No more ADR's

[Kae]

I liked the 90 day the best. As it gets closer I feel better about making my choices. I also have tried some places I might not have tried by making ADR when I got to WDW or changing my plans once I got there. I normally have 1 ADR per day when I leave.

Kae

 

[mommy2twingles]

As a mom with 3 little kids all under 4 I would hate this. How do you explain to a child that they have to wait 3 hrs to eat because there are no reservations taken. Here at home we don't go out to eat often because most places don't take reservations.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I guess I'm an over obsessive planner because I don't think 90, 180, or 4,398 days is too far in advance!

C'mon now, be serious - how do you know 4,398 days in advance what restaurants are going to exist at Walt Disney World?
I guess partly it depends on one's Disney experience. I figure, I've been there so often that I'd rather plan my park touring around my meals - especially with the MYW Dining Plan. For example - last year I could NOT get into Le Cellier; this year, I'm going to call for an ADR 180 days in advance, and plan my entire trip around that meal... well, that and the Food & Wine Festival. Anybody know the dates for this year yet?

 

[kimmbagley]

So I should make as many ADR's as I can for my 13 day stay and cancel when I decide what I want to eat on that particular day ??? With 4 adults in my party I can make 4 TS lunch ressies and 4 TS dinner ressies per day. That makes 104 ADR's for the entire trip. Is that what I should do ??? At least, with all of the cancellations, that would free up space for "walk-ins".

Sure, why not? That's similar to what I did. We were 3 families, each with a different hotel reservation number. We had an ADR each night, in three different parks under three different names. When park hours came out and we knew where we would be, we cancelled the other two ADR's. This will never work though unless you do it with different names.

 

[labdogs42]

So I should make as many ADR's as I can for my 13 day stay and cancel when I decide what I want to eat on that particular day ??? With 4 adults in my party I can make 4 TS lunch ressies and 4 TS dinner ressies per day. That makes 104 ADR's for the entire trip. Is that what I should do ??? At least, with all of the cancellations, that would free up space for "walk-ins".

I would make reservations for the places you KNOW you want to eat for sure. I would make those first. e.g. I made reservations for Yachtsman and le Cellier right away for my May trip because I knew I wanted to try those. It wasn't 180 days out when I made them (probably ony about 120 when I made those) and they had pretty much all times available. So, don't stress over having to make them SO early. You can get ADR's for most places less than 180 days out.

Most people don't eat TS twice a day -- I know I usually do CS lunch and TS dinner, so you don't need to decide where lunch is every day, just dinner. I only book one ADR per day (except one day where I'm doing a breakfast and a dinner). I'll wing it for the other meals. Most breakfasts will be snacks form the grocery store in the room.

As for making four reservations per day, I think you were just exaggerating for effect, but I'll answer you honestly anyway. I don't think you can do that because the reservations are tied to your Disney reservation by your phone number, so if any of those four people has the same phone number, you couldn't make reservations for them.

I asked a CM about this the other day, and they said if you try to make two dinner reservations for the same day that the most recent one would cancel out the older one (e.g. I made ressies at Le Cellier a week ago and today I tried to book Liberty Tree for the same night, that would cancel out my Le Cellier ressie). I like the idea of some flexibility, too (which I why I asked the CM. I was thinking the same thing as you -- more freed up places for walk-ins -- win-win!), but I understand the need for some kind of reservation system and not letting people take up all the reservations just because they can't make up their minds!

It can seem like a pain to plan all this stuff ahead, but it really does make it easier when you get there. Start thinking now and browsing the menus and I bet you'll be able to eliminate some places that you don't want to eat. Start there! Then narrow it down to places you do want to eat and just pick a night to eat there. You don't even have to be going to that park that day if you have Hopper passes! I make my dinner reservations early (5:30-6pm) and I figure my afternoon rest/nap time as being before that so I'll go from my hotel to wherever my dinner is, and then enjoy that park after dinner. My dinner plans are independent of my morning park plans.

I hope some of this rambling has helped answer some of your questions. I'm not a commando planner myself, but I'm learning what I need to plan in order to do all the things I want to do at WDW!! Good luck!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

If it were first come, first served my family probably wouldn't do anything but counter service! I like to plan, reduces stress for me, and I HATE to wait.
I like things as they are. I doubt there would never be some kind of advance reservation system.

 

[RC Fan]

In the end the decision is pretty simple to make: is eating at a TS that requires an ADR important to you? If so, suck it up and do some planning. If a particular restaurant is not important to you, fly by the seat of your pants and take your chances.

 

[YorkieMom]

Regarding previous poster:

"As for making four reservations per day, I think you were just exaggerating for effect, but I'll answer you honestly anyway. I don't think you can do that because the reservations are tied to your Disney reservation by your phone number, so if any of those four people has the same phone number, you couldn't make reservations for them. "

Does this mean you have to stay on property to make ADR's ??? We could always use 4 different cell phone numbers !!!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

So I should make as many ADR's as I can for my 13 day stay and cancel when I decide what I want to eat on that particular day ??? With 4 adults in my party I can make 4 TS lunch ressies and 4 TS dinner ressies per day. That makes 104 ADR's for the entire trip. Is that what I should do ??? At least, with all of the cancellations, that would free up space for "walk-ins".

No, what would happen is that you and others like you would eventually cause Disney to change the rules or implement some new procedure. We see it happen all the time. You might get away with it for your trip but when Disney catches on they'll start asking for reservation numbers if on site and redo their system so that all your parties' names pop up (they already always ask me what resort I'm staying at and what day I check in). Or they could start requiring credit cards for any sit down restaurant and imposing cancellation penalities. Y'all remember when we didn't have to do that for Cindy's? And how it came about that now you have to do the cc thing?

So - I agree with the suck it up and decide what is most important to you comment. I'm a firm believer in recognizing what you can and can't change - and then dealing with it.

 

[Kaycee]

I'm a firm believer in recognizing what you can and can't change - and then dealing with it.

 

[labdogs42]

Regarding previous poster:

"As for making four reservations per day, I think you were just exaggerating for effect, but I'll answer you honestly anyway. I don't think you can do that because the reservations are tied to your Disney reservation by your phone number, so if any of those four people has the same phone number, you couldn't make reservations for them. "

Does this mean you have to stay on property to make ADR's ??? We could always use 4 different cell phone numbers !!!

No you don't have to stay on property to make ADR's and you probably could use four different cell numbers but why would you? Just because you CAN? I was actually trying to answer your questions, but it appears that you just want to stir up trouble so I'm going to give up now. Don't make any ADR's and have fun standing in line!

 

[YorkieMom]

Things can ALWAYS be changed. That's why God made chocolate and vanilla !!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray for different opinions !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[patsal]

No way, A little planning goes a long way. So long as the tentative hours are posted thta is enough for me to work with.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

I'm acutally trying to help you but I too now believe that you don't really want help - you just want your way, or to stir up trouble.

Things change when there is motivation to change them. Just look at this thread, there is a huge majority that like the ADR system - so why would Disney change it? If you think that's gonna happen by your trip - well keep dreamin'! I hope you like waiting - or counter service.

I'm outta here.

 

[skiwee1]

Things can ALWAYS be changed. That's why God made chocolate and vanilla !!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray for different opinions !!!!!!!!!!!!

We are all trying to help you but obviously we can't give you the help you really need. How old are you?

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Apparently you don't like to plan much as a lot of us on the dis do. Does that make us overplanners??? Heck yeah . But I like that title. Yes, you are entitled to your opinion and that's fine, so are we. A lot of the posters were trying to help, but it seemed everytime you tried to turn it into a negative situation, why??
Anyhow, why don't you just book what places that you KNOW you would like to go to, and then you can try to wing it. Like the places that are the hardest to get into...book those. I know that when I went last September people were trying to walk up to get into LTT or WCC and they were told to come back after 9. Maybe you don't mind that, but a lot of us don't want to eat as late as that.
Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy your vacation

 

[YorkieMom]

53, if that's revelent.

I just want to be less structured in my vacation, and I do not know what I will want to eat on a selected day 10 months in the future. Making lots of ADR's and then cancelling them when I decide seems to be the answer.
Agreed ????????????????

 

[disneynewbee]

I also booked 1900, CM, and Ohana's Lilo and Stich. No cc needed!

Ohana's lilo and stitch- is that new? Sorry if I'm out of the loop I had a baby in 05 so we didn't get to make it to disney, I don't remember it in 04. My kids love lilo and stitch.

 

[BCV23]

For someone who doesn't want to plan ahead, you certainly seem to be spending lots of time figuring out ways to take advantage of the system.

I don't find it difficult to plan ahead and even enjoy the new 180 days. But as others have pointed out, you can still make ARs on day of dining for many restaurants.

Or just do counter service.

 

[disneynewbee]

No hostility, I just don't know what I will want to eat or whick park I'll be in on Wednesday, December 6, 2006 (for example)

I wouldn't want to get rid of ADRs but I do understand your point. It is hard to decide in advance where you will want to eat on a particular day. Especially since you usually don't have park hours and EMH by time you have to make that decision. I just did as best I could, picked a park per day and a restaurant within that park I wanted to eat at or at a hotel that was a short distance from the park I was at. The hardest part for me was what time to make it for since you never know when hunger will strike the kids and where in the park you would be at. I found it hard at MGM especially since there are so many shows your trying to fit in and it kinda had you bouncing around the park trying to get to them and then to the other side of the park to eat. I didn't know show schedules when we made the ressies or I would have picked a restaurant near whatever show we would be at at lunch time. KWIM. In the end it worked out though. We found it hard to get to some last minute so we called and cancelled and were able to make new adr's for whatever was convenient at the time. We made adr's for crystal palace only hours before eating there so there are usually openings but instead of going in as a walk in try calling the adr line from the park if you have a cell phone or your room in the morning and you can usually still get something. Good luck!