ADR's: Lunch vs Dinner

[Aliceacc]

Our trip this August will be the first for our 3 kids (ages 10, 8 and 6) and we're on the DDP.I'm pretty much set on the places I want us to eat:

Le Cellier
Chef Mickeys
Fantasmic Package-- today I'm thinking Mama Melroses, but it changes
Norway Princess Breakfast
The Coral Reef
plus one more I'm still on the fence about.

I'm NOT one of those people who has to "get my money's worth" from the DDP-- it's something to make our vacation more fun, not a contest to see who saves the most money by being on the plan.

So, here's my question: is it a better idea to plan for lunch or dinner for those ADRs? I know that dinner costs more (hence, a better value) but that's not the point. And I know that 2 of the ones I've picked are already set in stone (Princess breakfast, Fantasmic) We could always do Chef Mickey's for a LATE breakfast/brunch.

I'm starting to think that a leisurely lunch in an air conditioned restaurant might be a better idea than using lunch for the CS meal. Then we could stay in the park d'jour a bit longer before heading back to the Poly for a swim, and play it by ear afterwards.

Any ideas? Reactions? Suggestions for that last meal??

 

[3mickeys&me]

I find that we really benefitted by the doing the Charactor Bkfst and dinners for the Table Services Meals. Thats what worked well for us, like you said you are more likely to spend more money at dinner vs lunch. We always do Cheif Mickey for Breakfast. We try to get the earliest ressie for that, we end up eating so much we really aren't in the mood for lunch so we do a snack to hold us over till dinner rolls around.

We Love Momma Melrose!! we do this one every trip.

I guess you need to do what works for your family Have a great trip

 

[LVSWL]

We tend to make our ADRs for around 2'ish for most days unless we have no choice, like California Grill, or Citricos. We aren't early risers, and by then it is nice to have a break from the heat and the crowds. We usually decide after that if we want to go for some pool time or use some of our fast passes(hopefully we have some ready). At any rate, we are fed, and cool and ready to go again. Sometimes the menu will dictate our decision because there can be a little bit of a difference between the lunch and the dinner menu. Be sure to check that if you think that will matter to you. Have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[puddleduck]

On our first trip, we made one lunch adr at a ts. The whole time we sat in there, I kept thinking, this taking too long. It was an early lunch and early into our trip. On our last trip, we booked and adr at Sci-Fi for 2:00 lunch on our last day. That worked out great. By then, we had done much of what we wanted, we were tired and hungry and just tired period from the trip. It ended up being a great break and we were able to do more after eating because we weren't so tired. So, to make a long story longer, I would do ts for lunch, but only for late lunches and not the first day (too much excitement to stop for a ts lunch the first day).

 

[Aliceacc]

On our first trip, we made one lunch adr at a ts. The whole time we sat in there, I kept thinking, this taking too long. It was an early lunch and early into our trip. On our last trip, we booked and adr at Sci-Fi for 2:00 lunch on our last day. That worked out great. By then, we had done much of what we wanted, we were tired and hungry and just tired period from the trip. It ended up being a great break and we were able to do more after eating because we weren't so tired. So, to make a long story longer, I would do ts for lunch, but only for late lunches and not the first day (too much excitement to stop for a ts lunch the first day).

Ohhhh.... that sounds like a good idea!!! Dinner reservations for the first few days, then more lunches as we get more tired (and have seen more of the park already anyway.)

 

[Simba's Mom]

I often prefer TS resturants at lunch time, and think it's a real good idea. For one thing, the resturant is usually much less hectic and quieter, especially Coral Reef (I MUCH prefer that one at lunch time). Another thing is that,especially in August, mid-day is the hottest time, when a nice quiet break might be especially nice. BTW, surprisingly, some resturants aren't significantly cheaper at lunch.

 

[puddleduck]

Ohhhh.... that sounds like a good idea!!! Dinner reservations for the first few days, then more lunches as we get more tired (and have seen more of the park already anyway.)

Thanks It's not often I have a good idea, so I am glad to be of help.

 

[Wendy31]

We normally do a mix of lunch and dinner ADRs, but I actually prefer lunch ADRs.

We try to make it to the park by opening, so, by 11:30ish, we're ready for a nice break. Plus, by lunchtime, it's getting HOT (& crowded), which makes a sit-down lunch in a nice air-conditioned setting even nicer. On the reverse side, it's not as hot in the evening, and instead of using "cooler" (relatively speaking) & less crowded park time for a sit-down dinner, we can use the time for touring, if that makes sense.

However, in reality, for our upcoming trip in June, our lunch & dinner ADRs are pretty even -

Breakfast - Chef Mickey's

Lunch - CRT, Coral Reef, Crystal Palace, Garden Grill

Dinner - Le Cellier, LTT, Mama Melrose, Ohana, WCC

 

[septbaby]

Le Cellier
Chef Mickeys
Fantasmic Package-- today I'm thinking Mama Melroses, but it changes
Norway Princess Breakfast
The Coral Reef
plus one more I'm still on the fence about.

So, here's my question: is it a better idea to plan for lunch or dinner for those ADRs? I know that dinner costs more (hence, a better value) but that's not the point. And I know that 2 of the ones I've picked are already set in stone (Princess breakfast, Fantasmic) We could always do Chef Mickey's for a LATE breakfast/brunch.

Any ideas? Reactions? Suggestions for that last meal??

We did CM for an 11:10 breakfast. We had a late night for the Pirate and Princess party so a late start was great for us. That meal held me until after Spectro, but I was famished by then!

We did an 8am MK start and had a 2pm lunch booked for Coral Reef. We were starved and arrived 30-60 mins early for the ADR and were seated right away. One of the best meals of the trip: we simply ate everything in sight and LOVED it too. Even our 5yo ate everything; he left part of his sundae. Your kids should love the tank and the underwater ambience was a really nice respite from the park.

We did Hollywood and Vine for Fantasmic. Actually a nice assortment of good food. Nothing too fancy and probably really comfortable for your kids. I have not been to Mama Melrose, but for us the ability to pick and chose at a buffet worked best. We also had a really nice server; Brenda.

Suggestions for the final meal:

Boma for the food and a visit to AKL

The Plaza might be a good choice for a break in the MK. Not too fancy with fabulous desserts in the heart of the Magic Kingdom!

 

[raider97]

We did a couple of the latest breakfast seating... CP and Akerhus. I really liked it.... it gave us the morning to get some of the rides done, and then gave us what felt like a lunch a little earlier so we beat some of the lunch crowd and since we were some of the latest seating for breakfast we didn't feel as rushed. HTH!!