How do you plan your ADRs?

[bamamom]

When scheduling/planning your ADRs what process do you use? I'm trying to figure out which days to do this adr that adr etc... Do you make them based on EMH or what park you plan on being at that day? We will have PH so can move around if needed. On the EMH days is it better to go to another park that day and come for EMH, since those that don't have PH will be at that park all day and other parks will be less crowded.
I have the ADRs that we want for sure listed and then others to finish out the 8 days we will be there. I will be trying to get ADRs with the rest of the world on Oct 27 our trip is March 13 These are the ADRs on my list:
*CRT breakfast (will take what ever day I can get of course)
*Ohana dinner
*LeCellier dinner (will take what can get) not same day as CRT though
*50s Prime Time dinner
*Crystal Palace
*Kona breakfast
*Sci Fi lunch or dinner
*Cape May Cafe dinner
*Planet Hollywood dinner

 

[Dervis]

This was my process...

1. I made a list of all of the restaraunts that we really wanted to eat at.
a) Tepan Edo
b) Ohana
c) Sci Fi Dine In
d) Rose and Crown
e) Raglan Road
f) Boma
g) Le Celliare

2. I categorized them according to lunch/dinner and what park they were at.
a) Tepan Edo - Dinner
b) Ohana - Dinner
c) Sci Fi Dine In - Lunch
d) Rose and Crown - Dinner
e) Raglan Road - L/D
f) Boma - Dinner
g) Le Celliare - L/D
h) Tony's - L/D

3. From there I paired them up, and arranged them by which day would be spent at which park.
28th - Magic Kingdom, Tony's
29th - Epcot, Le Celliare and Rose and Crown
30th - DHS - Sci Fi
31st - Epcot, Teppan Edo
1st - Animal Kingdom, Boma
2nd - Downtown Disney, Raglan Road and Ohana

Fianlly, I made additional ADRs to fill in the blank spots. Unfortunately, we can't do the 90 + 10, so making ADRs for everything has been difficult, especially when you don't know 100% what your doing on which day. So far, we've been planning day by day on a tenative scedule, and it's been working out quite nicely.

 

[lsugal]

First I make a list of days and park hours. Then I cross out the ones that have morning EMH. Then I cross out AK and HS when they have evening EMH. Then I cross out HS when there is F! unless I want to go and I can get a F! package and only go for that on that day.

Then I look at what's left and make a tentative schedule of where I want to go on what days according to how much overall time I want to spend in each. Then I consider restaurants based on proximity and ease of transportation.

I always plan my park schedule first then choose restaurants that fit that. I do make some adjustments such as if I can only get Le Cellier on a day I did not plan to be at Epcot but what I said above is how I start out and then work it from there.

 

[lsugal]

Using the system I posted my schedule turned out like this:

Jan 4 Late afternoon arrival - R&C for Illuminations
Jan 5 AK - Boma
Jan 6 Epcot - Les Chefs
Jan 7 ? am/HS pm - F! Package
Jan 8 HS am/Epcot pm EMH - Le Cellier
Jan 9 MK - WCC
Jan 10 Wherever we want to revisit am/MK pm EMH - Ohana

 

[PoohsFan1]

For our December trip we first tried to get whatever we can for whatever day for the most hardest meals (Akershus breakfast, CRT, and Le Cellier) then we make our ADRs according to EMH, both morning and evening ones. Here is our schedule from 12/1-12/8

12/1 - Arrival Day - 1900 Park Fare Dinner @ 5:30pm
12/2 - Epcot Day - Akershus Breakfast before park opens @ 8:05am
12/2 - Epcot Day con't - Garden Grill dinner @ 6:25pm (park is open normal hours that day)
12/3 - Magic Kingdom - MVMCP night so no ADRs made
12/4 - Epcot Day and Evening EMH - Le Cellier lunch @ 11:30am
12/4 - Epcot Day Con't - Teppan Edo dinner @ 6:10pm
12/5 - DHS/MK Day - DHS has Morning EMH, no ADRs at DHS...but hopping over to MK for Tony Town Square lunch @ 2:40pm (hopefully sit outside to see 3pm parade)
12/5 - MK - CRT dinner @ 8:10pm (MK is opened til 11pm that night with no EMH)
12/6 - DHS Day and Evening EMH - Cape May Breakfast @ 7:30am before park opens
12/7 - AK Day and Morning EMH - no ADRs at park, but going to California Grill @ 5:30pm
12/8 - Departure Day (fly out at 8:00pm) No park day...O'hana's Breakfast @ 8:25am.
12/8 Departure Day Con't - Captain's Grill lunch @ 1:20pm

A lot of the ADRs listed were fillers that I was able to snag after our 90+10 mark (Teppan Edo, Cape May, 1900 Park Fare). Good luck figuring out your ADRs....it is a fun process, but a very stressful one too

 

[Disuser]

I plan most reservations around the park we'll be visiting. I lean toward those restaurants that are consistently praised on this site.
This trip I added two out outside the parks. Ohana and Hoop Dee Doo.

 

[djp0630]

Ok, so I planned my days and then made ADRs around them. I avoided EMH, with 2 young kids, I knew we wouldn't use them. I also put harder reservations towards the end of my week(CRT). I did CRT after DD did BBB, and I thought it would be a good end. Also, we had breakfast at CM on our departure day. On our animal kindgom day, since it was early, I planned a CM dinner (We stayed at BLT so it was close). The only time it didn't work out with my plan, was 'Ohana dinner. I could only get 'Ohana dinner on our MNSSHP day, but we got 5pm, so it did work out.

 

[2princesses2princes]

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one that plans, plans, and then plans some more. Anyway, we picked which restaurants we absolutely had to have, and whether what meal it was for. I tracked a schedule for the days and hours at each parks and we laid out a tenative schedule of what days we wanted to go where. We are not doing PH but we did last time and still did it this way. Then we paired them up and made the adr's. I had a few back up days and such figured out ahead of time. I was amazed at what all was already booked. Last time we went I had no time changing ressies up to a few weeks before our trip.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Alot of it has to do with where we are staying and are the TS places convenient to get to.

Then I look at EMH hours and if Epcot has any concerts going on or MK has any parties going on.

Then I just wing it....

 

[allshookup]

Like MickeyNicki, we tend to work around where we're staying & also what parks we'll be visiting. For instance, since we're right at BLT & we've never been to the Wave, we're planning on trying it for lunch on the 3rd of Jan, before we head to MK evening EMH, but I don't feel like being tied to a time & I doubt we'll have trouble getting in.

We stayed at BCV in August & we ate at Cape May, Beaches & Cream, the Yacht Club Galley & ESPN. ESPN is always a good back up for us, because they don't take ADRs.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I plan based on where we are staying and which park I want to hit that day.

Hopping can be good on EMH days, unless crowds are going to be really low.

Hopping to HS/Epcot area resorts/Epcot is easy. Getitng from AK to AKL is easy (though getting to your resort after the parks are closed is not via bus - one time a taxi is worth the money). Getting from CR to any resort is easy - so long as MK is open. but getting from Epcot to CR is kind of a pain. Getting to Poly is pretty easy from MK or Epcot.
REally you can get to any resort form any park - so it's not that big of a deal. just allow time if by bus.Getting resort to resort via bus is a pain. If you are goin to dine at a resort, plan to arrive FROM a park. It is also help to return to a park after dinner.


Eating at a resort is good for a last day - that way you can keep that day pretty open. Pick a park you think likely - and pick a dining choice near that park.

If we are staying in the BWK area our dining choices look different then if we are staying inthe MK area. The mods and values you can pick any dining - except maybe another mod. If you are staying deluxe, it always pays to dine at your home resort at least once.

Disney has enough very good dining choices that you can modify based on which park you want to be in.

MK: CRT, CP
HS: 50s Prime Time dinner, Sci-Fi
EPCOT:Le Cellier
Resorts: Ohana dinner, Kona, Cape May
DTD: PH

It sounds like you've got a fair mix, but it's a bit heay on the Poly. You also don't have anything for AK, but that's easy enough to work around. It's not too bad to get from AK to HS, so you could do that pairing. You could do Cape May on an Epcot day easily enough.

 

[whitney37354]

I found on a website which days are supposed to be lighter crowds at each park. I want to try to get ADR's for the lighter park days, trying to get all the character meals I can. However, I'll take what I can get when I can get them since this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us and I want to do all I can without rushing us.

 

[bamamom]

It sounds like you've got a fair mix, but it's a bit heay on the Poly. You also don't have anything for AK, but that's easy enough to work around. It's not too bad to get from AK to HS, so you could do that pairing. You could do Cape May on an Epcot day easily enough.

Whoops! I forgot to list Breakfast with Donals at AK. It was suppose to be on the list and Kona breakfast is only a maybe and it will be OP.

Thanks for all the plans!! So much help. When will be park hours be out for March 2010?