Is spontaneity dead?

[leahlefler]

We do "skeleton" planning - so we do get ADR's (we really, really enjoy the restaurants on WDW property so it is important to us). I use a planning site to determine the least crowded day for each park, pick that park as the "main park" for the day, and then schedule the ADR's. When our FP+ window opens, I schedule those for the planned main park. We have park hoppers so we sometimes go to more than one, especially to enjoy EMH during the scheduled hours.

That is all I plan, and we always remain open to change. Last year, we had planned a full day in MK with dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. The day before, we noticed the weather was going to be 83 degrees, so we canceled our LTT reservation with no penalty. We went to MK, used our fast passes, ate lunch at BOG, then hopped over to Typhoon Lagoon and had the most wonderful (and uncrowded) day EVER. So we plan a skeleton trip, but are open to changing it on the fly (though you must cancel a day ahead to avoid a penalty for ADR's). We ended up adding a morning character breakfast at Tusker House because my boys were really into the characters (we didn't expect them to be) and we did that at the last minute - someone else's 24-hour last minute cancellation was our gain.

I would say, determine what is most important to YOU on your trip. If you don't care about restaurants and can eat at off-times to avoid crowds at Quick Service places, then don't worry about ADR's. If you don't care about waiting in line for popular rides, then don't book FP+ or try to grab available ones when you are there. Some rides will not be available last minute for FP+, so be aware of that.

We do have neighbors that didn't plan anything at all (having no idea how much Disney has changed since they were there in the 80's), and they were very disappointed as they didn't understand the FP system and ended up waiting in long lines - they rode only a few rides per day and were frustrated at the crowds. At the very least, if you do not plan, make sure you RESEARCH so you understand how the system works. I think if they had at least known how the FP system worked and had researched the rides they needed to rope drop, they would have been much happier.

 

[MisplacedUnderwear]

I know I'm late to the thread, but I truly believe the answer is somewhere between the extremes. I strongly disagree with the people claiming "things work out for the non-planners." Simply Google "Disney World Complaints" and you'll see that's not the case. So many people showing up at noon on Christmas or in the middle of summer, with their family of 6, and then they complain that the only food they could find was a quick service burger, they didn't see any characters because they expected them to be wandering around the streets like it's still Disneyland in the 60's, and they only rode one ride because "all" the queues are too long. You can really tell which ones did zero planning because they'll complain about how rich folks get on the rides faster by buying fast passes! (Clarification for anyone who doesn't know: Fastpass+ is available to ALL GUESTS as a perk of your park admission! But it's incentive to get your park tickets early because you can't make Fastpass+ selections until you have a park ticket!)

In reality, I think it's just not too much of a burden to look at park maps and hours and see which park you're likely to visit on which day. I further think it's worth making Fastpass+ reservations in advance because there are premier experiences that everyone wants to try but that will never be fun enough to justify 180+ minute waits. This might be less true in the case of having small children, but even attractions like Toy Story Midway Mania and Peter Pan's Flight are basically "Fastpass or not-at-all" propositions during most times of the year. I think choosing to not plan fastpasses is frequently the equivalent of planning to miss certain attractions (barring unexpected pixie-dust like checking your MDE app a moment after a ride was brought back from a 101). I think of fastpasses as a kind of guide -- just a general sense of where in the park I hope to be at a given time. Choosing 3 experiences that will each last about 5 minutes and that I have a 1hr 15min window to show up for is just really not that binding or burdensome. I do believe that all the most magical stuff is what happens on your way to the fastpasses. I love happening upon an unexpected street performance or character and I've never had a fastpass interfere with that. Also, disney's pretty forgiving about timeliness on restaurant reservations and I'm almost never on-time. I'm either checking in 20 minutes earlier and saying "but don't worry, I'm not in a rush!" or I'm running late and apologizing for being a grown man who has no grasp of how time works. (My thought here is this is fair due to reciprocity: Disney almost never seats a party at exactly the time of the reservation and has no problem asking me to wait a few extra minutes, why would I have a problem asking the same of them?)

I think restaurant reservations and planning become MUCH more important if you or someone in your party has special needs or dietary restrictions. I do however think it's been taken to weird extremes by many over-planners. Unless it's the busiest seasons or busiest times of day, I am usually able to walk into nearly all of my favorite Disney restaurants because they're just so underrated by many folks. On the other hand, there's nearly nothing for me to eat at Magic Kingdom or Disney Hollywood studios so I need to bring my A game and a healthy dose of planning if I'm going to enjoy a day in those parks.

I'll also say, just from personal experience, that it helps to research so you can be clear on options and opportunity costs. For example, at POR we'd been able to use the quiet pools at all hours of the night (not sure on rules here, a CM told me it's allowed at the time, but I've since heard it may actually be against the rules but it's a rarely-enforced rule...sorry if we did something wrong, but I don't think we bothered anyone) so my Princess decided to take a nap as soon as we got to Grand Floridian, not realizing their pools actually close at 10. That made her feel bad because she ended up missing out on the best chunk of pool time she could have had on this trip, and she missed it for sleep which is a thing we can do at home.

I would liken the research/planning to visiting any other destination. Yes, you can go to San Francisco and just generally "see the Golden Gate Bridge," and maybe for many people that's all they care about. But if you only have limited time and don't look it up in advance, you're going to end up driving over the bridge, missing the better views OF the bridge from the nearby parks, and you're going to waste a bunch of time, turning around to go back into the city, that's time you could have used to see nearby museums and whatnot. I've met moronic families who decided to drive through Yellowstone on their way somewhere, and who's day has been "ruined" by the facts that they had to pay to get into the National Park, 15 minutes is not enough time to see Old Faithful, and why won't anybody move these Bison off the road so the family can get where they're going? (People who live in and around Yellowstone have a name for these guests that I believe has also been adopted behind-the-scenes by some Disney CM's. The word is "touron," a portmanteau of "tourist" and "moron.") The same sorts of stupid and avoidable things can happen in Disney Parks. Suddenly needing to hike from The American Adventure back to the Imagination pavilion because someone in my group "spontaneously" found out Figment's featured in his own ride is not my idea of a fun day. I'm gonna have more fun if I've already looked at a map enough that I'll remember to point out the option of visiting Journey Into Imagination when we're fairly nearby after our Seas with Nemo fastpass. This isn't ruining spontaneity, it's just preventing flakiness and stupidity and unnecessary strain on my bad knee. Again, I'm not advocating down-to-the minute planning. This screed is just a long-winded defense of: "Do the research so you know what's available. Choose a few must-do's each day in some sort of logical geographic order. Make ADR's if there's a restaurant you feel you must visit or if you're concerned about the availability of venues that can cater to your specific needs."

 

[Nancyg56]

I think you can do both, plan and be spontaneous. I am the worst planner on the DIS. I know that there are people who thrive on spreadsheets, etc, but I am not one of them. With that said though, I need a plan of some sort in place so that we avoid all the "What do you want to do?" issues.

I plan park days, off park days, and our meals. When FP can be booked I plan three per park. I have a good idea if we are touring in the morning or later in the day, and make that plan so we get to enjoy the evening entertainment in each park. I do not like to run all over for meals, and I like to know we have our favorites in place when we normally want to have dinner so I plan them. FP is pretty basic, I am not strategic. We book them and if we get there fine, if not? Next time.

With kids I think a basic plan can be a lifesaver, especially if they will want to experience a special attraction, meet a favorite character or will want character meals. Once you have an idea where you will be on any given day you can relax and either keep the plan or toss it when the time comes. We missed mine train three times on three trips. Something better came up. No harm no foul. If we had wanted to go though, we would have been in a line.

 

[housemartin71]

It's your vacation - do what you think makes sense for you and your family to enjoy the trip. If you don't want to plan ahead with ADRs and FP+s, you don't have to, but I think most people here would agree that spontaneity comes at a price in the form of restaurants you can't get into and waiting in line. If those things matter to you then you probably should do some planning.

But, if you decide to make plans, there is a wide continuum between no plans and planning each minute. I tend to the latter, but on our last trip, when my youngest decided he wanted to meet characters and get autographs, we did that. We did Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor four times until his joke was picked. I did draw the line at Stitch's Great Escape, though. Like most things, it's about striking the right balance for you and your family.

 

[kniquy]

Yes spontaneity is dead at WDW. If you don't plan you will be sadly disappointed in the wait times for rides, especially with little ones who don't have much patience Dining reservations-- if you don't book 180 days out and wait until you get there -- you will have nothing but quick service to choose from.

It is best to plan a little but allow wiggle room for the kids to guide your day. If you know they are great in the morning plan a breakfast or early lunch character meal. If you know they need an afternoon break then plan to go back to the resort to relax and nap. Then back at the parks for the evening.

When you can hit the parks for rope drop it really enables you to get a lot accomplished with out necessarily using your FP's. Save them for the evening time. Planning seems like a lot of work but it will certainly make for a more enjoyable time. For dining reservations you can book now, but if need be you can cancel at least the day before for most places. This gives you some flexibility to book say both a lunch and dinner and then as you get closer or even when you are there you can cancel what you don't need.

Usually when you hear of someone having an awful time at disney world it is because they had no knowledge of how this sort of vacation works. They try to walk up and get dining reservations and told there is nothing at multiple locations -- super frustrating! They think they can just stroll over to FOP in pandora only to find an over 2 hour wait. Unfortunately planning is key and if you want some help and guidance the touring plans website is a pretty good resource and with a subscription it can help plan you park days.

 

[bdiddy]

When I read posts like this, I GET it. And honestly you would love DL over WDW. You can wake up, and say what park should we go to first today? So much fun. And now they have Maxpass, which makes things a bit easier to get those same day FP.

I go to both WDW and DL each year, for different reasons, and being more spontaneous is one of the DL advantages.

We went to DL for the first time this summer the week after Maxpass started and I can't even tell you how much I loved it. We had fast passes galore, I wish WDW would change over to this plan. But still use the magic bands to scan instead of your phones. The price doesn't bother me either, it was so worth it for the ease and convenience and being able to pull so many fast passes all day.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

No, spontaneity is not dead.

But - you have to remember that you're on a board here with a bunch of planners. Even before you had to book your FP+ in advance, people here were strategizing on what order they would get FPs, what attractions to walk onto, etc. Spontaneity was never really a thing for this board here!

I actually think FP+ allows for more flexibility. I book some FPs in advance, so I don't have to get to the parks early - I can sleep in if I want! I also can cancel the FPs on my phone and change them - from my hotel room! I think FP+ is a lot easier to work with because you don't actually have to be in the park in order to reserve FPs.

As for dining reservations, the only ones that really book up are the super popular ones - Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table, often Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's. But I think most all of the restaurants at WDW are super great, so if my favorite is booked for a certain trip, it just encourages me to try something new. Also, I'll make maybe 1 ADR per day, and sometimes I use the app to make an ADR the day of. Again - more flexible than it used to be, in my opinion.

 

[tlmadden73]

We are going to WDW in February. My DD is going to be 6, DS is going to be 3. I don't want to plan out my whole trip to the last second. I want the ability to let the kids have some choices and such. However, everything I read says, plan, plan, plan. Will I miss out on a bunch if I don't plan our whole day down to each minute?

No way ..

You can be spontaneous "within reason" as long as you (and they) know that you may have to wait a long time. All planning do is let you be "efficient" and maximize the number of attractions you do within X amount of time.

But that isn't necessarily fun.

What others above have said.
Have them involved in the PLANNING.

What I do is I generally plan out the morning with Fast Passes for three rides close together (say .. all in Fantasyland) giving you the ability to get things done with no lines ( key for young kids) .. but also having time in between those Fast Passes to do other nearby attractions. This then gives you the "flexibility" to book Fast Passes for whatever you want to do next (if available). On my son's first trip (he was 2) we did that and every ride we went on was Fast Passed ..but we also spontaneously hit some characters he wanted to see and we even SPONTANEOUSLY decided to go do the Winnie the Pooh character meal at Crystal Palace and was able to just wait for a table!

Your kids are still young you can "steer" them and still let them sorta do what they want.

My last trip with my son .. I wanted him to experience Star Wars at DHS. But he also said (before we came down) he NEEDED to go on his favorite ride - Buzz Lightyear .. so I purposely planned to hop over to MK from DHS that afternoon. We had a spontaneous morning at DHS, went to MK and I had three rides mapped out that afternoon .. but we did plenty of spontaneous things in between the Fast Passes and had a lovely afternoon before a planned dinner (planned only because I wanted to try out a specific restaurant).

On my son's first trip .. not knowing what he would want to go on, we did plenty of things spontaneously .. splashing the Dumbo Splash pad, watching a street performance or two .. asking him if he wanted to go on a ride as we walked past it (the Carousel for example), etc. We were even lucky and his nap was ending just as the afternoon parade started right near where we were resting. Stuff like that.

I've gone three times since 2014 and I would say our trips weren't really planned beyond the initial Fast Passes and maybe ONE restaurant reservation a day (just for that special character meal experience).

 

[loves to dive]

We don't plan and never have. We have been going since my son was just shy of 3, he is 37 now. We decide what park we are going to the morning when we get up. If we are staying at a moderate, we will go to the bus stop and get on the first bus to arrive When we get hungry we get on MDE and find somewhere to eat. When we get on the bus we will get on MDE and find FPs, most of the time I book them while we are standing in line. Since FP hadn't been invented yet when we first started going, waiting in line is what you did so we don't mind waiting in line. We take the opportunity to talk to each other, when my son was little we would watch the people and make up stories, we still do that. If we get tired, we go back to the resort then decide later what we want to do. Do we end up riding 10 rides a day? Nope, would we want to? Nope. My son has always just been fascinated with the place itself and didn't need to be running from ride to ride. Lots of times he just wanted to sit on a bench and eat an ice cream.

 

[slpeters]

I tend to be a sort of compulsive planner and my husband tends to be more of a "ooh that looks fun, ooh that sound tasty... SQUIRREL!" kind of guy so we generally have to strike a balance on vacation. He has sort of acknowledged that it looks like a fair amount of planning is really necessary to avoid disaster at Disney World. He's pretty much decided that he's not willing to wait in any long lines, well maybe once a day for a half an hour, so he's willing to put up with a certain level of planning. He pretty much said that my task is apparently to plan the week with almost military precision but still preserve the illusion that we are just wandering around doing things because stuff strikes our fancy. I of course responded that I was alright with that because it pretty much describes our last twenty years together.

We have an idea which parks we are going to each day and will have fastpasses for a park each day. We have an idea which rides should be ridden first to avoid lines and which evening show we are going to each evening. We have two or three ADRs and an idea of someplace to eat each meal should nothing come and beat us over the head. Every day has a window in the middle, anywhere from 4-6 hours where nothing at all is planned. We may find some fastpasses, we may go for a swim, hell I'm not averse to a vacation nap.

I will also say that I think particularly if you know your travelling companions well you can plan a fair amount of "spontaneity". The example that always comes to my mind took place a couple years ago. Dh and I were in Paris for a week and after a particularly lovely day, dh turned to me and thanked me for just going with the flow that day. I asked him what he meant and he responded that he knew how much more comfortable I was with a rigorously planned trip and that he appreciated that I had just kind of gone with the flow that day. We shared a little moment where we congratulated ourselves on our great spontaneity and how sometimes things just work out. Once the moment was over dh was particularly flabbergasted when I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket which turned out to a type-written itinerary which almost entirely mirrored what we had done that day, including the two restaurants that dh thought he had picked.

Know your audience!

 

[ppony]

Since we started to visiting WDW in 1994, it's gotten harder and harder to be spontaneous, but in the last 6-8 years, it's gotten next to impossible. We decided to take a break of visiting WDW to go to DLR for a chance last Dec. and were very pleased at how much ore spontaneous and relaxed we were able to be there. It was night and day between the 2. I think the more often you can visit WDW, the more spontaneous you can be because you know you'll just be back soon if you miss something. And things you REALLY want, you're sure to book ahead.

But I agree, planning to the N-th is what some people love, but the older I get, the less I am willing to do it. It also has something to do w/ having a special needs child. Since I had him 10 years ago, I've had to give up even trying to keep schedules. It's just not worth the stress, we just try to go w/ the flow and plan only what's absolutely necessary but WDW is making more and more of those things necessary which I resent, strongly.

 

[fla4fun]

I find the spontaneity for me comes after the plan. I don't do much in the way of ADRs, but I will book my FP+. However, I inevitably end up changing things around. I will wake up and decide I'd rather go to MK than AK, and change FP+ same day. The later in the trip it is, the more likely I am to do this.

 

[melanielll]

Sort of along the lines of what fla4fun is saying, we generally are planned in the mornings and freestyle in the afternoons. Get to the park, do stuff before the crowds build, fast passes, then lunch , then whatever looks like it could be fun. I agree with later in the trip being largely dependent on mood. Plus - if we already hit the hard to do stuff, no one feels put out by doing some of the odder things.

 

[mousefan73]

Reducing ADRs has been the best decision we made this year. Then we are repeat visitors so we have done all the must haves. We picked our favs ( Boma, cape may, tried a few new Kona 2x great!). Days ee had no ADRs were more relaxing. No stressing with time. Allowing us to just chill and do what we felt at that time. Of course headliners you need to "plan" 7dmt, fop etc. but in the parks there are sooo many other options that will have lower wait times or walk ons. Unless you do xmas or top Holidays but IMO that is one's own fault and one needs to expect that.

If you are willing to go first thing or til close. You can do alot without planning those hours. Only negative is with pre FP at plus 60. You do need to pick that park for those. PHs help give more flexibilty for later in day

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I never thought Disney was the place for spontaneity. Its more planned than the Truman|Show

 

[Jays2013]

I think restaurant reservations and planning become MUCH more important if you or someone in your party has special needs or dietary restrictions. I do however think it's been taken to weird extremes by many over-planners. Unless it's the busiest seasons or busiest times of day, I am usually able to walk into nearly all of my favorite Disney restaurants because they're just so underrated by many folks.

Out of curiosity, what are those restaurants? I'm intrigued!

I tend to be a sort of compulsive planner and my husband tends to be more of a "ooh that looks fun, ooh that sound tasty... SQUIRREL!" kind of guy so we generally have to strike a balance on vacation.

Can I just say, best description ever?

But I agree, planning to the N-th is what some people love, but the older I get, the less I am willing to do it. It also has something to do w/ having a special needs child. Since I had him 10 years ago, I've had to give up even trying to keep schedules. It's just not worth the stress, we just try to go w/ the flow and plan only what's absolutely necessary but WDW is making more and more of those things necessary which I resent, strongly.

Huh. I have a special needs child who will be celebrating his 13th birthday on this trip and I've had pretty much the opposite experience! This kid needs a schedule desperately--on vacation, he'll adapt to a new one, but there needs to be some sort of structure to the day or there will be heck to pay! (That said, we need to be able to sit down and watch a fountain for a while from time to time as well. That means a lot of planning for me, so I can build in that schedule, allow for those moments and still make sure YDS gets to do what he wants to do, too.)

Which just goes to show that everyone's different, I guess! I'm really intrigued about your thoughts on DLR. It's become one of my ambitions to get there someday.

 

[leebee]

OP, one thing to remember: Your kids haven't been to WDW, don't know what's there, so won't know what they are missing if you take control the reins and guide everyone around. I know that sounds harsh, but WDW is big and crowded. You do NOT want to be the family standing in the walkway, saying, "I don't know, what do YOU want to do?" While I don't think you need to plan to the nth degree, you do need some idea of how you want to approach this thing called "vacation!" You don't need to line everyone up and march, commando-style, quickly from attraction to attraction, but you really will have a better time if you have some sort of loose plan in mind, usually based on researching crowd levels and line-times. One thing I found that worked wonders? The kids always knew that we would ride everything they wanted, but they needed to trust me about when we'd do them. If your kids stand in ONE 60 minute line, they'll learn to appreciate the answer of "Yes, we'll do it, but after supper when the line is shorter." NO, we didn't always get back to that ride, but it was worth sacrificing one ride to do three others, and usually there wasn't regret- because in the long run, WE were IN DISNEY WORLD!!

Our first trip, we had two ADRs: One for Crystal Palace and one for Chef Mickeys. We were there the 1st week of March, with DD who was 5 and my sis/bil/niece, who was 1. In advance, my sister and I booked those 2 meals and read about the parks, looked at maps so we had some idea of what was where, and took it from there. We had a MARVELOUS time- and this trip ended up being the first of dozens! My advice is read, read, read. Decide in advance what things you want your kids to experience and what can be left out/for the next trip. Your kids are going to have an amazing time, regardless of what they do, or don't do. People tend to get overwhelmed by everyone's suggestions and think they have to do it all or it'll be a waste of time- but in reality, there is NO WAY to do it all in one trip. Heck, I've been to WDW 28 times and still haven't done it all.

SO.. look at crowd level recommendations, extra magic hours, day/park recommendations and decide on which day to go to which park. Have a plan in your head as to the park layout and how you want to tour (clockwise? counter clock wise? in spindles or criss-crossing?). Pick your FP+ based on the predicted wait-times for the rides you think your family will like the best, and the path you take through the park. I'd also suggest an ADR based on the park in which you are spending the day, if you think sit-down meals work for your family- and maybe even consider a sit-down mid-day rather than for supper (we enjoy this, and use the time to sit in a/c splendor to re-charge.) After that? You'll have tons of park time to enjoy, or not- go back to your resort and swim, or ride the monorail from MK to Epcot and back, or ride the ferry or boats or whatever.

Just remember- YOU are in charge, you CAN'T do everything in one trip, and EVERYONE will have a better time if you have a loose plan in your head... at least on your first trip!

 

[scoutie]

I think there are many vacations where you can be 100% spontaneous and have an amazing time. In my experience, Disney isn't one of them. While I definitely believe you can veer off the plan and have spontaneous moments, if you want the most bang for your buck, avoid lines, see and do what you want, planning is necessary. There have been many first time Disney vacationers who have rolled their eyes at my planning suggestions and each one of them has had a miserable time and said they'll never go back.

 

[Spencer Wright]

For example: Our first full day, we're going to Animal Kingdom at rope drop. The plan is to do that, head to Expedition Everest, then do our three planned FP, slotting in lunch and other attractions as time permits.

Then we're going back to our hotel a while to swim and rest, hitting our ADR at Grand Floridian Cafe, and heading to the Magic Kingdom. The only plan there is to go on whatever we want that has a decent wait. Maybe I'll make later FP there, maybe I won't. We decide when we see what's available after the first three. If DS9 really wants to do Space Mountain, we'll check it out. If DS12 has his heart set on It's a Small World, we'll do that. Or maybe my parents will make a plea for Pirates!

There's room for both in a Disney trip.

This level of planning is the level my family and I will use and I think is perfectly appropriate. It provides a balance of planning and spontaneity. Unfortunately, I think spontaneity is dying but not yet dead. Last trip there were a couple of things which allowed for some spontaneity. For instance last trip we did ADR at Ohana and then were going to head to Magic Kingdom. However, on the My Disney Experience App wait times at Epcot were nonexistent so we headed over there and had a great time (turns out it was EMH at MK that night, which might account for this).

 

[MisplacedUnderwear]

Out of curiosity, what are those restaurants? I'm intrigued!

Happy to oblige, though my favorites come with some caveats so I hope my statement isn't seen as incredibly misleading in retrospect! (a) I only go to WDW in relative off-seasons. For example, my birthday is right after all US schools have finished their spring break and my better half's birthday is right after the xmas season ends. We're just kinda lucky on when we "need" to celebrate things...and I was once part of a military honor guard at DLand on 4th of July so I know first hand what kind of crowds are way too much for me! (b) We're a relatively young couple with no kids. There's a lot that goes with that like only doing a character meal once in a while and only if we really feel strongly about a location or character. (c) We tend to eat at off-times more in line with european norms than american or "park-stormer" conventions would call for.

Our favorite restaurants I have great luck walking into over the last several years are:

(1) Morimoto. This is the new top of our list. Their food is great, their staff is great with special dietary concerns, and a party of 2 never waits at lunch time in my experience. Might be a short wait at dinner time for the Forbidden Lounge, but usually not in my experience.

(2) Sanaa. I'm expecting the board members who know about this place to crucify me for adding it to yet another "best of" list but it really is one of the best. I guess the last few times I've grabbed a reservation on the Lyft ride over, but I count it as a walk-in if I didn't have to decide at least the day before. (Before someone calls me out: no you can't walk in with no reservation at sunset and expect a table by the windows, but that's not my claim. This list is just good TS restaurants one can frequently get into without a reservation or with a very-short-notice reservation.)

(3) Grand Floridian Cafe. I've not been there in a few years, but they were great last time I was there. And at lunch time, they act like they're thrilled someone remembers they exist. Beautiful, light & airy space in a beautiful hotel. I'm not sure why more MK visitors don't take a monorail lunch break...

(4) Spice Road Table. Great food and generally only booked up around Illuminations. This place usually does give me a short wait, but that's not so bad when there's stuff nearby to look at. I do, however, think that being able to walk in here is becoming rarer and I think that's because of all the over-planners grabbing tons of reservations just in case. Rarely seems full when we're actually there.

(5) If all else fails, I believe every signature restaurant has a lounge that doesn't accept reservations. Also, one can sometimes get a couple of seats held in a lounge for a short time if you have access to assistance from your hotel's staff. A call from any Deluxe resort's concierge, or a call from anywhere inside the Grand Floridian, seems to work wonders in making sure there's a seat or barstool available upon your arrival.

I'm sure this list is far from complete...basically the upshot is that most people overlook a lot of restaurants at hotels and Disney Springs in addition to anything that seems too adventurous for the picky eaters (and I'm not just referencing children here). I hope that answers the question though, and I hope you enjoy some new hidden gems that don't require ADRs on your next magical adventure!