A planner among the spontaneous!!

[bunkkinsmom]

OK, so having posted an earlier thread about what to do if I agreed to only make ADRs for 2 of our 6 nights, I got some VERY interesting responses. My favorites were to make "secret" ressies and be the hero when needed! I LOVE IT! So that's what I have decided to do.

But how far do I go? My Grand Gathering won't even plan what park to do on what day. Their logic is that we are going on one of the slowest weeks of the year (last week in January) so we won't need plans, we will just "go with the flow". Now, I am all about "the flow", but I do want to sit together for meals. There are 9 of us (6 adults, DD6, DS4, DD2) and I don't want to spend all day with these people and then have to sit across the room from them. We were blessed enough to get a GV at OKW (at the 8 month mark, no less!) and I am thrilled with that. But how many ressies do I make?

In other words, do I make ressies for somewhere in each park each night? That way we're covered. Also, how rude is it to no show? I have been in the F&B business for 18 years and I don't know if I can bring myself to no show. Also, how far in advance can I cancel? And how much time on the phone to cancel day of?

ARRRGH!

Should I just shut up and go with the flow? (That's rhetorical, don't answer that)

 

[RMulieri]

Make your ressies so you are covered.Bring a cell phone if you have one, and program wdw-dine into it.call and cancel when you know you aren't going to make it.Any notice is better to give then being a no show.

 

[Sandy321]

you have children, of course you want to plan some meals -

so are character meals out of the question?

when do the non planners plan on doing anything? The night before? That day? What about times? Do you usually work out a schedule? How would it be to say that morning "the kids are looking forward to eating in the MK - if you want to join us at such and such time I think we'll have fun" (and of course you have ressies...

maybe on your AK day you have ressies at Boma, and say at the end of the AK tour, lets head over to AKL , the kids would like to see some things there - and maybe we could eat dinner at that buffet.... (which you have ressies for)

 

[Wildflowerz]

I don't think you can make one for each park. When they notice you have more than one ressie, don't they cancel all but one?

I know how you feel, though. My crew's making fun of me CONSTANTLY for all the planning I do. However, at least they're pretty much letting me do what I want and make all the ADRs and such.

FWIW, when we went for our first time in 2000, we made ADRs in the morning, for the evening. Only had a little bit of a problem with that. However, the one night we tried to get into to a restaurant in Epcot, we were shut out everywhere and ended up doing CS. This was in December. We're going in December again, but I'm getting all ours sorted out and to our TA before the first of June, so she can make them all.

If it were me, I'd not make an ADR for our very first night. Hopefully it will be a Saturday night. Then, go ahead and plan out which park you'd go to on which day and figure out some places you think everyone would want to eat and make the ADRs. After they see what a PITA that first night is, you'll be a hero. You can let them know what you did and if there's any dissention on your choices, you can TRY and change them while you're there, but if you can't, at least you've got a place to go.

Good luck!

 

[skier_pete]

I got a lot of grief on another thread for making multiple reservations. Yes, you can do it. However, realize when you do this you are taking ADRs away from other people that want them. To me, making two reservations for the same time in different parks is OK. Making 4-5 reservations for the same meal in different restaurants is going overboard.

Contrary to what others have said, the system does not track your reservations and cancel duplicates. I had two reservation at the same restaurant under the same name for a couple of weeks only an hour apart and neither were canceled by the system. (I eventually canceled one myself.) Just don't give Disney Dining your package reservation # so they don't link them all together.

Can you perhaps convince your group to make a "tentative" park plan. (Which parks you *think* you want to do which days.) and then make an ADR for at least one restaurant each of those nights. If you end up not using them...fine...just be sure to cancel them ahead of time so someone else can get your table. This way, if your party discovers on the first night they are eating dinner at 9:30 PM due to *spontaneity*, they might like your plans a lot better. Going at a slow time of year means you should be able to get into many places, but with a big party like that you might have to be split up without ADRs.

SkierPete

 

[Wendy5055]

I have to pipe in on this thread because I was the planner for our Grand Gathering a couple of years ago w/DH's extended family...there were 12 of us (5 Adults & 7 Children). At the time, we missed free dining but did opt to have the basic DP. We were there a couple of weeks after the Free Dining promotion and it was not SUPER busy. However, because of MNSSHP...it got SUPER BUSY at night!!!!

EVERYONE thought I was CRAZY for insisting on making ADR's for our dinners (we did a character dinner EVERY night!!!). I can remember my DH saying that they (his family) were being very uncooperative...not really, but definately wouldn't make a committment unless I PUSHED!!! But once there, they were very VERY happy and grateful that I did because it was a large group and everyone wanted to be together. They all even went in together after we returned to purchase me a gift to Thank me for all the work I put into making our Grand Gathering special!!!

Go ahead, plan what you think everyone might enjoy and if you plan a few character meals for everyone (for the sake of the children's enjoyment), so much the better!!! Character meals are popular no doubt about it!!! This is not being sneaky...it is being downright THOUGHTFUL on your part!!!!

You can make the ADR's and then give everyone a list each morning of what you have planned and let them decide if they want to try going off the fly or joining you in a fun and wonderful meal. This way, you and your family (DH & kids) have some fun times all lined up daily regardless of what the others want to (or think they might) do. Giving it to them in the morning and saying "please let me know if you will be joining us so I may confirm the reservation this morning" should give them the notion that they should tell you Yes/No.

I can guarantee that if they pick being footloose and fancy free the first day...they will NOT in the days following!!! You will be the Hero in your family's eyes no matter what.


STAND FIRM...you will be happy you did (so will your immediate family...I PROMISE!!!!).

 

[james'mommy]

I say make the secret ressie's if you have to. There is no way I would go to WDW w/out dining plans. But then again I'm obsessive and my family knows it.

 

[dicar123]

Why on earth are people so doggone aggravating??

I've decided that being a nice person (as you are, willing to make arrangements for a large group) just isn't worth the annoyance. My husband and I have offered to bring our 17 YO niece from California along to Orlando in June.

RANT ALERT!

After months of trying to persuade her mother to make a decision, it came down to, "We need to buy airline tickets TODAY." But, the decision was that she can go IF her grades stay the same. So, we had to decide whether to recind the offer altogether or shell out the money for tickets before knowing what her final grades are.

We bought the tickets. Then, the mother spoke to a friend in Orlando. Oh well, the girl certainly MUST see this friend while we're in Orlando! No asking if we would mind, or if it would be convenient.

The sister to the annoying mother (they are my cousins) keeps making demands! She wants us to take our digital pictures in a higher resolution because she wants BIG pictures (for scrapbooking MY vacation). She wants us to get character autographs! Are ya kidding me???

Sorry for the rant, but maybe it makes you feel better about your situation?

 

[Wendy5055]

Why on earth are people so doggone aggravating??

I've decided that being a nice person (as you are, willing to make arrangements for a large group) just isn't worth the annoyance. My husband and I have offered to bring our 17 YO niece from California along to Orlando in June.

RANT ALERT!

After months of trying to persuade her mother to make a decision, it came down to, "We need to buy airline tickets TODAY." But, the decision was that she can go IF her grades stay the same. So, we had to decide whether to recind the offer altogether or shell out the money for tickets before knowing what her final grades are.

We bought the tickets. Then, the mother spoke to a friend in Orlando. Oh well, the girl certainly MUST see this friend while we're in Orlando! No asking if we would mind, or if it would be convenient.

The sister to the annoying mother (they are my cousins) keeps making demands! She wants us to take our digital pictures in a higher resolution because she wants BIG pictures (for scrapbooking MY vacation). She wants us to get character autographs! Are ya kidding me???

Sorry for the rant, but maybe it makes you feel better about your situation?

To the seeing the friend...I would simply say "She most certainly CAN visit us at the resort when we are there!!!"...LOL that should put the oneness on the friend in Orland to make the effort to see your niece. I wouldn't cut my time at WDW short just for someone to visit.

As for the High Res pics...if they pressure to too much simply say "sure!!!" then conveniently FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!! They are at YOUR mercy (LOL) not the other way around.

 

[Tiggr924]

It is probably going to be hard to get walk up seats with a grand gathering. I think if there are some places you know you want to go to or if it makes you comfortable to know that you will have an definite option for dinner, I would definitely make some ADRs. Personally I would make some, even if you do have to keep it a secret

Remember, its your Disney experience too

 

[dicar123]

LOL! I told her the friend could come to see us on our rest day. Our other days are going to be just too long.

As for the other one, even after I explained that we have the camera set up that way because otherwise the pics are too big to e-mail, she tried to convince me to just switch it back and forth depending upon how "good" the shot was going to be!

I did immediately refuse to get character autographs. We don't leave for 3 weeks. One more demand and I might snap!

 

[Wendy5055]

LOL! I told her the friend could come to see us on our rest day. Our other days are going to be just too long.

As for the other one, even after I explained that we have the camera set up that way because otherwise the pics are too big to e-mail, she tried to convince me to just switch it back and forth depending upon how "good" the shot was going to be!

I did immediately refuse to get character autographs. We don't leave for 3 weeks. One more demand and I might snap!

Hee Hee Hee!!! You are too funny...

I forgot to comment about the autographs!!! You can offer copies of any autographs you happen to get...or you can say "sure" and FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!