ADRs or no ADRs

[hosler427]

Just curious what everyones personal preferences are for dining. I am struggling a bit with my upcoming trip. So many restaurants I want to try (both QS and TS) but don't want to overdue it. I believe dining is a big part of the vacation experience and something I look forward to the most. You can get to that over saturation point though. It does limit flexibility and tie you down. So what do you prefer? TS to QS? ADR to no ADR?

 

[loves to dive]

We eat TS just about every day but don't make advance ADRs. We just book them day of while walking around the parks. We have APs so have park hoppers and have never had a problem booking them that way. That way we aren't tied down in case we want to do something else.

 

[3gr8boys]

I have planned our April 2018 vacation to include a lunch ADR each day (except our first MK day- son requested Crystal Palace breakfast). I like the break to slow down and regroup. I expect to use that that time to let the kids (11 and 15) share what they want to do that afternoon/night. For the most part, I am planning the first half of the day and leaving the rest open for them to make requests/take the lead.

On our previous two trips (2008 and 2014), I felt that our TS experiences were an important part of the overall "magic." Sometimes for the atmosphere , sometimes for the characters and sometimes just for feeling pampered.

 

[Jessirip]

I would say ADRs, just because so many places book up and you may not be able to enjoy the place you really wanted to try without one. For our upcoming trip I am limiting us to one per day (except one, and then they are 8 hours apart), and thinking of it more as a scheduled break rather than tying us down. We are also on the DDP, so have a lot of character meals this trip for our 3 & 6 year olds.

 

[Shanti]

Just curious what everyones personal preferences are for dining. I am struggling a bit with my upcoming trip. So many restaurants I want to try (both QS and TS) but don't want to overdue it. I believe dining is a big part of the vacation experience and something I look forward to the most. You can get to that over saturation point though. It does limit flexibility and tie you down. So what do you prefer? TS to QS? ADR to no ADR?

TS handles my son's dietary restrictions better than CS, so we typically do 2 TS meals per day (breakfast and dinner). We get a snack instead of lunch. Yes, we make ADRs. Less waiting/uncertainty about getting a table.

If you really look forward to the dining, you should book ADRs to ensure that you get the experiences you're hoping for, without endless waits for a table or being turned away. You can cancel as late as the night before (until midnight), so you're not really "tied down".

 

[Shanti]

Duplicate post.

 

[B-Ride]

Sitting down to a relaxing meal is something we really enjoy so we eat TS every day and always book ADRs. We do not find they restrict us as we always get Park Hoppers. In fact each morning the boys always ask me where we are eating that day. Also we always go for 8 or 9 days so we have lots of time for park touring.

 

[hosler427]

Thanks for the responses everyone. To give a little background...we have a 11 day trip coming up and I went from 4 ADRs to probably 16 because I kept adding, adding, adding. I have 12 ADRs currently and am good with that. Three are for breakfast, one for brunch, one for BOG lunch and then a variety of dinner locations here and there. I may ditch one of the dinner ones. I agree that making ADRs and having a gameplan is advantageous. On the flip side there are some nice QS places avaiable as well.

 

[chescat]

On our recent trip, we only had one ADR (BOG dinner), but we prefer the flexibility of QS. That worked out perfectly for us as we could decide on the fly where we wanted to go based on what we were in the mood for. I don't think it hurts to have the ADRs, though, especially if that's an important part of the trip for you. Maybe a nice balance would be to keep the must-dos (or those likely to be difficult to book day of), and reduce the ones that are more in the "maybe" category or likely to be available day of if you decide you want a TS.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'm making less and less reservations these days because it's really easy to find spots day-of, and it gives us much more flexibility. That said - I would not recommend it during peak times, like Christmas week, or with very large groups.

Not having a reservation doesn't automatically mean you'll be stuck with QS - you'll usually find a ton of options day-of or night before. But, I think some of the QS is better than table service (and it's cheaper and faster!).

 

[LSUfan4444]

Generally only one ADR a day, usually we got for early dinners around 5pm.

Eat a big breakfast in the room, snack throughout the morning, quick service lunch and early dinner ADRs

 

[nighttowll]

We do ADRs.

However, we do try to limit ourselves to no more than one TS restaurant a day. Sometimes, we don't do any if our day is very busy. They can take up a lot of time. I usually try to give myself 1.5 hours (not counting travel time) per meal, but I keep in mind that it could end up taking much longer, 3 to 4 hours, depending on the restaurant.

We also don't book meals outside of the area we are in. For instance, we don't book a meal at the AK lodge for a day we are at MK. We try to keep to booking a meal either in MK or at one of the MK area hotels. The time you waste traveling to and from a meal located in a different part of Disney World is not worth it to us. We have no desire for 1 meal to take up a 4 to 6 hour block of time (including travel).

If meals are important to you, go for it. Just keep in mind how much time they will take, and how long it will take you to get to and from each. If you know this information, you can decide if you feel you have enough time left over in the parks or not, and then adjust from there.

Also, if there are any must do restaurants, especially the harder to get ones. Book ADR for them. Don't count on last minute availability. Better to have an ADR for something you really want to do, then to not have one and then be unable to get one later. Yes, there is almost always some availability for last minute bookings, but you can't count on that being for the restaurant you want to eat at, at a time you want to eat.

 

[BalooFan]

I usually have at least one ADR per day and I personally don’t feel I’m tied down by making a reservation at a restaurant where I want to eat. I try to avoid QS in the parks because I just don’t enjoy the crowds, chaos, and often dirty tables. I want to sit down in AC and be served a (hopefully) nice meal at least once a day at a time and restaurant of my choice.

 

[Capang]

We’ve always done 1 a day unless you count BOG QS lunch or breakfast. On our next trip we are only booking a couple and if the mood strikes us we will see what is available once we are there. We also don’t count on getting in at super popular places.

 

[Bob Dolewhip]

I like to do one QS and two TS or two QS and one TS per day. It really depends on what i can fit into our plans. We have been very into the character meals the past couple trips since the little ones want that. It’s nice to be able to sit down and relax at a table with all your food and dishes taken care of. My kids are adventurous eaters so We all enjoy eating something a little more special than the food you find at most QS.

 

[disneyvoice]

We have scaled back on ADRs the past several trips. I just can't eat very much at WDW anymore and have an enjoyable time in the parks. We have actually found some very good food at the QS places. You just have to do a bit of research before you go to determine which QS places might have something you like. There are certain places that we always really enjoy and go back to again and again. Over a week long trip we probably average 2 or 3 TS ADRs now and that is plenty. If you decide to go without ADRs, try to eat at off times to beat the crowds at QS places or to try to get into a TS place at the last minute.

 

[Haley R]

We use the DP so we usually book 1 TS meal per day and leave the QS for flexibility. That gives us a chance to try something that we are already by at that time and lets us be flexible with when we eat. I will say that we have a QS and TS meal scheduled for one of our MK days because we are doing BOG for lunch and CRT for dinner.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We prefer TS and will make a handful of ADRs at the places we really want to go and then check availability for tables while we’re there.

 

[linznjody]

I tend to book fewer ADRs because of the time the meals take, the cost, and the overall pressure to overplan. We are doing the dining plan on this Thanksgiving trip and have booked a few we normally wouldn't splurge for, like HV Fantasmic and TH RoL packages. However, it means less flexibility for us overall, and on our other trips I'm planning, we only have a few booked. Also, we tend to go during F&G and F&W, and those booths are more fun than sitting at one restaurant for us.

What are the ones you're most excited about? Or your family will love the most? Book those first. If youre going during summer, more ADRs might give you a much needed break from the sun and crowds.

Most of all, though, you can still be flexible and change your mind later. It's easier to cancel a reservation than to book one, but I've always found everything I've wanted with the touring plans reservation finder. No matter how many times I ask before the 180 day mark, it never fails that my husband will decide two weeks out to be involved and make changes. Most are good and some are so common sense it makes me mad I didn't see it, but we've been able to make changes to accommodate some flexibility.

 

[Surgie2]

I think it depends on the make-up of your group. We have 4 grandkids under the age of 6 so TS meals - even fun character ones - can be too much. For our upcoming 10-day trip we have 4 TS reservations total and I may drop one of those. We are staying CL, though, and that will help filling in for full meals on some days - especially for the lighter eaters in the group.