Last-Minute Question #1 - ADR's Made; Now I'm Not So Sure...

[Wendy31]

I've had our ADR's scheduled for months! I was 100% positive that I had made some wonderful ADR plans, and that my family would love the restaurants. I've been excited & in a "I can't wait!" mood for months... Now, though, I'm becoming worried, unsure, wishy-washy...

Help! Please...

Following are our ADR's & the "reasons" why I scheduled these particular restaurants:

Tues, 6/13 - Arrival Day

Dinner - LTT, 5:30 pm

This is DH's fav character meal. It was our first meal at Disney last May, so we decided to make it a tradition. I'm not worried about this one.

Wed, 6/14 - MGM

Dinner - Mama Melrose's FDP, 6:20 pm

Last May, we really didn't like Hollywood & Vine, so, this year, we're trying Mama Melrose's. I'm not worried about the restaurant; I'm worried about th time. Is that time enough to eat & then to do an attraction before "Fantasmic"?

Thurs, 6/15 - MK

Lunch - Crystal Palace, 11:45 am

This was our 2nd fav character meal last year. We loved the buffet. My parents will be w/ us this day, so we thought it'd be fun for them as well.

Fri, 6/16 - Epcot

Lunch - Garden Grill, 11:50 am

My parents will be w/ us on this day as well. If they weren't w/ us, we'd be probably be eating at Coral Reef, but I wanted them to experience a character meal w/ Mickey. However, as you'll see, we have ADR's at 2 other Mickey character meals, so I'm worried that it will be too much...

Sat, 6/17 - MK

Lunch - CRT, 12:00 pm

I'm very excited about this ADR! Last May, we tried breakfast at CRT, & the lunch menu looks really good. So, no worries here!

Sun, 6/18 (Father's Day) - AK & EPCOT

Breakfast - Donald's Breakfastasauras, 8:30 am

I thought DS needed a good "boy" meal (since there's not going to be a Toy Story character meal), and, since he loves dinosaurs, I chose this one. Our ADR is before AK opens, and we're driving. So, I'm a little worried about them not letting us in. I'd also like to get to the safari at park opening, but that's not going to happen w/ this breakfast... And, again, it's another Mickey character meal, but I can't see canceling this one since we're doing a princess meal for DD.

Dinner - San Angel Inn, 6:30 pm

DH has wanted to eat here since our high school senior trip in 1991, and, it's Father's Day. So, this one's for him! (Although, I'll really miss Boma after our AK day...)

Mon, 6/19 - Epcot & MK

Breakfast - Princess Storybook, 8:35 am

I'm really, really considering canceling this one. We're on the Dining Plan, and I have more TS restaurants planned than we have TS credits. However, we really want to see Snow White (Snow White is DS's fav princess), so I thought I'd increase our chances to seeing her by scheduling 2 princess meals. I've also seen were Mulan is sometimes at breakfast, and she's the one princess we haven't seen yet... I also think Akershus is such a pretty restaurant. However, we really wanted to ride Soarin' right at park opening, so I'm not sure how that will work out now. DH says he won't leave the breakfast to go get FP's. Like I said, I really want to cancel this one, but, if I do, then I only have 1 princess meal ("girly") & 3 character meals w/ Mickey. I'm so confused! This meal is my major waffling-wishy-washy one... Help!

Lunch - Tony's Town Square, 12:30 pm

After I had all our ADR's scheduled, DS, out of the blue, mentioned that he wanted to eat at the Lady & Tramp restaurant. And, since Lady & Tramp is my fav movie, I totally caved & scheduled it. I'm not worried about the resturant, but I'm worried it's too many TS meals in 1 day. Although, since it's lunch, we'll just eat sandwiches - the same kind of thing we'd eat at a CS meal. What I really don't like is overcrowding our last day w/ 3 TS meals - so that we spend all our time eating & not enough time playing...

Dinner - WCC, 6:00 pm

I really wanted a fun meal for our last night at WDW, so I chose WCC. Last year, it was 'Ohana for our last night. But, now I'm reading some not-so-good reviews on WCC & that the "fun" has been toned down. So, am I going to be really disappointed w/ WCC & wish we gone back to 'Ohana? At this late date, I doubt I can get an ADR for 'Ohana, but I'm really started to miss 'Ohana & I'm not even there yet... I also thought about trying to change WCC for Chef Mickey's but I doubt I can get an ADR for Chef Mickey's either. What to do?! What to do?!

Tues, 6/20 - Departure Day

Breakfast - Chef Mickey's, 9:30 am

I wanted to end our vacation w/ the perfect Disney meal - Mickey waffles & all the main characters. So, I'm not really worried about this meal - except that, since it's our last morning, I'm afraid we'll be "rushed". Now, I'm sort of wishing that I could reverse WCC & Chef Mickey's - except I can't get Mickey waffles at WCC, and I really want the kids to have Mickey waffles on our last morning.

Oh, help! I'm starting to stress out about our ADR's instead of staying excited. DH says to leave them exactly how they are - except he wouldn't be heartbroken if I cancelled PSB.

If my parents weren't going to be w/ us for 2 days & knowing now what I know about WCC, my "I'm happy w/ my ADR's" list would probably look like this -

6/13 - LTT dinner
6/14 - Mama Melrose's dinner
6/15 - Crystal Palace lunch
6/16 - Coral Reef lunch
6/17 - CRT lunch
6/18 - Donald's Breakfastasauras & San Angel Inn (dinner)
6/19 - Tony's Town Square lunch & 'Ohana dinner
6/20 - Chef Mickey's breakfast

But it's too late to change!

So, what do ya'll think? Advice? Suggestions? Tranquilizers?

 

[TruBlu]

Ok, I'm doing the SAME THING!!! I think we should both take a deep breath, calm down, and go with the original plan. It's too late to change anything anyway. (I'm trying to convince myself here too )

 

[jjatwdw]

We just returned from WDW and had lunch at Garden Grill. It was wonderful. Last year we did CP but decided to try GG this year. Everyone thought GG was much better. The character interaction was great and the food was awesome. It will be a must do on future trips.

 

[TruBlu]

Ooops, forgot to tell you... We'll be in the world on exactly the same days as you!!! I thought we were the only family to plan a Tuesday to Tuesday vacation !!!

We will also be having dinner at LTT on our first night. Our ADR is at 6:45, so we may pass you as you are leaving. We will be wearing our green mickeys on our lanyards, so say hello if you see us!!!

 

[madison66]

.

 

[kmtruffe99]

sorry, way to acronyms for this newbie.....although i'm a disney fanatic i hvae no idea what LTT and several others mean.........

however, my favorites are jiko, cali grill, narcoosees, artist point, portabeloo yaught club................and for shows nothing beats hoop dee doo.......

i'm sure your choices are good though

 

[NYDisGuy]

I agree, your 19th schedule looks very crammed. You didnt post the ages of your kids, but its gonna be alot of running around on your last day and they may get tired. My suggestion is to move a meal (either tts or wcc) to thurs or sat night for dinner (not sure how long you stay at the parks). You would also be able to catch wishes after dinner if you ate at tonys for dinner. Plus you would also get more out of the dining plan since tonys is 18-28 dollars for an entree at night.

Also, you said you have 3 micky buffets but I only see one and that would be donalds in ak. Crystal palace only has the pooh characters and LTT only has minnie, I havent seen mickie there. They might of changed it since ive been there but I know thats how it was. Anyways good luck on your trip.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

Well, I am a princess freak so I say don't cancel the PSB. I have seen both Snow White and Mulan both times we have been there. I LOVE the food there. From reading posts here though I think I am the minority.

I think your ADR's look yummy!!!

 

[Lady de Winter]

I'd be concerned about the time of the Breakfastosaurus at Animal Kingdom, since the parking facility doesn't open early enough. (Unless something has changed, that is.) I would get some clarification from Disney on that, if you haven't already.

 

[daisyduck123]

I really wanted a fun meal for our last night at WDW, so I chose WCC. Last year, it was 'Ohana for our last night. But, now I'm reading some not-so-good reviews on WCC & that the "fun" has been toned down. So, am I going to be really disappointed w/ WCC & wish we gone back to 'Ohana? At this late date, I doubt I can get an ADR for 'Ohana, but I'm really started to miss 'Ohana & I'm not even there yet... I also thought about trying to change WCC for Chef Mickey's but I doubt I can get an ADR for Chef Mickey's either. What to do?! What to do?!

I think you are stressing yourself out.
Please don't worry so much.

We ate at WCC on May 15 & the antics at dinner were there. We had a great time. Our waiter "Dusty Trails" was not quite as into it as our previous waiter Bullfrog (who is still there because we saw him) but the pony races, pledge the kids recite, etc. were all still there.

 

[bonniebanc]

Re Restaurantasaurus early booking.....
This happenend last time we went to WDW. We got parked no problem and there was a cast member at the entrance gate specifically to meet those of us with early bookings. She took us into the park and escorted us to the restaurant.

We have an ADR before the opening of the park again for next visit and have been told that I will be asked for my reservation number at the entrance - same as last time.

 

[gigi1313]

Here's what i'd do...
Tues, 6/13 - Arrival Day Dinner - LTT, 5:30 pm


Wed, 6/14 - MGM Dinner - Mama Melrose's FDP, 6:20 pm
show up early for your ADR, the worst that can happen is you have to wait... 9 times out of 10 they are able to seat you earlier (i don't mean 2 hours earlier, i mean 20-30 mins) which will then give you that little bit of extra time to do another attraction before scootin' to fantasmic...

Thurs, 6/15 - MK Lunch - Crystal Palace, 11:45 am I'd skip this one and go to Tony's here... your parents probably do not want to see Pooh/gang allllll that badly... and if they do, go to Toontown as they are very likely to be there! The buffet is good, but not *that* good, kwim?

Fri, 6/16 - Epcot Lunch - Garden Grill, 11:50 am


Sat, 6/17 - MK Lunch - CRT, 12:00 pm

Sun, 6/18 (Father's Day) - AK & EPCOT
Breakfast - Donald's Breakfastasauras, 8:30 am... personally i'd make a LATER ADR for this meal, hit the safari at opening and have "brunch" at donald's, that way you'd not have to worry about parking either! (and it will tide you over 'til your dinner w/out needing a CS meal in between)

Dinner - San Angel Inn, 6:30 pm

Mon, 6/19 - Epcot & MK
Breakfast - Princess Storybook, 8:35 am (also see if you can get a later ADR, even calling up 'til the night before, so you can hit soarin' BEFORE breakfast, esp if you move the lunch as suggested)
Lunch - Tony's Town Square, 12:30 pm (moved it to Thursday) which frees up this day and also doesn't "stuff" you with food unable to enjoy dinner!
Dinner - WCC, 6:00 pm

Tues, 6/20 - Departure Day Breakfast - Chef Mickey's, 9:30 am

Good luck and ENJOY whatever you decide

 

[Wendy31]

Thanks so much, everyone, for all the advice!

TruBlu - Glad I'm not the only one! And, yes, I'm trying very hard to stop "fretting" & get back to being excited! After all, we'll be in Disney, right? And that's so cool that you'll be there the same time we are! I'll look for you as we're leaving LTT! Where else are ya'll eating?

jjatwdw - Thanks for the good review on Garden Grill! I think the menu looks yummy, and I think the kids will find the revolving part of the restaurant really cool. I was just worried we were doing too many Mickey character meals... But, I'm done worrying!

Madison66 - Yes, I'm most worried about our 6/19 schedule too. Too many TS meals, I think. I'm really considering canceling PSB breakfast. And we love lunch at Crystal Palace, but, next year, I hope to try breakfast at CP.

kmtruffe99 - Oh, those wonderful-sounding signature meals! Someday... when our kids are older, I hope to get to Jiko, Artist Point, & California Grill!

NYDisGuy - Yes, our dining schedule for 6/19 is too crammed - I heartily agree! One reason we had chosen TTS for lunch is, since we have more TS meals planned than we have TS credits (we're on the dining plan), we had planned to pay for TTS out-of-pocket. And our 3 Mickey character meals are Garden Grill, Donald's Breakfastasauras, & Chef Mickey's. I want to cancel PSB breakfast, but then we'll only be doing 1 princess meal for our DD and have all these other Mickey character meals...

#1 Pocohontas - Exactly! I hate to cancel PSB! I was really looking forward to our breakfast at PSB. But, since it's our last full day, I hate to take up so much time rushing from 1 meal to the next.

Lady de Winter - That's exactly what I was concerned about - being able to get in the park. But, I've seen some posts where people have been able to get in if they have an ADR - I'm hoping it will work out for us. We can't make Donald's Breakfastasauras a "brunch" because DH's fav restaurant in all of WDW (including TS restaurants) is Flame Tree BBQ - so we have to eat there for lunch. Too many restaurants, too little time...

daisyduck123 - Oh, thank you! That makes me feel better! DH says to just leave our ADR at WCC, and - this is the good part - if we don't like it, we can eat somewhere else NEXT YEAR. Ha! I got him to say "next year"! Plus, we both want to see the WL, so I'm going to leave our ADR at WCC & hope for a really fun time. And, besides, do we really need the antics of servers to have a good time?

bonniebanc - Thank you! That's what I'm hoping for us! Did you drive or ride Disney transportation? We'll be driving to AK - and I'm worried we won't be able to get in the parking lot.

gigi1313 - I thought your suggestion of canceling CP & switching TTS to that day was brilliant! I even asked the kids where they preferred to eat - the Lady & Tramp restaurant or Crystal Palace w/ Pooh? They both said w/ much excitement - Lady & Tramp! According to DD, "We've already seen Pooh." And upon considering how crowded the buffet is at CP & remembering how long I had to wait in line each time I went up to the buffet - and, as a mom of small children, I was at the buffet quite frequently - I was actually loving the idea of canceling CP! So, I ran the idea by DH who... did NOT want to cancel CP - which made me wish I had just gone ahead & done it, and, when we got to the MK and bypassed CP & headed for TTS, I could just airly say when he questioned me, "Oh, I changed it, dear! No worries!" Anyway, CP was his 2nd fav character meal & his fav buffet last year... And he thinks my parents would enjoy CP more than they would TTS. He'd rather cancel PSB.

So, I'm back to where I started (minus the worrying - not gonna worry anymore!), & I'm deciding whether or not to cancel PSB.

Thanks so much, everyone!! Ya'll really did make me feel better!

 

[TruBlu]

TruBlu - Glad I'm not the only one! And, yes, I'm trying very hard to stop "fretting" & get back to being excited! After all, we'll be in Disney, right? And that's so cool that you'll be there the same time we are! I'll look for you as we're leaving LTT! Where else are ya'll eating?

I don't have my list with me, so I can't remember which is on which day, but here is our list:
LTT
HDDR
Coral Reef
Le Cellier
WCC
Chef Mickey's breakfast
CP dinner

Where are you staying? We are at CSR. This is our first trip - so we are very excited!!

 

[bonniebanc]

Hi Wendy,
Both times previoulsy we drove to AKL from offsite (we've actually been to restaurantasaurus for b/fast twice before b4 opening), although this time we are staying in a resort.

Both times we drove in and parked, aimed to arrive at the gates 20-30 minutes before our booking and got there no probs. As soon as we arrived at the gate of AKL we told the first cast member we saw that we had reservations. They pointed out the escort, we told them our ADR number and were whisked through a dedicated security check for early ADR's and then on through the park to the restaurant!

We love this dining option - we thought we'd try different places this time but the kids have insisted we go back there and to Chef Mickeys. We have also managed to get Mickeys BBQ, 1900, Teppanyaki's, and 50's Prime Time Diner and, having only booked our flights and resort last Tuesday I thought I wouldn't be able to get many ADR's but got ALL we wanted....

We have previously been to LTT (but didn't have a very good experience), Hoop-de-doo (had read poor reviews and were worried that the kids wouldn't enjoy it but they joined in with gusto and it turned out to be great), Hollywood and Vine (was good but would like to try elsewhere before going back), Aloha B/fast (good but would try elsewhere before going back).

Crystal Palace...this is a real fave, especially of mine. After our first trip and visit there, it was the first thing we booked the next time - and then we booked again 2 days later and dragged my Mum and Dad along, they REALLY enjoyed it - but we'll only be there for a few days this time 'round and we just can't fit everything in

Try not to worry so much....although I do that too and so my DH ensures that the first thing we do is go to MK and he stands me at the top of Main Street just in the gates, shushes the DD AND DS with a promise of candy, and lets me have my 'Castle Moment' - gets me EVERY time!!! Mega relaxed and goosebumped! (Last time I did ALL the planning for 10 of us)

Have a GREAT time - you go in a couple of DAYS.
I'm REALLY excited and I have to wait another month!!!

K