DisNewbie trying to make ADR's...HELP!

[strollerfreak]

This is the first trip we've taken to Disney as a family. I am slightly overwhelmed by how intricately planned this can (seem to) need to be! We are on the free DDP and we're going to plan on using that for most everything. (CRT is paid for oop)

#1 Totally Newb question...I'm guessing that if we have an ADR at a restaurant *in* a park then we need to use our park tickets to get in for that day correct?

For example, my DD & I have ADR for CRT @ 8:35am on 10/26...we do NOT have park hopper tix so that means then that we need to use our tix at MK that day correct?

My boys are 10 & 8 and my DD is 6...the oldest boy is extremely picky...but to the point where we just don't even care anymore because he can deal with it. (Don't think bad of me, we've just gotten to the point where he can deal with his limited selection and make the best of it...even if it means he eats hamburgers for 3 days straight, bleh). We like all sorts of foods, but Mexican ranks pretty high on the list, with Italian right up there too. We are open to other types of foods (DH & Ds#2 like everything from Chinese to Thai to Morroccan to whatever) we had a really good teppanaki restaurant where we used to live so that experience is fun, but not "new" for us.

I made an ADR for 1900's Fare the night of our arrival, and we have one at Coral Reef as well for later in the week.

We are also considering doing the Hoop-de-Review since the kids have never been to a dinner show before.

I was also thinking about 'Ohana for dinner one night, but all the ADR's (right now) are for almost 10pm. and maybe The Garden Grill, but again all the ADR's are taken. :-( I know I can keep checking back, but I'm not going to hold much hope.

With all that, what would you suggest restaurant wise to make the best use out of our Table Service on the DDP?

 

[Pakey]

You must use park tickets to eat inside a park so yes, you will have to go to MK the day you are doing CRT and will not be able to "hop" to another park that day.

Hoop De Doo is a great show. It's 2 credits on the dining plan though, same as CRT.

The Mexican food at Epcot is not like the typical Tex-Mex American Mexican food most people are used to. Tacos will not come loaded with cheese, etc. For Italian on the dining plan, my favorite is Via Napoli.

Biergarten in Germany is a great buffet with a band that plays music and a dance floor for kids to dance if they want. The lunch menu is similar to dinner so either meal there is fine.

Sci Fi Dine In Theater at DHS is a lot of fun; you sit in little cars and watch old cheesy black and white sci fi movie clips. 50's PTC at DHS is also fun; it's done like a 50's diner and there are antics.

Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge also has antics at their meals.

Sanaa at AKV-Kidani is Indian inspired (but tame) with views of animals.

 

[LilyWDW]

You are correct that you would need valid theme park access to be able to eat at an in park restaurant. So, without park hoppers, you would need to use your admission for MK that day to eat at CRT.

I would also suggest Biergarten for the experience and the food.

Another favorite of ours is Raglan Road in Downtown Disney.

 

[Quin]

Yes to the park ticket question. You can come and go to that same park during the day, but cannot go to another park, even just to eat.

I think it's best to plot out which days you want to to which park (www.easywdw.com has good park calendars, daily crowd estimates, and narrative suggestions, and is free). From there it becomes easier to schedule your ADRs, because you will want to either eat in the park of the day or at a nearby resort to minimize travel time.

MK: besides CRT, I think a meal at CP is pretty much a classic. Buffet should give DS all the choices he wants. Many people also use CP for breakfast. IF your family is willing to get up early, an 8:05 am ADR on a non-EMH day when the MK does not open until 9 lets you have an uncrowded stroll up Main Street, great photo ops, and a jump on the crowd at rope drop if you don't dawdle over the food. Meal experiences at all the monorail resorts are fun too. And don't forget that you can experience a resort by eating at their CS rather than their TS, too. Contempo Cafe in the CR is especially fun because you are eating with the monorail going by overhead. Capt Cook at the Poly is neat because you can have Dole Whips (soft serve ice cream: vanilla, pineapple, or swirl) for your dessert.

Epcot: hard to go wrong here. I personally prefer the menu at Tutto to Via Napoli, but that's just me. Biergarten is particularly fun and has good food. Although the Chinese and Japanese restaurants are supposed to be pretty good, in keeping with a lot of other folks I skip them just because I know I can get similar food at home. Moroccan? Not so much. For CS options, I especially like Norway and France (HUGE selection of pastries to die for, all of which count as your CS-credit dessert). And Sunshine Seaons, in The Land, is a nicely done food court.

Epcot-area resorts: if you like seafood, I much prefer Cape May Cafe dinner to Coral Reef. Coral Reef is great for watching the fish, but you can do that in the Living Seas pavillion too. Cape May Cafe (which is wrongly labeled a clambake) has a buffet with both standard American (ribs, chicken) and seafood items, including endless crab legs with an enormous vat of drawn butter next to it. Yum!

DHS - well, this is a problem child. THe theming for Sci-Fi and 50s PT is well-done but the food doesn't do much for me. Of the two, I'd recommend Sci-Fi. The Epcot-area resorts are easily accessible by boat from DHS. On an Epcot day I prefer to eat in Epcot, while on a DHS day I prefer to go to an Epcot-area resort, or eat at my own resort as part of a late afternoon break. OTOH, a great CS lunch option at DHS is Starring Rolls. Great sandwiches (warning - they often sell out for the day by about 2 pm), plus a side (chips or a piece of fruit) plus your beverage plus your choice from the bakery counter for your CS credit. And the bakery counter includes the famous Butterfinger and Red Velvet cupcakes.

Trick for the picky child - will the picky 10 yr old eat the child's meal option? And will one of the younger children eat the 'adult' meal selection? Using the DDP means the 10 yr old must order from the adult menu and the 6&8s must order from the children's menu. But it doesn't mean they can't swap plates once they are served.

AK: for me, Rainforest is just another chain restaurant and that's not what I come to Disney for. But both Tusker House and Yak & Yeti TS are very good. Or since AK closes earlier than most parks, from there go to a resort for dinner. Boma is close and has really unique food choices, as well as the basic kids options (and on Disney buffets, everybody eats from both the kids and adults lines).

Wow - didn't mean to write a book; just got going and never stopped!

 

[strollerfreak]

Yes to the park ticket question. You can come and go to that same park during the day, but cannot go to another park, even just to eat.

I think it's best to plot out which days you want to to which park (www.easywdw.com has good park calendars, daily crowd estimates, and narrative suggestions, and is free). From there it becomes easier to schedule your ADRs, because you will want to either eat in the park of the day or at a nearby resort to minimize travel time.

MK: besides CRT, I think a meal at CP is pretty much a classic. Buffet should give DS all the choices he wants. Many people also use CP for breakfast. IF your family is willing to get up early, an 8:05 am ADR on a non-EMH day when the MK does not open until 9 lets you have an uncrowded stroll up Main Street, great photo ops, and a jump on the crowd at rope drop if you don't dawdle over the food. Meal experiences at all the monorail resorts are fun too. And don't forget that you can experience a resort by eating at their CS rather than their TS, too. Contempo Cafe in the CR is especially fun because you are eating with the monorail going by overhead. Capt Cook at the Poly is neat because you can have Dole Whips (soft serve ice cream: vanilla, pineapple, or swirl) for your dessert.

Epcot: hard to go wrong here. I personally prefer the menu at Tutto to Via Napoli, but that's just me. Biergarten is particularly fun and has good food. Although the Chinese and Japanese restaurants are supposed to be pretty good, in keeping with a lot of other folks I skip them just because I know I can get similar food at home. Moroccan? Not so much. For CS options, I especially like Norway and France (HUGE selection of pastries to die for, all of which count as your CS-credit dessert). And Sunshine Seaons, in The Land, is a nicely done food court.

Epcot-area resorts: if you like seafood, I much prefer Cape May Cafe dinner to Coral Reef. Coral Reef is great for watching the fish, but you can do that in the Living Seas pavillion too. Cape May Cafe (which is wrongly labeled a clambake) has a buffet with both standard American (ribs, chicken) and seafood items, including endless crab legs with an enormous vat of drawn butter next to it. Yum!

DHS - well, this is a problem child. THe theming for Sci-Fi and 50s PT is well-done but the food doesn't do much for me. Of the two, I'd recommend Sci-Fi. The Epcot-area resorts are easily accessible by boat from DHS. On an Epcot day I prefer to eat in Epcot, while on a DHS day I prefer to go to an Epcot-area resort, or eat at my own resort as part of a late afternoon break. OTOH, a great CS lunch option at DHS is Starring Rolls. Great sandwiches (warning - they often sell out for the day by about 2 pm), plus a side (chips or a piece of fruit) plus your beverage plus your choice from the bakery counter for your CS credit. And the bakery counter includes the famous Butterfinger and Red Velvet cupcakes.

Trick for the picky child - will the picky 10 yr old eat the child's meal option? And will one of the younger children eat the 'adult' meal selection? Using the DDP means the 10 yr old must order from the adult menu and the 6&8s must order from the children's menu. But it doesn't mean they can't swap plates once they are served.

AK: for me, Rainforest is just another chain restaurant and that's not what I come to Disney for. But both Tusker House and Yak & Yeti TS are very good. Or since AK closes earlier than most parks, from there go to a resort for dinner. Boma is close and has really unique food choices, as well as the basic kids options (and on Disney buffets, everybody eats from both the kids and adults lines).

Wow - didn't mean to write a book; just got going and never stopped!

No, this was actually really helpful! Thank you!

 

[Singinglizzie]

YOu probably already know that you can check out all the menus over at allears.net. I personally have spent waaay too much time looking them over. When we go, we don't park hop. We plan our ADR's around the park we are going to visit that day. It's very manageable. We look at touringplans.com in advance to figure out which park will be the best foryour timeframe, than go with that. You can always add park hoppers when you are onsite, if you find you need them. There are lots of great choices for each park and it looks like you have already made some good choices. My favorites are MK: we like to ride the monorail over to eat at either the Poly Kona or GF Cafe - if you can't get Ohana's (which we love on an evening where we can eat at our leisure) you might consider the Kona. Epcot: I love most the of restaurants there, especially the Coral Reef. I think the Japanese restaurants are good too. You mentioned Mexican, and there is a new restaurant there which would be worth a try. AKL: we would go with Boma, or use this day as a DTD day and eat at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, or as already suggested at Raglan Road. HS: Mama Melrose or Sci Fi are 2 good choices. For resort restaurants, again since you like Mexican I would make a trip to CSR to eat at their counter service the Pepper Markter. I think it's one of the best CS restaurants, and you can definately get mexican food there. CSR also has a table service restaurant the Maya Grill. I haven't eaten at this one but it does offer Latin style food - so this one may appeal to you too. Hope this was helpful - have fun planning.

 

[lizabu]

The best thing you can do is plan which park you will be in on each day. Checking a crowd calendar is the way to go. You don't want to get stuck in a park thats too full without hoppers. Once the park is chosen you can choose from one of the restaurants in that park or you can choose to eat in a resort or in DTD. If you are using the DDP you get 1 TS credit, 1 CS and 1 snack for each night you stay. On your arrival day you can choose to eat a CS meal for supper and then you will have an extra TS credit you can use for one of the meals that cost 2 TS credits.

These are the places that are 2 TS credits
(from a Google search...double check to be sure)
• Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)
• California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
• Cinderella’s Royal Table character breakfast/lunch/dinner with photo package (Magic Kingdom)
• Citricos (Grand Floridian)
• Flying Fish Café (Boardwalk Inn & Villas)
• Hollywood Brown Derby (HS)
• Jiko - The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
• Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club)
• Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (Polynesian)
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness)
• Mickey's Backyard Barbecue (Fort Wilderness)

 

[Hopefully]

And to add to the 2 TS list above, now Le Cellier in Canada in Epcot is 2 TS for dinner, still 1 TS at lunch.

I have to agree with the others, the most important thing to do is first determine which park which day!!!!
I look at Tourplans.com Crowd Calculator or Tour Guide Mike for these recommendations.
Once you know Where you will be you can decide What you would like to eat.
WDW is huge. You can spend a lot of unnecessary time traveling to ADR's if you do not plan carefully. This is a waste of time and leads to frustration and unhappiness.
Once you have chosen a park consider both the restaurants in that park and in the nearby resorts.
So on a MK day consider the monorail resorts (Poly, Contemporary and Grand Floridian) as well as Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge, which are a boat ride away.
On an Epcot day you have all of the restaurants at the Beach Club, The Yacht Club, the Boardwalk and the Swan/Dolphin a short walk away. The S/D are not ont he DDP however.
Same for DHS. All of the Epcot area hotels are a short walk or a boat ride away.
ADR's can be booked 180 days in advance. As you are discovering most popular restaurants book to capacity, especially during free dining. The sooner you book, the greater your choices
Good Luck in your planning