Do we really need ADR's?

[MDTerrapin]

We are going to Disney World in October for the first time. We are on the dining plan but are unsure if we really need to make reservations. My husband hates the idea of having to eat at a certain time and being "scheduled". I would like to eat breakfast at Chef Mickey's, Cape May or Ohana. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Karen

 

[shannn]

You absolutely need ADRs. Chef Mickey's and Ohana are both extremely popular. And if you're talking about breakfast you won't even have to stop touring to go- just make your ADRs for first thing in the morning. If you're interested in any of the more popular places (Le cellier and Cinderella's Royal Table also come to mind) you need to make your ADRs as soon as you can.

You can always call disney dining while you're there and see about changing to a different ADR, but if you don't have any kind of backup you're going to be stuck without somewhere to go. I know it's strange to think about what you will want to eat in 90 days, but it can be fun too! Read up on the restaurants and decide what looks like fun then jump on the online system or call disney.

 

[JoanneNC]

ADR's guarantees you can eat at Chef Mickey's, Ohana's and Cape May. If you won't be upset when you walk up (especially at CM) and get turned away then don't bother with making one..

Only you benefit by making advance reservations

 

[winterman]

By being on the dining plan, you are prepaying for your meals. How will your husband feel when you walk from restaurant to restaurant trying to find one that will accept walkups. If you do not get the DDP, you can always walk into a counter service. Accept the fact that WDW is not a place that you can get the best out of without plans. Make your ADRs!

 

[Lynne M]

If your husband really doesn't want to be scheduled, then the dining plan may not be a good choice for you.

WDW restaurants do not hold tables for walk-ups. If they're fully booked, and you don't have a reservation, they'll just turn you away. And most theme park restaurants, and all character meals, are fully booked, months in advance. Your chances of getting in to the three breakfasts that you mentioned as a walk-up are somewhere between slim and none.

The unfortunate reality is that if you have the DDP and don't make ADRs for your table service meals, you're almost certain to lose dining credits, or end up eating in places you don't really care for, in inconvenient places, at inconvenient times, just to use up credits.

Make the reservations now; you can always cancel if your plans change.

 

[tarheel_girl]

I just went to the dining site on disneyworld.com. I searched chef mickey's from Oct. 4th-Oct. 8th. I don't know when you are going but I decided to search those dates. I put in two adults for an 8am ADR. The only thing that is available during ANY of those dates right now is a 7:20am ADR on Wednesday Oct. 7th. My suggestion would be to go to the dining site, search for your restaurants and show him how full the restaurants already are. I'm going to Disney for one day on August 7th. I was on hold, before online dining, for 35 minutes at 7am 90 days out so that I could book Chef Mickey's. My DD would be very disappointed if we didn't get to eat with Mickey! I think the way to convince him you have to have a schedule is to actually show him using the online reservation system.

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

ADR's are a must now. It took 3 years for my mom to realize this and they need to be done at the 90 day mark especially for your choice of restaurants. Several years ago we would be able to get reservations the day of or day before, not anymore. My Mom hates being on schedules, but has finally realized if she doesn't then she has no chance of getting the restaurants she wants. We are now making our ADR's at the 90 day mark.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I would never go to Disney without them. I like to eat in certain resturants and I want to make sure I get in. I don't like to take chances.

 

[CharacterFan]

For those places and that Free Dining has been "extended" you'll need ADRs to eat at the popular places. DFi doesn't like being scheduled either, but he's gotten used to it. We tend to schedule dinner around 7 so it becomes habit. We eat dinner every night around the same time. That has helped quite a bit.

 

[nanalisa]

My DH was the same way, wanting to wait to see what he felt like eating. I made ADRs anyway. What I do is try to schedule dinner at what ever park that has evening extra magic hours, or a resort nearby. I figure we will already be there anyway. If you're at the MK, it's a quick trip to the Poly, GF or Contemporary by monorail or boat ride to WL. Or if you're at EPCOT you can walk or boat to Yacht/Beach Club or Boardwalk. Believe us when we say make the ADRs. Being on a schedule is better that eating all your meals at your food court (not that there's anything wrong with that )

 

[Neko]

We were able to walk into Cinderella's castle with no reservations both times we were there. In 2004, we were just wandering by the castle about 5p intending to eat CS that night, when they were announcing they had immediate seating. A CM was holding menus and just yelling it out to the crowd! We jumped on it and ate in the castle, it was fun. When we returned in Dec 2008, we thought we'd just walk up and ask if there were any cancellations (being prepared to eat CS if there was no room). Again about 5-5:15p. The CM said if the party doesn't show up in 7 min there's open tables, but you have to be here at that time with your entire party. I rang my DH (was in line with DS to see Tigger), he ran over, and we walked in! We were paying OOP and it was expensive, but a lot of fun!

My suggestion, if you can't get in somewhere, try walking up, but be prepared for not getting in. You never know!

 

[vicki_c]

If you're flexible about when/where you eat, and are willing to eat all counter services meals if you needed to, you can go without ADRs.

HOWEVER ... I would never pay for the DDP and not make ADRs to use up my table service credits - it would be a waste of money and that would bother me more than not being able to eat at any particular restaurant.

So I think you should either make ADRs or drop the DDP.

 

[daisygirl902]

Sorry to also agree with everyone - as I know that some people just hate to make plans ahead but I would NEVER do the DDP without making ADRs 90 days in advance. I have seen so many people get turned away at the door for walk ups!

Check out menus at allears.net...it's fun, and gets us pumped for our trip!!!

Also we try to book dinner at around 5:30 PM so we can still hit a few rides and fireworks/shows at night!

 

[ntsammy5]

If your husband really doesn't want to be scheduled, then the dining plan may not be a good choice for you.

This is good advice - for the last 10 trips we have done DDP half the time. Being on a set schedule can be a real pain - but even when we don't do DDP we make ADRs where we want to eat. We also eat offsite a lot on those trips. We may do the QS Plan in October/November - that's a compromise you may want to consider.

 

[MHSweb79]

If you are going during a Free Dining time (not sure when your trip is) then ADR's are a must for all table service restaurants. Last two trips we saw "no walk up's accepted" signs at virtually every restaurant went to. (Think about it - if a restaurant has openings when everything else is booked, how good could it be?)

Even outside of Free Dining, you will need ADR's. Chef Mickey's is tough to get even at 90 days out, so walk ups would be virtually impossible.

Also, just because you have an ADR doesn't mean you have to keep it. If you decide on a different park one day, you can just cancel your ADR without penalty. (as long as you didn't give a credit card to hold it, like CRT).

Here are your options:

1) Purchase dining plan and "wing it" (You will definitely lose some or most TS credits this way)

2) Purchase plan and make ADR's, adjusting when you get there if you can

3) Don't purchase plan and eat counter service all week (OR, purchase Quick Service Plan)

 

[TDC Nala]

Definitely, if you want to eat at Chef Mickey's or Ohana. Both are exceedingly popular. Those reservations need to be made as soon as they possibly can if you want a decent range of times to pick from. Cape May is a character breakfast and all character meals book up reasonably quickly. Don't know when your trip is, but if it is in August/September/beginning of October (I'd guess anytime up to October 17 as free diners can book up to 14 nights after October 3) then you probaby need reservations for every TS meal if you want to be sure you get to use all your dining plan credits. Otherwise you run the risk of dragging the family from restaurant to restaurant looking for a place that will seat you without a long wait, or at all.

If you don't want the reservations and still want a dining plan, you can switch to the quick service plan and just make the few TS reservations you want, or you can go without a dining plan altogether.

 

[snykymom]

I also don't like to be locked into a schedule, which is one reason I don't do the dining plan. However, I do make ADRs at places I think I might feel like eating. But since it's not prepaid, I don't worry about missing or cancelling one if I don't feel like it that day. I have a backup and then I can do what I want.

 

[FunkyDuck]

I'm in the "make the ADR" camp. Personally the last thing I want to do at dinner time is to be schlepping my hungry (i.e. cranky) kids around trying to find a place that will take us. I never once felt overscheduled. I actually felt a relief during the day knowing that it was one last thing to worry about and it was taken care of. Just my opinion.

 

[matthew_hull]

I'm being accused of being "overly anal" regarding ADRs for our upcoming Mid-October trip, and so I said that I would double-check that Oct 9-17 will be a time when Free Dining is offered and thus the fine restaurants will be especially crowded. We are not on any Disney Dining Plan. So, can someone please confirm for me (and my brother) that Free Dining is happening during those dates?

 

[CharacterFan]

I'm being accused of being "overly anal" regarding ADRs for our upcoming Mid-October trip, and so I said that I would double-check that Oct 9-17 will be a time when Free Dining is offered and thus the fine restaurants will be especially crowded. We are not on any Disney Dining Plan. So, can someone please confirm for me (and my brother) that Free Dining is happening during those dates?

There is free dining by pin code only. But a lot of people got the code. I got it and may be using it in December.