How important are ADR's?

[bjgrazi]

We're going end of January, how important are ADR's? I have no clue where or what I want to eat 180 days out. I was going to make 1 adr for O'Hana's.

The last time we went you didn't have to make them 6 months in advance. I think I see a lot of counter service in our future.

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

Well I am going during Free Dining with 14 people so they are extremely important.

I think it depends on how big your party it is, if you are going during a busy time ( holiday, Free Dining, school vacation), and how popular the restaurant is. I would rather have them even if I make them a month before i go.

 

[3pletprincesses]

Ohana is a really popular place to eat. If you reall ywant to eat there, I would highly recommend making ADR

 

[willowsnn3]

I think it just all depends.....on what I don't know, lol. We are 4 weeks from our stay & just yesterday upgraded from regular ddp to deluxe so that gave us 8 more TS each in addition to the 4 we had already made adr's for. So last night we booked them all online, got what we wanted in the time frame we wanted so no problems at all. We are a party of 6.

 

[Jenngoofys]

How important is eating where you want? If you want certain places then ADRs are your best bet

 

[goofy4tink]

It depends on where you want to eat. If you want to eat at LeCellier then you had best make an ADR beforehand. Same with most character meals.

A lot of people say they have no idea where they want to eat on a given day 4 months down the road...so they don't make ADRs. But, it's really not a big deal to figure out which park you'll be in on any given day during your stay and then to book at least one ADR in that area. IF you choose not to eat there, just cancel it at Guest Services.
But it's really better to have one and then not use it than it is to want one and not be able to get in to eat.

 

[Cafeen]

Aside from MLK weekend, the end of Jan is quite slow. How this relates to ADRs is as such.

There is always going to be something open somewhere during your trip. If you're flexible and don't mind dining at off hours and at less than popular (and possibly more out of the way) locations, then you shouldn't need any ADRs at all.

However, for any restaurants you know that you want to do, I'd make one as soon as you can. (Note: 'Ohana dinner is now the #1 most difficult ADR to get, even tougher than the CRT breakfast or Le Cellier Lunch).

So, basically, make ADRs at 180 for must dos, then as things get closer if you know you want to do something, try ahead of time, otherwise you can check the day off and see what's open.

 

[bjgrazi]

Ok, I booked O'Hana's for our second night after booking it for our first night. (cancelled that one)
I also booked a lunch for when we arrive at Whispering Canyon since I know after traveling we'll be hungry and it would be a great way to start our trip.

I also have an ADR for 50's Prime Time since my husband has never eaten there I thought he might get a kick out of it.

Other than them, we're flying by the seat of our pants.

 

[AngelDisney]

Went in 2004 without ADRs. Waited almost 2 hours at Liberty Tavern for an early dinner. It was too hot a day. We suddenly decided to get in somewhere with air-conditioning, relax a bit and eat. We did not mind the wait because we would rather be inside than out. In 2010, I had done more research and made all my ADRs ahead of time (it was about 150 days out when we decided to visit WDW). We did not wait more than 30 minutes for all our ADRs (most only 5-10 minutes). It was wonderful and DD could tolerate heat more as she's much older. We did not waste much of our touring time waiting to dine. This year with free dining. I was up before 6 am at 180 days out to make all my ADRs. I could not get the time I wanted for a few popular restaurants but I got all I wanted and have been checking for better time every day since.

If you go during a busy time, it's better to make ADRs in advance. You can always change it if there's any change of plan. I usuallly plan out which park to visit for each day and make my ADRs accordingly. Hope this helps.

 

[goofy4tink]

Ok, I booked O'Hana's for our second night after booking it for our first night. (cancelled that one)
I also booked a lunch for when we arrive at Whispering Canyon since I know after traveling we'll be hungry and it would be a great way to start our trip.

I also have an ADR for 50's Prime Time since my husband has never eaten there I thought he might get a kick out of it.

Other than them, we're flying by the seat of our pants.

You'll be glad you booked 'Ohana, when you see all the people trying to get in without ADRs!!!! And WCC is a great way to start the trip.
50's is a must do on almost every trip...good choice.

 

[nkereina]

January is a slow time and to my knowledge there is no free dining offered for that time yet. So that's good for you. If you go willing to eat at "off times" - like 11am or 2pm lunches, 4pm or 8pm dinners, etc., you aren't picky about where you eat, and you have no expectations, I think you can get away with no ADRs that time of year. During a busier time, maybe not. But if there are any must-do's, don't chance it and make an ADR. For us, the restaurants are half the trip and half the fun, so we don't ever chance it with no ADRs. But if food isn't a big deal to you, you should be ok!

 

[no capes darling]

I guess it depends on if you are buying the dining plan, too. If you aren't planning on using it, and/or definitely wanting a sit-down meal daily. If that's the case, going without ADRS might be ok. For our family, it's very important that we have a table-service dinner nightly and generally stick to a general timeframe that we want to eat. Because of that we opt to make the ADRs and tend to stick with mostly resort restaurants. I don't know what I'll be making for dinner tomorrow, but when it comes to picking ADRs, that's not a challenge.