Do you NEED reservations??

[brianferriera]

My wife and I have just booked a trip to disney for an april vacation. Last year when we went we had the dinning plan and we made all our reservation in advance. We found this to be a pain having to plan what we want to do around when we have to eat. Also in 90% of the place we ate the restaurants where not full. This year she does not want to make any reservation at all. So my question is this if we go to a restaurant and it is busy will they turn us away or will it simply be a matter of waiting to be seated???
Thanks
Brian

 

[beansmom]

our experience on the last few trips is YES. We have been turned away time after time after time for TS without ADRs.

So, if ya wanna real sit down, make a ressie. Otherwise, be happy with CS.

 

[TDC Nala]

You may have a long wait or you may be turned away.

If you're on a dining plan, anticipate possibly having to leave a park (especially MK which doesn't have many restaurants) to use your table service credits. You might even have to resort to trying restaurants that are not near the parks.

If there is anywhere you know you want to eat, make sure you make a reservation. April isn't a slow time at WDW. If you're anywhere near Easter, you may want to make reservations for everything if you want to eat at TS restaurants inside parks or extremely popular resort restaurants like 'Ohana. If you're not on a dining plan, try restaurants that don't accept one (there are quite a few at DTD and the Swan/Dolphin).

 

[soonerfan2008]

We were there in January for a very, very last minute trip. We were able to walk up to CRT and Boma with no ADR. We also could have walked up to many of the Epcot restaurants. However, it was a very casual, go with the flow trip, so we were not even planning to eat TS.

 

[brianferriera]

We are going from the 18-23..My wife is rather picky about what she eats so we tend to not go to the more fancy places. We are on the dinning plan

 

[Nadjalu]

Since you are on the dinning plan it is best to make ressies. Then while there if you want to change you can try, if you succeed yay and if not, well then you still have somewhere to eat.

I am a huge fan of the DDP, but I would NOT buy it or have it for free dinning and not have adrs........too risky.
As the pp said, April is a crowded time, you will definitely need ressies if you want to sit down and eat at the places you want.

I have found that people who say they don't like the "inconvienece" of having to make adrs and plan around them, I then say, how convienent is it to be ready for dinner, be in MK and can't get a seat? Then you have to trek all around the world to find some place that can fit you in.....isn't that just as inconvienent or even more so? Anyway that is my opinion.

Have a magical trip!!

 

[TDC Nala]

We are going from the 18-23..My wife is rather picky about what she eats so we tend to not go to the more fancy places. We are on the dinning plan

Based on this information I recommend you make reservations, especially if you want to eat inside the parks.

 

[williamson_ja]

I say you should definitely make reservations. I would hate to be wandering around at dinner time trying to find a place to eat. That would be way more inconvenient than just making the resevations to me... especially at such a busy time of year. Maybe if you were going at a really slow time, you could try it. Not in April IMHO.

 

[brianferriera]

Thanks every one you made it easy for me..we are calling in our reservations tonight!
Brian

 

[moparop]

I know you are already calling now to make ressies, but here's my two cents. You are better off having a reservation and trying to change your plan at the last minute than trying to find something on the fly without a reservation.

 

[aubriee]

We found this to be a pain having to plan what we want to do around when we have to eat. Also in 90% of the place we ate the restaurants where not full.

I would definitely make ADRs. Just because there are empty tables in a restaurant does not mean that they are not considered full. It may depend on how many servers were scheduled or how many showed up that day as to how many tables they are using. I go to WDW several times a year and every trip have seen people turned away at some restaurants, then when I get in there, I see empty tables. Then again I have also changed my mind at the last minute down there and have been able to catch a walk up. I always make ADRs then if I change my mind that morning, I call around to see what may be available or if I'm in the park and change my mind at the last minute, I may just try a walk up. Sometimes I get lucky, but sometimes I'm turned away.

 

[sters]

How about just making a few and just wing the rest. Not as regimented, but some guarantee that you'll get to eat.