Is this a good or bad idea?

katyringo

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Heading to DL July 1-5. We have 4.5 days and have hopper tickets and maxpass. Me, hubby and our 6 and 2 year old.

We willl arrive around noon our first day and have reservations for lamp light at 530.

But then our next two park days we have no dinning reservations except WOC dessert party. I really want the flexibility of heading to our hotel pool if we want.

I am worried that Star Wars is gonna bring crazy crowds and we will regret not having a dinning reservation each day..

Out other days we have reservations...
 
No one really knows what the crowd situation is going to be once the Star Wars reservation period is over. I think it might be a good idea to book reservations just in case. If you find they don't work for you or that you don't need them, just make sure to cancel at least the day before.
 
I'll be there 2-6! I think what you have set up is perfectly fine. I also only have 2 Dining reservations for my trip leaving the rest open for flexibility. I would say just utilize the mobile order which will help you out and some places besides the " top name" restaurants will even allow you to do res same day if you just check in the morning in case you change your mind. For instance DACA has tons of places to choose from that suits flexibility perfectly! My personal fav is the wine country Italian restaurant!
 


I think you have a good plan. Are you staying onsite? We went down for 4th of July probably almost 10 years ago now and it was the worst crowd I had ever seen there. The park was filled to capacity and they stopped letting people in and even parking in the garage. They were asking for room keys to let people in only. Just have a good plan and don't push the 2 year old to far. If you think the park will fill to capacity just make sure you have a plan of what you will do inside the park. Remember that they fireworks can be seen from many places so don't be stuck on one spot. Have a great trip
 
When my kids were smaller at the parks, we found it so much easier to eat at a table service restaurant. It's difficult to wrangle kids and carry trays of food/drinks and try to find a spot to sit, etc. Just food for thought. Have a wonderful time!
 
As others have said, we don't really know what SW:GE will do in terms of crowds throughout the parks and at the TS locations. That being said, just going by the fact it's summer and the 4th of July holiday, I would make TS reservations. You can cancel the day before without incurring a penalty, so that gives you a bit of flexibility. If you really don't want to make reservations, it would also help if you're flexible in terms of where you eat and when you eat. For example, the likelihood of getting a walk-up with a short wait (<30 minutes) at an in-park TS is pretty low on a high crowd day, but you might be able to walk-up to a restaurant in DTD. You could also look at Open Table to see what DTD venues have spaces that day.
 


We are perfectly fine with QS, in fact we have quite a few QS places we want to try over table service.

On the s 4th of July we have Minnie’s breakfast booked before park opening (we will use our magic morning on a different day) and riverbelle fantasmic.
 
We are perfectly fine with QS, in fact we have quite a few QS places we want to try over table service.

On the s 4th of July we have Minnie’s breakfast booked before park opening (we will use our magic morning on a different day) and riverbelle fantasmic.
I personally prefer the flexibility of CS over TS especially with little ones. My son could never sit still long enough to make TS enjoyable (he’s better now but we still prefer CS!).
 
I personally prefer the flexibility of CS over TS especially with little ones. My son could never sit still long enough to make TS enjoyable (he’s better now but we still prefer CS!).

To add to this, the counter service options at DLR are pretty good. Two of my favorite restaurants at DL are counter service (Rancho Del Zocalo and French Market) and the options in DCA are growing on me too. During a 5 day trip, I usually only get one, sometimes two table service reservations max.
 
I think you have a good plan. Are you staying onsite? We went down for 4th of July probably almost 10 years ago now and it was the worst crowd I had ever seen there. The park was filled to capacity and they stopped letting people in and even parking in the garage...
The 4th hasn't been that bad in a few years. The last 2 years or so, it's been pretty good, keeping in mind the usual crowds camping out around the castle for fireworks. But this year with SWGE... who knows? Crowd control has been good so far, so let's hope that Disney keeps up the good work. But, as always with Disney trips, it never hurts to have a good plan ready to go!
 
We have similar plans. 4.5 days and a five year old. We’re planning Goofy’s Kitchen the night of our arrival, and no other table service meals at all. With him, we are going to need the flexibility to eat whenever and wherever we are, or, on the other hand, to delay eating if he naps late or we are in a long line. I plan to make liberal use of mobile ordering to keep our time at counter service meals down.
 
The 4th hasn't been that bad in a few years. The last 2 years or so, it's been pretty good, keeping in mind the usual crowds camping out around the castle for fireworks. But this year with SWGE... who knows? Crowd control has been good so far, so let's hope that Disney keeps up the good work. But, as always with Disney trips, it never hurts to have a good plan ready to go!

That is very good to know. Thank you for that information. I have been to Disneyland and Disney World for New Years Eve and that 4th of July was the worse experience I ever had. It would be nice to be able to go back for the 4th.
 
That is very good to know. Thank you for that information. I have been to Disneyland and Disney World for New Years Eve and that 4th of July was the worse experience I ever had. It would be nice to be able to go back for the 4th.
Im in agreement with previous post ive been at 4th of july last 2 years will be there again this year also. Besides the crowds for the firework show the park has been fairly manageable. Not as "swamped" as people think
 
That is very good to know. Thank you for that information. I have been to Disneyland and Disney World for New Years Eve and that 4th of July was the worse experience I ever had. It would be nice to be able to go back for the 4th.
Another person chiming in about the 4th of July. I went last year and it really wasn't that bad. I feel like the crowds only picked up in the evening when people began camping around for fireworks. My aunt, who tags along once or twice a year, even said she was shocked at how easy the parks were on a holiday. We didn't stay for fireworks and were done with everything we wanted in both parks by 6 pm (and this included a sit down lunch at Blue bayou).
 
I love reading about all the different strategies. This year I am actually NOT making reservations so that we can be flexible with the virtual queue into SWGE. I usually make 2-3 reservations but will play it by ear this year and use mobile ordering. I've read some others are also leaving their time more open. So who knows, you might even be able to pick up reservations while on site if needed.
 
I would expect the 4th of July crowds to pick up significantly when the holiday falls on a weekend day (so for the next year or two), but when it falls during the week, that really helps keep the crowds at a manageable level.
 

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