PS - Are they needed??

[Valera]

This is our first trip to WDW. I just recently learned about the PS and was wondering if they are really needed or not.

I don't want to be a "slave" to PS, but I still want to be able to get good food.

 

[catnik]

Valera:
Looking at your countdown clock it seems you will be at WDW at one of the busiest times of the year. As such, I REALLY recommend making at least one PS/day to insure that you have a place to sit down and eat. The crowds can be enormous and when you are hot and tired the last thing you want to do is wait forever to be seated in a restaurant. Look at your plans and see where you plan to be each day. Maybe plan a breakfast one day, a lunch another, a dinner the 3rd day, etc. That way you will not feel like you are "a slave" to your PS but will have an "ace in the hole" re dining each day. Other options are to eat at off hours (at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. or 9 p.m.) when there will be less competition for a table. If you are driving and can dine off site, that opens up a lot of choices not available to folks without a car. Truly, if you are traveling with kids, I would strongly recommend PS. I have 4 kids (and a husband who sometimes qualifies as kid #5) and there is nothing worse than a hungry, hot and tired family with no place to eat........

 

[JESW]

Depends on where you want to eat. If you just want walk-up counter service then you will be fine. BUT...if you want to eat at any of the more popular places you will need a ps for the time of year you are going.

We were just down there last week and here's an example - the day we had a p.s. for the sci-fi at MGM we showed up at 11:30 for an 11:50 reservation. At that time they were only taking walk-ins for 9:00 that evening!

Good luck!

Jill

 

[barbnbrian]

Definitely try to make some priority seatings if you can do so. We just returned last night and we had a 2:30 p.m. seating for lunch at the Crystal Palace. It was totally booked and they were'nt taking any walk-ups. We also had a 5:00 p.m. seating at O'hana's on Saturday night. We were sooo tired and drained from the sun that I tried to change our time to later in the evening but they were booked solid also. Definitely book ahead.

 

[disneymom2one]

When it's a place (or time) you really want I think it's absolutely a good idea to make a p.s. You can get turned away if you walk up, especially to the more popular places. On the other hand, we walked into Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge right at opening last Friday and were seated immediately but I knew we could get in there. For our August trip, I have four p.s.'s - at exactly the times I want.

 

[KevinFSU]

You will be taking a very big chance, and will probably be in for some long waits, if you do not get a PS.

 

[cinderellawannabe]

We try to book one meal through PS per day, and then just wing it the rest of the time. That way you're not forced into a pre-planned schedule (which DH hates!) but it gives a little structure to our day. More often than not, we make it lunch around 1 or 2 pm - it's great to get inside an air conditioned place and relax during the worst of the day's heat. Plus, character meals are really the best way to meet and greet all your favorites - and it can be really tough to get into a character meal without PS.

Hope