We’re in the process of improving our main WDW dining page and we want to know what information is most important.
I’ll start off by asking you all a couple of questions:
When you’re researching Walt Disney World dining, what are the first 3 things you want to know first? (Best restaurants? Dietary restrictions? How to make reservations? Types of dining? These are examples, it could be anything you feel is important.)
If you had to explain WDW dining to someone who has never been before, what are the three topics you would emphasis to them?
We look forward to hearing what you have to say. Thanks!
Menu - my family is picky but I am adventurous, so will the location suit everyone’s needs?
Location - this tells me when/how to fit it into our vacation
Price - particularly whether it is a fixed price or not
Dining plan - how it works, etc
Wide variety available - not all burgers and dogs and some VERY good adventurous menus
ADR is not the same as a reservation at a restaurant outside of WDW - you may still wait upon arrival
If TS, is it one or two credits (this last piece of information is particularly hard to find in my experience). Also, if say breakfast is one credit and dinner is two.
First would probably be what the EMH days are likely to be. What park will be at that day, likely.
Second food. What kind, how good it is, etc. Maybe even are we talking breakfast, supper. A menu probably doesn’t enter at this point.
Third, and it’s a close third, would be fun. How much fun is it to eat here.
Fourth is probably how soon do I need to reserve, if at all.
Generally speaking, if we’re talking sit down/table service meals, we already have a pretty good idea of the cost. If we’re talking to folks who’ve been before, we might vaguely discuss a general ballpark estimate figure. If discussing with folks who have not previously visited WDW before, the discussion has to be more detailed. Unless the person is familiar with other vacation destinations and is aware that hamburger values vary.
Our extended family generally figure out where we want to eat, what sorts of experiences we want. Then, probably even after we’ve made ADRs, we’ll talk trip costs. Then we’ll be perusing menus unless the meal is a buffet.
After resort and tickets, the only other cost is food. We rarely do any add ons. Even snacks. We used to do 3 table service meals a day. As Disney has added parks and as they have gotten busier, we usually do one table service a day. Unless we have a 4 day ticket with a 7 day resort stay! And then we can do more table service.
Location. Not always top, but if you’re in a particular park, you don’t care at that moment about anything other than what you can access. Of course, whether this is table or quick service should be next. This is also a good place to note if a restaurant has a dress code, as that can be a make or break for some people.
Price range, but also include expected dining times. The difference between Victoria and Albert’s and Narcosee’s, for example. Maybe I am willing to spend the money for V&A, but I don’t want to miss the fireworks, so I don’t want to spend an evening there. Or maybe I want to kill some time in the afternoon, so a sitdown dinner at le Cellier is better than a pub dinner at Yorkshire County Fish shop. This might also be the time to mention if there is a show or meet and greet.
Menu, including type of food. My son won’t eat seafood, so I need to know land food is available. Also, DH won’t eat spicy, so if it’s American fare, as opposed to Indian or Jamaican, I want to know that before I delve in. Here is also a great place to note any allergy/dietary issues. Also, if the restaurant is known for a particular dish, this might be the place to mention it.
How hard is it to get a reservation or is it a walk-up, if you don’t need a reservation? So if I need to book this at 180 days, I want to be warned, but let’s be honest, many restaurants don’t need more than a month or even a few weeks for a decent booking. Tell me where it lies in the booking timeline. This might also be a place to add your reservation finder service.
Maybe this is part of 4, but how easy is it to accommodate certain sizes of guests? Are the tables 4 tops and if you have 5 people, will they shove your extra on to the end cap of that small 4 top? Or can they accommodate larger parties. How does this affect booking times? Maybe some restaurants are better than others for large parties.
Best restaurants, menus, whether it’s on the dining plan.
I would emphasize the importance of ADRs for table service meals, the pros and cons of going with or without the dining plan, and that a 10 year old is considered an “adult” and could be subject to adult prices at many table service restaurants.
In addition to what’s been said:
That it’s ok to split TS meals unless it’s AYCE or per person charge
How the advance ordering for BOG breakfast/lunch works differently from mobile ordering
