Do you make ADR's for every day?

[jeekosmom]

Hi, i'm new to all of this. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Carla and i'm from MI. My family and I are going to be going on our first trip to Disney World Sept 16-28th. We are going to be staying at the Boardwalk Villa's and purchasing the DP. My friend was very generous to give us their points, that is the only way we are able to go. Anyway, we are very excited. I have been do DW 3 times as a kid, but my DH and sons have never been. I have a 5 year old and a 19 month old.

Well back to my question. I've been looking at this board at the tips and stuff and I am very overwhelmed! I had no idea all of the planning that goes into a trip! I'm in awe! I'm having a bit of anxiety about not having any ADR's yet. I need to call in the next few days to make them. My question is, do you need to make ADR's for every sit down meal this far in advance or for only a few and try to make them when you get there?

I'm afraid of not getting the reservations that I want because we are going at the time of the free dining plan. But not sure about how I can plan my days around my ADR's.

What do you guys think? Oh yeah, if you can could you put what you think is your "can't miss" place to eat. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Disneylover87]

We made our ADR's in may because alot of places get booked quickly. I would suggest that you make all of your sit down meals as soon as you can, just so that you can plan your day around them. And you will get into each resturant that you want to. I would definatly recommend that you go to Chef Mickey's for breakfast one day before you venture off into the parks. Your five year old will love it.

 

[brymolmom]

Make some ressies TODAY - free dining is coming up quickly. You might not get everything you want at the exact times you want - but if you do it quickly, you should be able to get acceptable places/times.

I would recommend getting ADR's for every TS credit that you have for your trip (one per person per night). That way - you have them. If you come upon something else that you want to do while there, and it is available (unlikely unless it is an off-time or not as popular location) - then you can always cancel one of your other remaining ones. But this way - you'll have them made just in case. It will be a weight off your mind during your trip. Especially dining with kids (who sometimes cannot wait patiently for a late meal) - it is the best plan IMO.

I have 2 kids - who will be 3 and 5 during Free dining this year - but we've gone the last 2 years of free dining.

We really like Chef Mickey's, Play & Dine at Hollywood and Vine (with Jojo, Goliath and Leo and June from Little Einsteins), Crystal Palace is great, Sci-Fi Dine in (not character - but neat and cool place for a meal). We're doing Donald's Breakfastosaurus for a 2nd time this year - it isn't the best place - but Animal Kingdom IMO is the HOTTEST of the parks - so I always want an indoor place to take a break and get cooled off, so we scheduled a late breakfast here. Oh yeah - and my kids (and me too) love Coral Reef at Epcot (large aquarium is one wall - get to watch fish, sharks, etc. during your meal) - but, since they took the pasta off the menu - they don't really like any of the kids offerings, so we're skipping that one this time. We are doing Tony's Town Square at MK because pasta IS on that kids menu.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[Brygida]

My question is, do you need to make ADR's for every sit down meal this far in advance or for only a few and try to make them when you get there?

I'm afraid of not getting the reservations that I want because we are going at the time of the free dining plan. But not sure about how I can plan my days around my ADR's.

What do you guys think? Oh yeah, if you can could you put what you think is your "can't miss" place to eat. Thanks so much for your help!

I would try to make an ADR this far in advance, because you probably will not get the time you want otherwise. You can always try to do your Table Service when the restaurant first opens (usually 12 for lunch, dinner varies between 4-5:30 opening. You can usually get in if you are there at opening time! (except Cinderella's castle).

With children as young as yours, I would make the reservation... kids do not want to wait 1-2 hours for the next table. Just book them near your kids normal lunch or dinner time. You know you will have to stop, unwind, cool down, and feed the kids anyway... just think of it as building in a break-time!

 

[aubriee]

I've been down there the last two Septembers during the free dining periods. The parks are almost empty, but TS restaurants are packed. We've seen people turned away for the last two years. If you are going to be down there during the free dining period, make ADRs now or you will not be eating at the more popular restaurants.

With age your kids are I would try for Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, and 'Ohanas.

 

[Mickey-4-Me]

Hi, i'm new to all of this. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Carla and i'm from MI. My family and I are going to be going on our first trip to Disney World Sept 16-28th. We are going to be staying at the Boardwalk Villa's and purchasing the DP. My friend was very generous to give us their points, that is the only way we are able to go. Anyway, we are very excited. I have been do DW 3 times as a kid, but my DH and sons have never been.

Congratulations! Your family is going to have a wonderful time.

I have a 5 year old and a 19 month old.

Our family's first trip to WDW was last summer. Two of my children were 5 years old and 22 months.

[ Remember: Plan to rent or bring along a stroller that fits both children. My five year old used our stroller as much as our 22 month old. ]

Well back to my question. I've been looking at this board at the tips and stuff and I am very overwhelmed! I had no idea all of the planning that goes into a trip! I'm in awe! I'm having a bit of anxiety about not having any ADR's yet. I need to call in the next few days to make them. My question is, do you need to make ADR's for every sit down meal this far in advance or for only a few and try to make them when you get there?

I'm afraid of not getting the reservations that I want because we are going at the time of the free dining plan.

You will definitely want to make ADRs for each day. I would suggest making each ADR around your normal family dinner time. Go early or take a long afternoon nap to compensate. I would imagine most "normal" dinner times are going, going, gone. Call 407-WDW-DINE today to schedule your dining reservations. Many walk-up attempts are turned away. If you are going to purchase the DDP, you don't want to be forced to eat all of your TS meals as CS for lack of planning. Don't be frustrated about not getting all of your wanted ADRs. Our family is going in September too and I made my ADRs in April. I still didn't get every ADR that I would have wanted. Be flexible. Try new food. Last year, we ended up eating at Marrakesh because we didn't want to park hop for our planned meal. It ended up being our favorite meal of the entire trip. Just think, we weren't even planning on eating there.

But not sure about how I can plan my days around my ADR's.

Being a first timer (Trust me I know. I am not too far removed from our first trip ) the parks can be a little overwhelming. The crowds, the heat... Did I mention the heat? I would suggest deciding on which park to visit each day, then scheduling your dining plans around those parks. OR If there is a must do (for example, a character meal) for your family, you could make your dining reservations, then schedule your parks around those.

The most important thing to remember is you cannot and will not be able to see or do everything during your trip. Don't worry. Have fun.