ADR question from someone who hasn't been in 4 years

[pisco]

I am getting the impression from these boards that without ADR's it is not possible to eat at a sit down restaurant anywere in WDW. Is this only the case if you use the Dining Plan or is it the case for everybody?

If the latter is true it will cause me to really rethink my plans to go to the World in Dec. I really love to go to as many restaurants as possible but my wife and I are more "go with the flow" types. It just doesn't work for us to plan all of our dining ahead of time.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I am one who likes to go where the day takes me. I have noticed that has become difficult to do and I do believe it has to do with the Dining Plan......which works for the people who use it and Disney, otherwise Disney would not offer it.

So, in saying that, I would suggest if you have something you really want to do that you make the effort to book some of your dining ahead of time....or when you check in, head over to guest services and book what you can....you will definitely need to be flexible on the times if you are going to book when you get there.

 

[goofy4tink]

It is getting harder and harder to just walk into a restuarant in WDW. Yes, the dining plan has impacted that, but Disney does like to have their restuarants full. As Mackey Mouse just said...pick some spots where you know you'll want to eat, at least a couple of them. Then, you can wing it the rest of the time. There are some restaurants that may be easier to get into than others. I now try to have one ADR per day, just to be on the safe side...yes, it's a pain, but at least I know I'm going to be able to eat someplace other than at a counter.

 

[liamandcaili]

It depends. If you are looking to dine at some of the more popular restaurants, Le Cellier for example, you might have problems. However, if you are flexible, aren't looking to eat at peak times, and don't care whether you dine at a specific restaurant, you will be okay. You also have to be willing to wait for a table...somtimes even people with ADRs are waiting 30 mins to be seated. We have two young children, so waiting isn't an option and we always make ADRs. However, when we were there last December, most of the restaurants we ate at were taking walk-ups (including California Grill), but we were often there at dinner opening or the end of the lunch menu.

 

[bluejasmine]

Back in 2003 we went to WDW without making ADRs didnt know I needed them and got into three places without them Capt Jacks, Rainforest Cafe (DTD) Sci FI but that was before the DP and now so many more ppl will be in TS restaurants so I wouldnt take the chance if there are some you have your heart set on. I remember wanting to go to St Angel and it was booked one night I was able to get one for later in the week tho. There were a few other places we had tried to get into and couldnt also..ADRs are always a good idea

 

[sue1013]

We always go in December the first or second week. It is usually just 2 of us other than Le Cellier we haven't had a problem getting in anywhere else. I think its because we are only 2, if your group is larger you may have a problem. Even with 2 you will probably have a short wait. We like to wing it too.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

We were at 50's Primetime on 6/11 for a 3:30 ADR. We arrive quite early and were able to check in and wait in the "living room". We watch a number of guest be turned away as walk-ins. There weren't any walk-in tables available until much later in the evening, like after 8 or 9pm.

I personally would not plan a TS meal or buffet without having an ADR, unless I was going to be in WDW during one of the slowest times of the year.

 

[pisco]

Thanks for the replys everybody. Since we will be going in December it shouldn't be too bad. I guess we will just have to go and see how it works out.

 

[2trips06Mom]

My DH, I and 2 DS (19 and 17) went the end of June. It was a our first trip and we weren't on the dining plan. After reading on the DIS boards about how hard to get into a restaurant to eat, we decided to book a meal for every night of our stay thinking if we didn't want to eat there we could always call Disney Dining that day and cancel. We did cancel one lunch at Le Cellier (we were too hot and tired), but we did do all of our dinners and were glad we had made the arrangements. However, that said, we did not make an ADR for our last night (it was a Wednesday) and when dinner time came we realized we wanted to go eat... We were staying at FW Resort so I called Dining and they were able to get us in an hour later at the Trails End Buffet - which worked out perfectly because we finished in time to see the Electric Water Parade and the fireworks over MK. Overall, for us the ADRs worked out well because each day we got up, went to a park, came back and relaxed, swam or slept in the afternoon, and went back to whichever park or area our ADR was at. We got to see a lot of different areas (resorts, parks, etc) that way. Plus all of our adr's were like at 8:00 pm or later - my family all loves late dinners.

So... with all that.. my recommendation is to figure out a "tentative plan" for the day, make ADR's based on that and know that you can always cancel and /or try for something else if you aren't where you want to be for that meal.

Good luck.

 

[simonbg]

From my PERSONAL experience…. Not having ADR during the holidays is a mistake. I am normally a planner, but 2yrs back I was at the WDW for NYE. We had reservations for all the important stuff.. but I left Jan 1st as a free day to go with the flow…. Okay, long story short… the Disney Reservationists laughed when I called mid-morning to see what was available for dinner. Not a SINGLE restaurant in WDW had space on New Years Day. Nothing. No Where. No Hotels. Just Nothing.We had assumed most families would be traveling and it would be light. Not the case at all.

So the moral of the story is “while it sucks to plan” put in just a small amount of time and had something you can go to and not have to wait for a 10pm O’Hana dinner, like I had to.

 

[stschaefer]

When we went last September we had ADR's for all of our meals (thanks to the Dis boards suggestions ) We were able to eat at CRT, Chef Mickey, Mama Melrose, etc. We did see people being turned away even when the crowds were not as busy as June or July crowds. If you are not picky you can probably go with the flow - LTT, San Angel, and Concourse Steakhouse we didn't really need reservations for the times we went. Hope you have a great time!

 

[NMW]

I am getting the impression from these boards that without ADR's it is not possible to eat at a sit down restaurant anywere in WDW. Is this only the case if you use the Dining Plan or is it the case for everybody?

If the latter is true it will cause me to really rethink my plans to go to the World in Dec. I really love to go to as many restaurants as possible but my wife and I are more "go with the flow" types. It just doesn't work for us to plan all of our dining ahead of time.

We were at Disney Dec1-9 last year and I can not tell you how many people walking up to restaurants with out ADR's, we saw turned away. It was every where, not just the most popular places. A lot of people were really upset.

We saw a family at San Angel while we were waiting for our table that told the hostess CM that they had tried literally every restaurant in the World Showcase and was there anything they could do for them, they were told "sorry." They looked really frustrated. We also saw this happen at Cape May Cafe, Kona, Brown Derby, and Ohana. We ate between 7-8 PM every night.

We even tried to do a last minute TS lunch at Mama Melrose at 1:30 one afternoon and were told that they weren't accepting any walk-ups for lunch OR dinner.

I posted last year that I called at my 90+10 mark exactly, and could not get Le Celliar for any night of our trip any any time. I called many, many times and never got it.The CM's told me that it was a combination of the CP packages and the popularity of the dining plan. I got it for our Oct trip, but I called at 7AM at our 180 day mark. We were at a hotel for a wedding that weekend and I brought all my Disney stuff and called on my cell phone in the bathroom of the hotel room, so I didn't wake up my kids. Other people at the wedding thought I was nuts when they heard, but I got all the ADR's I wanted!

 

[Laura]

We didn't find it hard to make ADRs while in WDW in late April/early May. We planned ahead only slightly. I planned a little ahead of time and made only one ADR months before--for Boma at 5:30 on our first full day, which was our AK day. We walked into Raglan Road for dinner and Boatwrights for breakfast, and all other ADRs were made a few minutes, a few hours or a few days ahead of time, as our choices led us. We absolutely ate where and when and what we wanted and were never told "No".

I think if one were in a very large group, or went during the free dining plan or a busier time of year than when we were there, it would be more difficult.

 

[liamandcaili]

Thanks for the replys everybody. Since we will be going in December it shouldn't be too bad. I guess we will just have to go and see how it works out.

We were there the first week of December last year, and it was surprisingly busy...not crazy busy most of the time, but I expected the crowds to be lighter. I wouldn't count on December being a low time.

As for our ADRs, we made them for every night, but if we wanted to switch or eat earlier, then we called Disney Dining from the parks to see if we could switch. Every time they were able to accomodate our request. However, we weren't eating between 6 and 8. Bring your cellphone, and as soon as you do know where you would like to eat, call and see if you can make a reservation. We even did this when we wanted to arrive a half hour later. It worked, and we never had to wait very long for a table once we arrived.

Have fun!