Help Narrow Down Our ADRs

[Jjs7one]

We are a family of 5. This will be our kids and my wife's first trip to Disney World. The kids are 6 year old boy and 5 year old twin girls.

We would like to possibly remove one or two ADRs so we are not spending too much time eating. Here is our current list:

Nov 21st - 8:10pm - Minnie's Hollywood Dine (our thought is to do the 7pm fantasmic and then do dinner)
Nov 22nd - 8:30am PPO - BOG
Nov 23rd - 7:30am - Ohana
Nov 24th - 1:00pm - Sanna
Nov 24th - 9:40pm - CRT
Nov 25th - 8:20am PPO - ScFi
Nov 25th - 3:50pm - 50s Prime
Nov 26th - 9:30am - Chef Mickey

Thanks for your input.

 

[supersnoop]

If you want to cut down on dining time, I'd cut Sanaa. Transportation to and from will eat into your park time.

 

[LJSquishy]

I'd cancel CRT but only because of the time...at 10pm how are your kids going to behave? No way do I want to be out past 7-8pm for a meal even as an adult! Maybe you can find a more desirable time.

Are you certain your PPO breakfasts at BOG and Sci-Fi won't end up with park hour changes where they open up earlier? They seem to always alter the schedule! PPO breakfasts aren't that worth it to me but maybe they're a priority for you.

As much as we enjoyed Sanaa, you may decide to cancel that one since it's mid-day...is that your AK day or are you staying at AKL and it's a resort day maybe?

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

I'd cut 50s and Ohana and feel that CRT is way too late for kids, but that's just me.

 

[Oswin]

I'd cut 50's & Sci Fi if you're doing the Minnie's dinner at HS. I'd also cut Sana because travel time to and from may be a pain.

 

[Pepper pots]

I'd vote for Sanaa also..

 

[Nancyg56]

First, I would watch for park opening changes becasue I would not want two meals that were scheduled during prime time touring.

I think I woud scrap CRT but as a PP pointed out, this is pretty late for kids. If they will be okay eating that late, though then keep it. Dining in the Castle is a blast!

Sanaa is a trek unless you are at AK that day. Consider canceling if you are not staying at AKL or leaving AK during that time. I would look for Tusker House that day. The kids would like this character meal I think, and there should be some cancellations that crop up.

My family likes 'Ohana breakfast. The characters are fun and the food is brought to you.

 

[JZCubed]

We are a family of 5. This will be our kids and my wife's first trip to Disney World. The kids are 6 year old boy and 5 year old twin girls.

We would like to possibly remove one or two ADRs so we are not spending too much time eating. Here is our current list:

Nov 21st - 8:10pm - Minnie's Hollywood Dine (our thought is to do the 7pm fantasmic and then do dinner)
Nov 22nd - 8:30am PPO - BOG
Nov 23rd - 7:30am - Ohana
Nov 24th - 1:00pm - Sanna
Nov 24th - 9:40pm - CRT
Nov 25th - 8:20am PPO - ScFi
Nov 25th - 3:50pm - 50s Prime
Nov 26th - 9:30am - Chef Mickey

Thanks for your input.

My child will be 7 y.o. on our next trip and she has been to Disney World many times.

It is difficult keeping children up past what would be their normal bedtime, mostly because everyone (including adults) is going to be tired after a day in the Parks.

If you want to go to Fantasmic! or Fireworks, plan on spending a more quiet day by the pool. While exhausting, it is not the same exhaustion of 'information overload' that comes from walking through the Parks.

Breakfast ADR's can mean losing valuable Park time. You should recognize this tradeoff.

In general, Disney has made going resort-to-resort difficult if using their transportation. Be prepared to drive yourself or take a taxi.

--Minnie's - I just don't see young children willing to sit down for dinner after Fantasmic!
--Be Our Guest - if you're done with breakfast at Be Our Guest after the Magic Kingdom has already opened, you're giving up valuable ride time. Personally, we prefer dinner for the opportunity to meet The Beast.
--O'hana for breakfast would not be my first choice (unless staying at Poly). 1900 Park Fare is better Character breakfast on Monorail loop.
--Sanaa - we enjoy the animal view of the Savannah for lunch. But resort-to-resort can take a fair among of time. Great way to see AKLodge too.
--CRT at 9:40PM? By this hour of the day, I'm ready to go to sleep after a day in the Parks. Do you really eat that late and expect to be in a Sci-Fi the next morning for breakfast?
--Sci-Fi - a very cool room.
--50's Prime Time - the formica-theme is lost on many young children who did not grow up watching Leave it to Beaver. Also, 3 days in Hollywood Studios (Minnie, Sci-Fi, & 50's)?
--Chef Mickey's - excellent Character interaction, but the food - meh. Tusker House is Animal Kingdom has almost all the same Characters and a Park experience too.

My apologies, upon further review I've been quite harsh to your plans. I can only assume we Tour very differently. But I also hope my remarks offer an alternative viewpoint to others who might be looking at these Boards.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with most everything JZ Cubed has said.
I would definitely cancel Saana - too inconvenient. CRT is way too late to enjoy. I would not plan 3 days in DHS.
Good Luck

 

[TsLoveMickey]

I think you made some great selections. However, I would limit to one sit down per day with three kids. Maybe move one from your two-day ADRs to the BOG day... BOG breakfast is still quick enough that you should have time to do a table service that evening.

 

[Nancyg56]

I agree with most everything JZ Cubed has said.
I would definitely cancel Saana - too inconvenient. CRT is way too late to enjoy. I would not plan 3 days in DHS.
Good Luck

I saw the three days in DHS as well and thought it was a lot for even die hard DHS fans.

 

[bridgetmck]

Three days in DHS is too much. We found one day (even half a day) to be sufficient. My kids love more time in Magic Kingdom. We plan for at least 2 full days there.
Where are you staying? And what are your park plans for these days? Do you have park hoppers or base tickets?

In the past, we've found that being in the parks ALL DAY is too much. We typically go back to the resort for a mid-day break. So we try not to plan a lunch anywhere. We also try to keep our dinner reservations times between 6-6:30pm because it's inevitable that you will (usually) wait for your table even though you have an ADR. And in order to avoid tired, impatient children who might have a meltdown...we try to eat on our normal (at-home) schedule. Hungry children=unhappy children.

With all that being said, and if these were MY plans....
I would change the Nov 24th plans because trekking to two parks is going to be too much. And a 9:00 dinner is WAY TOO much. I would look for something in the park where we will be that day.

However, if CRT is THE MUST DO dining choice (And I know for some girls it is!) then keep CRT cancel Sanaa and cancel you breakfast the next day at Sci-Fi because an early start might be too much after a late dinner the day before.

 

[staceycrouton]

I'd cut Sanaa and Sci-Fi. That would leave you with only one reservation per day. Definitely agree that CRT is very late and would keep trying to get earlier time. Wouldn't cancel it though because I think that your girls would love it!

 

[Mikeb1892]

Lot's of great replies but I'll throw in my 2 cents...I agree that CRT will be hard at 9:40, but perhaps you were planning an "off" day this day based on your Sanaa earlier in the day? If that is the case I would try to have the kids (and adults maybe) take a nap, then be more refreshed for CRT, but I would also heed the suggestion to cancel the SciFi breakfast the very next morning. That 1-2 punch could really start your day off bad, not to mention you're going to be there during a very very busy week. Otherwise I think you'll be fine. Have a great trip, and remember....your on Vacation!

 

[JimmyV]

I also agree with everything that JZCubed stated above. I think you are overestimating your ability to get from place to place in a realistic length of time. For example, you want to sit down to dinner on the 21st at 8:10. Remember that an ADR is not a reservation. There won't be a table waiting for you. You will get the next available table after checking in around 8:10. It could be right away, or you could wait 20 minutes. You may not sit down until 8:30 and you may not finish dinner until 9:30. And then you have to get back to your resort. That could take an hour. And then you have to go through the bedtime routine with three young children. Maybe their heads hit the pillow sometime between 10:30-11:00. Now, we move to the next day. You want to be seated at BoG at 8:30. To do that, you need to be at the security area outside the MK by 8:10 at the latest. More likely 8:00. Now trace back and see how long it will take you to wait for a bus and ride the bus to the MK. Or if you intend to drive, how long it will take you to drive to the TTC, park, and take a monorail or ferry to the MK. Now trace back and figure out how long it takes the family to get ready in the morning. Realistically, you might have the family up and out of bed at 6:30. Do you really want to do that after the kids got to bed at 11:00 the night before? And that is just your first day. Your dinner on the 24th followed by breakfast on the 25th will have your kids going to bed close to midnight and up again at 6:30 the next morning. Your plan is really a "commando" plan that is best left to people who know the ropes and who go-go-go all the time. For your kids' first trip to WDW, I see no "slow down and smell the roses" here. Just: "C'mon kids. We have to go. We have an ADR to catch!" Don't for a minute think that kids who are 5 and 6 are nearly as interested in sit-down dining as you are, unless it is a character meal. And for those, it is best to do a breakfast on a day when you aren't going to go to a park at all, or are going to go to World Showcase at Epcot when it opens at 11:00. Or book a dinner and make that the end of a perfect day, with the intent of still getting the kids into bed close to their normal bedtime. Your kids are going to be doing more each day than they typically would do, and as a result, they will need at least as much rest if not more than normal. WDW is not a place where one can shift their bedtime from 9:00 to 11:00 without any negative ramifications. Cranky kids and a cranky wife are sure to follow.

 

[Jjs7one]

Thanks everyone.

We were planning on a day and a half at HS. The ScFi and 50s are the same day. We do have park hoppers.

sanna is our AK day and we were planning on doing a nap between after lunch and dinner. Sanna is the one adult choice for dining. I think we will cancel the ScFi and 50 as CRT is the one the girls want and I haven't seen an earlier time. We are coming from Denver so the hope is to keep them on that time so they can stay later in the parks and do more sleep in days.