Walt Disney World Holidays – Dining Strategies During the Christmas Season

Is a Disney trip in your future during the Walt Disney World holidays? A Disney World vacation during the Christmas season can be a very fun experience, with beautiful and festive decorations and events made even more special with that Disney magic…and of course good food. This article will share some specific things you may want to know about Disney World dining during the holidays, and discuss the best way to plan a Disney vacation to insure that you make the most of your dining budget as well as your equally valuable time.

To begin with, you need to make dining plans, because if you are visiting between Christmas and New Year’s, you will be at Disney World during the busiest time of the year. This is one time of year when you can’t really be spontaneous about eating…unless you like waiting in line for hours, or not being able to get seated at any table service restaurant at a decent time. You will be sharing the parks with many, many other people, so be prepared to plan a little ahead about your meals.

So the first tip is to make your dining plans in advance, and if you plan to have any table service meals, make your Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) before you leave for Disney World. More importantly, if you are visiting during Christmas week, make them now.

It is important to understand that, when it comes to ADRs, Disney policy allows people the chance to make Advanced Dining Reservations months ahead of time, currently 180 days in advance. So this means that folks have been making ADRs for Christmas week for a long time now. The most popular restaurants and times fill quickly, especially for the big days of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. So it is not realistic to expect to just walk up and get a table during this week: you might get lucky, but why chance it? If table service dining is something you really want to do, then don’t delay on this.

So what happens if you can’t get ADRs for any of the restaurants you want? While the popular ones at the parks may be full, chances are the ones at the hotels are not: many are wonderful, and it is a great way to see some of the fantastic Holiday decorations at the resorts. While you may not be in the thick of things, it can be nice sometimes to have a little peace and quiet, away from the crowds at the theme parks.

Another good strategy, especially if you can’t get decent ADR times, is to consider eating meals at “off” times. Try having your main, table service meal for lunch instead of dinner. Eat early: lunch at 11, dinner at 5…or late: lunch at 2, dinner at 8. You may be able to get table service seating this way, and for counter service meals, the crowds tend to be a little lighter during these times.

Of course, typical advice about eating some meals in, especially if you have access to a kitchen, can be helpful. Many folks with these types of amenities in their accommodations actually do the entire turkey and fixings, which can be very nice and a great way to create some special memories….and save some money in the process.

What is the best way to plan a Disney vacation when it comes to meals during the Walt Disney World holidays? A little planning will pay off with a wonderful vacation that has an extra dose of holiday magic and provide a trip filled with special holiday memories.

Nancy Bobby has been planning Disney World vacations (and doing it frugally) for over ten years, and has experienced 11 (and counting) family vacations to Walt Disney World. To discover how to plan an affordable Disney family vacation, and to receive a free Disney vacation planning guide, visit www.theaffordablemouse.com.