Not interested in making ADRs, will I still be able to eat table service?

[Nancyg56]

It's okay to go without making some ADR's but it may be frustrating if once you arrive you see a restaurant you really want to try. Or if you like to have your meals within certain time frames. Or if you don't like to spend time traveling out of your way for dinner.

I would consider a short plan and make a few ADR's and then cancel if you do not want them when the time comes. It sure beats chicken fingers and fries when you are in the mood for a nice steak.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

It will be very busy that week, it is a school vacation week. You will have a very tough time finding a place to eat with walk-ups available, unless you go at 3pm or 9pm...even then you will have a problem. All you can do is hope for some cancellations. I see a lot of fast food in your future for sure unless you at least make 1 or 2 TS reservations.

 

[OurDogCisco]

We went Thanksgiving week and I was surprised there were tables available at a few places for walk ups. I don't think it is will be impossible. We didn't have an ADR for Hollywood Brown Derby and we were able to walk up and get a table. However, this was right before the line-up for Fantasmic. We made it out before Fantasmic started but the stadium was full and there were not seats available. So.... I think, if you are flexible and realize you might miss some cool things then, it will be okay. I'd imagine it being pretty easy to get a table in Epcot during Illuminations, etc.. Good luck...

 

[kirbsam]

sounds lke there is more planning in not making adr's than making them. please take note.

 

[finallygoingtoWDW]

Thanks everyone. I just booked 2 weeks ago. No, I have no idea what parks we'll be at yet. I also have no idea what restaurants I would even consider yet. I just bought the Unofficial Guide today, so I'll look through that and maybe get some ideas.

 

[hill6]

I would be breaking down and making a few ADR's. Here is a list of the menus for the restaurants.

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

I am sure one or two places may tickle your fancy. Very few places require you to put a credit card on file for the reservation (CRT and the dinner shows). Then wing it. But you may end up being in one or two of the places at the time of your ADR.

Went two years ago with no ADR and waited over two hours one night for dinner and then we got lucky and three seats opened at the bar. Our beeper never went off. Lesson learned.

Otherwise I wish you the best of luck.

 

[itchin2go]

Here's a simple way to look at it:

Would you rather spend time planning your vacation BEFORE you're in the midst of it, or take time out from your ongoing vacation to plan it?

Do you want to decide on some restaurants that interest you while you're at home with a computer in your lap and can browse all the menus, or have to choose quickly from the "leftover" restaurants that most people aren't that interested in?

It takes some work, but it is TOTALLY WORTH IT to make at least a few ADRs. They don't "tie you down" because you can cancel them if you decide to make other arrangements. They're insurance, and well worth it. Pick a few places that interest you and book them. If you don't "feel like" eating at that place that night, cancel them and do something else. Easy as pie.

I for one will spend my vacation eating at the places I want to eat at, rather than the ones that are leftover after all the other vacationers have picked.

To answer the OP's direct question: Without any ADRs, you will not go hungry. You probably will not be impressed with the food either.

Edited to say: Sorry if this sounds harsh. I am not trying to be a jerk, but I AM trying to give the best and most persuasive advice I can possibly give. I know making sense of the vast sea of restaurants at WDW is hard. For our first trip, I think I only made 3 ADRs because that was all I could process. The UG is a GREAT resource. So are the menus on this site and on www.allears.net. These boards are a great resource. Advance planning is well worth it when it comes to a WDW vacation.

 

[LimeGreenEd]

Was there for 8 days in May and had only 2 ADR's. Only ate one hamburger and one hot dog the entire time. There are many great CS locations with a wide variety. Walk ups for TS are usually a little hard, but checking for openings first thing in the morning provided easy pickings.

 

[Dancind]

This might work if you have only one or two people in your party, and you don't mind eating in some bars or at counters. When I was solo for a few days in May, I got last minute seating at Flying Fish a couple of nights by calling an hour or so ahead. I ate at the bar, and it was wonderful. I know you can't get into places like Les Chefs, or Le Cellier, or California Grill, or the buffets, even with two people on the same day.

As others have said, a trip to WDW is a major investment. A little effort now on your part will make it much more enjoyable while you are there.

 

[PK Disney Dork]

We straddle the fence on the ADRs question. If we're going to be down for a week or more we'll generally plan our first four or so days and pepper in ADRs here and there. After that it's whereever the wind takes us when we wake up that morning. There isn't really any one place we HAVE to eat when we're in the world so we generally check with the concierge and see what's available that day or just check in and different places in whatever park we're in and see where we land!

 

[danielle.st]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Looks like we won't be completely out of luck. Hopefully. As for making ADRs, this is our first trip and I have no idea where I want to eat 4 months from now.

But you don't have to know where you want to eat, unless it is one that requires a credit card guarantee (which there aren't many of). You can choose places in parks you think you are most likely to be at. If you get there and plans change or you can't go for those places, you can easily cancel.
ADR's aren't set in stone or a binding committment.

 

[mom2princessj]

Here's some advice from a first timer as well...
My dh said the same thing...we go in 4 mos there is NO WAY I'm deciding on what I want to eat now no matter how many menus you ask me to look at. So my TA took it upon herself with a little bit of suggesting from me to make a few ADR's for us knowing we wouldn't probably be able to get into the places we want easily with a party of 5. Fast forward to this week...we leave next week and now dh wants to know where we are eating. He looks at two menus and tells me he doesn't like either and wants to go to a few other places I spent most of Wednesday on the phone with dining trying to get some other ressies for us. I did get them but it was by sheer persistance.
My advice is to seriously take a look at the menus and just make some ressies for now tentatively. Then when it gets closer you can change if you think plans have changed. Going with no ressies during your time of year (school spring breaks and such) will make it difficult to walk up (according to my TA). I'm going in an off peak season and have found it difficult to get into the popular places this week that dh wants
Good luck!

 

[3boymthr]

A few comments:

I know people act like the difficulty with getting a sit down reservation day of is a recent thing, but in my experience same day dining reservations have been hard to get for at least 25 years (and I've only ever been during value seasons). In 1984 first thing in the morning we could only get a same day reservation at LTT and only at 11:30. In 1993 we could only get a same day reservation at Akershus at that time not a character meal and the least popular restaurant in EP and only at 9PM and we walked up to every restaurant in EP looking for a reservation.

You are going at a week that is still in the midst of school vacations where a lot of people who are going have been planning this vacation for a long time. (All of MA and I think CT and NH are on Vaca that week.)

My cousin went this week last year with No ADRs. They could not get a single TS meal the whole week. They called first thing every day looking for ADRs anywhere hoping someone had canceled. No Such Luck not even at Boatright's at POR.

On the other hand. From what I have seen of the menus and the photos here on the boards, if you are an adventurous eater there seem to be some great CS places where you can eat that serve things other than hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken nuggets, but you have to plan ahead to know where they are and if they have the food you like to eat.

 

[sotoalf]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Looks like we won't be completely out of luck. Hopefully. As for making ADRs, this is our first trip and I have no idea where I want to eat 4 months from now.

Haha -- sorry! This is a DISNEY vacation! No spontaneity is allowed.

Kidding outside, you should have some idea of where you want to eat simply by reading a few menus between now and your trip. You do not want to waste time walking around. Since this is your first trip, you have no idea how desperate things become when all your options are fast food.

 

[gatorfreud]

Are you traveling with kids? If so, I would definitely make some ADR's. The last thing you need is a 9:30pm dinner with little ones.

Just adults? Then you can wing it more.

Do you have a car? If so, you might get availability at some resort restaurants... but without a car you're looking at an hour to an hour and a half just to transport to and from the restaurant, depending on which one. Then you will end up back at a park and then have to get back to your resort.

If it were me, I would definitely make all of my ADR's ahead of time. Then if you can't make it or don't feel like it, you can just call the dine # and cancel the one for that day. There is really no harm in having a plan - you can always change it. We seem to miss about 25% of our ADR's when we are there - kids nap too long, or whatever. We just call and cancel when we know we won't make it.

Especially as a first timer... it is difficult to undertstand how logistically difficult it is when you are there, and how time consuming everything is. It is really best to have a plan so you aren't wandering around figuring out what to do, where to eat, etc... Enjoy your trip!

Kim

 

[kimis]

You might get lucky in at a couple of resturants but the times will be very odd. People do think if you make ADR's than you are tied down but we have found that isn't the case. With a park hopper you can come and go. With the ADR's you get to eat at a lot of nice places at the times you want. I know everyone is different and it does make a difference if it is a couple or a family with children. Maybe you could make a couple of ADR's at the places you would really want to eat at and then risk it.

 

[DaniTaylor]

I live 10 minutes from Disney we eat on property all the time we very rarely make ADR's 4 months in advance most often we just wander around parks and see what's available or we call the morning of or night before if it's breakfast we are after. It does require being flexible but you most certainly won't starve and I hope you will have a great vacation.

Sometimes a vacation is a nice chance to get away and not stress and to just see where the day takes you without planning every single moment of every single day. I know when I go on vacation I take each day as it comes so I don't think it should be such an issue that a person doesn't want to plan every park and every meal so far in advance that maybe they want to enjoy Disney one day at a time.

 

[Laura]

I don't want to eat "Fast food" the whole week, but I also have no idea what kind of ADRs to make or where. So I'd rather not be tied down to them. Any chance we'll still be able to get lunch or dinner at a TS as a walk-up? I know there are some popular restaurants that will not be possible. That's fine, I'm not going to Disney for the food. But I don't want to be stuck at CS the whole time either. We'll be there April 18-25. So the week after Post-Easter week. Hopefully it won't be too terribly busy then.

My last trip was in the late April/early May time frame, and we made one ADR before we left. We didn't just eat CS the rest of the time, and our six other TS meals were a combination of walk-up and ADRs made while there. We spent very little time figuring out where to eat on the fly.

If you're flexible, don't have a huge group, and are not trying to eat at the castle, you'll find it's not hard to find TS meals. I think too many people are afraid they will not find anything and get scared into making ADRs well beforehand.

 

[kent285]

This is your first trip to WDW, why waste time trying to find something to eat, plan some meals. The meals can be as entertaining as the park so don't think of them as just eating.

Yep, that's exactly how I feel. The themeing in some of these restaurants is really amazing and part of the whole Disney experience. Do some research on Allears.com and here on the Disboards and you'll be surprised how easy it is to come up with something that sounds interesting. And, sometimes your choice of restaurants can be a way of choosing which park you want to visit that day.

Counter service is fine, but you can encounter some pretty long lines. It's a great feeling to walk up to a Table Service, give your name and be seated. Just know that you can start making your ADRs on Jan. 18th.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip! My first time going is still my most memorable.

 

[RMulieri]

I agree planning 4 mos in advance is not ideal...BUT I don't think wandering aimlessly thru the parks and resorts looking for someplace to eat in the hot Florida sun is ideal either.You can always cancel ressies if you decide against them.But if you have children or a lrge party, please understand you may be eating at 330p or 900p or not at all at more popular places.When we went the middle of May 2 yrs ago, every restaurant at Epcot and the Mk this one day had signs up they were not taking any walkups.Disney restaurants as a rule do not hold any tables back for walkups..if you happen to score a walk up which is not unheard of but not always possible, it is because either not fully booked,lots of no shows or cancellations.June is peak travel time, many schools are already done for the year.Here in Pa we are done the end of May, and most schools in the south get out the beginning of May.if you know you do not want counter service every night, why not book some adrs?