Meal reservations

[Hatzie]

I'm new to the Disney World Experiance and we are making our first trip in Nov. How important is it to plan out our meals, and call ahead? In general, I like to plan, but planning meals this far in advance doesn't seem to practical to me.

[GaRain]

If there are certain sit down places that you would like to try, then you should certainly go ahead and plan now and make your reservations ahead of time. Some of these places are pretty popular and even when the parks don't seem as crowded, the restaurants - especially certain character meals - could be packed.

If you are going around Thanksgiving in November, you better plan ahead. That is a busy busy time in the parks.

Good luck and have fun!!!

[Hatzie]

We are actually going from the Tuesday before until the Tuesday after Thnksgiving. We are planning on calling ahead for Thanksgiving Dinner.

[4Mickey]

I would definately call ahead during that time. It's better to have a meal planned & decide not to go (I'm sure they'll be able to fill your spot if you have to cancel) than to not plan & not get a good meal the entire time you're there. If you have any questions, there are plenty of wonderful people here to help you out!

[shadesofgreen]

If you plan on doing any dining with the characters, especially at Chef Mickey's, or if you plan on going to the Spirit of Aloha luau, DO NOT delay making your advance reservations! Other places you must make reservations far in advance for include California Grill, Fulton's Crabhouse, and Le Cellier, off the top of my head. As an example of how important this is, I am writing this at 2pm on 7/18. The next availability I am showing for dinner at Chef Mickey's for a party of 6 is 7/29, for a party of 2, 8/4. So you can see that if you came to my desk today trying to get a reservation there I would have to disappoint you.

[DissyLove]

I agree, if there are certain places or times you want to eat, call ahead. If you think you can be flexible (ie, wait a while for a table or eat on off hours) then you might be OK without reservations, but I would recommend if you have plans on eating a certain place, call ahead.

[Scottwdw]

The week of Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year at WDW. You should make your reservations as far in advance as you can. If you are staying on property, you can make many 90 days from the day you arrive with the new 90+10 Advanced Reservations Policy.

Use the PS Calculator on my site to see when you can start making them.

Happy Planning! :mickey:

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

We went in 2003 the week of Thanksgiving. We planned ahead and were very glad we did. We didn't have any problems but as we left, we saw people being turned away because they were full for the rest of the day. Enjoy your trip-great time to go!

[Hatzie]

Thanks for all the responses, we have worked out where and when we need reservations and will be calling them in @ the 90 day mark.