Hats off to those who can make ADRs

[Glendamax]

Last year, I made my reservations about 2 months in advance, and it worked out well. But I think that allowing people to make them so early, can really ruin the Diseny experience for alot of folks. I think they should only allow reservations to fill about 60 to 70% of the tables, so there will be the possibility of walk-ins at every restaurant.

 

[maggiew]

I know what park I will be in on which days (thanks to Tour Guide Mike), and I know what time I want to eat (again, thanks to Tour Guide Mike). All that leaves is for me to pick where we would like to eat. No problem as we usually have a "we should try this place next time". I find it no issue whatsoever to make ADRs that far out.

I actually find having ADRs to give me peace of mind. I know we have a scheduled break in the air conditioning (we usually go in summer) and that we will be eating somewhere we like at a time that we like.

Maggie

 

[CanadianGuy]

I was SUPER resistive to making ADR's before our upcoming trip.

And my trip is only 22 days away! But I did the spreadsheet thing and figured out what parks we would be in on at least 3 days of our trip. And then I booked lunch ADRs at places I've always wanted to try but could never get in because they were too busy.

I got the times I wanted and the places I wanted.. and I only booked my ADRs 22 days before! Now, mind you, I'm not booking character meals etc and I'm travelling with adults only. But..

I am however going to call back and book one more ADR for dinner on our last night.

J

 

[majortom]

How does anyone plan for their meals 180 days in advance?
....

Hats off to those who know what they're doing every day 180 days away.

I rarely know where I am going to eat 12 hours in advance. On vacation, I cannot understand how one can know 180 days in advance how tired one is going to be, whether there will be a shuttle lunch or landing at KSC, what food one will want, or if Expedition Everest will be down necessitating an extra day in Animal Kingdom.

Coupled with Disney's Dining Plan, one of the worst changes Disney has made.

/carmi

 

[majortom]

But I think that allowing people to make them so early, can really ruin the Diseny experience for alot of folks.

I agree. This is a vacation for most guests. Most people (i.e. those that do no spend their lives on here) do not plan vacations to this level of detail six months in advance. Getting to Walt Disney World and discovering that one cannot get reservations any where and often cannot even try to walk in to a restaurant must be a terrible disappointment to many families.

I think they should only allow reservations to fill about 60 to 70% of the tables, so there will be the possibility of walk-ins at every restaurant.

Unfortunately, thanks to Disney's Dining Plan that cannot be done. Guests would be very angry if they were paying for these plans and could not get reservations.

/carmi

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We hardly ever make our 180 days out (unless it's a character thing). We go during the "value" season so waiting until about 2 months before usually works. But after our last trip I will never wait until the week or day of to make the ADR. All it takes is finding out the hard way and calling 9 different places the day of and none of them having any times available.

 

[carone0318]

I think they should only allow reservations to fill about 60 to 70% of the tables, so there will be the possibility of walk-ins at every restaurant.

To some this might be a good idea, but why would Disney do this. Disney would rather have their tables full in advance than wait until the last minute and see if someone shows up. Full tables = profit.

I have 2 smallish children, guess they are not that small anymore, dd (9) and ds (5). We've been going every yr since ds was born. I have always made my ADRs/PSs at the earliest time possible that Disney allowed and never had a problem. We have always gone with a the latest lunch possible, usually around 4ish and it has worked perfectly. This year we are purchasing the DDP (DVC members) and I have actually booked dinner times, but nothing later than 6:30, figuring that we will be eating CS lunches prior too.

I actually like that the booking dates have changed to 180, I can now do it 90 days earlier than I could before. I would think that anyone that was planning a Disney trip, if they are doing it on their own are "planning" type people. If the book through a TA, their TA should recommend that they look into booking ADRs or they are not very good TAs. Disney is not a cheap vacation and to not do research on it, is an error on anyone's part.

Disney is not saying that you have to book ADRs and nobody else is saying that either, it is each individual's choice. Just be prepared to eat CS or eat off-site for table service if you make the choice not to make ADRs when the 180 day mark becomes available. Some like spontaneity and others like to plan. With the new booking window it works for both. If you are spontaneous person why would you know what you are going to eat at 3 month out, but you can figure it out at 6 months. It really is not different if the hours are posted for the parks for either time.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm looking at my 11th WDW trip since '99 in 10 days...so, I've been that person who was new to WDW and then the one who pretty much knows what I need to know. I still maintain that if a family is going to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation, they should spend the extra $15 and get a good guidebook. The guidebook will tell them about meal planning, and the need to make those ADRs. I've seen way too many people get turned away from the more popular restaurants muttering about not being able to eat there when they had been looking forward to it for months...that they had no idea you had to make 'reservations' in advance...how are people supposed to know these things!
So.....plan ahead. I make at least one ADR for each day...that way I know I'm going to eat a decent meal once a day, get off my feet for an hour or so. I know that it seems a bit anal to be planning on where to eat so far out, but it's really a good idea. If you find you can't make a particular ADR, then just stop at Guest Services and cancel it as soon as you realize you won't need it.

 

[mking624]

I rarely know where I am going to eat 12 hours in advance. On vacation, I cannot understand how one can know 180 days in advance how tired one is going to be, whether there will be a shuttle lunch or landing at KSC, what food one will want, or if Expedition Everest will be down necessitating an extra day in Animal Kingdom.

Coupled with Disney's Dining Plan, one of the worst changes Disney has made.

/carmi

No offense, but just because you don't plan that early doesn't mean it's one of the worst changes they've made. In fact, it's a wonderful change for those who DO plan early. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but clearly it works really well if they decided to make the change.

For how tired I'm going to be? Well I've never been so tired that I decided to skip a meal entirely...especially if it's free.
What food I will want? I'm not so picky an eater that I can't stick with my ADRs...especially if it's free.
An extra day at Animal Kingdom? Ahh, that's the beauty of a park hopper.

But to each his own.

 

[nickelsfamily]

For how tired I'm going to be? Well I've never been so tired that I decided to skip a meal entirely...especially if it's free.
What food I will want? I'm not so picky an eater that I can't stick with my ADRs...especially if it's free.
An extra day at Animal Kingdom? Ahh, that's the beauty of a park hopper.

But to each his own.

RIGHT ON!!!

FOR US IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO EAT CHICKEN FINGERS, HAMBURGERS AND FRENCH FRIES ALL WEEK OR SOME REAL FOOD!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I'd rather just play it by ear and go on a whim. I'd rather be able to walk up anywhere at any time and get in. But that's not possible given the numbers.

The new 180 system is better than the old. Last year with the 90 day ADR's, we had to get up at 7 am and do the dialing trick just to have a shot at CRT. And you couldn't make em all at once, you had to call each day at the window. And then, you had no park hours to go by. You pretty much had to go by last year's and hope for the best. And they didn't release those until two weeks before I left. Wayyyy to late to make changes at many places. And of course they changed from the year before. Uggh. What was once an hour and 20 before wishes became 20 minutes....OOpsie.

Now we get the hours and much of the stuff beforehand. MNSSHP came out a bit late but that wasn't too big a hassle.

 

[Joshy443]

Didn't mean to start anything! To each his own. We'll be making ADRs just not for everyday. I'll check out Tour Guide Mike and make some decisions (thanks for the tips). I am a compulsive planner but with 3 young kids, its hard to know what mood they'll be in. There are many variables to consider. I know we can always cancel.

We're not going until May 2007 so come December when its cold outside, I'll be inside warm with my disney book & phone making ADRs. We definitely have a couple of restuarants we want to try. Sounds good to me. Happy planning to all!

 

[kaysmommie]

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.

I agree with you 100%! If I decide I can't make my ADR I always cancel as soon as I know, but sometimes things happen with kids on vacation and last I checked Disney was a family place. No one should have to pay a penalty for canceling a few hours before. Except the signature rstaurants of course 24 hours is reasonable.

 

[aviva5675]

Ok Im a dweeb- our trip is Nov 1-6 and I made my ADRs yesterday, the first day I could! Ive been planning it all out to correlate with parks and parades and excitedly called first day out ( OK! I said I was a dweeb!). Got everything I wanted at the times I wanted - am going to call back tho and switch 2 days since TGM best days came out about 45 minutes after I did the ADRs and I need to maybe make a tweak to the plan.

If anyone cares: Nov 1 Epcot, cruise the food fest for lunch, dinner Le Cellier 5pm
Nov 2 AK, early lunch probably Flame Tree, dinner Kona 5pm probably try for Spectro 7p
Nov 3 MGM early lunch somewhere, 430 or so Fantasmic BD
Nov 4 MK CP lunch 1100, CG dinner 6p
Nov 5 Kona breakfast 9a, golf and horseback riding, open day
Nov 6 Boma 9a, day we leave
Have MGM and Epc reversed right now and will switch it as I dont want to be stuck at Epc for dinner on their EMH night.

Id be very unhappy waiting a few months and calling and not getting what I want around when we like to eat. I will call and cancel if something doesnt work out when we are there. Only polite.

 

[Moury4]

I made mine the first day I could also. On my last stay I only made adr's for 2 nights and I had problems finding places to eat the other nights (this was in middle of November).

 

[Mickey Fanatic]

I booked our ADRS in February for our trip in May. (work wouldn't confirm our holidays until then ) Luckily we got everything that we wanted. But of course we weren't trying to book CRT. The only one that I would change if I could would be our res for Hoop Dee Doo Revue. We could only get the 9:30 seating and I HATE eating that late.

 

[glencoe]

I get my ADR's as soon as I plan our trip and look over the EMH. I am a planner by nature so I have no problems w/ it. However.....why can't they leave some room for spontanious people?
For example on our last WDW visit we arrived early than expected and needed to get dinner. Being a Poly guest we went to a Poly restaurant Kona's. Well they had nothing, of course a family of 5 w/ small children was stuck. We had eaten fast food the whole drive down from NY and wanted to sit and get some real food.

What irks me is how come they don't put aside tables for hotel guests and let hotel guests get preferential treatment? It seems like a nice courtesy for those of us who are paying deluxe resort prices? Am I wrong. Anyway, I wont take that chance again and will make ADR's ahead.

I think people now make ADRs all over the place to cover their bases and blow them off (which I don't agree w/) if they decide to do something else. How come the computer does not notice if you double book meals?

just mho

 

[Joshy443]

It would seem that since people staying at their resorts and paying rates they could get a chance to eat at their resort's restaurant. Thats what concerns me the most - we're staying at the Poly so we're going to definitely make ADRs for there.

 

[dalt01]

we are going mid october and ours have been made since late april. i think it is just good planning. if i had a nickle for every time i heard this; Guest, hi, how long is the wait? CM, i'm sorry we are full for the rest of the evening. Guest, you have got to be kidding! CM, i'll check the rest of the restaurants in world showcase for you............nope, nothing anywhere, oh wait i can get you an 8:15 in japan. Guest, ya right, well what are we supposed to do?!?! of course they ended up with a burger somewhere all the time blaming disney for their poor system

 

[Nancyg56]

We are going in January, so I'll be making our 180 days out. I know that I can make changes if I need to, but is is nice to know that we will have a place to eat a nice meal. It kind of forces a procrastinator like me to make a rough plan, and gives my family a chance to get excited about our trip because we can talk about food in our favorite place. We love that.