[dznygrl]

Ideally, if I were going to eat dinner in the World Showcase and then catch Illuminations afterwords, what's the best time to plan on starting dinner?

[MickeyMcFizzle]

I would say no later than 7 - as it will probably be a few minutes late getting in, and getting ordered, etc. I find that a 7pm ADR usually gets me out by 8:45, 15 mins before Illuminations.

[dixie]

I would say the same around 7-ish. By absolute chance one trip we were eating at the Rose and Crown and our reservation worked out that we could stay at our table and watch the fireworks from a great position.

[Dana]

It depends. If you are intending to watch it from one of the retaurants you can see it from, a 7pm time frame is a good idea because you may have to wait for a water view table. IF you are going to eat and then grab a spot for illuminations, I suggest having a 6:30meal, taking your time and then grabbing a spot.

[Jennatrz]

Definitely around 6:45 to 7 at the latest. Sometimes dinners depending on where you eat can take a little while. You don't want to feel rushed through dinner either. Also you will need to take a little bit of time to find the perfect spot to watch.

[DisneyTeacher]

Where are you plannig to eat that night?

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by DisneyTeacher

Where are you plannig to eat that night?

I'm not really sure...just brainstorming so far.

[cinderbella]

7:00 ish..so you can get in out and enjoy yourself in time to grab a spot..if you're doing Rose and Crown I'd aim for 7:30

[dznygrl]

DH said no ADRs, and I'm trying to stick with that...any of the places in WS a good bet for a walk-up?

[cinderbella]

Originally Posted by dznygrl

DH said no ADRs, and I'm trying to stick with that...any of the places in WS a good bet for a walk-up?

uhh.....I dunno. To be safe I'd try and get Ryan to agree to somewhere sometime during the trip and you could call and try and make one the day before or the morning after...you might get lucky with a walk up bu 7 is a popular dinner time and you might have long waits...I would guess that the "less" popular places like San Angel and Marrakesh might have openings though?

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by cinderbella

uhh.....I dunno. To be safe I'd try and get Ryan to agree to somewhere sometime during the trip and you could call and try and make one the day before or the morning after...you might get lucky with a walk up bu 7 is a popular dinner time and you might have long waits...I would guess that the "less" popular places like San Angel and Marrakesh might have openings though?

I was thinking Ryan will probably go for San Angel if I suggest it...so maybe I will try and do that on the day before we wanna go there. I think he'll be up for an ADR as long as I don't make it before we go. He wants to feel somewhat spontaneous.

I guess it's really no biggie if we don't get it around 7 though.

[Soundgod]

I thought I'd posted here already, I guess I didn't.
My latest experiences with dining before or during Illuminations were last month at Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining. On Dec 3, I had planned to have dinner at Teppan Edo and to catch Illuminations during dinner. During December, Epcot is open until 9:30 with Illuminations being performed at that time instead of the customary 9:00. Things were cut close with our reservation for 9 PM. We were seated about 5-10 minutes later. Teppan Edo is not where Teppanyaki was. Tokyo Dining is in the space where Teppanyaki was and Teppan Edo is where the sushi bar used to be. This means that there are no windows in Teppan Edo for you to watch from. Anyway, I basically had time for orders to be taken and appetizers to be served before I had to excuse myself to get a spot, set up my camera, and watch the show. Now, this timed out so crazily that by 9:50 when I returned, everyone else was finishing dessert and paying their bills while my plate was on on the hibachi with a cover over it to keep it warm. I finished my meal fast, but didn't get to see the whole prep/cooking/serving of the meal or the conversation with 5 groups of strangers. Clearly, being seated a half hour before the show doesn't work well any place other than outside at Rose and Crown or a window table in Tokyo Dining.
On Dec 30 we had 7 PM reservations at Tokyo Dining. Well, getting seated took a little longer this night, but it's Christmas week, so you kind of expect that. We had appetizers and entrees, no desserts as we were going up to the MK after Epcot closed and we finished our meal sometime around 8:15. That gave me plenty of time to get a good spot to tape from. Well, it would have been on almost any other night but 12/30, so I wasn't able to get to the railing and had enough people in front of me that I had to take the camera off the tripod and hold it over my head to get over the other people's heads. If I was just watching, This spot would have been almost perfect.
So, you should try to plan your reservation so you are walking out of your restaurant at about 8:15-8:30 on a normal night if you aren't trying to get a high quality videotape without the crowd in front of you.

[Soundgod]

I really wouldn't consider walking up anywhere in WDW, or possibly Orlando in general, between 5:30 and 7:15. That is the time that the bulk of visitors, and people in general will be wanting dinner, especially with kids in tow.
If it's that important to maintain an illusion, book the reservation now and try not to let him know about it until sometime that afternoon and play it off as if you only made the reservation that morning. You could even fake a call to WDW DINE from your hotel room while he's in the/coming out of the shower.
I know about wanting to be spontaneous, but when it comes to my food, I'd rather have a plan than wing it and possibly be blocked out.

[Boss Mouse]

Ideally, start w/a margarita around noon.

Dinner will take care of itself.

[dznygrl]

Originally Posted by Boss Mouse

Ideally, start w/a margarita around noon.

Dinner will take care of itself.

I like this plan of action!