Are ADRs always worth it?

[dis-me]

Is it really worth 2 adults in late January booking ADRs, especially as we will definitely want to eat at the full-service restaurants, but don't have our hearts on anywhere in particular or know where we might be on each given day.

 

[Ears2You]

I would say YES! More importantly, do you have the DDP? If you do, then you should book ADRs so you can use your credits. If you don't have the DDP, then you should realize that you may not be able to eat a restaurants during peak times and may not be able to wait for a table at many restaurants. If you don't make ADRs then you should assume that you may be eating at more CS places than TS places.

 

[Bev J]

The time of year your going is pretty slow, so you can wait till it gets closer to book any ADR's. At least go with some made, you can always try and make changes as needed once you get down there. It seems like no matter the season if you don't have one you will be waiting a while for a table as a walk in or not getting one at all.

Bev

 

[sue1013]

I'm going to disagree with the above poster. DH and I only will make ADR's if there is a popular place we don't want to miss. If we were going at a peak time then I would say yes make them but end of January is not peak. We don't like to have plans on vacation seems too much like everyday at home. As long as you are flexible you will not be forced to eat CS.

 

[dis-me]

It will only be dinner time, we'll eat CS for lunch/breakfast. And actually waiting doesn't bother me at all. The wait for BOMA and Ohana in 2004 were great as we could explore the hotels.

 

[BionicEar]

Especially if there is a restaurant you don't want to miss. I remember seeing some very disappointed people who wanted to eat at LeCellier and were dismayed to find out that nearly everyone in there had made ADRs 90 days ago. When we arrived for dinner, there was one rude guest who told us as they were walking out, "They're full - you won't be able to get a table." DH looked at them and said, "My wife got reservations 180 days ago." Needless to say, they were pretty ticked off when they watched us get seated about 10 minutes after our arrival. Yes, they actually stuck around to see if we would get seated!

When I had to go to Guest Relations to get my ALD for the day at Epcot, they had a board there with their list of restaurants and whether they had availability. Very few had any tables left. Nearly all were full for the evening. And this was after the rope drop.

If you can't make up your mind, you could make two ADRs at one place and then cancel ahead of time. Don't ever assume that you can make an ADR the day or two before. That's a lesson I learned last time we went.

It's like the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. So yes, make your ADR's, regardless of whether WDW is crowded or not at the time of year that you are going.

 

[Terk-1]

Even when I go solo, I always make ADR's for all of the table service restaurants I want to dine at. This way I know I have reservations.

 

[dis-me]

So can you cancel ADRs then?
Do you pay to make them? Obviously if you don't need to pay and there's no penalty for cancelling then I might as well make them!

 

[madalex]

So can you cancel ADRs then?
Do you pay to make them? Obviously if you don't need to pay and there's no penalty for cancelling then I might as well make them!

There is no charge to make them (with some exceptions, that take a credit card number and charge you if you don't show up) and you can cancel them once made. As a courtesy to others, if you do make an ADR and then decide not to go to that place, do cancel as soon as possible, so that others may take the space that you reserved.

 

[Lila95]

When we went in Oct. 2002, the only ADR's we had were for O'Hana, dinner ar CM's, and breakfast at CRT. It was our first trip in several years so we weren't up on all of the popular places to eat, plus we had 4 little kids and didn't want to be too scheduled. We were a party of 9 and really didn't have much trouble finding a place for dinner. We did have to wait close to an hour at Rain Forest, but that was the longest.

If there are places you consider must do's I would make an ADR. I know CRT has a 24 hour cancelation policy and HDDR is 48 hours. Those are the only ones I have encountered. They did take my credit card number and told me they will charge me if we don't cancel or don't show up.

 

[dawgfan]

I have gone with and without ADR's. It depends on the time of year you go and what type of person you are. I have done no ADR's in June when it was really crowded and on an adult only trip with my wife. My wife hated the whole planning thing and thinks I over do it. She hates to have too much scheduled stuff in our trips. She did not like the idea of having to rush around in order to get somewhere for an ADR. Disney Transportation is fine but can be somewhat unpredictable and inefficient at times. We were late by 10 to 15 minutes last trip for every ADR and seemed to be running and stressing over having to be somewhere. She hated this. When we went on the adult only trip we had only one ADR for our anniversary at Narcoosies. It was June as I said and the parks were loaded with people. We enjoy a relaxed pace and do not get upset if a wait is necessary before eating. This seems to be especially true at Disney as there is always something to ocupy ypur attention and time during the wait. There is usually a bar to sit in as well. We had no long waits anywhere and only encountered one night when in DTD where we really could not decide where to eat. By the time we decided places were shutting down. ADR's are a great plus with kids in tow as waiting, for them, is torture. With two adults at a leisurely pace, no ADR's is no problem. January should be a breeze to do without them.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Eating at Disney today is nothing like it was a few years ago. We used to be able to wait until the day of to make ADR's (then called PS's) when we went during the non-peak time. That's hardly true anymore. We're going the week after Thanksgiving (a non-peak time) and called a few days after the 180 mark and had to change a few of the times we wanted to eat by a few hours. I can't imagine if we waited until it got closer. From my understanding, Disney restaurants used to only book up 50% of their restaurant with ADR's and left the other 50% open to walk ups. Making ADR's not as popular and not a necessity. I've heard from a few restaurant managers that that is no longer the case. That they allow 100% ADR bookings and if all of the time slots are filled they don't allow walk ups all day or if they have a few left open at a certain time then they will accept walk ups at that time.

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

To be on the safe side, I would make an ADR. As mentioned above, it is free. I used to think that I had to book an ADR for the place I was planning on visiting that day. But honestly, just make ADRs for the restaurants you both want to eat at. No matter where you two will be, you will just need to allow a little time for travel. No big deal. Having an ADR is a lot better than being turned down because a restaurant is full.

 

[Lila95]

Eating at Disney today is nothing like it was a few years ago. We used to be able to wait until the day of to make ADR's (then called PS's) when we went during the non-peak time. That's hardly true anymore. We're going the week after Thanksgiving (a non-peak time) and called a few days after the 180 mark and had to change a few of the times we wanted to eat by a few hours. I can't imagine if we waited until it got closer. From my understanding, Disney restaurants used to only book up 50% of their restaurant with ADR's and left the other 50% open to walk ups. I've heard from a few restaurant managers that that is no longer the case. That they allow 100% ADR bookings and if all of the time slots are filled they don't allow walk ups all day or if they have a few left open at a certain time then they will accept walk ups at that time.

Now it all makes sense. Four years ago we did fine with very few ADR's. This year I called at the 190 day mark (later in the day though) and got the places I wanted but had to be very flexible about the times. I was suprised by that since October isn't a peak time, but your post clears it up.

 

[CarolA]

I read these horror stories, but...
Last Sunday at 5:30 I walked into Chefs de France. Epcot was very crowded and having heard horror stories all summer I figured this was a long shot. It wasn't... I think the only place in Epcot I could not have eaten that night was Le Cellier.

If it's just me I don't do ADRs....... I did them for June trip and wound up cancelling every one and going someplace else. (without ADR's again no big issue....)

 

[KimWDW]

I think it really depends on the time of year. In January, you should have no problem. I would only make ADRs if you want a character meal or if you want a highly popular restaurant (Le Cellier).

 

[Amy&Dan]

I know some people say they have gotten into places in busy months with no problem. And that certainly can happen. But its getting more unusual since the DDP is so popular. Park crowds do not necessarily equate dining crowds. Especially in the days before the DDP which is just gaining more followers each day. We have been in off times (like early January and early May this year) and we saw many, many walkins getting turned away. I was able to make a couple of last minute (as in day before) ADR's (Cape May and Garden Grill) but I had to do weird times. I would only go "ADRless" if A) You are okay with possible long waits, or not getting in at all and B) You aren't on the Dining Plan. It would be an extremely big shame to pay for the DDP and have leftover TS credits you couldn't use. I wouldn't risk it. Make a few, you can always cancel if you need to. Each trip I am surprised at how much harder it is getting to get ADR's. Also, don't forget that the 180 ADR mark is different than the old 90 days out thing.