# Disney dining reservations



## Tacoma (Nov 22, 2009)

We're headed to Orlando next summer but we are not staying at a Disney resort.  Can we still make reservations in advance to eat there?  We may try to book our last weekend at a Disney resort would this help or only for those 2 days?

Joan


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## terden (Nov 22, 2009)

Tacoma said:


> We're headed to Orlando next summer but we are not staying at a Disney resort.  Can we still make reservations in advance to eat there?  We may try to book our last weekend at a Disney resort would this help or only for those 2 days?
> 
> Joan



Go onto the Disney World website. Under the "Plan" section, one of the options is dining. You can then choose a theme park and find all of the restaurants within it. Choose a restaurant, date, time and number of diners. The site will let you know what is available. You can book at least a few months in advance. You will have to register with the site to book it. You do not need to be staying in a Disney resort to book a restaurant reservation.


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## alwysonvac (Nov 22, 2009)

Anyone can make reservations by booking online or calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 up to 180 days in advance for Disney World restaurants.
Disney resort guests can call 180 days in advance of their day of arrival and make up to 10 days of Advance Dining Reservations.

Here's the link to book online - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/ (This site provides menus, guest policies, dress code guidelines, etc.)

For more detailed info about the Advance Dining Reservations System at Walt Disney World see - http://www.mousesavers.com/advancedres.html

For example from MouseSavers


> *Reservations are required for these locations -- you will never get a walk-up table:*
> California Grill in the Contemporary Resort
> Victoria and Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort
> Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey's Backyard BBQ dinner shows at Ft. Wilderness (both require full prepayment in advance)
> ...


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## Sea Six (Nov 22, 2009)

Some of the Disney restaurants are so popular, it is important to book your reservation ASAP!  Some, like Le Cellier at EPCOT, are almost always booked 4 months out.


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## laurac260 (Nov 22, 2009)

alwysonvac said:


> Anyone can make reservations by booking online or calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 up to 180 days in advance for Disney World restaurants.
> Disney resort guests can call 180 days in advance of their day of arrival and make up to 10 days of Advance Dining Reservations.
> 
> Here's the link to book online - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/ (This site provides menus, guest policies, dress code guidelines, etc.)
> ...



I am not a fan at all of how disney does its reservations.  They take reservations at their sit down diners 6 mos in advance but very few require credit cards to reserve which means people book up reservations, but if they decide to do something else, they don't bother to cancel their reservations.

There was a restaurant in the international area, in mexico, that I could not get reservations for, yet when we walked in during a torrential downpour the place was almost empty.  

I've found a way around the system.  It will sound dishonest I know, but just follow along.  Make your reservations for the day you want at the restaurant you want, even if the reservation is for 9pm at night and you want say, 5pm.  Then, show up at 5pm and give the hostess your name.  She will look it up and tell you, "oh, I'm sorry the reservation you have is for 9pm".  Then tell her "I don't know how that happened, the person at Disney Dine was supposed to have made it for 5pm".  Every time we did that we got in.  Like I said, I know it sounds dishonest, but basically what you will wind up doing is taking a table from someone who didn't bother to cancel that reservation they made 6 months ago.  We had originally made our reservations 3 months in advance, but ended up having to change our trip to a week later because DD was sick, which meant we weren't able to get any decent reservations.  The mexican restaurant we went into?  When I called from the park we were told the only available time was 9pm.  When we walked in at 4:30 , and told them about the "mess up" the place was half empty and we were seated immediately.   So much for being completely booked with reservations.


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## Tacoma (Nov 22, 2009)

Thanks for all of the information.  I'm still more than than 6 months ahead so I still have lots of time to research the restaurants


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## Sea Six (Nov 22, 2009)

That's your best bet - research the restaurants and create a priority list.  Then make your reservations.  I wouldn't count on being seated based on the mistake excuse, because I've been turned away a number of times when I had a late reservation time and wanted to eat early.  And I can't tell you how many people I've seen turned away because they had no reservation at all.  If you really want a certain place, don't try to beat the system and risk striking out. These restaurants are really NICE, they book EARLY, and they don't mind turning you away if you don't have a reservation.  Sounds a little cocky, but the better restaurants are worth it.  One other thing, if you decide on the steak house at Canada, I liked Shula's at the Dolphin Hotel even more, and it's just a short boat ride from EPCOT.


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## JonathanIT (Nov 26, 2009)

laurac260 said:


> I've found a way around the system.  It will sound dishonest I know, but just follow along.  Make your reservations for the day you want at the restaurant you want, even if the reservation is for 9pm at night and you want say, 5pm.  Then, show up at 5pm and give the hostess your name.  She will look it up and tell you, "oh, I'm sorry the reservation you have is for 9pm".  Then tell her "I don't know how that happened, the person at Disney Dine was supposed to have made it for 5pm".  Every time we did that we got in.  Like I said, I know it sounds dishonest, but basically what you will wind up doing is taking a table from someone who didn't bother to cancel that reservation they made 6 months ago.  We had originally made our reservations 3 months in advance, but ended up having to change our trip to a week later because DD was sick, which meant we weren't able to get any decent reservations.  The mexican restaurant we went into?  When I called from the park we were told the only available time was 9pm.  When we walked in at 4:30 , and told them about the "mess up" the place was half empty and we were seated immediately.   So much for being completely booked with reservations.


This is actually a great idea!  Thanks.


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## jamstew (Nov 26, 2009)

JonathanIT said:


> This is actually a great idea!  Thanks.



It *might* work at some of the less popular places. I can almost guarantee that it wouldn't work at any of the Signatures or Le Cellier. It is definitely dishonest. What about the people who *really* had an ADR at that time or shortly thereafter? I've often taken ADR times that I didn't really want, but once I was on-site, I kept checking with the Concierge about alternative times and have been successful in getting in pretty close to the time I wanted at a couple of places.


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## Sea Six (Nov 26, 2009)

JonathanIT said:


> This is actually a great idea!  Thanks.



No, this is actually not even a good idea.  Poor at best.


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## javabean (Nov 26, 2009)

*Thanks for the reminder*

Thanks to Tahoma for starting this thread. I had forgotten about reserving in advance for WDW dining reservations and we are headed to Marriott's Royal Palms at Easter time. I made reservations at our favorite, the Cape May Buffet at Disney's Beach Club. We've made it a tradition to go there each trip to Orlando and your question reminded me that our trip is less than four months away. It makes winter seem a bit shorter than it had seemed.


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## JonathanIT (Nov 28, 2009)

Sea Six said:


> No, this is actually not even a good idea.  Poor at best.


That depends on if it works... and in my experience it would probably work most of the time.  And if not, there is nothing lost.  So, I still think it is an excellent idea.


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## bnoble (Nov 28, 2009)

In some cases this can actually be helpful.  It turns out that despite being told to arrive 15-20 minutes early, Guests are more likely to be late for their ADR times than early---that's one of the reasons they tend to get backed up more often than not during prime time.  In most of these cases, if you were just honest ("I know we're eating later, but we wondered if you had room for us now") you'd still be seated if you arrive right as they open---and you'd be doing the restaurant a favor.


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## Aussiedog (Nov 28, 2009)

Just booked dining reservations for Christmas week at the following restaurants and did fine - 

Crystal Palace
Boma
Kona Cafe
Cap'n Jacks
Coral Reef

I could not get Fulton's or House of Blues for the exact days I wanted but no big deal.

Ann


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 28, 2009)

Aussiedog said:


> Just booked dining reservations for Christmas week at the following restaurants and did fine -
> 
> Crystal Palace
> Boma
> ...



Nice going this close to your trip. I've got to make a few for our MLK weekend trip.

 As for the poster, who goes up and tries the mix-up with times approach, I just got back last night from WDW and saw a few people try it at the Signature places(Cali Grill, Flying Fish and Narcoosee's) and it looks like Disney Dining may have caught on to it to this trick or at least the Signatures have.

But when you go at a holiday time, the stuff you see and hear at WDW restaurant podiums is .

As for Le Cellier, I think it's so popular because it's a 1TS credit place for steak. We ate there once and it was okay but not that great to get up at 5am to book an ADR online 180 out or 6am by phone.


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## laurac260 (Nov 28, 2009)

jamstew said:


> It *might* work at some of the less popular places. I can almost guarantee that it wouldn't work at any of the Signatures or Le Cellier. It is definitely dishonest. What about the people who *really* had an ADR at that time or shortly thereafter? I've often taken ADR times that I didn't really want, but once I was on-site, I kept checking with the Concierge about alternative times and have been successful in getting in pretty close to the time I wanted at a couple of places.



Believe me, trying to "beat the system" was never my intention.  What is really "dishonest" is the number of people who make reservations and then don't show up, or the people who make multiple reservations 6 mos out because they have no idea when they are going to be where.  Unfortunately since disney insists on allowing people to book 6 mos out but does not require cc's for guarantee (except at the fine dining establishments) there are ALOT of people who are no shows.  Disney either needs to go to a 2 week or 2 month window, or require cc for all res, with a cxl fee for those who are no shows.   We booked our vacation 4 months out and found very little to choose from.  When we had to cxl a week prior due to a sick kid, we were really out in the cold.  Yet, when we showed up at some of the restaurants we were told were "completely booked", they were half empty and we walked right in.  The very system Disney has set up forces people to have to circumvent it.


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## DVB42 (Nov 28, 2009)

During our last trip to WDW we stayed at Wilderness Lodge. We enjoyed Artist Point (onsite) and although we had reservations there were several empty tables.

We also had dinner at Victoria and Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort. It was one of the finest dinner experience that we have ever had. It is expensive but in my opinion well worth it for the experience.


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## gmarine (Nov 28, 2009)

laurac260 said:


> Believe me, trying to "beat the system" was never my intention.  What is really "dishonest" is the number of people who make reservations and then don't show up, or the people who make multiple reservations 6 mos out because they have no idea when they are going to be where.  Unfortunately since disney insists on allowing people to book 6 mos out but does not require cc's for guarantee (except at the fine dining establishments) there are ALOT of people who are no shows.  Disney either needs to go to a 2 week or 2 month window, or require cc for all res, with a cxl fee for those who are no shows.   We booked our vacation 4 months out and found very little to choose from.  When we had to cxl a week prior due to a sick kid, we were really out in the cold.  Yet, when we showed up at some of the restaurants we were told were "completely booked", they were half empty and we walked right in.  The very system Disney has set up forces people to have to circumvent it.



This is a poor excuse for being dishonest and lying to Disney staff. Do you tell your children that you lie to Disney staff to get into restaurants ?


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## itradehilton (Nov 29, 2009)

Food for thought: does Disney stagger the reservation times so the kitchen doesn't get overwhelmed, does it have a limited amount of reservations to allow for walk-in guests. There may be many reasons for seeing empty tables in addition to people making reservations and not showing up.


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## laurac260 (Nov 29, 2009)

gmarine said:


> This is a poor excuse for being dishonest and lying to Disney staff. Do you tell your children that you lie to Disney staff to get into restaurants ?



Wouldn't the world be a perfect place if this was the worst thing I had to worry about my kids hearing or learning????  If only everyone was as altruistic as you........


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 29, 2009)

itradehilton said:


> Food for thought: does Disney stagger the reservation times so the kitchen doesn't get overwhelmed, does it have a limited amount of reservations to allow for walk-in guests. There may be many reasons for seeing empty tables in addition to people making reservations and not showing up.



I know that some of the restaurants at the Deluxe resorts hold some tables for guests(especially concerige level or the really costly hotel suites). Or even DVC members.

I was able to into Artist Point at WL via the conceirge desk when I got there after not being able to book it through WDW Dining(dang extended Free Dining) and I was calling almost every day for a month to get an opening.


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## bnoble (Nov 29, 2009)

I don't think there are tables held so much as managers are willing to overbook by an extra table or two for the right circumstances.

Despite the name, ADRs aren't really reservations in the strict sense---where you have N tables, and expect to turn each twice, so you take 3*N reservations.  Disney uses history to suggest the rate of no-shows, etc., for that restaurant, time, and season, and overbooks a little to make sure the restaurant stays full, much as an airline might.


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## JonathanIT (Nov 29, 2009)

Also remember that until recently, these "reservations" were called "Priority Seating", meaning that you didn't really get a "reserved" table, but your name just went on a priority list for the next available table at your stated time.  They renamed the system, but did they really change the process?


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## gmarine (Nov 29, 2009)

laurac260 said:


> Wouldn't the world be a perfect place if this was the worst thing I had to worry about my kids hearing or learning????  If only everyone was as altruistic as you........



I guess your not telling them that its ok to lie.

Your making excuses why it is ok to lie to Disney staff just to get dining reservations. Instead of making excuses, why not just come right out and say your too lazy,slow,late etc to make dining reservations according to the rules so you decided to lie to staff to get what you want ?  Is that offensive ? Yes, but you cant deny it, and I find it offensive that people lie to get dining reservations. And its especially offensive when you then try to defend the dishonesty.


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## Sea Six (Nov 29, 2009)

If a particular dinner was that important to my vacation experience, I'd rather show up on time with a confirmed reservation in hand than try and BS my way into a table.  I've tried a number of times to get into my restaurant of choice without reservations, and ended up at the McDonald's next to the America pavillion.  No thanks - I'd rather play the game by the rules. I don't go to Disney to eat at McDonald's, or any other chain I can find at home. Too many special places at Disney that I'd rather be.


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## laurac260 (Nov 29, 2009)

gmarine said:


> I guess your not telling them that its ok to lie.
> 
> Your making excuses why it is ok to lie to Disney staff just to get dining reservations. Instead of making excuses, why not just come right out and say your too lazy,slow,late etc to make dining reservations according to the rules so you decided to lie to staff to get what you want ?  Is that offensive ? Yes, but you cant deny it, and I find it offensive that people lie to get dining reservations. And its especially offensive when you then try to defend the dishonesty.



<<Sea Six : "If a particular dinner was that important to my vacation experience, I'd rather show up on time with a confirmed reservation in hand than try and BS my way into a table. I've tried a number of times to get into my restaurant of choice without reservations, and ended up at the McDonald's next to the America pavillion. No thanks - I'd rather play the game by the rules. I don't go to Disney to eat at McDonald's, or any other chain I can find at home. Too many special places at Disney that I'd rather be. >>>>


My goodness people!  Instead of being so viscious to total strangers, why not try actually READING the entire post?????  If you had, you would have gleaned that we attempted to book our reservations WHEN WE MADE OUR VACATION PLANS 4 MONTHS OUT, but there was little to nothing available, and when we had to CANCEL AND RESCHEDULE A WEEK LATER BECAUSE OF A SICK CHILD we had nothing to choose from.  I said before, it was not my intention to beat the system.  We were left with no other options.  It's not like Disney was able to move our dining reservations when our kids got sick.      

gmarine, I have an idea.  Why don't you put me on your ignore list?  That way, you won't have to be offended by my miserable lack of parenting qualities and my lazy, dishonest behavior.  Hiding behind your anonymous screen name so you can visciously attack someone is hardly great character traits, if you ask me.


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## Aussiedog (Nov 29, 2009)

As I read these Disney threads, with this one having the most emotion in it, I am struck by how much the whole Disney experience has changed.  

When I was a kid it was so easy.  You went to the park, bought a book of tickets that were divided into A, B, C, D and E tickets, went on as many rides as you could in one day, walked around, ate fun, non-gourmet food, bought a mouse ear hat and went home happy.  No muss, no fuss.

Now it seems that it takes months of strategic planning to figure out which sections of the park to visit over the course of several days, merging that with dining reservations, special passes to reserve specific ride times and intra-park shuttle schedules.  While we will soon be visiting WDW for the first time in over 20 years and am grateful for all the tips and very robust websites that offer navigation assistance, this feels like work!!!

I would love to know how many people wind up in their onsite medical facilities with chest pain from all the stress.  

Ann
(showing her age  )


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

laurac260 said:


> <<Sea Six : "If a particular dinner was that important to my vacation experience, I'd rather show up on time with a confirmed reservation in hand than try and BS my way into a table. I've tried a number of times to get into my restaurant of choice without reservations, and ended up at the McDonald's next to the America pavillion. No thanks - I'd rather play the game by the rules. I don't go to Disney to eat at McDonald's, or any other chain I can find at home. Too many special places at Disney that I'd rather be. >>>>
> 
> 
> My goodness people!  Instead of being so viscious to total strangers, why not try actually READING the entire post?????  If you had, you would have gleaned that we attempted to book our reservations WHEN WE MADE OUR VACATION PLANS 4 MONTHS OUT, but there was little to nothing available, and when we had to CANCEL AND RESCHEDULE A WEEK LATER BECAUSE OF A SICK CHILD we had nothing to choose from.  I said before, it was not my intention to beat the system.  We were left with no other options.  It's not like Disney was able to move our dining reservations when our kids got sick.
> ...



You were lucky to get any place worth eating at 4 months out. The diehard Disney fans(DVC or not) are on the phone or on line right when their ADR window opens, now back at 180 days. I'll be booking Thanksgiving 2010 rooms on 12/19, already have the date marked in May on when to call for my ADR's. To a certain extent, I try to co-ordinate ADR's with our park touring plans. Flying Fish at the Boardwalk, then Epcot for Illuminations. Narcoosee's at Grand Floridian to hit MK for Wishes and late Extra Magic Hours.


And to Aussiedog, yes planning a WDW vacation around a holiday is a little like planning a huge military campaign. Plus WDW doesn't make it easy with their wonderful IT system. The online ADR system crashed early on the 180+10 day mark for check-in Friday before T-giving!


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

Twinkstarr said:


> You were lucky to get any place worth eating at 4 months out.



That could depend on your definition of "worth eating".

This past July (peak summer season---always very busy) we were able to find plenty of options just a few weeks out.  Granted, not the insanely popular places (which we don't happen to enjoy that much), but plenty of interesting places worth visiting.

If you absolutely must have breakfast at the castle at 8AM, or dinner at Le Cellier at 6PM, then yes, you probably need to be making your reservations the split second they open.  But, if you're even a little bit flexible, you can make reservations weeks and even months into the window and have plenty of choices.

Edited to add: the Unofficial Guide did a little experiment checking to see when restaurants seemed to book full.  This is from back when the window was only 90 days, so the numbers won't be precisely correct.  But, it gives you an idea.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2009/0...ining-reservations-at-theme-park-restaurants/

Edited again: My experience this past July was that booking was even a bit easier than that chart might have suggested.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> That could depend on your definition of "worth eating".
> 
> This past July (peak summer season---always very busy) we were able to find plenty of options just a few weeks out.  Granted, not the insanely popular places (which we don't happen to enjoy that much), but plenty of interesting places worth visiting.
> 
> ...



If you wait that long, most of the "prime" dinner times spots are already booked.  You can always get an ADR for dinner anywhere at 8:30-9pm. If I was 2 weeks out, I'd check with the concerige desk at my hotel and see if they could help. 

 The whole point of this disscussion has been how someone was going in with a late ADR and trying to weasle their way into the place at a somewhat normal dinner time. 

With Disney, I've found out the earlier you try to book anything be it your room or an ADR you have more options and have a better chance of gettting what you want. I even go into Thanksgiving ADR's with 2nd and 3rd choices at the booking window(I stay away from  character meals and Le Cellier).

I'm not someone who's trip will be ruined if I don't get an ADR at a specific restaurant on a specific day. But you know as well as I do there are more people like that than are like us.


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

Twinkstarr said:


> If you wait that long, most of the "prime" dinner times spots are already booked.  You can always get an ADR for dinner anywhere at 8:30-9pm.



I was looking at a 2-hour window, 5-7PM.  Anything later would have been a non-starter for our kids.  Still, there was availability at most of the easier-to-get places, and surprising availability at the "popular, but not insane" places.  This was about 3 weeks prior to arrival.  I also checked for lunch, which was even easier.  Even a few character breakfasts available here and there during decent times.

I was quite surprised.  I plan on repeating this experiment during my upcoming February trip to see if it still holds true, or if there was something atypical about this past summer.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> I was looking at a 2-hour window, 5-7PM.  Anything later would have been a non-starter for our kids.  Still, there was availability at most of the easier-to-get places, and surprising availability at the "popular, but not insane" places.  This was about 3 weeks prior to arrival.  I also checked for lunch, which was even easier.  Even a few character breakfasts available here and there during decent times.
> 
> I was quite surprised.  I plan on repeating this experiment during my upcoming February trip to see if it still holds true, or if there was something atypical about this past summer.



I've made our last 2 MLK weekend ADR's in mid December and not had any problems getting the exact time and locations I wanted. 

Table service places are pretty easy to get for lunch. 

I managed a decent time for the character breakfast at Grand Floridian for myself in October booked about 3 weeks out and after the Free Dining extension was announced. I was rather surprised, but I guess the FD'ers use their TS credit for dinner!  If you wanted to see something was dinner availbility anywhere before and after the extension. Wow those FD'ers move fast on the ADR's.


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

Because I'd rather do this than work , I looked at Wednesday 12/23.  This is just over three weeks away, during one of the busiest periods of Disney's calendar.  Epcot, dinner for 4 as close to 6:15 PM as possible:

6:05 at Rose & Crown Pub
6:15 at Bistro de Paris
6:20 at Tokyo Dining
6:30 at Marrakesh
6:40 at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (!)
6:40 at Chefs de France (this is as 2x2 for some reason, but the restaurant almost always makes this work---surprisingly, this was offered by the online system.)
7:35 at Biergarten


Same day, same party size, in the Magic Kingdom, a busier park with fewer restaurants:

5:35 Tony's Town Square
6:20 Plaza
6:40 Liberty Tree Tavern

If you want better food and a glass of wine with dinner (the Magic Kingdom is dry), you can take the monorail to one of the nearby resorts for a nice break from the park:

5:45 at The Wave (Contemporary---this would be my choice)
6:10 at Citricos (Grand Floridian)
6:15 at Kona (Polynesian)
6:35 at Grand Floridian Cafe (GF)

Edited to add: I never travel during times when Free Dining is offered, so I've never had to contend with that lot.  Thankfully.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> Because I'd rather do this than work , I looked at Wednesday 12/23.  This is just over three weeks away, during one of the busiest periods of Disney's calendar.  Epcot, dinner for 4 as close to 6:15 PM as possible:
> 
> 6:05 at Rose & Crown Pub
> 6:15 at Bistro de Paris
> ...



Some nice choices, I'm thinking of trying Tokyo Dining in Jan. I thought the Wave was okay, I like Citricos better. Xmas is busy, but it really gets crazy 12/26 to New Years.

I went in mid-October for Food & Wine and Disney extended Free Dining to I think Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It certainly wasn't my plan to be there with the "we have 3 sets of ADR's Free Dining crowd". 

Though I did notice last week a lot more people bring in their own food, both for lunch and dinner. Went to a couple of counter service places and noticed a few tables of people eating their picnic meals. 

Saw some of that nice grown up Disney behavior at Pecos Bill's when a guy with a full tray yelled at a picnicing family they were taking up space for paying customers. Holidays, rain, Disney and food always make for an interesting mix. :rofl:


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

> Went to a couple of counter service places and noticed a few tables of people eating their picnic meals.


IIRC, in the last year or two, Disney quietly changed their printed policy about outside food.  You can now bring in more or less anything except glass, alcohol, and some larger coolers.  They more or less always allowed it unofficially, and now they do officially as well---unless they've gone and changed it again.


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## jamstew (Nov 30, 2009)

JonathanIT said:


> Also remember that until recently, these "reservations" were called "Priority Seating", meaning that you didn't really get a "reserved" table, but your name just went on a priority list for the next available table at your stated time.  They renamed the system, but did they really change the process?



AFAIK, the process is still the same -- you get the first available for your party size after your ADR time.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> IIRC, in the last year or two, Disney quietly changed their printed policy about outside food.  You can now bring in more or less anything except glass, alcohol, and some larger coolers.  They more or less always allowed it unofficially, and now they do officially as well---unless they've gone and changed it again.



I've always seen people doing this, it just seemed more pronounced this trip.

Been playing the ADR game, looking 12/29 for dinner 6pm ish. Looking at Narcoosee's, nothing there but here are the alternatives:

5:40 Kouzzina(Cat Cora's new place)
5:40 Citricos
6:20 GF Cafe
6:00 Trails End

Tried for Coral Reef at Epcot same date and time. Nothing
4:25 Biergarten
5:30 Marrakesh


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 30, 2009)

We ate lunch late October at Biergarten and it was about 75% EMPTY.  It's one of my favorites, anyway, and to have it so empty was just fine with us.  They still do the show, and the desserts are fabulous.  

That is probably the only table service meal we will do while there in January.  

The food is good at some other places, but I see no reason to spend that much on food.  Although, I LOVED The Royal Table for dinner.  The salmon was the best I have ever eaten, but it was like $55!  Our granddaughter talks about eating in the castle every day, so even the price was fine for that one, on second thought, considering her memories are so vivid of walking into the castle, getting her picture with Cinderella, and she loved the mice and the Fairy Godmother.  

I am the biggest Disney freak out there, but the food is just okay, most of it, and the price is very high for the best stuff.  There are so many great choices outside of The World, including Garibaldi's Mexican Food, Smokey Bones, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and many others.  

The fresh chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches near Liberty Square are the best dessert ever!


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

rickandcindy23 said:


> There are so many great choices outside of The World, including Garibaldi's Mexican Food, Smokey Bones, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and many others.



I can eat in those places at home. 

We tend to go to the higher end spots,or what I think is the best bang for the buck at WDW, Wolfgang Puck's Express over at DTD. My kids love WPE and would actually prefer that over the TS places at DTD.

 We don't eat out much at home, saving $$ for our vacation eating expenses. Also helped I had $400+ Disney Dollars from my Disney Visa and our Table in Wonderland card.


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

> looking 12/29 for dinner 6pm ish


The 29th is an Epcot PM EMH.  Try the 30th and see if your choices don't get better.


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 30, 2009)

We don't eat out much at home, which is why the Disney prices seem so terribly high because we eat at home.   Eating at home is the only way I can control my calories, and I am trying to lose some weight over the next year. 

There is no Smokey Bones anywhere in Colorado, nor is there a Garibaldi's, and those two are great places to eat.  We also love Backyard Burgers, another restaurant not in Colorado.  

The Disney food is just not a good value for us, Starr, but that is just my opinion.  I know many people who love the Disney food and feel it is a good value, especially with the dining plan.  We tried the dining plan, and it was a lot of food every day, plus it was run, run, run to get to the reservations.  It was so much work.  :rofl: 

Still, I loved Royal Table, though it was very expensive, and I would go there again with our granddaughter, just because it was very special for her.  The service was outstanding, and so was the food.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

rickandcindy23 said:


> We don't eat out much at home, which is why the Disney prices seem so terribly high because we eat at home.   Eating at home is the only way I can control my calories, and I am trying to lose some weight over the next year.
> 
> There is no Smokey Bones anywhere in Colorado, nor is there a Garibaldi's, and those two are great places to eat.  We also love Backyard Burgers, another restaurant not in Colorado.
> 
> ...



You really need to try the California Grill, yes it's expensive but it's really worth it. Great service and food. Plus going out on the catwalk to see Wishes.

To avoid the run,run, run we tend to book places close to where we are going to be. So we do our park plan, then look at where we want to eat that makes sense.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> The 29th is an Epcot PM EMH.  Try the 30th and see if your choices don't get better.



Not much better for Coral Reef at 6pm on 12/30.
Nothing at CR
4:35pm Biergarten
6:00pm Marrakesh

7pm Coral Reef on 12/30
Nothing at CR
7:45 Biergarten
8:15 Askershus at Norway

6pm Narcooseee's-nothing on 12/30
5:20 GF Cafe
5:55 Trails End(yuck)
6:05 Citricos

7pm on 12/30
Zippos for Narcoosee's
6;50 GF Cafe
6:10 Citrcos
7:00 Trails End
here's a surprise 7:20 Artist Point at Wildnerness Lodge

Just looked at NYE, how about 8pm for the Cali Grill? 

Brian, spotting ADR's is just about as fun as doing sightings.


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## bnoble (Nov 30, 2009)

Isn't it?

As an aside, I can't figure out why Coral Reef goes so quickly---and it always does.  It's good, but not great---it reminds me of a seafood place that would have been _au courant_ in the late 90s, but the menu seems a little bit tired now.


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## Twinkstarr (Nov 30, 2009)

bnoble said:


> Isn't it?
> 
> As an aside, I can't figure out why Coral Reef goes so quickly---and it always does.  It's good, but not great---it reminds me of a seafood place that would have been _au courant_ in the late 90s, but the menu seems a little bit tired now.



It's only a 1 TS credit for the dining plan? I think that has something to do with it. Like you mention the menu is a little tired, might appeal more to big family groups with picky eaters. You know the ones that are afraid of Jiko's and Sanaa because of possibly running into seasonings other than salt and pepper. 

When we were at Narcoosee's you could tell the DDP diners, they were all doing Surf & Turf, like they need to go whole hog if they are using using 2TS credits for this place. Also getting into the detailed conversation about how many credits were used rightly or wrongly for their meal.


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## jamstew (Nov 30, 2009)

I love California Grill and Jiko, and they can be a good value. Rather than an appy, entree & dessert required on the plan, I get an entree portion of the lobster risotto appetizer - divine!


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## timeos2 (Nov 30, 2009)

*It has changed and not for the better*



Aussiedog said:


> As I read these Disney threads, with this one having the most emotion in it, I am struck by how much the whole Disney experience has changed.
> 
> When I was a kid it was so easy.  You went to the park, bought a book of tickets that were divided into A, B, C, D and E tickets, went on as many rides as you could in one day, walked around, ate fun, non-gourmet food, bought a mouse ear hat and went home happy.  No muss, no fuss.



You have it nailed. It's no fun anymore. I think it did start when they changed to "all you can eat" rides. Before the need to use up all your lettered tickets meant the crowds got dispersed over ALL the attractions - not just the top ones over and over. It created the endless lines and the bogus fastpass, etc.  Add in that Disney decided everything was a money generator and that it would all be owned/operated by them - if they were good at it or not - and the whole experience went from magical to maddening. Hardly what you want to pay ever increasing prices to deal with. 

In the 80's I thought we'd never tire of Disney - now I don't like to set foot near the place. And the thought of eating there is almost revolting. There isn't more than a handful of even passable food outlets throughout the property. And people fight to get the reservations (which aren't reservations) for food that would be better at most fast food joints on 192.  What a waste of time and energy.  We have far better things to actually enjoy when we're in Orlando or CA than anything Disney now offers.


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## Twinkstarr (Dec 1, 2009)

jamstew said:


> I love California Grill and Jiko, and they can be a good value. Rather than an appy, entree & dessert required on the plan, I get an entree portion of the lobster risotto appetizer - divine!



I don't do the DDP, but I've just gotten sushi and dessert. Plus a glass of wine. 

Love the maize encrusted fish at Jiko, it was cooked to perfection(not overdone or underdone).


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## bnoble (Dec 1, 2009)

> It's no fun anymore.


The four Florida parks pulled 47M admissions in 2008, give or take, and they held four of the top five spots in North America (Disneyland is the other top-five entry).  Overall attendance for the Florida resort was up slightly over 2007, despite the much worse economic conditions that were hammering leisure travel for the fourth quarter of the year.  

Compare that to the other Central Florida attractions.  Universal's two parks dropped about 1.5-2% in total.  Sea World dropped almost 3%.

So, it might not be fun for *you*, but apparently plenty of people enjoy it.

http://www.teaconnect.org/etea/TEAERA2008.pdf


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## silentg (Dec 1, 2009)

There is a fast food restarurant inside the America Pavillion that serves Hamburgers and Hot Dogs and Chicken sandwiches. We eat there sometimes especially if there is a show in the America's Gardens.  It is pretty good food, not a McDonalds.  TerryC


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