I couldn't believe my ears

[jpolak]

While talking to my brother and sister in law yesterday they mentioned they were going to wdw next week. Knowing the disney fan I am they asked me where they should go for meals. So I asked what places they had picked out? None was their response. I was shocked. They are going with two boys 8 & 6 for eight days. I couldn't help but to think what I could do with an eight day trip. So I gave them the best info I could and told them to call if they have any other questions. I really do want them to have fun

 

[oogieboogie]

I hope you told them to make some ADRs, cause the popular ones are getting snatched up quickly.

 

[abacobaby]

Well, some people really don't seem to research DW before they go and to me that is pretty sad. I wouldn't want to spend all of that money for my trip and then miss out on lots of fun stuff due to the fact that I didn't do a little research.

Last week, I saw a little girl in our grocery store wearing a princess dress and she was talking about how she met all the princesses at DW, so I asked her if she ate in the castle. Big mistake! She gave her daddy one heck of a look and he told me that the castle meals were all booked out, it is so popular. I thought to myself, "Yeah, if you wait until you get there to make reservations,....."

Anyway, all you could do was give your brother the information. What he decides to do with it, is obviously out of your hands. I just hope he makes the right decision

 

[kangaroodle]

I may shock you again!! We are going to WDW in about 5 weeks. We are staying for 10 days. We never make any ADR's when we go (have been about 15 times). We just "wing it". We used to make ADR's (or PS's...whatever you want to call them), but found them too confining to have to be somewhere at a specific time. Not making the ADR's has made our days in the parks more relaxing. But then again, we don't like to do a whole lot of "sit down" meals.....too expensive and they take too much time. That's just us! Everyone travels differently.

Now on the other hand, I do know all the choices I have in all the parks so I am not going in "blindly". Plus your family is going when free dining is being offered, so that's a whole new ballgame! I'm sure they'll be fine!
Kathy

 

[amwhitaker]

My friend didn't even know you could make reservations. She is going in October so needless to say she got on the phone pretty quick!

 

[KimWDW]

We're not making any meal reservations for our trip. We're bringing our 3 year old so we're going to do mostly counter service and just eat when he's hungry. When he's older, we can have reservation times but at this point we don't know when we'll be at the park, at the resort napping, etc. I don't want to be married to a reservation time with a child this young.

 

[Skylarr29]

That happens to me all the time. A family member/friend etc says hey I am going to Disney can you help? I say sure when are you going, and then they say in a week or two. There is soooooo much information and they want me to give it to them in a week.Hah! I just try not to laugh. I always plan our trips about a year ahead. Heck we havent even left yet and I am planning next Septembers vacation. Oh well. Youll just have to do the best you can to give them the info. Sometimes I feel sorry for children with parent like that.

 

[experiment626mom]

I think it depends on how much sit down dinners you actually have normally. Certainly alot of people don't do it on a regular basis at home. Plus, you can call and make an adr while you are there. We found that out in June. My husband decided at the last minute that he had to try Boma's and he called disney dining and was able to get an adr for the next night. True they might not have the time you want, but they will do their best to work with you.

 

[aprincessmom]

We are going to WDW in about 5 weeks. We are staying for 10 days. We never make any ADR's when we go (have been about 15 times).

I've gone about the same number and the only time I did an ADR was for the Cinderella's Round Table. Started calling on the first eligible day and didn't get it until the day before we arrived -- and endured many guffaws from operators during those few months. We got closed out 15 minutes after the phone lines opened. So much for planning in advance

 

[Maleficent13]

I can't remember the last time I made an ADR/PS. The only thing I ever book in advance is the HDDR...and we even winged that the last time we went...made reservations the day before and sat right up front.

Of course, we don't do character meals, so that makes it easier.

 

[Sandy V.]

We also never make dinner reservations. But we don't vacation for the food, either. We like to go to WDW and take everything at a relaxed pace, eating when the mood strikes.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I may shock you again!! We are going to WDW in about 5 weeks. We are staying for 10 days. We never make any ADR's when we go (have been about 15 times). We just "wing it". We used to make ADR's (or PS's...whatever you want to call them), but found them too confining to have to be somewhere at a specific time. Not making the ADR's has made our days in the parks more relaxing. But then again, we don't like to do a whole lot of "sit down" meals.....too expensive and they take too much time. That's just us! Everyone travels differently.

We're the same way...we're leaving in 16 days (woo-hoo) and I don't think we have one ADR...AND we'll be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary down there.

We love 'winging it' down there. We've been enough times to have done the things we love...so yeah sometimes it's nice to slow down and have the "where do you want to go today? I dunno - where do you want to go today?" discussion on the walk to the bus stop.

I think a few dis-boarders just pooped their pants...yes folks, we don't plan out EVERY DAY. hehehe

Yes we have a few things planned during the vacation...but sometimes, it's fun just to see where the day takes you. And, heck, if I end up at the Earl of Sandwhich at the end of the day...so be it!

 

[luvmydogs]

We also never make dinner reservations. But we don't vacation for the food, either. We like to go to WDW and take everything at a relaxed pace, eating when the mood strikes.

That's how we do it, too.

 

[SPAM]

oh i vacation for the food! LOL j/k but i love the restaurants.

 

[Disney Doll]

If we have a really special "cannot miss" favorite place, we'll make a PS for that.

Otherwise, we pretty much wing it.

 

[puffkin]

We always plan out all our meals, but then again I enjoy the planning as much as the trip, and I am a Type A personality.

That being said, unless you plan on doing character meals, I don't think ADR's are extremely critical, as long as you make them that day and don't just expect a table when you walk up at peak dinner hours.

I do think ADR's are critical at the signature restuarants, most character meals, and if you have a larger party or need to eat at specific times.

I also do think that with the Free Dining Plan in the next 2 months, ADR's are also much more critical than in years past, and I think there will be a lot of unhappy folks who have to settle for the bottom of the barrel restaurants in the theme parks (maybe not so much the resorts).

 

[oogieboogie]

We're on the opposite... we made ADRs for every sit-down we want, why? Because we can. If we choose to change our schedule, then we can change our ADRs, but it's nice to know that we have a spot reserved for us in any case.

Last time we went to WDW (june) the week we were there, Sci-fi, 'Ohana, Chef Mickey's, CRT breakfast, Le Cellier just to name a few were all booked solid for the entire week. No openings for ADRs, no openings for walk-ups. I was sure glad we had those ADRs lined up.

I'm not saying you have to plan every single day but since it doesn't cost anything, why wouldn't you? We change our ADRs numerous times before we go, while we're there, the day before, an hour before. I don't get when people say having ADRs makes your vacation inflexible. I've never experienced inflexibility. We still go to whatever park we like and we still hop from park to park, changing our minds on the fly.

This trip next month, you betcha I've got my ADRs, especially since the free dining is on and the number of people eating at table services will go up.

 

[cats7494]

When we went last fall, we only made one reservation in the 10 days we were there. It was for a character breakfast that our dd11 wanted.
Other than that - we ate at our hotel (We stayed Port Orleans, Riverside) at or at whatever restaurant was open at WDW.
We did not want to be restricted in our day - to have to be at a restaurant at a certain time for dinner or lunch. Food just was not a priority to us.

 

[joyjoy]

I like to make ADRs just because it's a fun part of the planning process, for me anyway.

I work with a woman who took a 5 or 6 day trip last year. I didn't even know she was going, but when she got back she was talking about it. One thing that made me do this: was when she said "You know, the only thing I didn't like about Disneyworld was the food. It was justs McDonald's ALL OVER THE PLACE. You couldn't find a decent meal! All we wanted was Chinese food and could NOT find a place to eat. We ended up driving to a buffet off-site for Chinese.".

What. Ever. I couldn't believe it.

 

[disykat]

We went when our boys were 6 and 8. The last thing I would have planned was when/where to eat! I planned obsessively and had an itinerary mapped out - it just didn't include eating. Just because you don't care about the food part, doesn't mean you aren't prepared! We did mostly fast food in the parks and went back to SOG when we wanted a sit down meal.

If I was going with just dh, or all adults, I'd care about the food. With the boys, we went with the flow and ate when we were hungry - not on a schedule. We were going on DCL afterwards, where I knew the boys would have their fill of sit down meals, so our time(and money!) at WDW was better spent other places.