Is this all getting too much?

[palavra]

Yes, I think the planning for ADR's, especially at free dining time, is a little over the top. However, as one of those poor souls who tried to do MK a couple of years ago on a spur of the moment trip with no ADR's, I'll have to tell you, they make sense. We were in Orlando for severald ays to visit my sister and decided to do Universal. On a whim, we decided to take my then 4 year old daughter to MK for a day to do the princess things. Of course, we had no dining plans. Lunch was fine. We ate at Columbia Harbor House and really enjoyed it. Had a couple a snacks in the afternoon, and about 7:00, we were all really hungry. We were actually able to get a walk-in table at Tony's Town Square, but only for outdoor seating. We were all hot and sweaty, so we passed that up. Now, I'll ad mit, if we had been willing to walk farther, we would have just eaten more counter service, but we aren't hot dog fans and were on Main Street. We ended up at the Main Street Bakery for sandwiches. It was perfectly fine, but I can't imagine doing a whole trip where we had to run around to get in a sit dwon place or just eat counter service.

This year, we were lucky enough to get the free dining PIN code for November, and I'm so glad that we are going to be able to take advantage of ADR's. To me, it will be a blessing to not have to worry about where and when to eat.

 

[Rip]

Nice! So how was Chefs??

Where was that 45 min ADR at??

Chefs is actually one of our favorite places at Disney.

The 45 minute ADR was at San Angel Inn, of all places.

 

[walkerford]

Lots of differing views. A couple of years ago we had the DDP for the 2 weeks, and we had several reservations. I have to say that it did seem to get a bit OTT with planning where we were to get to the reservation, tying in with extra magic hours, show times etc. We even had a laminated colour coded timetable to show us where we should be!
Well this year I have 4 reservations but will keep trying for a few more but again I do wonder what a casual visitor would think when they cannot eat at the hotel that they are paying to stay at.
Keep the views coming I am finding this fascinating - but repeat i am not criticising anyone - been there done that bought the t-shirt!

 

[mom2rtk]

We paid top dollar to stay at the Contemporary 5 YEARS ago. At the time, we had never eaten at Chef Mickey's. We were in the main building and every time we left our room for the monorail, we heard the sounds from the restaurant. It sounded like they were having SO much fun! I had tried every day for a long time to get reservations. Over and over.... nothing. I talked to the concierge at the hotel. Nothing.

Lesson learned. When you visit the world's number one vacation destination, plan ahead and do your homework. Fool me once........

 

[Epcot4Me]

I think it's over the top. I just think of the poor first time visitors who do some research like they would for any vacation and miss the part where they HAVE to make these reservations at exactly 7 am exactly 90 days out. This is not normal! If I were a first timer planning a vacation, dining would be something I researched maybe 2 weeks before the trip, not 90 days...that time would be spent looking at rides, resorts, touring plans, weather, etc.

 

[eliza61]

While I agree all vacations require some degree of flexibility, I feel it is just silly to say as long as you don't travel in a big group, or during peak season, or during free dining, and as long as you aren't picky about where you eat, you should have no problem dining in WDW. Fact is, on pretty much any other vacation, you would not need to do the insane advanced planning of your dining that you have to do in WDW.

You won't have a problem eating a TS. BTW, I enjoyed shutters. Well you have a problem getting into the popular park restaurants without a doubt. Well you have some option for a TS, again without a doubt.

The fact is that this is a last minute deal for the op, she doesn't have the luxury of planning. Thousands of people travel to the world without every nano second planned out in advance and manage to eat a TS every day. It can be done.

 

[mollygirl13]

I think it is getting a bit out of hand. I'm going with my family in Sept during free dining and I'm in charge of planning EVERYTHING! (which I love, BTW!! )
For us, I planned our days around our meals. Dining in WDW is very important to us. We like certain places and I like to make sure that we can eat at those places (Boma, Le Cellier, Sci-Fi, 'Ohana, etc.)

So I made our ressies at the 90 day mark at 7:00 am and couldn't get some of our favorites. I just can't fathom how there is no availability at the 90 day mark at 7am?? But I an alternates list and called back/checked online everyday to see if the ones I didn't get opened up. Now, I do have the time to do this-I have no children and I don't work so I can call Disney Dining all day! Not many people have the time/energy to call back/check online everyday to see if a certain restaurant has availability. Persistance did pay off-I got every restaurant that I wanted BUT it took almost 2 months of me checking online all day and calling Dining as well.

I agree with other posters with that the free dining/dining plan has changed things. If going to WDW, you NEED to have reservations, unless you want to eat CS for all meals. I had a friend who went in May, made no reservations whatsoever and then complained for months that the food in WDW was horrible ("all they served were burgers!"). All they could eat was CS because she didn't plan right.

Do I wish I could go to WDW and just play it by ear? Yes. I used to do this years ago and it was nice. But times have indeed changed and we are a family who likes certain places to eat while in WDW. So, I strategically plan for months and months, make it my life & the family is happy.

But I'm exhausted trying to keep it all straight!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I do not believe that you could not get a reservation if you did not book ahead of time. As long as you are flexible with where and when you eat, you could easily get into a restaurant. There are many cancellations and walk-up times available.

 

[mom2rtk]

Well, apparently they just released free dining into December for Disney Visa holders, but ONLY with the quickservice plan for values.......

Am I the only one thinking the days of FD (TS) for values is over????

I guess that would solve everyone's problem. I'm really glad I got in on the great deal this year. And next year I'll probably choose to head West to D-land. I've been on the fence about it, missing D-land, but not wanting to give up the great restaurants in the World.........

 

[Planogirl]

I decided to just go without ADR's this year because I didn't want the hassle. We ate counterservice and offsite and did fine. I hope to go during a period without free dining the next time we go.

Our biggest problems is that we don't want to dine TS every day. I like to go visit a few favorites though and maybe try somewhere new.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I agree, these ADRs are such a big hassle. I did have to cancel a few our last trip because of last minute changes in our park touring. So there are cancelations.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Hubby and I both felt that after our June trip it was just too much. There were many, many times that we wanted to be in the parks not at a restaurant but we knew that if we cancelled it would have been a pain to get somewhere. So instead we're doing QSDP next time. Should we ever do the dining plan again, I'll be using about half the credits at 2TS places to free up some time.

 

[walkerford]

I simply don't have the time or for that matter the inclination to keep checking on line or making a trans atlantic call from England. Being a visitor to these boards I think it is easy to forget how different from most people we are. Most people know little if anything about ADR's etc etc. As someone above posted if you are going to research then you look at what resort to stay in, what the parks are like, the rides to go on. We are the exception rather than the rule and remember that the majority of UK visitors travel in school hols ie end July to end of August. As I keep saying even putting aside the wider ADR issues is it unreasonable to expect to be able to eat at the restaurant in the hotel you have paid to stay at? Is it not a lot like saying you can't swim in the pool today because its full with visitors who aren't staying here? I can pool hop as a DVC member but that priviledge is stopped at peak times... PS Someone above referred to me as a She - I've checked and I am definately a he! Nigel ( AKA walkerford)

 

[NeverlandClub23]

As I keep saying even putting aside the wider ADR issues is it unreasonable to expect to be able to eat at the restaurant in the hotel you have paid to stay at? Is it not a lot like saying you can't swim in the pool today because its full with visitors who aren't staying here? I can pool hop as a DVC member but that priviledge is stopped at peak times... PS Someone above referred to me as a She - I've checked and I am definately a he! Nigel ( AKA walkerford)

I don't know how hotels are across the water but I don't know of any here that have restaurants exclusive to the patrons of the hotel or leave a section open in case hotel patrons decide to eat there. Although I do know that if you pay for concierge service at a hotel in NYC that has a nice, hard to get into restaurant they most often will be able to get you in (of course, you're paying big bucks to do so). I've stayed concierge at WDW and they are able sometimes to get us in to a sold out restaurant located at that resort.

You are right. We are definitely the exception. Most people I know that are going to WDW for the first time can never believe that they have to make a reservation for somewhere popular to eat 3 months in advance or that they just won't be able to put their name on a waiting list. My bf told me a couple of weeks ago that we're going to WDW the second week of August as a surprise. He, of course, did not make any dining reservations but would LOVE to eat at 'Ohana . So 5-7 times a day I would check online and finally found a 8:15 p.m. reservation. Not my ideal time but it works. If I hadn't been able to get it we probably would've just ate CS at the Poly or at our own resort or DTD. Other than that we plan on doing CS as during our last trip (November '08) I've realized what a waste of money many TS restaurants have become (but that's a whole 'nother thread) when we used to do 2 TS meals a day.

 

[MOmousefan]

I am a 1st time DDPr and this will be my 6th trip. The two main reasons I have never done this in the past is cost and I hate having to plan my day around a reservation. However, I am going solo for the first time and will be using the free dining.
As a DDP newbie I have made several observations:
The Disney Dining reservation online site is easy to use once I figured it out.
My day now revolves around a dining reservation. This is not that big of a deal since I am alone and do not plan to go commando this trip.
My two big choices, Le Cellier and O'hana, have so far proven immpossible to obtain.
I am looking foward to the dining in the choices I have made and my kids (20 somethings) want to try this on our next trip.
I agree that planning when and where to eat is one thing to do but would appeal to the OCD types.

 

[brerrabbit]

We (DW and I) just got back from WDW and were there from July 11 through July 18. Here is what we ate and how (ADR/non ADR) for the week.

Saturday Tony's 6:00 ADR no wait seated right away
Sunday Yak and Yeti 3:00 no ADR seated right away
Monday Chefs de France 6:00 ADR no wait seated right away
Tuesday Earl of Sandwich (shopping in Downtown Disney)
Wednesday Rose and Crown 8:15 no ADR seated after 5 minute wait.
Thursday Wolfgang Pucks no ADR seated right away
Friday Edo Japan Sushi no ADR seated in five minutes.


Two ADR's and no problem eating well and where we wanted to. We have never done dining plan and every time we eat the wait person asks if we are on the plan and we say no, it seems their faces light up. While eating at certain places is important to us we have been enough times over the years that we have eaten at almost every resturaunt they have but have never once in 20 years of going to WDW stressed over it. The approach we took on this trip is the same we have taken all along and that was even when we had both of our kids with us. Book a couple and play the rest by ear. It has always worked really well and never stressed us in the least.

 

[walkerford]

Well I have managed to get 1 or two more ADRs booked including breakfast at 1900 park fare so I suppose the moral is to keep trying. I quite like playing with the online booking system now I've got it to work!
Just to throw in a bit more "controversy" is it really appropriate for people to hold different ADR's at different locations for the same date and time? Shouldn't you only be allowed to hold one and thus open up the system a little??

 

[RainbowWit]

First week of June 2008 - Only had a few ADRs (LC, CRT, TH breakfast)

We ate at 50s PT, CP, Jiko, Cali Grill, Sci Fi, Chefs, Boma AND 'Ohana with wait times ranging from 5 to 45 minutes. Eating TS with no ADRs is totally doable. Just not during free dining. There is June, July and most of August in the summer months with no FD. We just go then.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Yes. and no. I see that planning so far ahead can be bothersome but I just don't get this "i can't get anything" mantra that is repeated so often on here. I booked out trip at 50 days out, got nearly everything we wanted during free dining over labor day weekend (Boma, O'hana, Askerhus, Prime Time, Kona Cafe, and 1900 Park Fare). I am just happy this year that there are more tables available for smaller parties. In the past we have had to make ADR's for 3 or 4 to get tables at places and beg family to come eat with us just so we can get in. We are Free dining plan vets and go nearly every year, its not that hard to get TS ADR's. Yeah I understand we can't get CRT for breakfast or Le Cellier at all when you book in that amount of time but everything else I checked had availability. My SIL had months to make her ADR's and waited until 60 days out and still got her two 3 picks Askerhus, Ohana, and Sci Fi with a large party (7 guests).

Being flexible is key if you are wanting to eat at exacly noon and 6pm you are not going to get what you want unless you are on the phone at 7am 90 days out. Be consistent and don't give up, I've grabbed CRT (before the insane price increase and 2 TS credits needed) the day before we left during free dining a few years ago and last year Le Cellier within 24 hours of our dining date, again during free dining. Online ADR's make it easier and quicker to check and see if anything is open. Keep checking you never know when it will open up.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I am a 1st time DDPr and this will be my 6th trip. The two main reasons I have never done this in the past is cost and I hate having to plan my day around a reservation. However, I am going solo for the first time and will be using the free dining.
As a DDP newbie I have made several observations:
The Disney Dining reservation online site is easy to use once I figured it out.
My day now revolves around a dining reservation. This is not that big of a deal since I am alone and do not plan to go commando this trip.
My two big choices, Le Cellier and O'hana, have so far proven immpossible to obtain.
I am looking foward to the dining in the choices I have made and my kids (20 somethings) want to try this on our next trip.
I agree that planning when and where to eat is one thing to do but would appeal to the OCD types.

You are not getting your ADR's b/c you are booking solo. We have had this issue in the past alot they have little to no tables for 2 and will not place 1 person at a 4 person table when they can have 4 people paying at that table. This year we have had much better luck with a party of 2 and getting ADR's. Bet you anything if you had a part of 4 (maybe 2) those ADR's would open up. Could u meet a friend or a Dis'ser there and join them for dinner at one of those hot spots? More people in your party is your golden ticket.