Would you ever go without PS's in place???

[3DisneyNUTS]

WE always made our PS when we got to the resort. This year we did Thanksgiving in adavance and Boma. When we go in Feb we aren't making them from home we will call day by day when we get down there. It has never really been a problem with first choice...Sometimes second choice has happened but rarely. We travel in the slower seasons though.

 

[lenshanem]

I find this very interesting. I had just posted a thread yesterday -
Planning overload...

I typically book one PS a day for our trips. I once went on a last minute "budget" trip with my Mom and my girls and we quickly discovered the need for real food over counter. You can only eat so much crap, then you start to crave a decent meal. (We were staying at AKL and didn't have a kitchen.)

Based on what many of you are saying about calling from your room same day or the night before and getting what you want... I'm wondering if they hold a certain amount of spaces for same day PSs then?

I always used to enjoy planning to the tilt, but now that we're going more often I'm starting to get tired of it. I finished up our February trip plans last night, but our spring break trip PS window has now come and gone and all I have made is CRT. (Which, I'm very thankful for!) I was thinking about waiting for the park hours to be released before I did anything else for that trip cause I seem to have a knack for not planning out correctly at that 90 day mark.

Do ya'll think for early April we are still somewhat safe to just book our PSs the night before or same day or is this too much of a busy time?

 

[cruise-o-matic]

We maybe make 2-3 PS's prior to our trip for things we really want to do like CRT or the ice cream social.

Once we are at WDW, we may make PS's on a daily basis, depending on what our plans are for the day.

When we were there last Nov during F&WF and Jersey week, I called while on the bus (I programmed the 800 # into my phone) from CSR to MK and found an open PS for the Plaza. When we arrived for our PS, walk ups were being turned away. Without my last minute PS, we would have been walking around trying to find food like everyone else.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I would not feel comfortable without a PS each night at my stay at WDW. I like knowing I have something waiting for me. And if you cannot use it, they're is no cost.

PS's are great.

 

[Deemarch]

We are really heading towards the laid-back style of visiting WDW. If there is something that we really want to do, I'd make a PS. But we tend to say in the morning, "Hey, how about this place for dinner?" and then we make a PS that day. If it doesn't work, oh well, better luck next time. I have to admit we've changed knowing that there are a couple of ressies in the queue.

Denise

Gotta love that DVC feeling!

 

[Sammie]

I only make PS ressies in advance for the hard to get stuff aka Cinderella's Breakfast, Candlelight Procession, Dinner on Thanksgiving, etc. Other dinner stuff I just make from my room the day before.

Robin

This is what we do also.

 

[dbond]

We make PS's for the hard stuff and the new stuff. Is that vague enough? The hard stuff is like Cindy's breakfast, Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner, Mitsukoshi for dinner, Chef Mickey's character breakfast, 50's Prime Time Cafe for lunch, dinner anywhere on a holiday. If we're wanting to try a new place, I usually consider that in advance and make a PS ahead of time to make sure we get the time we like to dine, etc. Other than that, we play it by ear, call the day before or the morning of, when we make our specific plan for the next day, etc. We never just walk up to a sit-down restaurant. Even if you call Disney Dining from your cell phone an hour before, we find that if your name is on the list you don't have to wait as long. We hate waiting!

 

[gopherit]

I admit it -- I LIKE to call 90 days out and set those PS up! There's just something warm and fuzzy about knowing that somewhere, in the annals of Disney's database, my name and party size is registered and they plan to accommodate us on those given dates!

We usually eat one PS meal per day of a given 9-14 day trip. SOmetimes we may even eat 2 (a character b'fast and sit-down dinner). With younger kids, you can't wait until 8 pm to eat. Each person in our fam makes a "request" for a fave or new place to try, and PS are one way I can show that each and every request has been duly honored in the planning!

I would say calling day-by-day works best for those flexible in their meal times, with a smaller party size (like 2 or 4), and outside the "peak" Disney attendance seasons (like xmas, MNSSHP, spring break, etc). We usually have anywhere from 5 to 14 in our group -- very difficult to be "flexible" !

We did try on our last two trips to change a ressie due to scheduling or change in plans... it didn't work out. Calling a day ahead, couldn't get anything for our party of 8 for most anywhere we tried (Cape May, teppanyaki, LeCellier, WCC, to name a few of the ones we tried). Ended up at GG in the land on one trip, which was ok, but some folks in the party really had wanted to eat elsewhere. On the other trip, called, nothing available (or at least, not before 8:30 pm) so we ended up waiting in line at B&C at 5 pm that day. Granted, it was quite good, one of the faves of the trip, and it doesn't take PS anyway, but the kids would have been happy just to visit there at a less crowded time for ice cream and have had their dinner more "planned and punctual". My kids ask me well in advance of our trip, "Where will we eat? When will we eat at Chef Mickey's?" Even DH asks. Maybe we will plan less as the kids get older and can flex their schedules a bit more... but I doubt it. We're just plan-happy diners!

 

[timC]

I like to plan, and we typically go during busy times (eg. thanksgiving). So I'll book a dinner for most nights and maybe a lunch or two.

 

[JimC]

It varies for us. Sometimes we book PS well in advance, sometimes it is at checkin, others it is same day. We often forgo any planning and wing it. If it is busy time, a special restaurant or a special meal we PS well in advance.

 

[sunkissed212]

I went to WDW in September 04 with no PS's. I posted a question about this too because the last time I had been to WDW, there were no such thing as PS's. We didn't use any and were able to walk into all of the restaurants of our choice at all meal times and not have to wait. BUT, I will say, that the crowds were VERY low at that time because of the hurricanes so that may have been to our advantage. I just don't like having to plan what time I'm going to eat and where so far in advance. .. I'm waay too spontaneous for that!