Do I need ADRs for eating at Shutters? And other issues? Feedback appreciated.

[telephoneman66]

We'll be there the week of Thanksgiving, and I booked ADRs for the restaurants in the parks I wanted to try. However, you know how things go with kids. I was just wondering if I need or should book ADR(s) as a fallback at the resort restaurant, or if that is even possible to have 2 ADRs on the same day.

Please help this I don't have alot of experience with DDP or DisneyWorld in general.

Also any feedback you can give me on the ADRs I did pick:

Liberty Tree Tavern
Hoop De Doo
Tusker House Breakfast
Coral Reef
Hollywood & Vine; at 5:20 (couldn't get Fantasmic Pkg at 8 AM on my 90th day out)
Crystal Palace on T'giving Day


The one I'm iffy on is the Hollywood & Vine, not for the restaurant food, but I'd like to see Fantasmic and I don't think we'll be able to do both eat and see show based on our time.

I suppose I could double up TS meals on another day to use up my credits, but I'm not sure where and that's the nature of the question about needing ADRs for Shutters.

The other question I have is we got the 5 PM Hoop De Doo, and I'd like to take the kids to the campfire/movie at Ft. Wilderness. Is this workable? I was planning on taking the boat from MK to Ft. Wilderness then catching the bus back to our hotel, Caribbean Beach Resort. Also do able?

I'd be willing to give up the day at Epcot, we had a bad experience there the first trip we made 3 years ago. Kids are now 11 and 7, so I'm hoping they are more into the EPCOT concept. They love fish and aquariums, so I thought Coral Reef was a great idea. I've read many good reviews about the food, but I'm a little nervous about taking them back to Epcot after last time. I think part of it was we were all tired, and for some reason the crowds seemed worse at EPCOT than the other parks the day we went. But again, maybe we were just tired and cranky. I also think my kids were a bit young for enjoying the majority of the exhibits. So, how about Coral Reef? Go or no go?

Thanks for any input you have.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I stayed at CBR last January and rarely saw anyone in Shutters. It may have had a few tables with people and that's all. It's not very popular, however, you are going around a busy time.
The only others I can comment on -
Tusker House - We had a breakfast there before park opening - loved it - lots of variety on the food, Yummy juice and fun characters. Be sure to ask Daisy if she and Donald are married!
Crystal Palace - we had a breakfast there before opening too - great photo ops!! Good food and characters. Beautiful setting!
I've read some not-so-great reviews of Hollywood & Vine meals. What time is Fantasmic on the night you are planning to go? If you don't have the package, you are going to want an hour before the show starts to get a good seat. Of course, at a buffet, you could eat faster than at a sitdown/server meal.
Good luck!

 

[catne]

OP, there are reports of people's reservations getting cancelled for double-booking restaurants, even when it was done accidentally, so wouldn't advise having two restaurants booked for the same meal or you may find you have no reservation. The word is if they are booked within 2 hours they will get cancelled. Don't know if that's true or not, but people have posted that it has happened to them. There have also been Disney CastMembers post that double-bookings are routinely reviewed & cancelled if obviously a double-booking. Just a heads-up for you. You could book 2 ADRs on the same day as long as they are for different meals, like one for lunch times and one for dinner times...that will not get cancelled as a double-booking.

Like all your meal choices...we personally wouldn't do Liberty Tree Tavern again...was cute with Patriot characters & the food was pretty good but just didn't think it was all that good to warrant a repeat now that it's not a character meal anymore. Lots of people like it though, and since you're going around the holidays a "thanksgiving"style meal would probably be just fine.

You will need more than an hour before Fantasmic to get any seat. If you want a particular seat or area, plan on getting there at least 90 minutes before the show starts. With the cutback on showings, the lines for Fantasmic actually start forming as long as 2 and 1/2 hours before showtime. Often it's standing room only at one hour before show time...

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

A few thoughts...

We will be there from Nov 21-30, so I have also given some of these same issues some thought. I am guessing you are trying to see Fantasmic at 6:30pm that week. We are also going to DHS and trying to get into Fantasmic on Wed Nov 25. I think you will need to cancel the Hollywood and Vine, or make it for a different time. That 5:20 time is too close to the show. You would need to be in line by then (probably at least by 90 minutes prior to the show) to ensure getting into Fantasmic. Keep trying for a Fantasmic Dining Package by calling each day. What we did last year was grab counterservice and ate it in line while we waited.

I also could not get a Fantasmic Pkg at 7:00 am on my 90th day out this year, so what I did was get a late time for 50's prime time at 7:45pm. I figured we can bolt out of the show after we see Fantasmic and get there in time.

Another thing to consider is that we went last Thanksgiving, and very close to the time we left, they added a second showing of Fantasmic on some of the days during Thanksgiving week. I read on the Dis that they do that based on projected crowds. So...in the event they did add a second show, your 5:20 ADR might be ok.

Re: Coral Reef--we ate lunch there last year and my then-7 year old really enjoyed it. She thought the fish tanks were very cool and she would like to eat there again. We all liked our food. So I would keep that one if you've never been there.

Re: Epcot--definitely give it a try again. Some things my now-eight year old loves at EPCOT are Soarin, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Club Cool where you try free samples of all the colas from around the world, Turtle Talk with Crush, and she loves loves loves the new Kim Possible adventures. She would also stay in Innoventions all day if I would let her.

Finally, we have the same game plan for HoopDeeDoo at 5:00, then campfire and then movie. We have never done that trifecta before at Ft. Wilderness, but I think that plan is workable. We will probably take the bus to MK from ASMu, then boat to Ft Wilderness, and do the same route in reverse back to ASMu, but if for some reason that will not work on the way back to resort afterwards, we will take the bus from Ft Wilderness to Downtown Disney and transfer to a bus to ASMu.

Hope this helps.

 

[Janet11779]

BOY OH BOY.

I just came back from free dining. Are you on free dining? if so, you must book adr. We couldn't even get in , and we were staying at CBR. It took us three days and we got the 8:30 res.

I didn't want to believe it, but the food, service ..etc..was horrible. I"m not a picky eater, but they rushed you from start to finish, and the food was terrible.