ADRs or Quick Service?

[FreeCA]

how do you decide how many ADRs vs quick service?

we are planning an8 day trip. I am thinking of about 5 ADRs and just winging the rest.

any thoughts?

 

[nw6675]

We enjoy a cool break with guaranteed seating and full service. Our trips are less about the rides and more about the food, atmosphere, and experiences. We plan around our ADRs versus the other way around. At least 1 per full day, but often 2 (breakfast and dinner).

 

[CynBeth]

I have family members with food allergies so pretty much have most meals at TS. We find the time spent at lunch and dinner is our time to relax and recharge.

 

[Disneylover99]

It varies. We often stay for 2+ weeks. Sometimes we book one table service per day. Sometimes we just eat quick service. It depends on what you like. We’ve enjoyed both types of trips.

If you feel like you have a couple of must do ADR’s. You should book them.

 

[Kerr84]

We usually do 1 sit down a day for the AC break, but our trips aren’t as long as yours.

 

[VandVsmama]

We also usually plan for 1 TS meal per day, usually at lunch time so we can sit for an hour in air conditioning.

 

[rebelbuddhist]

We use table service meals as a time to rest and recharge. We usually do a late morning or early afternoon brunch avoiding 11;00 to 1:00 busy time. and then a late dinner. Being indooors; sitting comfortably and eating well prepared food 2x a day really helps us enjoy the parks and stand up to long hours, heat and rain (sometimes). We rarely get a snack at a QS but the order ahead system has really impacted eating a quick snack on the spur of a moment.

 

[AmandaB03]

We prefer only a few ADRs so we are not set to a certain schedule. Hope you have a great time!

 

[_19disnA]

We always made reservations for our planned dinners. Lunch was at a park and we did QS for those. Breakfast was at our hotel and there are plenty of options for that. Depends on how many big meals you plan to eat. You can always cancel your planned dinner reservation the day prior without any additional charge. I think many people do that and then when their plans change, they cancel the reservation. Likely one of the reasons what appeared to be a sold out place shows availability closer to that date.

 

[MainMom]

After a morning of getting up early and touring in the heat we prefer a nice sit down lunch. We take a mid day break and don’t want to have to be in a park at a certain time for a meal so we usually do QS for dinner.

 

[loves to dive]

It's an easy answer for us, we don't plan either. If we want a TS meal, either lunch or supper, we book it day of. We always have park hoppers and love to try new places so we have never had a problem finding somewhere to eat day of. We also aren't picky about the time for the meal.

Random example: it's 11:30 am and we are walking around HS and one of us is starting to get hungry. First we play the "what do you want to eat" game. Since that game always ends with either "I don't know" or "I don't care" I hop on MDE and see what's available. Let's say there is something at Epcot available for 3:30. Since we have hoppers, I book that for lupper. We then find something to snack on until then, maybe share a QS adult meal or grab a pretzel or something like that. Let's say I find somewhere we have always wanted to eat at but it's not available until 8pm. No problem, I grab that and we either grab QS or snack.

This works for us because #1 we don't use Genie + so we aren't tied to a certain ride at a certain time, #2 we are adults (but we used the same strategy when my son was young) and #3 we like to go with the flow and experience new things and there is really nowhere that is a "must do" for us.

 

[Pumbaa_]

We like a TS midday most days. It’s a great refresher, and then we usually head back to our resort. Florida afternoons are just too hot for me.

 

[gharter]

We usually do a QS at noon and TS for dinner.
Often the TS will be a signature at one of the resorts rather than in a park. Gives us a chance to go back to the room for a bit as well.

 

[R&RsMom]

For our October 2021 trip, we booked 4 TS for 6 days, and then dropped one day before. We decided we wanted a second evening at Food and Wine. so, 3 TS, 2 F&W, and one quick service at Disney Springs. Worked perfectly for us. That said, we have been 20 times, so getting all the “high priority” restaurants was nit a concern.

 

[R&RsMom]

For our October 2021 trip, we booked 4 TS for 6 days, and then dropped one day before. We decided we wanted a second evening at Food and Wine. so, 3 TS, 2 F&W, and one quick service at Disney Springs. Worked perfectly for us. That said, we have been 20 times, so getting all the “high priority” restaurants was nit a concern.

 

[georgina]

When we went with the kids when they were younger, we usually only booked one character meal per trip and the rest QS. Now that we are going as an older couple with more relaxed timeline we book a few more ADRs. Some things like Il Mulino at the Swan/Dolphin we booked day of. Next trip I’m celebrating my 60th bday and have 4 ADRs which is a lot for us, but we are doing more relaxed park touring. (Actually 3 dinners are at Disney Springs so I have booked them in Open Table.)

 

[kwdw]

I think 5 ADRs in an 8 day trip sounds about right. We like about one a day, so I might have booked 6 or 7 depending on travel times for first and last day. Occasionally I’ll add one while at WDW and occasionally I’ll cancel one depending on my mood and the weather. If there is a festival going to at Epcot and I plan to snack around the world, I skip a TS that day.