do you make dining reservations?

[com_op_2000]

I have never made an ADR.

 

[Anal Annie]

We have gradually increased the number of ADR's that we do over the course of a week. We used to only do 2 or 3 but now we do more like 4 or 5 for a week. We use the TIW discount card which helps make them a little more affordable. We rarely go out to eat at home so it's a treat for us to eat out on vacation. We also don't like to plan our days solely around ADR's so if they don't work out for us that day then I call & cancel them. I just keep the dining numbers in my cell phone...no biggie to call & cancel. Trying out a couple of new restaurants on each trip is part of the Disney experience for us now.

 

[myxdvz]

I do ADRs for things I really want to do. However, that was before DVC when I didn't know how often we'll be back. Back then, I try and get 1 ADR a day. Then depending on how many I get, we get a DP. We've done all of the park meals, we're going thru the resort ones now.

With DVC and maybe the promise of returning more often, I don't book as much, but I still book some. My kids are young, so we want to have at least 1 character experience a trip. For our June trip, it's Cape May Cafe because we're staying at BCV. For our November trip, I'm going to try and book Chef Mickeys since we're at BLT.

Last year, we did go to MK just for a BBB schedule and an ADR at Cinderella's Royal Table - it was pouring rain. But we were leaving the next day, so didn't have much choice to cancel/move. We were at OKW, we went to MK for BBB/CRT, then went back to the hotel. I was more reeling over the price of a 1 day ticket than anything else.

For the rest, we wing it.

I'm sure once we've stayed at all the resorts and have done everything, we'll prob drop the ADRs. But we're not there yet. Hoping one of these years when we can book at VGF, we'll do one of the 1900 Park Fare meals

 

[crisi]

We do, but dinner is signature. Its expensive, but the food quality is better.

For lunch, generally not, we just grab something counter service. Although if the kids really want something, lunch is when we do Sci Fi, or San Angel, or Biergarten....

 

[Chuck S]

I only make 2 or 3 per 8 or 9 day trip. Otherwise I play it by ear.

 

[Nomad70]

I only make 2 or 3 per 8 or 9 day trip. Otherwise I play it by ear.

This is us. For our next trip in June I have three made for the week. I doubt I will make any further reservations. We are very much the play it by ear kind of people, we don't go commando style.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I do all the planning for our vacations. Our family likes the dinning experience at Disney. Is it the best food on earth? No, but we enjoy going to the restaurants and it is part of our vacation. With hopper I don't feel its a big deal to go to the park you have reservations for that night. We normally go to the park right away in the morning and leave after lunch and hang out at the resort pool or rest. Then back to the park we have reservations at to enjoy our evening. Not really that difficult.

I think Disney restaurants take an unfair beating here on the Boards. Has every meal been our best meal ever....No, but come on.... even great restaurants have bad meals once in a while. Just relax, take a chill pill and have fun and enjoy your vacation.

Same here. My sons are all adults now so we enjoy leaving the parks around mid afternoon to take a swim break then have a nice sit down dinner. Gives us a chance to relax and get out of the heat since we've always gone in the summer.

As for food quality, we've had some really great meals at WDW, the most recent being at Flying Fish. Only truly bad meal I can remember was at Mama Melrose.

 

[RachaelA]

We make 1 a day. Almost always dinner (and then breakfast on our last day as a pre-opening ADR). I like to have a plan and especially now that we have a toddler, I welcome the break to sit down and eat dinner. Plus we do mostly character meals.

Even before we had kids, we usually had 1 ADR a day.

 

[helenk]

Even when I go solo I make some ADRs, mostly I eat breakfast in the room, but on my last day I book a sit down breakfast (no characters ) I like to book a lunch and I always treat myself to the tea at the GF. The rest of my meals are CS, or even a salad or something light in the room.
For my trip in May instead of a lunch I booked dinner at BOG, I really enjoyed my lunch when I went in December and I loved the themeing of the resturant. I'm looking forward to going to dinner.
I have not decided where to go for breakfast yet.

 

[Longhairbear]

We make adrs but I have cancelled them. We don't eat out everyday. After a while the food gets to be a bit much. We love to use the kitchen and the family absolutely enjoys going back to the villa for a little r & r, a dip in the pool, and eating in the villa. It's funny how having a kitchen and laundry in our villa seems so luxurious.

I'm with you, we love using the kitchen. We haven't made an ADR in years, and that was only because it was for V&A.

 

[Cee]

We make one ADR(gotta have breakfast at Boma!) and that's it. The rest of the trip we fly by the seat of our pants!

 

[Meriweather]

We always make at least one sit down ADR a day, usually lunch, unless the one we want isn't opened at lunch time.
We still love Disney dining.
I do NOT want to cook on my vacation.
We eat a cold breakfast in the room and that is about it other than a few snacks.

 

[rcchello]

We have never made an ADR before we arrived at Disneyworld. I have made one or two a couple of days before a meal, but that is rare. Most trip we only do walkups.

 

[RachaelA]

I do NOT want to cook on my vacation.
We eat a cold breakfast in the room and that is about it other than a few snacks.

Same here. We book 1 bedrooms for the additional space (DD sleeps in her PnP in the extra bathroom ) not for the kitchen like a lot of other people!

 

[quandrea]

Same here. We book 1 bedrooms for the additional space (DD sleeps in her PnP in the extra bathroom ) not for the kitchen like a lot of other people!

My daughter used to sleep in the laundry room at okw. We do like the kitchens with the kids for snacks and breakfasts. Yesterday I made an ADR for akershus so maybe I am going back on my original point.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We also make 1 TS ADR per day. We keep most of them and occasionally cancel an ADR if we're feeling like doing something else. For the record, we do cancel with plenty of time for others to take advantage of it though.

I enjoy the Disney restaurnats and like to slow down the pace once a day.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We too used to make them all the time, but no more. Now I tend to make one pre-planned ADR per trip, and the rest of the time we "punt" by showing up at our favorites at odd times. So far it works great. We have even gotten into Sanaa and Jiko without ADRs that way, and almost always do Teppan Edo without ADRs. I just HATE having to plan my day around which ADR I have for a given day. NOT my idea of a good spontaneous vacation!

 

[MomofStitchandLewis]

Since I once had to counter service for all meals 3 days in a row and just about died (not literally), I make at least 1 ADR for a sit down meal. Since we mostly stay in studios, cooking in the room is out. So I need one nice meal now and then.

 

[nyck]

We make ADR for the places we always eat in every visit. Ohana and Cape May. I did do ADRs for Be Our Guest for Jan (when I go with my mom) and April (when I go with the girls) trip since this is new and we want to try lunch and dinner. Othere than those we play it by ear

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

We make a daily lunch ADR for around 11:30 or 12:00.

#1....we know we will be hungry at this time.
#2...it is usually beginning to get very hot.
#3...if we want to hop parks or leave early, it gives us the flexibility.
#4..."bird in hand" theory....hate fighting the crowds for food at a "prime time"

Also, we have pretty much picked our favorite restaurants and return only to those in each park...therefore guaranteeing good service and good food.