How many ADR's to make?

[mckinnonlori]

How many advanced reservations / planned meals to you make a day?
We are on the deluxe meal plan so there are no concerns about TS vs QS.
I am just a little concerned about over planning and missing out on activities because we have to get to a reserved meal.
We will be there 5 nights and 4 full park days.
So far we have
3 character breakfasts
4 dinners
2 lunches
One day we have all three meals planned.
My kids are 5 and 2 and this is our first time as a family so I have no idea what to expect as far as endurance and stamina.
TIA,
Lori

 

[annnewjerz]

I would say that to make the most of your credits, I would probably plan two ADRs each day. One at breakfast and one for dinner, or an early lunch and later dinner---something so that you don't spend all of your time in a restaurant (unless that's how you want to spend your trip, which is nice too!)

I would also try to make the ADRs for whatever park/surrounding area you plan to be in that day. It's a lot more work to be in DHS and make a dinner reservation for somewhere in the MK if you aren't planning to be there at the time of your ressie.

Don't forget, you can always overplan and if you decide you're having a great time in the parks---cancel your ADR and just grab something quick. Sure, it's not the best way to maximize your money on the deluxe DDP, but if it maximizes your fun in WDW, who really cares?

I'm planning our trip to try to make the most of our credits because right now, I want to get every penny worth. When we get there though, it'll be a different story. I'll want to enjoy myself and if that means skipping one planned meal here and there, so be it!

Good luck and have a great trip!!

Ann

 

[diznoob]

Thanks, that helps me too as a 5 night 4 1/2 day DDP-er. Have till Saturday to figure it out.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We always have a TS for dinner every single night of our stay.

If we are going for a short trip I make sure and have one TS breakfast for our departure day.

If we are going on a long trip we will have about 3-4 TS breakfasts, 3-4 TS lunches and again, TS for every single night we are there

 

[Colleen27]

We generally make two per day, plus dinner on our arrival night and breakfast on our departure morning. We've done a couple of 3 meal days, but that really felt too structured with too little time between meals to go with the flow in the parks and too much needing to keep an eye on the clock to be sure we were where we needed to be on time.

 

[DisneyGrampa]

It depends on what you want to get out of the trip. If you want to "do it all", well in four days, you can't anyway; but taking time out for 3 TS a day won't help. If you want to just do MK, with the tikes, and eat up a storm, then go for it!
The deluxe plan is too much food and winds up taking up too much time. I'd start by dropping back to the standard plan. Make ADRs for all your meals, whatever you do-you're not commited to the schedule-you can change it later, but if you need them, you've got them in your back pocket.

 

[mckinnonlori]

It depends on what you want to get out of the trip. If you want to "do it all", well in four days, you can't anyway; but taking time out for 3 TS a day won't help. If you want to just do MK, with the tikes, and eat up a storm, then go for it!
The deluxe plan is too much food and winds up taking up too much time. I'd start by dropping back to the standard plan. Make ADRs for all your meals, whatever you do-you're not commited to the schedule-you can change it later, but if you need them, you've got them in your back pocket.

We have gone back and forth on this. Although we have the 3 TS meal plan, any of those can be QS. We definitely will not be doing three TS a day.
It just equals and extra meal and an extra snack each day. The difference between the two plans is $74 a day. I just don't know if I can feed my family at DW for that. Many people have told me that the plus MP is not enough food. If we go with the deluxe , it will be more that enough.
Any other input..... I guess that I should start another thread for this...
If we go to the smaller meal plan we will definitely be money out of pocket for some food.

 

[mckinnonlori]

bump

 

[Silver Queen]

In my opinion if you already have the Deluxe plan and money is not an issue I'd stick with it. It will give you more flexibility, particularly since you're already considering the possibility of using your plan for some QS meals. After this trip you'll know if it is too much food for your family. As a PP said, you can always cancel an EDR if you're enjoying yourselves in a park and prefer not to leave. There are also some nice TS restaurants (like Grand Floridian Cafe) that can often accommodate walk-ins. The GFC is just a quick monorail ride from the MK and might be a nice break from the park for lunch (we love their Cobb Salad).