Walt Disney World Vacation with Dining Plan in YOUR Future--Plan ahead for Best Results

Okay...I have to admit, the first time we did the Disney Dining Plan, we flew by the seat of our pants. Yes, that means we didn't schedule any ADR's (Advanced Dining Reservations). You read that right...zero, zip, nada. We didn't know any better. But fortunately for us, it was well in advance of the FREE dining plans that are now a regular perk with an onsite Disney vacation.

How did we manage? Did we have to resort to all quick dining meals? Not at all. We called the Disney Dining phone line a few minutes prior to when we wanted to eat and asked what restaurants in the park or at a nearby resort that had immediate availability. The upside of this lack of scheduling was that the dining reservation Cast Members were very knowledgeable of the restaurants and we were introduced to some now favorite restaurants like Ohana and Garden Grill. The downside was that we were disappointed that we couldn't get in to the Prime Time Cafe as it was completely booked. To avoid disappointment and frustration I was prepared called ahead before the next trip.

Yes, it does seem weird to be making dining plans 6 months ahead of time but that is what is necessary to get into some of the most popular restaurants in the world like Teppan Edo at the Japan pavilion. Be ready when you call too because you will get a confirmation number for every ADR you make. This number can save you if your reservation gets lost in the system. But keeping track of those ADRs can be confusing. If you make your reservations online, the system does keep a list of your ADRs but if you make them over the phone, they do not tie in with the ones online until after you check in. Your only record is what you write down so listen carefully and jot down those confirmation numbers.

So for our upcoming 8 day trip, we have about 14-17 confirmation numbers for everything from our Segway tour to the Candlelight Processional and Fantasmic as well as a dozen or so restaurants. In the past, I kept all my handwritten notes with all the numbers until I received a print out from the concierge at check-in. For this trip, I made a excel spread sheet to keep track of the reservations complete with the date, time, location and confirmation number. It took about 30 minutes to set the whole thing up but it is in one place and makes an easy reference if one of my sons asks when we will be eating at Chef Mickey's or seeing the Hoop de Doo Review!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales