Are ADR required on the DDP?

[Lila95]

This is the first time we will be using the DDP, and I have not received any info from Disney about the plan. From what I have read in a few threads I am getting the impression that you absolutely must have ADR's to use the plan. Is this correct? We have made ADR's but I figured if we got down there and found a different place we would rather eat, we could cancel the ADR and go someplace else. Is that not allowed?

 

[Anewman]

This is the first time we will be using the DDP, and I have not received any info from Disney about the plan. From what I have read in a few threads I am getting the impression that you absolutely must have ADR's to use the plan. Is this correct? We have made ADR's but I figured if we got down there and found a different place we would rather eat, we could cancel the ADR and go someplace else. Is that not allowed?

ADRs are not required on the plan anymore so than if you were paying out of pocket for your meals. It is a matter of getting a seat for dinner, if WCC(or other) is full it is full regardless of the method one would use to pay for the meal.
The reason some would strongly recommend ADRs when on the plan is because the meals are PRE PAID, so if you do not find seats and do not use the credits there will be no REFUND. If you are paying cash and can not find a seat, you grab a snack from somewhere else but there is no loss of cash.

With regards to finding someplace else and then canceling your existing ADR, without judging... Please cancel with as much notice as possible so a fellow disney vacationer can enjoy that table, but yes it is allowed. Just remember if everyone booked ADRs and did not cancel with enough notice, it would be impossible for you to find that "someplace else" because they would sitting empty waiting for that ADR.

 

[Lila95]

We would certainly cancel ahead of time. We booked all of our must do's in the first few days and some new places toward the end of the trip, that way if something looks good when we get there, we have time to rearrange. Inconsiderate people are my pet peeve so the guilt of leaving a table empty waiting for us would really get to me

 

[ont/ohana]

we were on the ddp in Nov 05. We ADR'd most meals but not all. In MGM we tried to get into SI-FI or 50's that morning (9am) both were already booked for table service for lunch and dinner. We ate at Mama Melrose, which turned out great, but kids would have preferred other places. I would suggest to make ADR's at least a day ahead from your room. Have fun and good luck!!

 

[justkeepswimmin]

We were late to plan our trip for 9/23-10/1 and I just started making ADRs the last few weeks. When I asked a CM if there was a chance to get a table w/out a reservation he told me that they have been told to tell guests on the phone that they will not accept walk ups. I was given the impression that ADRs were a must.

 

[LilyWDW]

ADR's are not "required" to eat at any restaurants... but you can be turned away because of lack of room for walkups. Those with ADRs will get tabled before any walkups, even if said walkup has been waiting 2 hours. An ADR is what is considered a "priority seating" which simply means that the person with the ADR will recieve that next table at or after their time that seats their party and ahead of any and all walkups.

An example of Priority seating to make it a bit clearer. Hard Rock Cafe has a lifetime membership that includes priority seating. A friend and myself when to a HRC in Gatlinburg TN. The wait was 1.5 hours... I showed my card and we got seated immediatly because they had been clearing a table for two at that moment . This means we were moved to the top of the wait list for a table that could seat the two of us. A party of two had actually been just ahead of us when we came in... they were seated about an hour and 45 mins after we were.

From what I understand, there are no tables reserved for walkups at Disney restaurants. This may result in some places turning away those who do not have ADRs. In total, having an ADR is the way to go because you know you will have somewhere to sit down and eat. This is even greater when you have the DDP because you will lose those credits if you do not use them. There is no refund for the money spent just because one did not have a place to eat.

If the trip is during free dining this is even a BIGGER issue, as more people are able to afford the DDP and thus the table service restaurants!

 

[mlwear]

I asked to change times for two ADR's for our trip more than a month away at Coral Reef and Sci-Fi and was told that they are fully booked for the nights I requested (this is during the start of free dining). I wanted anytime earlier, which seems would be the easier to get.
I'm going to keep trying to get my desired time at Sci-Fi hoping someone cancels.
I have something lined up for each evening, but as a pp noted, I hope anyone deciding to cancel does so as soon as they have made up their mind.
I realize Sci-Fi and CR and popular TS, not sure how booked other TS are, just wanted to mention it for planners.

 

[welovedis]

I would make enough ADRs to cover all your days. If you are there and want to change, I'd make sure there was something available at the "new" place before you cancel the "old" one. We just got back and people were being turned away from the podiums left and right because there simply were no more tables available for the rest of the night. If you are visiting during the free dining that is coming up in August & Sept (I think), I'd be sure to have my ADRs all set.