Adjusting to "Disney dining"

[Griffin11]

I am in the early stages of planning a trip in Jan/Feb 2021, but I can't get my head around "Disney dining". It seems like the way we would typically handle dining on vacation is impossible at Disney, so I'm not sure what will work for our family.

There are four of us, kids will be 3 and 5. Typically we would either do:
-Table service breakfast at our hotel (early to beat the crowds), light lunch of grocery items, early table service dinner close to hotel; or
-Light breakfast of grocery items, early table service lunch, delivery or quick service dinner close to hotel

We almost never make reservations, especially since we eat a bit earlier than the crowds. Generally we research a few options so we have something in mind, and then just go with whatever fits best when we're hungry. I know we can still do this with quick service meals at Disney, but I really value the table service meals as a bit of a break and a chance to sit down and be served!

I probably shouldn't be worried about dining a year in advance, but I think it may influence where we choose to stay (currently thinking French Quarter) and of course our budget.

If you have similar non-Disney dining preferences, what do you do at Disney?

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We do what you are describing on other trips, like the beach. Disney is a completely different animal though, and I think you have to accept that and adapt your dining style a bit to really get the most out of it.

We make dining reservations right at 180 days because we have certain places we want to eat at that will book up. If you are wanting to go to the more popular places, you are going to need to do that. If you are happy with that less popular places or your hotel table service you have a little more flexibility, but I would still have reservations in place well before I left. It's just not worth not having a place to sit down and eat when you are tired and hungry.

Bottom line is that you have to plan more for Disney than other trips. Because of FP you have to know what park you will be in when at 60 days out. It is just part and parcel of a Disney trip.

 

[DaisieOneil]

It can be a bit tough to know what and where you want to eat 6 months out but unfortunately in many cases that really is the only way to be able to eat at certain restaurants. Our family generally makes a few must-do reservations ahead of time then takes advantage of the amazing quick service meals available to fill in the gaps. There are many quick service locations that will actually deliver your food to your table so do your research there too and you may find some options that are the best of both worlds.

The best part of staying at the PO resorts is that you have the boats to Disney Springs. There are so many amazing food options there and if you put your name in as a walk-up at some of the table service restaurants it's easy to find things to do to occupy your time while you wait for a table.

 

[Griffin11]

Bottom line is that you have to plan more for Disney than other trips. Because of FP you have to know what park you will be in when at 60 days out. It is just part and parcel of a Disney trip.

I think I am most confused about dinner because I don't expect us to still be in the parks by then. So maybe plan on a table service lunch in the parks on most days so that we can do a more flexible quick service dinner?

 

[DisLiss]

ADRs are very important if you have specific places you absolutely want to eat. If you're more flexible about where you eat then you don't have to make those ADRs 180 days out.

We don't go the same time of year as when you're planning, so I don't know how the crowds compare, but when we go we find we can still get TS ADRs much closer to our trip, and even change them while we're there. (Just remember to make changes or cancellations early enough to avoid the fees!) And it's a way to try new places, too, because you're choosing just from what's available.

 

[Griffin11]

The best part of staying at the PO resorts is that you have the boats to Disney Springs. There are so many amazing food options there and if you put your name in as a walk-up at some of the table service restaurants it's easy to find things to do to occupy your time while you wait for a table.

That might be a good option for us, thanks! It seems like the Disney Springs restaurants operate a little bit more "normally".

 

[Griffin11]

ADRs are very important if you have specific places you absolutely want to eat. If you're more flexible about where you eat then you don't have to make those ADRs 180 days out.

My main dilemma is that apart from a restaurant or two I'm not too fussed about where we eat, but I don't want to be stuck without a table service option when I need one. I guess I have to plan way in advance anyway and just cancel 24 hrs out if needed.

 

[siren0119]

If you plan to dine in Disney Springs, a bunch of their TS restaurants are on Open Table - it's an alternate way to make reservations on the fly, without having to worry about the cancellation fee. We did that on our last trip, decided in the afternoon that we wanted to eat at the Edison and hopped on open table. Got a reservation at a decent time and we were good to go!

 

[TwoMisfits]

It sounds like you might enjoy Open Table reservations the most - there are Disney Springs and offsite locations available where you can have a res, and cancel as needed with no penalty.

It also sounds like you would do best with a kitchen-type or breakfast buffet hotel experience, so I would suggest DVC or offsite.

I would also strongly suggest you avoid any Dining Plan. You already know you don't eat the Disney way, so don't force yourself to do so. Some folks can adapt their eating strategies to fit; some can't. I fall in the can't, so I don't.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I am in the early stages of planning a trip in Jan/Feb 2021, but I can't get my head around "Disney dining". It seems like the way we would typically handle dining on vacation is impossible at Disney, so I'm not sure what will work for our family.

There are four of us, kids will be 3 and 5. Typically we would either do:
-Table service breakfast at our hotel (early to beat the crowds), light lunch of grocery items, early table service dinner close to hotel; or
-Light breakfast of grocery items, early table service lunch, delivery or quick service dinner close to hotel

We almost never make reservations, especially since we eat a bit earlier than the crowds. Generally we research a few options so we have something in mind, and then just go with whatever fits best when we're hungry. I know we can still do this with quick service meals at Disney, but I really value the table service meals as a bit of a break and a chance to sit down and be served!

I probably shouldn't be worried about dining a year in advance, but I think it may influence where we choose to stay (currently thinking French Quarter) and of course our budget.

If you have similar non-Disney dining preferences, what do you do at Disney?

I think I am most confused about dinner because I don't expect us to still be in the parks by then. So maybe plan on a table service lunch in the parks on most days so that we can do a more flexible quick service dinner?

Given your dining style, I think option 2 will work best for you. Once you have established your park touring plan, I would choose which TS meals you'd like to do for lunch in those parks and make those ADRs. Having a light breakfast in your room is always a time saver and keeping dinner plans loose is a great idea, IMHO. I, personally, don't like to be overly scheduled on vacation.

Other options, if you want to keep things even looser and don't have particular preferences on where you want your TS lunch:

1). Get a Landry's Select Card - it's $25, but that $25 goes toward your dining bill. This card will get you preferential seating at Yak & Yeti and Rainforest Cafe in AK (and Rainforest Cafe and TRex in DS), meaning, you can show up whenever you want and get seated quickly without a dining reservation.

2) Don't make a reservation in EP unless there is a specific restaurant you want to go to or you have a particularly large party. There are SO many TS in EP, chances that you won't get a TS ADR day-of somewhere in EP are slim.

3). Use the opentable website to make reservations in Disney Springs (and for some WDW restaurants). You do not have to put a cc hold on opentable reservations and they can be cancelled up until the last minute. There are also some very good QS in DS.

 

[nkereina]

IMO, the best thing to do would be to book any must do TS restaurants to ensure you get an ADR. Aside from those, you can just check the MDE app shortly before you want to dine to see what is available around you and when. In my own experience, if you are flexible with which TS restaurant you eat at and can give yourself an hour or so range, you can book something last minute. The monorail resorts and Epcot area resorts are most conducive to this because you have so many options that are fast to get to, especially if you'll have park hopper tickets and have the option to pop in and out of MK and Epcot for meals. You also have the Swan & Dolphin restaurants near the Epcot area resorts, which don't fill as fast as WDW restaurants and can be booked with no penalty on Open Table.

Staying at POFQ gives you boat access to Disney Springs, but its a solid 25 minute ride, plus the time spent waiting and crossing your fingers the boat doesn't fill up due to the people who boarded at POR. It also runs much more frequently at night than it does during the day. Disney Springs has a lot of great TS options that are easier to book, but I wouldn't want to rely on daily meals from there - its not all that fast or convenient to get there, unless you're staying at Saratoga Springs and can walk.

 

[Griffin11]

If you plan to dine in Disney Springs, a bunch of their TS restaurants are on Open Table - it's an alternate way to make reservations on the fly, without having to worry about the cancellation fee. We did that on our last trip, decided in the afternoon that we wanted to eat at the Edison and hopped on open table. Got a reservation at a decent time and we were good to go!

That's great to know. I'm not one to completely no show on a reservation but a 24 hour cancelation doesn't leave for much flexibility.

 

[sponica]

A good way to test things out is look at what's available over the next couple days, this will sort of jive with your time frame. If you have the app on your phone look to see what's available for dinner around dinner time tonight.

A party of 4 is going to be harder than a party of 2 but nowhere near as bad as a party of 7.

 

[Minnesota!]

That is exactly how we do Disney and have never had an issue..

 

[Griffin11]

A good way to test things out is look at what's available over the next couple days, this will sort of jive with your time frame. If you have the app on your phone look to see what's available for dinner around dinner time tonight.

Thank you!! I don't know why I didn't think of this, I have been checking all sorts of things (weather, wait times) this week since it may approximate this time next year.

I just checked for an early dinner tonight and it was pretty reassuring. Lots of options in parks and that would be reasonably accessible from FQ.

 

[2vets]

There are also some restaurants close to Epcot/DHS (closer to Epcot) that do Open Table res - Flying Fish and most of the restaurants in Swan and Dolphin. You could book those as a backup for lunch on park days in that area. Disney Springs for lunch is less doable if you’re in one of the parks unless you want to do a long midday break.

 

[Griffin11]

Given your dining style, I think option 2 will work best for you. Once you have established your park touring plan, I would choose which TS meals you'd like to do for lunch in those parks and make those ADRs. Having a light breakfast in your room is always a time saver and keeping dinner plans loose is a great idea, IMHO. I, personally, don't like to be overly scheduled on vacation.

Other options, if you want to keep things even looser and don't have particular preferences on where you want your TS lunch:

1). Get a Landry's Select Card - it's $25, but that $25 goes toward your dining bill. This card will get you preferential seating at Yak & Yeti and Rainforest Cafe in AK (and Rainforest Cafe and TRex in DS), meaning, you can show up whenever you want and get seated quickly without a dining reservation.

2) Don't make a reservation in EP unless there is a specific restaurant you want to go to or you have a particularly large party. There are SO many TS in EP, chances that you won't get a TS ADR day-of somewhere in EP are slim.

3). Use the opentable website to make reservations in Disney Springs (and for some WDW restaurants). You do not have to put a cc hold on opentable reservations and they can be cancelled up until the last minute. There are also some very good QS in DS.

Lots of options, thank you!

 

[Justrose]

When my daughter was younger, we did all character TS meals as breakfasts. It worked very well for us. The rest of the day, we used snack credits and our QS credits.

 

[Beer Me]

I don’t believe in stressful planning.

For meals:

You will always be close to counter service food anywhere on Disney property.

Table service can be reserved 6 months ahead of time if you are particular about when and where you want to eat. Otherwise you can reserve table service the same day (I’ve made reservations for dinner while having lunch) or any earlier time as you plans become more clear.

At any given time dozens of table service dining are available so you won’t ever be stuck with nowhere to eat. However, it is not recommended to just walk up. Make the reservation even if it’s just a few hours ahead.

We also have groceries in the room for quick breakfast and snacks. If you don’t have a car you can have these delivered.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

For us, we usually bring/buy groceries and have them delivered to the resort, things like granola bars, Entenmann's donuts, cereal, oatmeal, etc., and eat in the room before we go, or even on our walk to the bus/park. We generally do a quick serve lunch around 11:00 to beat the crowds, and a table service once per day. Sometimes we'll deviate from this, and we usually do one character breakfast per trip, or a sit down lunch instead of dinner. I feel like the sit-downs give you a good opportunity to rest, experience the restaurant theming, and know that for the next 45 minutes or so, you don't need to be scrambling to get somewhere. It's also a good time to look over to see if any surprise fastpasses come up for later in the day.