DH got "advice" from coworker on dining at Disney. Grrrr!

[Cinderella1122]

I'm in the same boat. I'm planning a trip with my parents who haven't been to WDW in over 10 years. I keep trying to tell them that it's way different then it was 10 years ago with added rides, EMH hours, etc. and that touring plans and ADRs are important. Of course they don't believe me because 10 years ago they didn't need them. I told them that I'm making touring plans and following the best park days and if they want to follow me, they can. If not they can suffer the consequences of standing in long lines during an EMH day at Magic Kingdom. Hopefully that will help them see where I'm coming from.

 

[septbaby]

Make the ADRs you want and use them. However, when he's ready to eat or plan let him make the call on site and see what response he gets. After getting turned down for 3rd time, he'll get with YOUR program.

Have a great time!

 

[kimberh]

To the OP, I hope you can still find some Character meals to eat at, especially with 4 yr old twins. You will not regret making the ADR's. I have seen and posted on several occassions, that I have witnessed many families being turned away, time and time again.

Make the ADR's.

 

[Amyg]

Although it is possible to get seating without ressies, you would be taking a chance of - 1) not getting the restaurant you want, and - 2) not getting the time you want.

We were there last July and I made ADR's everyday around 6 p.m. to avoid having a long wait and this is what we found.

Crystal Palace we didn't want to wait for our 7 p.m. ADR's so they took us at 6 p.m. with a 10 minute wait.
Marrakesh was only half full (probably seemed too "exotic" for most people.)
Les Chefs de France was full and they couldn't find our ADR's but seated us anyway with no waiting.
50's Prime Time was full and we waited 5-10 minutes.
California Grill was booked, we waited about 5-10 minutes
Boma was full but we were seated quickly.
HDDR for 5 p.m. show was booked.
Hollywood & Vine was packed because it's on the Fantasmic package! They were turning away walk ups.

As others have stated, make ressies now, you can always cancel them if you change your mind once you are there and try to make ressies somewhere else.

 

[mickeyfan2]

DH went on a business trip last week and one of his coworkers at the meeting goes to Disney multiple times a year. Anyway, she told DH that they never make ADRs, that they just decide what they want, call the day ahead, and make a ressie. I told him no way, we were making our ADRs well in advance that it was just too risky to do otherwise, he says I am trying to be too "controlling" of the trip and it was ridiculous to know where we are going to want to eat 6 months in advance. I told him we are going in mid-July, the busiest time of year, and I was planning this trip down to the minute if possible.

He is not a huge theme park fan, so WDW in July is going to be an "interesting" experience for him anyway. It will be his very first time ever at WDW, and also our kids' first time. I said we could either "wing it" and have a pretty miserable time standing in line and eating CS the whole time (we are doing the dining plan so we get a TS meal per day anyway), or we could do the UG touring plans, make ADRs well in advance, and have a fairly nice trip (it's for older DD's 7th birthday).

So....help me convince him we NEED to make our ADRs in advance! Thanks!

Why do you need to convince him, just make the ADRs but don't plan it down to the minute. Being flexible is really needed during busy times of the year.

 

[Cee]

We just found that, more often than not, we'd cancel them and I really didn't
like doing that. Now we call that day and see what's available and go with it.
We've never been disappointed, but you have to be willing to be flexible with
the time and the place. We've actually found some new "favorites" this way.
We even got in to "Hoop-dee-DOO" one evening and had great seats! We
prefer this less structured way but it all comes down to what works the best
for different people/families. It's hard to "fly by the seat of your pants" with
little ones.

The bottom line: Do what will give you the best vacation experience.

 

[dburg30]

Men are not born planners.Sorry to the men out there, I really don't hate men.

Change that to MOST men and I'll let you slide, if not, put on your fire suit..

I plan all of our vacations, and it was killing me to have to wait to 180 days to make ressies. I mean, what's up with that?!?! If I dont know where I'm staying, what we're doing 10-12 months out, I dont like it.

 

[Laura]

Have to say that your post really amazes me.....perhaps that was the "good old days"...but I know I'm reading threads on this board with people not even able to make ADR's for the free dining time.....at some places they can't make them for any day of the week, at any time of the day....at some places they can if they want to eat at 9pm or later, but of course with kids that's tough to do.

I don't think that's the "good old days", the poster said it was just last year.

We're going in January, when supposedly the crowds are much lower and therefore logic says that ADR's shouldn't be necessary for other than the really popular places.....but I would hate to know about making ADR's 180 days in advance and decide to not take advantage of that knowledge and then be disappointed when we get there and can't eat at many of the places that we want (and that we paid for already with the DDP!). I'd rather spend some time planning and reserving....then when we get there I might go ahead and try to make changes as things come up, but just in case I can't make changes it will be comforting to know I have "something" set up already. Better safe than hungry, lol.

Well, on our trip last year (late April/early May) we weren't on the DDP. I really hate feeling tied down to a dinner reservation and I never what I'm going to be hungry for (if at all hungry in the Florida heat). So I only made one ADR before we left, for a dinner at Boma. We walked up to Raglan Road, made ressies for Biergarten about 3 hours beforehand, and reserved another Boma dinner a few days ahead for our last night. We also had 3 breakfasts at Boatwright's with practically no wait, but it wasn't very busy.

But I don't go to WDW for the food, I go to enjoy the parks. There are great CS options where I can actually enjoy my meal, so I'm generally very happy. And not at all hungry.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Ask your DH if he's gonna trust you or SOME OTHER WOMAN!!!!!

 

[MommySiobhan]

Have to say that your post really amazes me.....perhaps that was the "good old days"...but I know I'm reading threads on this board with people not even able to make ADR's for the free dining time.....at some places they can't make them for any day of the week, at any time of the day....at some places they can if they want to eat at 9pm or later, but of course with kids that's tough to do.

Amazes you why?
As far as the good old days, it was just last August, on our first trip no less. Having never read the Disboards or been to Disney before I had no idea at making ADR's ahead of time.
Like I mentioned, it was very hard to get many ADR's and no character meals at all (Except the CRT) but we seemed to have more luck once we were there. We were able to get into Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys when I called from the room.
I hit the option 'If you are calling from WDW or the Orlando area' and that's what got.

Anyhow, like in my original post I would recommend making the ADR's so that you can get into some restaurants of your choice.

I planned ahead this year and managed to get ADR's at all of the places that I think our family will enjoy the most (except Le Cellier which I think dh would have liked). I'm so excited. I think our dining experience will be so much more magical this year because I planned somewhat ahead this time.

 

[jsmla]

I don't necessarily want to keep DH in the dark with the ADRs. It's just that DH thinks a vacation should just "happen." That works pretty well in the mountains or at the beach but, for us, it is a Disney disaster in the making. That's because (in addition to being a free spirit) DH:

Will not stand in line, period. My DH will spend the entire week in the hotel room before he'll stand in any line for over about 15 minutes. He will wait in the bar but that can get $$$ if the wait is long enough.

Is an extremely picky eater. Availability at Marrakesh has no meaning for us because we won't be eating there. At least not unless we stop off to get DH a burger in the good old U S of A pavilion on the way to Morrocco. (BTW, I love Marrakesh. I haven't been able to eat there since the kids quit going to WDW with us.) This goes ditto for the restaurants in Norway, Germany and Japan. As far as not knowing what we'll want to eat that far in advance, this is so not a problem for us. DH will always want something hacked off of a cow and a pile of potatoes. Burger and fries or Filet Mignon, it's all the same to him.

Is fussy about the hours that constitute dinner time. For DH 4:30 is ridiculous and anything after 8:00 is out of the question.

Does not want to hear any yakking about plans. He can't get excited about a vacation that's months away. DH won't have an opinion about anything until it's 6:00 pm and we're standing in the World Showcase with empty tummies and the only thing available is Marrakesh.

What DH would really like is me in the kitchen of our travel trailer making dinner. I don't want to end up cooking every meal while on my vacation. That, along with the fact that I don't like buffets (Boma excepted), gives me tons of incentive to make those ADRs, especially when we have the Dining Plan.

Jennifer

 

[Miss_Disney]

Really??? REALLY?!?!?!?!

Yep!!! Until looking at this site, I didn't realise that many people make ADR so far in advance! We have always made ours on the same day and never had a problem (obviously apart from Victoria and Alberts).

I recall during free dining last year hearing about people being told they had to leave the parks and head to a resort if they wanted to use their TS DDP meal credits and they didn't have a reservation. I also recall Disney modifying the plan to allow people to cash in a TS credit for a CS credit plus some extras because people were turned away at the TS restaurants. I doubt this would be true if you had no problems eating every where you wanted to just by calling a few hours before the meal.

Although we had no problems getting same day ADRs, most of the restaurants we wanted to eat at were not at the parks. Maybe park restaurant ADRs need more advanced planning

I also find it hard to believe you can decide where you want to eat in the afternoon and make an ADR for that night during Easter. Maybe you can do it at some places in June or July but during Free Dining and Easter?

Maybe hard to believe, but TRUE! Honestly!

 

[dburg30]

Show him some other threads that show a large number of folks either getting turned away at TS places or wierd hours or no times left. Ask if in the middle of July, he REALLY wants to worry about having a place to go sit down and eat for at least dinner?

 

[Luv2Roam]

We are locals, so obviously are much more flexible than many on where and when to dine at WDW.
If there is a place I know is hard to get into, I call and make ADRs months in advance. I sometimes call Disney Dining and literally just have to request the first opening on a Saturday at whatever time.
Now if it is a more out of the way resort restaurant, I can generally make an ADR while we are en route to the restaurant.
There are places that you can wing it. But it is totally dependent on the time, day, restaurant location, cost, and events at WDW.
To me it would be way too many variables to just chance winging a vacation where dining is necessary and plentiful. ADRs could make a difference between having a very frustrating and tiring vacation, as opposed to a magical one.

 

[DiRTyBuNNy]

Change that to MOST men and I'll let you slide, if not, put on your fire suit..

I plan all of our vacations, and it was killing me to have to wait to 180 days to make ressies. I mean, what's up with that?!?! If I dont know where I'm staying, what we're doing 10-12 months out, I dont like it.

Amen to that! I'm only glad my DW tolerates my super planning on vacations a year out from the trip. I just ask here where she'd like to eat and I go ahead and make the reservations. After that she doesn't want to know anything about it until we're getting off the plane in Orlando...

--Mr. DB

 

[Mkrop]

My only suggestion would be to make the ressies maybe in the parks or very close to the parks (like just a monorail trip away) and then he really doesnt need to know that you have ADRs or even if he does know he may not want to go all over the place in the heat. I know DH would never taloerated if I made him jump all over the place. Plus we did most our sitdowns for lunch since I knew DS4 was never a sure thing for being ok with a sitdown meal if he was tired and grumpy from a long day in the prak. So we did late lunches (mostly character meals) filled up and then did CS for dinner. DS4 did konk out one night at 7 and if we had an ADR we would have been bummed.

 

[gigi1313]

my dh has always sworn we don't need ADRs but i always make them anyway... then i work really hard while touring to end up in front of the restaurant we have an ADR for around the time of our ADR and he thinks we are the king/queen of walk-ups!

therefore, my advice is make the ADR but don't go all military on the "we have to be at H&V at 1600 hours!" just start hinting about an hour before the time you know you have an ADR that you're getting hungry, let's try such & such a place, wander over, let him watch the kids while you woo the CM and VOILA DINNER!

 

[a1tinkfans]

My ADR's were made on the 180 day mark, I think i had only made my resort reservation the week or 2 before. I fuss with my resort reservation(just can't help myself) but I don't mess with the ADR's Even now when you call Disney the recording is on about how you need reservations for meals because a lot of the restaurants are booked up and the CM's always make sure I have my meals booked before we hang up. We were there during free dining last year and saw many people not getting to use their TS because they didn't know to book ahead. They had even added a makeshift buffet somewhere in the MK and lengthened hours to try to accomadate people. The more you plan now the more relaxed you will be able to be on your trip.

Just wanted to say Glad your healthy and Congratulations! Another survivor here!!!