Hats off to those who can make ADRs

[Joshy443]

How does anyone plan for their meals 180 days in advance? Do they publish the Extra Magic Hours that far in advance? Besides the character meals and dinner shows I don't see us booking 180 days in advance for lunch/dinner. I suppose for Chef Mickey's we might or Ohana but we've always done same day ressies and have had good luck. Hats off to those who know what they're doing every day 180 days away.

 

[Tissa]

Yes the hours come out at 180 days now so I pick what park we are going to be at for that day and then choose a resturant we would like. No problems for us.

 

[01Sweetpea]

We are going Thanksgiving week. Normally we eat counter service for breakfast & lunch and some sit downs for dinner.

I'm making ADRs for ALL our dinners for that week. I don't want to get stuck being hungry and no where to eat.

It will structure our trip a little, knowing we have to be in a certain place at a certain time, but I think we'll be ok.

 

[melomouse]

Joshy - I hear ya, for sure - but ya gotta do it!!! The dining plan, free or not, has impacted tremendously on the freedom to select a restaurant spontaneously.


Just got off the phone this AM to make the ressies for the end of September and I actually hate thinking about where I will eat months from now!!! While it's something to look forward to, once those ressies are made, I kind of forget it for awhile. It just roughly structures our days so I know where we plan to "end up" for a sit-down meal after running around the parks all day!

I am no compulsive planner and there are lots here who might think I was LATE in making my ADR's!!!!I, too, balk!

But - last October when we went to WDW and staying offsite- I think it was still FDP - "last minute" - meaning a 6 week window - I had to call 4 times just to get a Fantasmic package at H & V!! We ended up at Peco's Bill's the night of MNSSHP. A few years before, we were a walk-in at LTT during MNSSHP!
There are also some folks who double book because they cannot decide TODAY where they might eat in 180 days. That's where we all suffer.

Just call and make them, Joshy - good luck! I feel your pain!

 

[kaysmommie]

It's awful 180 days. Alot can happen in 6 months. I asked my Dh where he would like to eat at WDW and he said Whatever I feel like eating that day. I laughed at this answer because I figure he knows better by now. I'm the one that does all the planning though. Anyway when the schedule came out I guessed what park we will most likely go to and chose a restaurant accordingly. I picked Chef Mickey's for our first night so DS and DD can see Mickey. Also I booked a character breakfast for the morning we are leaving. I liked making ADR's better when it was 90 days like last trip.

 

[Karnak]

I agree, people who make reservations when there's no way they could be at two places at once do make us all suffer, as the above poster said.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. DISNEY NEEDS TO START REQUIRING A DEPOSIT EVERY TIME A RESERVATION IS MADE FOR A MEAL. AND THE DEPOSIT SHOULD BE LOST, UNLESS THE PERSON MAKING THE RESERVATION CALLS AND CANCELS AT LEAST A POSTED TIME AHEAD OF TIME. (If I were doing it, that posted time would be at least a month in advance so others could make reservations who would show up.)

Makes sense to me.

Enjoy.

 

[allegracristina]

The 180 days out was definately a little bit of a stress-out for me. But between the DDP and the 180 days, it forced me to look at menus and figure out how much we were actually spending on food, and how much we were saving with the DP. Then sitting and planning out a week's worth of dinners was pretty intense, but after all is said and done, my week is set up very nicely, and I have a lot to look forward to! It's kind of therapeutic in a way if you're a plan-a-holic..I swear I'm not...

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. DISNEY NEEDS TO START REQUIRING A DEPOSIT EVERY TIME A RESERVATION IS MADE FOR A MEAL. AND THE DEPOSIT SHOULD BE LOST, UNLESS THE PERSON MAKING THE RESERVATION CALLS AND CANCELS AT LEAST A POSTED TIME AHEAD OF TIME. (If I were doing it, that posted time would be at least a month in advance so others could make reservations who would show up.)

Makes sense to me.

Enjoy.

One complaint I read over and over on this board is about parents who bring overly tired, cranky children into restaurants.

Even now that he's 7, I find it very hard to predict what DS's schedule will be like on vacation. Will he be so excited he gets up really early, or will he be exhausted from the parks and sleep late? Will he take a nap midday or wear himself out in the pool? Now, at 7 he still does a pretty good job of behaving in a civilized manner when he's tired, but a few years ago that was a different story. We didn't happen to go to WDW when he was a toddler or preschooler, but if we had I guarantee that there would have been at least one meal where I would have decided for EVERYONE's benefit (including you if you'd been in the restaurant) that switching that meal to a nearby food court was a good idea.

I think that asking for deposits for very fancy places like California Grill or V and A is fine, but to ask families to commit 100% in advance to keeping their reservation at 50's primetime (just an example) is going to result in either far less families eating TS or more cranky children.

Just my opinion.

 

[cdntourguide]

I see booking ADR's six months in advance as nothing worse than having to go to work the first week of January and telling the boss the exact weeks of my vacation. (Had to do that for twenty years)
Plus the advantage with Disney Dining is that you have the abilityto change your mind about the ADR at any time without any negativity being put onto you.
Additionally, planning the different ADR's assists me in deciding what to do and where to go while at the parks. IMO booking ADR's enhances my vacation. Plus it makes me take the days at a slower pace, no more commando.
As a final word I have never booked any ADR 180 days out (I have no desire to go to CRT for any meal), this trip I have booked 145days out and even then could not get every time and place I wanted.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We kind of plan our days around where we will be eating. Like our first day is usually spent in MK so we know we'll eat lunch at LTT and dinner at CP. Then whatever park has evening EMH we'll go there after dinner and spend the rest of the evening there. It does get really complicated if you're trying to do everything in one day (such as going to morning EMH, park hopping in the middle of the day, and going to evening EMH). You spend most of your day travelling and you don't know if you're going to get to your ADR in time. It stresses us out too much. We don't plan on being in the park that has evening EMH. We just plan on what days we want to do which park and where we are going to eat at during that day at that park.

**Another note, we used to be able to make same day PS's. Where we would make them that morning for where we wanted to eat that night. On our last trip we left one dinner open and couldn't get anything for that night! We were staying at WL so we walked down and waited about 30 min. for a table at 7 p.m. at WCC (none of our favorite place but at that point it was just good to eat food)

 

[Hopefully]

We just returned from our trip on Sunday. We made our ADR's at about 145 days out and got most, not all of the times and places we hoped for. We did change one prior to arrival, with no problem.
However, last week while we were there we tried a day and two in advance to change an ADR for 2 nights hence. No luck!!! There was nothing available anywhere!!!! Although there were lots of people, the parks were not crazy busy.
We too, used to do same day PS's. I miss the ability to be spontaneous, but I am not willing to go hungry (and tired), so I do plan and book ADR's in advance.

 

[Karnak]

One complaint I read over and over on this board is about parents who bring overly tired, cranky children into restaurants.

Even now that he's 7, I find it very hard to predict what DS's schedule will be like on vacation. Will he be so excited he gets up really early, or will he be exhausted from the parks and sleep late? Will he take a nap midday or wear himself out in the pool? Now, at 7 he still does a pretty good job of behaving in a civilized manner when he's tired, but a few years ago that was a different story. We didn't happen to go to WDW when he was a toddler or preschooler, but if we had I guarantee that there would have been at least one meal where I would have decided for EVERYONE's benefit (including you if you'd been in the restaurant) that switching that meal to a nearby food court was a good idea.

I think that asking for deposits for very fancy places like California Grill or V and A is fine, but to ask families to commit 100% in advance to keeping their reservation at 50's primetime (just an example) is going to result in either far less families eating TS or more cranky children.

Just my opinion.

You make some very good points above. I know just what you are saying about the kids often being tired or cranky because I used to visit WDW with my children, and later, grandchildren.

However, I'm not sure it's right to keep someone else from enjoying a meal at the eatery in question because your children aren't up to it. Don't you feel that it would be acceptable to loose your deposit (say twenty bucks or so), if for some reason you can't honor your reservation?

If I thought there was that there was a good chance that the kids wouldn't be up for the meal, and based upon my past experience with the child, I wouldn't make the reservation in the first place.

Just daring to state my opinion, and not wanting to invite flames. LOL

Enjoy.

 

[Allison]

You make some very good points above. I know just what you are saying about the kids often being tired or cranky because I used to visit WDW with my children, and later, grandchildren.

However, I'm not sure it's right to keep someone else from enjoying a meal at the eatery in question because your children aren't up to it. Don't you feel that it would be acceptable to loose your deposit (say twenty bucks or so), if for some reason you can't honor your reservation?

If I thought there was that there was a good chance that the kids wouldn't be up for the meal, and based upon my past experience with the child, I wouldn't make the reservation in the first place.

Just daring to state my opinion, and not wanting to invite flames. LOL

Enjoy.

Just to respond-I personally wouldn't just throw away $20. Also, it is one thing to know how your child behaves and what they can tolerate in their normal home environment. It's a different situation when you are in the Disney environment. Who knows how tired they may be or the hundred other things that could affect your plans. Just my opinion.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Yes, park hours and EMH are already out as are the parade and nighttime specials. Thankfully they now release these in time for dining reservations to be made! They didn't use to.

It's really not hard for us; it's fairly easy to look at the hours and figure out which days are best to visit what park and fit in what other things we want to do. Once we narrow down the park(s) the restaurant selection is quite easy; course, we aren't first time visitors! It would be very very overwhelming if we were.

As time passes, I switch things around if I can... but nothing huge.

I guess we don't have to worry about being in the mood for something... it always works out, just like when we have a set menu at home. My mind convinces my tummy that it sounds good, maybe?

 

[Torjohnson]

I am going in June and booked my reservation two weeks ago(actually, last week). I got everything we wanted(No characters and nothing extravagant) with one compromised time . I also resisted this. I didn"t want to thave my time planned but that is the way it goes, I guess. I had to actually sit and plan where we could be and at what time in relationship to what we wanted to make sure to see.
I found it to be easy and kind of fun, but I do not like having to be so planned out....
but you could always cancel them
I would just go for it.

 

[mking624]

Since regular hours and EMH hours are posted that far in advance, it makes it easier for us to make our ADRs. Prior to that when hours wouldn't be released that far in advanced, it was really difficult for us to plan them out (and I gave a lot of credit to the people who made them anyway). We don't do morning EMH, just evening ones...so we plan our days according the the evening EMH. Choosing what parks on what days easily fall in to place for us, and then from there we determine which restaurant will be best on which day. For example, Magic Kingdom has its evening EMH on September 10th, so we decided we're going to be at MK that day to take advantage of EMH. Which means, for us, that dinner will be at MK. We booked Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner that evening. We already narrowed down which restaurants we wanted to eat at, so it was just a matter of assigning a date for it.

It's a lot easier if you already know what to do, where to go, etc. As mentioned, it can be quite overwhelming for the 1st time visitor.

 

[DaniDownUnder]

On my first 'grown-up' vacation to WDW (ASMu + dining) we only made 1 PS booking... at 4pm on the day of the booking (8pm dinner at Moroccan place in Epcot). The rest of the stay I only made 1 other PS booking for the Character Brekkie at Hollywood & Vine.

This trip however, after reading all the posts on this board, I decided to be more cautious (particularly since it is my honeymoon and I want to spread my own pixie dust before we even arrive). I booked the holiday on Tuesday, and only booked my ADRs yesterday. Lucked out and got all of my choices...including a 'last honeymoon late dinner' at Cinderella's Table and a first meal at Hoop-de-doo (my fiancee loves ribs and complains that Aussies just don't make ribs as good as the ones he had on his first visit to the US...so I'm going to give him EVERY opportunity to stuff himself stupid on ribs) (It must be love!!)

I agree tho, trying to work out what to eat 180 days in advance would be a nightmare, particularly with younger kids. Best of luck to everyone out there in that pickle.

Cheers....

 

[lizanne]

My DH has to be in the mood for whatever it is he eats so we never make ADRs. Last trip we missed out on LeCellier, so I made that ADR yesterday for Nov. I can't get DH to commit to anything else so I guess we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. It hasn't been a problem in the past but as others have said things are changing.

 

[klmall]

It was easy enough to make the California Grill and Concourse Steakhouse ADRs but planning everything else is tough. I just can't convince my husband that the Free Dining Plan (which we WON'T be using) will make any last minute decisions impossible on our fall trip!

Maybe I'll just go ahead and get some "just in case" ADRs at the hotels and EPCOT without bothering to tell him!

 

[byoung]

We made our's for Oct got all the times we wanted.