1st time at DW & need help with ADRS!!!

[blbh23]

Help!! I am not feeling very magical right now. This is our first trip to dw and I am stressed out about the ADRS. Our trip was impromptu so I am late in the game getting dinner resies! I do have 2 children both boys ages 5 and 1. I feel like getting these resies is ruining my excitement about going. Please help! These are what I was able to get:

9/30 arrive at 2 ( I figure we will just go to dtd and eat oop) (We are staying at ssr)
10/1 chef mickey breakfast
10/1 sci fi dinner(pay oop)

10/2 ohana brkfst
10/2 cape may dinner

10/3 lecellier early lunch
10/3 ohana dinner (7ish)

10/4 coral reef early lunch
10/4 concourse steakhouse dinner then riding monorail over to mk for mnsshp

I am concerned about all of the sit downs in one day with the children. Also I would prefer le cellier and coral reef for dinner but nothing was available. The ohana brkfst was thrown in last min on account that we may be canceling one or both of the lunches and I want to make sure to use all my ts. The only ADR's I am stuck to are the ohana for dinner and chef mickeys on the first day. Since this is our first time I don't even know what's good or even what's available. Any suggestions on how to tweak this or which ones would be ok to miss (or must sees) would be GREAT!!!
I'm sorry if I'm rambling I am just stressed out!! Thank you so much for your help!!!

 

[blbh23]

bump

 

[NUguyinCrew]

For your first time it looks like you have a good handle on things. You didnt over book per day so that youre always running from meal to meal. You picked some great places (all but sci fi - maybe try 50's Prime Time instead) but as always on here everyone has their favorites.

Id say looks good to me and dont let the planning take away from the enjoyment (especially the lead up to getting there).

 

[ParkPrincess]

Are you on the dining plan?

 

[Colleen27]

9/30 arrive at 2 ( I figure we will just go to dtd and eat oop) (We are staying at ssr)
10/1 chef mickey breakfast
10/1 sci fi dinner(pay oop)

10/2 ohana brkfst
10/2 cape may dinner

10/3 lecellier early lunch
10/3 ohana dinner (7ish)

10/4 coral reef early lunch
10/4 concourse steakhouse dinner then riding monorail over to mk for mnsshp

I am concerned about all of the sit downs in one day with the children. Also I would prefer le cellier and coral reef for dinner but nothing was available. The ohana brkfst was thrown in last min on account that we may be canceling one or both of the lunches and I want to make sure to use all my ts. The only ADR's I am stuck to are the ohana for dinner and chef mickeys on the first day. Since this is our first time I don't even know what's good or even what's available. Any suggestions on how to tweak this or which ones would be ok to miss (or must sees) would be GREAT!!!

It actually looks like a pretty good plan, but it would help to see your park days along with the ADRs. It looks to me like you have one day at MGM and two at Epcot, which doesn't leave a whole lot of Magic Kingdom time, but I don't know if you have half-days planned or something like that.

The park hours are long enough in early Oct that transportation back to your resort after dinner at a resort shouldn't be a problem. I know a lot of people talk about 2 sitdowns being too much for kids in a day, but we've always found it to be a nice break from the excitement of the day. It can make it hard to fit in time to use up CS credits, though.

 

[blbh23]

I really appreciate everyones suggestions! Yes, I am on the dining plan.

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

We have 2 TS booked per day of our trip and we have 2 little kids, and the friends we're going with have 2 little kids. We did mostly buffets and a lot of character meals because at the buffets the kids can get food right away which help cuts down on the "antsy" factor, plus the character interaction will help to keep them entertained so maybe we can actually eat for 5 seconds in peace Also, the TS will hopefully give them a little "down time" from running, running, running from park to park and ride to ride....I cannot comment on specific restaurants because we've never been to any of the ones we're trying, but most of them came from reccomendations from friends who have AP's and go down all the time. We have character dining at Breakfastasaurus, Ohana's, Hollywood and Vine, Crystal Palace, and CRT for breakfasts, and Akershus and Chef Mickey's for dinners...plus a couple of "adult" places for dinners but my mom is coming and we won't be taking the kids! HTH!

 

[blbh23]

I know my park days look crazy. I really dont have a set day to see each park..Oh no that may be tabu to say here! I tried to be organized and plan per park but there were no reservations I could find that would allow me to do that. So I decided to get the park hopper passes and rent a car. This way we can go to whichever park we want and drive to dinner. Preferably I would have rather had a plan.

 

[ahonjen]

It looks like our boys are the same age. I would get rid of the Sci-fi dinner. It is dark and the seating may not be the best for your 1-yr old. Also, if you are in MGM, we found that Pizza Planet is a can't be missed counter service meal. Our 5-yr old loved it the past two years we were there, and there is more than enough food if you are on the dining plan with salads and desserts.

I wouldn't worry about Le Cellier or Coral Reef for lunch. The food is just as good during that time. Are you trying to choose between one or the other? In terms of atmosphere, your boys will probably enjoy Coral Reef more. Le Cellier is a dark, wooden cellar atmosphere--not as much fun as the fish!

Now this is my opinion, but I don't think the Ohana bkfast is necessary. You'll be spending precious morning time sitting in a restaurant when you can be in the parks (that is if your boys are at their best in the morning.) And you'll be at the Poly the next night, so you'll get a chance to see the resort then.

If you don't have your heart set on Cape May Cafe, I would cancel that, and then try to move Coral Reef to 10/2. This would give you 1 TS on most days, in particular the day where you go to MNSSHP.

 

[NUguyinCrew]

If you don't have your heart set on Cape May Cafe, I would cancel that, and then try to move Coral Reef to 10/2. This would give you 1 TS on most days, in particular the day where you go to MNSSHP.

Personally I LOVE Cape May and plan on making it a fixture in our Disney vacations. Nothing like a sea food buffet with amazing desserts.

 

[ParkPrincess]

Help!! I am not feeling very magical right now. This is our first trip to dw and I am stressed out about the ADRS. Our trip was impromptu so I am late in the game getting dinner resies! I do have 2 children both boys ages 5 and 1. I feel like getting these resies is ruining my excitement about going. Please help! These are what I was able to get:

9/30 arrive at 2 ( I figure we will just go to dtd and eat oop) (We are staying at ssr)
10/1 chef mickey breakfast
10/1 sci fi dinner(pay oop)

10/2 ohana brkfst
10/2 cape may dinner

10/3 lecellier early lunch
10/3 ohana dinner (7ish)

10/4 coral reef early lunch
10/4 concourse steakhouse dinner then riding monorail over to mk for mnsshp

I am concerned about all of the sit downs in one day with the children. Also I would prefer le cellier and coral reef for dinner but nothing was available. The ohana brkfst was thrown in last min on account that we may be canceling one or both of the lunches and I want to make sure to use all my ts. The only ADR's I am stuck to are the ohana for dinner and chef mickeys on the first day. Since this is our first time I don't even know what's good or even what's available. Any suggestions on how to tweak this or which ones would be ok to miss (or must sees) would be GREAT!!!
I'm sorry if I'm rambling I am just stressed out!! Thank you so much for your help!!!

Since you're on the DDP, you only get 5 TS, 5 CS, 5 Snacks per person (minus the 1 year old). You have 7 TS listed that don't have OOP beside them.

For your first full day, I would skip Sci-Fi. Now, we love it; but I'm not sure how your 1 year old would like it. We always go there for lunch b/c we like their burgers. If you're going to be at MGM that day, I would go for 50s Prime Time. Since you're eating breakfast at Cont and it's near MK, why not go to MK that day and have dinner at Crystal Palace?

I think the rest of your days look great! Have fun!

 

[Colleen27]

I know my park days look crazy. I really dont have a set day to see each park..Oh no that may be tabu to say here! I tried to be organized and plan per park but there were no reservations I could find that would allow me to do that. So I decided to get the park hopper passes and rent a car. This way we can go to whichever park we want and drive to dinner. Preferably I would have rather had a plan.

Well then, my suggestions for a plan would be:

Day 1: I'd spend the morning at the Magic Kingdom, since there isn't really a full day's worth of stuff at MGM for little ones IMO. Then hop over to MGM around lunch, catch the shows, and keep your ADR at Sci-Fi. It sometimes gets bad reviews, but the atmosphere is amazing and that's one of our must-dos for every trip. I love it. You wouldn't really need a car on this day - the Contemporary is a short walk from the MK, so you could hop the bus to MK, walk to breakfast, and then walk back to the Contemporary to get a bus to MGM.

Day 2: This is where I'd make some changes. With breakfast at Ohana, I'd spend the day at the MK and cancel Cape May for dinner. If you want a sitdown dinner, try for Liberty Tree Tavern or The Plaza, or just use some counter service credits at Cosmic Rays or Pinocchio Villge Haus. That way, you don't have to drive on this day, and you can avoid the whole TTC parking mess at the Magic Kingdom.

Day 3: Looks good for an Epcot day. People say Epcot isn't a kids' park, but I disagree. My kids love it, and it is the park where we met the most characters with the least lines last trip. Driving might be quicker on this day, but the monorail ride over to the Poly is nice and the walk from the TTC to the resort is very pretty if you don't feel like changing monorails and riding the resort line over to the Poly. Even in the August heat last week we enjoyed the walk. Getting back to your resort without a car wouldn't be a problem either - the launch from the Poly back to MK is quick and its a really nice trip, IMO.

Day 4: I'd suggest sleeping in on your MNSSHP day. Hit Epcot for lunch and anything you might have missed then hop over to MK, or cancel Coral Reef for lunch and just spend the day at the Magic Kingdom. I'd probably cancel that lunch, because you already have more sit-down meals than you have credits for and it would simplify your schedule some to just have one park for the day.

In case you can't tell, I'm coming at this from the perspective of not needing/wanting a car on our Disney trips. I really like the Disney transportation system, now that I've got a working understanding of the routes and options, and we haven't felt the lack of a car on our last 2 on-site trips (at POR and BC). But if you think your little ones will need afternoon breaks (mine didn't, because they'll sleep anywhere, even in a stroller to DisneyWorld! ) the car will probably come in handy. Just keep in mind that, when driving to the Magic Kingdom, you have to park, take a tram to the TTC and then the monorail or ferry to the park itself, because the parking lot is on the opposite side of Seven Seas Lagoon from the Magic Kingdom.

If you cancel Coral Reef and Cape May, you'd only have one sit down meal out of pocket and you'd be more likely to have the time and appetite to use your counter service credits. There are some nice ones, especially at Epcot and Magic Kingdom. We just discovered the Main Street Bakery, and that's on our must-do list now too.

Hope this helps! No matter what you do, you'll have a great trip, so relax and think of the planning as just part of the fun.

 

[SheenaXena21]

9/30 arrive at 2 ( I figure we will just go to dtd and eat oop) (We are staying at ssr)
10/1 chef mickey breakfast
10/1 sci fi dinner(pay oop)

10/2 ohana brkfst
10/2 cape may dinner

10/3 lecellier early lunch
10/3 ohana dinner (7ish)

10/4 coral reef early lunch
10/4 concourse steakhouse dinner then riding monorail over to mk for mnsshp

If it were me, this is what I would do...
I would keep the CM breakfast, since you have small kids. Plus I've read that they have good food. Then I would do a CS dinner.
I would keep the Cape May dinner. I don't like wasting too many TS credits for breakfast. Do a CS lunch and eat in the room for breakfast.
Keep the Le Cellier lunch. I've eaten there twice for lunch and loved it! Do a CS dinner.
Keep the CR lunch. We eat there for dinner last year and LOVED it! We also ate at Concourse and wasn't really impressed with it. It wasn't bad, just not impressive. And do a CS dinner.
I wouldn't pay OOP too much. You will have plenty to eat, so there's no need to pay OOP. If you have too many ADR's, you'll be jumping around too much and your kids will be mean for the whole trip, and so will you. I know you want to try different places, just not too many. Takes the magic out of the next trip. If you have another TS, try one of the MK restaurants for your MNSSHP night. Make it early, so you can enjoy the party.
I hope this helps. There's lots of good suggestions above me too.

 

[HayGan]

Help!! I am not feeling very magical right now. This is our first trip to dw and I am stressed out about the ADRS. Our trip was impromptu so I am late in the game getting dinner resies! I do have 2 children both boys ages 5 and 1. I feel like getting these resies is ruining my excitement about going. Please help! These are what I was able to get:

9/30 arrive at 2 ( I figure we will just go to dtd and eat oop) (We are staying at ssr)
10/1 chef mickey breakfast
10/1 sci fi dinner(pay oop)

10/2 ohana brkfst
10/2 cape may dinner

10/3 lecellier early lunch
10/3 ohana dinner (7ish)

10/4 coral reef early lunch
10/4 concourse steakhouse dinner then riding monorail over to mk for mnsshp

I am concerned about all of the sit downs in one day with the children. Also I would prefer le cellier and coral reef for dinner but nothing was available. The ohana brkfst was thrown in last min on account that we may be canceling one or both of the lunches and I want to make sure to use all my ts. The only ADR's I am stuck to are the ohana for dinner and chef mickeys on the first day. Since this is our first time I don't even know what's good or even what's available. Any suggestions on how to tweak this or which ones would be ok to miss (or must sees) would be GREAT!!!
I'm sorry if I'm rambling I am just stressed out!! Thank you so much for your help!!!

I think your plan is pretty good except for the last day. That is alot of running around with 2 little boys on an evening that is going to be long (due to attending MNSSHP.) Since you already more meals than credits I would take out the Concourse Steakhouse for dinner. Just eat at a counter service for dinner that evening.