How necessary are ADR's?

[n2mm]

You might want to check around to see if the Home Builders' Convention is being held during your trip. We have been to WDW early February many times and if this convention is in town, it's attendance is about 100,000.

UPDATE: I checked and they are meeting in LasVegas this year.....wheww.....seems they only show up in Orlando when I'm there in February. This year we are going to WDW in January and the convention is the exact same timeframe as we are, just not in WDW this year.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

We are going Feb 7-13 and am considering DDP, but we really like to be able to eat when we feel like it. Also, this is our first trip so I am a bit leary of having to be in a certain place at a certain time. I know if we want to see HDDR or something on that order we will need ADR's, but how big of a deal is it for other TS restaurants that time of year since hopefully it will be less crowded that time of year.

Eating in Disney anytime of the year is a big deal. In my opinion it is extremely important to book your adr's no matter if your 2 or 22.

 

[tkoran]

You might want to check around to see if the Home Builders' Convention is being held during your trip. We have been to WDW early February many times and if this convention is in town, it's attendance is about 100,000.

UPDATE: I checked and they are meeting in LasVegas this year.....wheww.....seems they only show up in Orlando when I'm there in February. This year we are going to WDW in January and the convention is the exact same timeframe as we are, just not in WDW this year.

YIKES!! You scared me for a minute there! DH is let's say.....less than thrilled with the idea of going to WDW. He hates Florida (he's never been there), hates crowds and hates heat so I needed to schedule this at the slowest time of year I could come up with that worked with our schedules. I suppose that group would be better than some others that meet there though.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

If I had the DDP, I would definatly make ADRs. Of course I'm completely obsessive, and have to make all of my ADRs 180 days in advance anyway, but that's just me.

 

[maj42169]

It all will depend on how busy the parks are on the days of your trip. Free Dining is held during a slow time. Feb. is also a slow time so you may be able to do walk ups. However, the time we go is always a high season so there are NO walk ups available. In fact, I have seen them turn people away that have showed up with an ADR but their party has one or two more guests than originally planned for!

 

[mplsmom1]

If you aren't on the DDP than I think it is not necessary as long as you are okay with eating cs if you can't find a ts place that can take you.

This is my strategy. We are not DDP, so I have ADR's for the two TS's I want to go to this trip - Crystal Palace and Teppen Edo. The rest we'll wing, honestly my DS's think the breadsticks at the ASMo food court are 'the best'

 

[Cee]

What we have been doing is calling WDW-Dining in the morning to see what is
available. We make the ADR and enjoy our meal! It requires flexibility and a
desire to try places we might not otherwise have considered and we've never
been disappointed. On our last trip in December, we enjoyed Ca. Grill, Yachtsman Steakhouse, High Tea at the Garden View Cafe at GF, and breakfast
at Olivia's at OKW. We also walked up to Raglan Road at around 3:00 p.m. and
got a table. If you want something specific like a character breakfast, you
probably should plan ahead. But we've enjoyed the "freedom". Enjoy!

 

[bigbabyblues]

When DH and I went to WDW the first week of Feb, we saw people turned away without ADRs at every restaurant we went to except the California Grill. No one was asking there.

 

[dburg30]

I guess I'd have to admit, that I'm sure you could get something at out of the park stuff, as the previous poster pretty much listed. As far as if you want to eat at the park you are in that day, then you almost have to have ADR's.

 

[imthatgirl]

What we have been doing is calling WDW-Dining in the morning to see what is
available. We make the ADR and enjoy our meal! It requires flexibility and a
desire to try places we might not otherwise have considered and we've never
been disappointed. On our last trip in December, we enjoyed Ca. Grill, Yachtsman Steakhouse, High Tea at the Garden View Cafe at GF, and breakfast
at Olivia's at OKW. We also walked up to Raglan Road at around 3:00 p.m. and
got a table. If you want something specific like a character breakfast, you
probably should plan ahead. But we've enjoyed the "freedom". Enjoy!

this is basically how i feel about ADRs.

i also want to add, and im sure ill get flamed for this, but, i think many of the people on this forum have been here so long they have become jaded. we forget that we are actually a very small portion of the people that attend disney world. not only that we are a small portion, but that the other larger portion has no idea they have to make their ADRs at 180 days. and many of them never make an ADR. and they DO eat in the parks. im also willing to say(this is where i will be flamed) that we have created our own monster. its our fault that ADRs have become what they have. i will take part of the blame, i admit to holding my phone just waiting for the second hand to get to the 12. but im not doing it any more. im not playing this game any more. in 2006 i decided enough, yes i do still make ADRs for what i know i need to. this year i made ADRs for chef mickeys and HDDR, but other than that i am just going to enjoy my time there and no longer be a slave to the ADR.
i know not everyone would do this, hell probably no one here, but i can tell you i am much happier and more relaxed on my unplanned trips.

 

[MBELSANTI]

We went this past Feb 8-13 on DDP and there was limited availability. If you wanted Le Cellier without making it at 180 days, it was all booked up. My advice would be to book at 180 days. You can always cancel them or try to change them later.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I agree with the previous poster.During free dining last year, I saw many . many people turned away.Alot of resturants had signs outside that said they were not taking ANY walk ups, and I saw people yelling at podium cms, and one family I saw going in and out of WS restuarants trying to get a table because they didn;t make ressies,I also overheard one very irate family complaining to guest services that they have this free dining plan and no place to eat!

I have to agree. We were there for Free Dining last year and we saw people turned away at each restaurant we were at and never saw anyone just walk up and get a table. In fact, this thread is the first time I have ever heard of anyone just walking up during free dining to a popular restaurant in the parks and being seated at all - maybe at a resort, but never at a popular restaurant in the parks.

If the OP is spending the money on the dining plan, why risk not getting your monies worth out of it. I would think that the little bit of extra time it takes to just plan ahead would be worth it so you don't lose the money you spent on the DDP. I don't find it stressful at all to make plans ahead of time. I just pick my parks by using the UG crowd calender. Then, since I know which park we will be at on which days, I then choose the restaurants we want to eat at. Then I call and make my the dining reservations. It's very easy and actually makes my trip more enjoyable.

Maybe it's just me, but the thought of dragging my hungry family of six around the parks from restaurant to restaurant with no dining reservations and trying to get a sit-down dinner, because I don't want to lose money by not using a TS credit, sounds like some sort of torture.

 

[B-Ride]

If you go with the dining plan, I would get the ADRs.

I agree 100 percent. If you are paying OOP then reservations are not as big a deal. Worst case you eat counter service or off property if you can't get into a TS restaurant. However, if you have paid for the Dining Plan then wasting TS credits on CS meals because you can't get into a restaurant is a waste of money.