suggest that! I think it would be alright to be staggered a bit. I will help out and make a ressie if the group chooses this route.

Colleen

Thanks for doing all this Mel!

 

[TiffJ]

I wouldnt' mind calling for a PS if we need to. But the Backyard BBQ would be fun also! Maybe we could get a group discount on it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think Backyard BBQ is on a fixed Tue/Wed schedule--and for some, the menu choices would not be consistent with their training and settle well with the tummy in time for the race.

 

[chimera]

There are several facilities available on the evening of the 6th, including pavilion areas at Fort Wilderness and Ariel's at Yacht Club. We could have a custom menu or choose from some pre-planned menu packages. The problem: menus start at about $50 per person, up to $100 per person.

Since the banquet plan may be a bit pricey for some, here is my proposal:

We all plan to meet at Fort Wilderness, in front of Trail's End around 4:00 on Fri, Jan 6 to hang out altogether before dinner. Six or seven of us (thanks to those that have already volunteered!) will call on Oct 6 to make dining ressies for times from 4:30 to 5:00, trying to get the earliest times available so maybe a few of the groups could eat together. I'm wondering if we all show up and check-in at the same time, would they go ahead and seat us? We could potentially book in groups of 20, but I'm afraid they would try to space each group out.

What do y'all think?

 

[xterratri]

Mel, I can call Thurs morning if you need more people calling. In addition, we have DDE too so that brings it up at least 4 or is it 5 in the group.
Lynne

 

[TiffJ]

I dont understand why they would care about 70 people at once when they can seat twice as many & its a buffet.But I guess Mickey didnt ask me

I am always up early so I can call & book for 10 in the morning. What time can we start calling? Although now that my SIL is coming with her family I might already have 11 taken care of.

 

[NCRedding]

Given the layout of TE, you probably want to have some people calling for tables of 4, since the vast majority of the tables there are for 4. I don't know if Disney makes ADRs based upon the seating, or based upon numbers--in other words, if they will plan on moving two tables together to create seating for 8, or if they will just go and say that their two tables for 8 are taken until a later time than you want.

 

[chimera]

Given the layout of TE, you probably want to have some people calling for tables of 4, since the vast majority of the tables there are for 4. I don't know if Disney makes ADRs based upon the seating, or based upon numbers--in other words, if they will plan on moving two tables together to create seating for 8, or if they will just go and say that their two tables for 8 are taken until a later time than you want.

I'm not 100% sure how they do it either. I know when I talked to TE directly, they told me they'd had a group of 20 the night I called.

Another option is for everyone to call and make their own ressies, then maybe a few of us could book larger groups if there's anyone that can't call in.

407-WDW-DINE lines open at 7am.

I'm certainly open to suggestions as to how best to do this. Seems like it was a lot easier last year when everyone just showed up and didn't need ADR. If the ADR is too much of a problem, we could just take over a food court at one of the resorts, then we wouldn't have to worry about ressies. I'm partial to POFQ, but I can eat anywhere

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think calling and booking in groups of 10 won't work...how about the volunteers...call twice--do a ressie for 4 and another ressie for 4.....Just use a different person's name in your party. Unless there is some unwritten rule about multiple ressies from the same household.

I'm with Chimera that at this point--maybe we should just commandeer an area.

I personally do not like POFQ--I like the riverside location better..just my personal preference.

Anybody know if the pepper market at coronado, do they require ADR or can all 70 of us just show up?

ETA: It just seems if they are going to make it that difficult for us--that they don't deserve our business. In the end it all goes in the same pot, but still.