Poll - Do you like the "schedule" you have to keep when you have multiple ADR's?

[DisneyAllison]

I am trying to decide whether or not to use the DDP. I have heard several people say that they do not enjoy feeling so "scheduled" with multiple ADR's. I'd love to hear from both sides.

 

[nicwoodard]

I do not feel scheduled at all because I make the ADR's - they are not just given to me. I personally think you should do some research (like check extra magic hours, busiest days at each park) and have an idea when you call. Confirming those ressies also does give our days some structure and I think that is fine. There is SO MUCH to Disney that it helps to have a plan and ADR's help do that.

 

[HarrietSLP]

Yes....We were on the dining plan a couple of years ago and after a few days we found ourselves canceling our advanced dinner reservations. I've been going to Disney World the past thirty years and I really miss the spontaneity of walking into a restaurant at your own leisure and pace. I don't like being held hostage to dining ressies.

That being said.....if it's your once in a lifetime trip and the kiddies are wanting the Character meals then having ADR's is a necessity.

 

[DisneyAllison]

I already have several ADR's... I am just having second thoughts about keeping them. I think about all of the rushing we did last time plus this year the tips are not included. I am just stuck - I dont know what to do.

 

[christa112]

We have used the DDP three times and I think I did a pretty good job of thinking ahead to what time we would want to eat. We have three kids so I scheduled our dinners on the early side as well as any TS breakfast we planned. Don't forget you get 1 snack a day for each person on the DDP, so if you get a bit hungry use a snack credit to tide you over until your meal.

 

[ancestry]

I really dislike being scheduled but I do it anyways. What I dislike even more is having to decide where I want to eat in advance. I wish that we could decide on the spot what we are in the mood for and be seated at that restaurant without having to have ADRs. But what I want isn't reality.

 

[rentayenta]

It's fine but if we get busy then we cancel our ADR.

 

[TooBoyz4us]

I am a planner and scheduler by nature anyway.
So planning our trip around ADR's is no big deal.

Besides, eating is part of our vacation ;-)

 

[DISNEYNY]

I am a planner and scheduler by nature anyway.
So planning our trip around ADR's is no big deal.

Besides, eating is part of our vacation ;-)

Same here...I have to have a plan. It works fine for my family.

 

[KristiMc]

I love planning our ADR's. For me, I like to have a sit down meal for dinner and find that it is less stressful to have the ADR and not have to be trying to find a place that has an opening.

 

[marcyinPA]

The problem with the DDP and having to make ADR's is that if you cancel an ADR because you don't want to stop doing whatever it is that you are doing, you will have a hard time getting in somewhere else, and will have difficulty using those TS credits.

If you are paying OOP, it's no biggie.

We are doing the QSDP this time, and are paying for 3 TS meals OOP. This gives us the best of both worlds. We can enjoy a couple of sit-down meals, but if our plans change, we can cancel those without penalty. Plus, we still have the convenience and the abundance of the dining plan.

We've done the regular DDP twice now, and we really did get tired of having to make it to our ADR's, constantly watching the clock and planning what time to leave point A to make it to point B. It got old fast, but that's just our opinion!

 

[RMulieri]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest to make adrs. I know that we will want to break and cool our heels for a meal so I book adrs. If I chg my mind about the restaurant, I call Disney dining and see what else is available.There is really no big deal to me.i like eating TS and I know to get what I want I need to book adrs.

 

[Faldred]

On deluxe, we were typically eating 3 meals a day, the vast majority were TS. We booked our ADRs around what we wanted our schedule to be, rather than book a whole bunch of ADRs and then trying to make a schedule around them.

So, we booked the character breakfasts first. Based on where they were, we planned our park days accordingly, adding in lunches (some days) and dinner to complement the schedule we were creating.

The other important part was time. The breakfasts were (except for CRT) all early enough to put us into the parks after eating earlier than 9:30. (For CRT, we actually went into the park and then had breakfast after a quick ride and fastpass run.) Lunches were booked for as close to noon as possible, which was right when the kids would need a break and want to eat. Dinners were booked as close to 6 PM as possible, for similar reasons.

Our touring plans were then made to match our ADRs. In DHS, for example, with a lunch at Mama Melrose, we made our way over to do Muppets 3D and the meet-and-greet with Lightning McQueen in the late morning, which put us right at MM at ADR time. On our MK days, we picked which section(s)of the park to focus on each day based on our schedule; e.g., for a Liberty Tree Tavern lunch day, we hung out in Adventureland and Fronteirland, so we only had a couple minutes walk to LTT when it was time.

 

[adventure_woman]

I did the DDP for the first time in Jan. I have been there a million times before, but that was the first time for DDP. I liked eating, but there are changes I will make for our next trip in Aug.
- I realized that 1/2 of your time was spent eating. Go into it knowing you won't do as much because you are eating a lot more TS.
- Next time I will make extra ADRs (and of course cancel the ones I wouldn't use). My DD2 did NOT like the characters. So, had I planned a lot of character meals, it would have been a nightmare. Thank goodness she stopped crying 1/2 way through 1900 Park Fare on our last night.

- Also, I would NEVER recommend it for first time WDW guests. I think it takes up too much time.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

It only an hour or two out of the day, there are still 22 left to do what you want lol thats the way i look at it

 

[JoePa4Ever]

My DW & I are ocd planners - we have no problems with scheduling adrs.

 

[Tricia1972]

I don't like the schedule, but I make ADR's. What I like about not being on a plan is the flexibility to change those plans and not worry about making up credits by trying to fit in another meal.

I don't hate the plan, I just choose not to use it because it doesn't suit our style. I'm glad it's there for those that love it!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I actually loved having the schedule and the ADRs . I love planning so it suits my personality great. Our next trip we are going without hoppers and I am a little concerned about making the ADRs and not being able to hop if we decide we wanted to do something different that day.
I just wish park hours and the Fantasmic schedule would come out sooner than time to make ADRs so that I could be better prepared.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Hate it! Would never pay for DDP. Even with it free, we will only use half our TS meals...

 

[MotherofLandon]

We are big foodies and love the dining plan. ADRs is just a necessary evil. I love planning but it is hard trying to pre detemine where we will want to be and what we will be in the mood for. I don't like being limited to a schedule, but it definitely beats the alternative of eating all cs meals or waiting hours to get a table for dinner.