The Short answer is “Yes.” Let me take you back to Part I and our tale of Max. Being the fly by the seat of your pants type of guy is certainly one way to go. But, in the Disney World it can mean that you are scrambling at the last minute for reservations to whatever restaurant you can get rather than the one you really want. On our first trip to Disney World we had the Disney Dining Plan and as a result I had planned out every meal we would have during our 7 day stay. It was more than a few times we walked into a restaurant, announced ourselves and had a seat to await our table only to listen to the staff turn away a half dozen diners who did not have reservations. I looked at my wife and said, thank goodness I was thinking ahead, otherwise we’d be two frustrated parents with hungry children! Do you need to plan EVERY meal like I did? No. But, if you are looking forward to dining at some pretty special restaurants with some one-of-a-kind experiences, I heartily recommend that you pre-plan.
How far ahead should you be thinking? Believe it or not, as far ahead as 180 days! Yes, that’s right you need to know where you will be dining 6 months from now. This becomes even more critical if you are visiting during the peak seasons. Now, I will not purport to be a Disney Dining expert. There are dozens of dining experiences I have never been a part of. You’ll need to do the research on your own for the restaurants that will attract you and your family. Go ahead… I’ll wait. You’ll find there are hundreds of choices. Here are a couple of sites that can help you with your decisions. www.allearsnet.com www.disneyworld.com/dining www.wdwinfo.com www.disneyfoodblog.com Now, some dining experiences are so special that planning those 180 days out is mandatory. If you are staying onsite then your window opens up at 190 days! Here are a few suggestions I have. · Character Breakfast: Cinderella’s Royal Table. Imagine your daughters delight as she sits down to have breakfast with her very favorite Princess inside Cinderella’s very own castle! This is the stuff dreams are made of and it is a one-of-a-kind experience that you can only have in Disney World. But, be prepared to be at your computer at exactly 6am EST 180 or 190 days prior to the date you want to attempt to secure the reservation. These reservations literally book up within minutes of coming available.
· Character Breakfast: Princess Breakfast at Akershus in Epcot. Did you miss the window for Cinderella’s Royal Table? Then don’t worry, you can try this Princess breakfast. It, too, will book up but not nearly as fast as eating in the Castle. I’ve been to this breakfast and it was definitely worth doing.
· Character Breakfast: Chef Mickey’s. Want to have breakfast with the Big 5 of Disney? Then Chef Mickey’s is for you. It is located at the Contemporary Resort near the Magic Kingdom and it is always a hit with the younger crowd.
· Dinner Show: Hoop-Dee-Doo. This is a must do in my opinion. This old time vaudeville/ wild west type show will have you rolling in the aisles with laughter. It is worth it to purchase one of the tables near the stage as you often become part of the action. The food is delicious and all-you-can-eat.
Whatever tickles your fancy, understand there are literally hundreds of people out there who want to dine at the same restaurant. Securing those reservations in advance will make for a much easier trip for you. Now, for our December vacation I’ve decided to go without purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. This will be a first for us, so, I’m trying to keep costs down. We’ll eat at counter service mostly. No need to make reservations for that. However, since we will be in Disney World at the very busiest time of the year, I do recognize that any table service dining I want to have will NEED a reservation. My first choice was a brand-new restaurant called “Be Our Guest” it is located in Belle’s village in the newly remolded Fantasyland area of the Magic Kingdom. It is said to be a real treat. Well, I was a bit tardy in making my reservations (I was on a Disney Cruise) and as a result… No Go! Absolutely no reservations available for the entirety of my trip! Luckily, the restaurant operates as a table service during the day so we’ll plan on lunch. I did score reservations for the Sci-Fi Dine-In for dinner. This is a restaurant where you eat in tables that are themed as 1950’s cars all parked at a Drive-In Theater which shows a steady stream of cheesy movie shorts. Very Fun! We also got a reservation for the Biergarten Restaurant with is themed as a non-stop Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. This reservation gives us a lot of bang for the buck as it is part of a package deal that gives us priority seating to The Candlelight Processional which is a nightly recitation of Jesus’ birth usually by a famous person. Our night will be Amy Grant. For the rest of our dining… we’ll be playing it by ear and I’ll write a column about our experiences with that plan when we return. Now, once I got my email confirmation, I simply forwarded it onto Tripit and instantly it becomes part of my itinerary.
One thing that I do want to go over before I set you to making your reservations is one very important consideration. When do you make your reservation? It’s actually a very good question and can really impact your choices. Once you’ve decided which dining experiences you want, you should now consider when to make the reservation. I start by deciding which park I’ll be in on which days. The factors to consider about this are simple. Look at the extra-magic hours (EMH) that are being offered. There are a few opinions on this. Some say you should avoid EMH as those days are busier than most. However, if you are staying on-site then taking advantage of those extra hours will mean that for a few hours during the day, the park will be very sparsely populated and hitting some of those hard to get to rides becomes much easier! See https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/ Next head over to The undercover tourist (http://www.undercovertourist.com/planning/when-to-visit.html) and determine which parks are expected to be the busiest. You may want to arrange your travel schedule around these times. Now that you know where you’ll be you can make your dining reservations to ensure that you’ll not have to hop around the Disney World property. New this year! MyMagic+. What the heck is this, you say. Well, it is yet another way you can make sure you make the most of your Disney World Vacation. Now, it is still in testing phase so how it ends up looking after the full-on roll out will be anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, here is how it is sizing up. Imagine wearing a bracelet, which is the Magical Key to everything in Disney World. Want to enter your Disney Resort room? Simply tap the Magic Band (bracelet) onto the door and it magically opens. Want to enter a park? Tap your Magic Band onto an entry portal and you’re in. Want to pay your bill at a restaurant? Your server will approach your table with an iPhone and you’ll simply tap your band onto the phone and your account will be charged. It will be the same with buying things in the shops. If you’re familiar with Disney World in the past you may ask, “How is this different from my Key To The World Card?” “It did all these things.” Yes it did, but in addition to these timesaving features, MyMagic+ will be adding something new and exciting. Fastpass+. You’ll be able from the comfort of your home make ride reservations similar to the fastpassess you get in the park. Sixty days prior to your vacation you log into your account and select the Must-do’s for your party and you’ll not need to worry about whether you’ll be able to do those things. The Fastpass+ is limited to 3 per day and it only applies to certain rides and they are not always the same rides that are covered in the Fastpass system. Also, becoming a part of the Fastpass+ system means you’ll not be able to get a standard fastpass, but it does offer something Fastpass does not. Now, Shows, Parades and nighttime extravaganza’s are a part of the process. Therefore, you’ll be able to see some of those without the long wait of holding a place on a walkway. However, Disney doesn’t end it there. If you have a smartphone you can manage your dining reservations and Fastpass+ reservations using an app on your phone called “My Disney Experience.” Again, on our return, I’ll write all about our experience with this new service. That’s it for now. My next planning milestone will be the 60 day mark where I’ll be making my “MyMagic+” reservations. Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 1 Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 2 Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 3 Planning your Vacation For Success Part 4
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