How much planning do you put into your meals and snacks?

[22Tink]

We book ahead for any specific dining we want, usually a few character meals or dining packages, but for the most part we just wing it.

 

[Mintycake]

I'm a planner , plus you have my son who is super picky eater and me who doesn't eat meat. So I have our meals planned out. We like a couple sit down meals but I'll also look at quick service places to see what will work for our family. I don't necessarily plan out snacks, but if something looks good from someone else's post or blog I've seen, then i'll note it.

Yes this is my family! My daughter is picky and I am mainly vegetarian (I will eat meat once and a while but normally prefer vegetarian eats). Planning is essential to avoid meltdowns and I alsobring healthy snacks (veggies, fruit and nuts) to the park.

 

[Gretchen1973]

We mostly wing it, although we definitely have our favorites that we don't miss!

 

[Jedi Mouse]

We generally book 1-2 TS meals per trip, plan for a grab and go breakfast in the hotel and wing the rest depending on where we are and what sounds good.

 

[hlbtimes2]

We aren't big planners. We know there are a few things or places we will want to eat while we are there. We will decide on the fly when they will happen depending on the lines, what park we are in, the weather, etc.

 

[momof2n2]

I always plan for WDW, but I am not planning for DLR. We weren't anticipating this trip, so I do not have as many rewards points as I usually, do. Also, it doesn't seem like there are as many hacks to be had (pre-park open breakfasts, etc.) associated with dining at DLR. My son has considerable food allergies, though, so I am very hopeful DLR is as stringent and generous at WDW is.

 

[tink89]

Depends what time of the year we go and what we expect to do. We will be going again in December and I will reserve either dinner or lunch/brunch for each day. Mornings we usually do coffee and light food. I do not plan snacks We just buy as we need and take breaks as we need. Everything in between we just go with the flow.

 

[GeneralTso]

For Disneyland, I **never** used to worry or make reservations. The past few years, maybe even longer, you can no longer just stroll up between 5-8 and expect to be seated. Even Tortilla Joes in Downtown Disney. It's a madhouse. Same with Cafe Orleans and such in the parks. I miss being able to divert in to Carnation Cafe and get breakfast. Many dining packages are being offered now so lots of the spots are taken up with that.

We leave next week and have several reservations. It's so much more crowded now. I really hope it doesn't become like WDW with the 180 day advance dining reservations. That's so crazy for cocoa puffs to have to plan like that, yet I still do.

 

[gigirl131]

I usually plan one "must-eat" meal a day and wing the rest. We do read up on menus and look up food on YouTube prior to going to see what's new and must haves. This year it's just my two boys and I so I feel it will be a lot less stressful finding places to eat.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... My son has considerable food allergies, though, so I am very hopeful DLR is as stringent and generous at WDW is.

Have his food allergies printed out on cards that you can show/give the chefs/kitchen staff at any CS or TS restaurant in the parks. Put his allergies on one side and a short list (maybe up to 10 things) of his absolutely safe foods on the other side. This can really help when you need to talk with a chef about customizing an order. There should be an ingredient binder or list at each CS location, but not every CM knows about this. (We're into the summer season when lots of CMs are working their first job!) Ask for a lead or a chef if you aren't getting the information you need. Suppliers can change, so ingredients can change, and not all CMs can keep up. But a chef should be able to work with the info on your card. Eating at off peak times will really help with this, too. The kitchen staff will have more time to talk and work with you if they aren't already swamped. And customizing orders takes time, so your food might take longer -- and if it is a rush time, custom orders can take a lot longer -- so going when the restaurant isn't already busy will really help.

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

Pretty much zero planning to be honest.

 

[mamapenguin]

I look at this to get ideas
https://www.disboards.com/threads/my-disneyland-dining-reviews-with-pictures.1253888/
I am a big fan of Figment

I do make reservations if I want to do something special like Fantasmic.

 

[JasonMak2000]

Do you recommend adr for Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans? Also, seen a lot of mixed reviews for Blue Bayou. A lot of people used to say the atmosphere is good but food is uneven. Has it gotten good now?

 

[Niltiac]

I research the seasonal food offerings, menus, and take a look at restaurants we haven't tried yet to see if we want to add them into the rotation, but I don't plan when we will eat. We don't really stick to a standard meal schedule in my household in general, we just eat when we get hungry, so we do the same at DLR and it works out great because we usually miss the mealtime rush. I do usually make one reservation for Care Orleans each long-ish trip, but I'm very careful to place it at a time we're likely to be hungry so we don't waste food. I've heard WDW doesn't have such good counter service options so I'm thinking if/when we make a trip out there we will have to figure out how to plan sit-down meals like everyone else.

 

[Mamato4boys]

This trip, we are planning where we are going to eat, but not when. We only get to DLR every 2-3 years, so we want to make sure we get to our favorites and try anything new that looks interesting, but with Maxpass, I think this trip will be a bit less structured than normal (go where the MP takes us).

I don't want to have plans to eat lunch at Red Rose Tavern, only to find ourselves hungry and at Pixar Pier, but I imagine at least one day we will be in the general area of RRT and be ready for a meal.

ETA: We don't do table service, due to two young kids who haven't mastered the process. Our one ADR is for a character breakfast.

 

[Christina-B-Na]

We're a mixture of planning and winging it. For our upcoming trip in June, no ADRs but I have a made a list of all our must haves plus all the new food, snacks and treats we want to try. We will just make it a point to try and get everything on the list but not necessarily a plan of what day/ time.

 

[cindyland]

My family accuses me of having VPD (vacation planning disorder), but they also expect me to have every menu for both parks memorized, and ready to make a recommendation based on crowds and whims. So I go in prepared. I usually make one reservation per day, preferably for lunch, but it's my bday the next trip, so there will be a lot of pre-planned birthday meals!

 

[Nohal]

We usually go to Disneyworld during free dining so have to book our ADR's 180 days out. At Disneyland we don't do any table service meals (other than Carnation Cafe). We look at menus before we go and have an idea of where we want to eat but basically just wing it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Do you recommend adr for Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans? Also, seen a lot of mixed reviews for Blue Bayou. A lot of people used to say the atmosphere is good but food is uneven. Has it gotten good now?

Reservations (called Priority Seating or PS at DLR) are always recommended for BB, especially if you want to dine at peak times or if you want a waterside table (easiest to get if you book the first openings for lunch). During busier times, walk ups can be turned away. Whether the food "has gotten good now" is totally subjective. Some guests have always loved the BB menu, some like it, some hate it. Check the menu to see if it appeals to you. The food can be rather rich. We've always found the kitchen to be quite willing to adapt things for us (e.g. some substitutions, sauce on the side or no sauce, etc.), if you think that would work for you. It wouldn't hurt to have a reservation for CO if you want to dine during peak hours or during a busy time, like on a holiday. By the way, the famous Monte Cristo on the lunch menu at BB will be the same, but less expensive, at CO.

 

[DisLiss]

We do quite a bit of research, but then we pretty much wing it. We have family in the area, so if we're going to meet up with them for a meal we definitely make an ADR for that. And we might pick one or two special meals that we plan in advance. But for the most part, we head into a park with an idea of what places we're most likely to find food we like, and we hope for the best.

We don't go at overly busy times, and we're happy with snacks for a lot of our food consumption. If we do have a sit down table service meal, it's typically for lunch instead of dinner, which also helps us to find availability during the trip instead of in advance.