Not making ADR in september. Is it possible to do?

[KittyKat1978]

My first trip to WDW was in Sept 2009. My friend had been before, so we only made 2 reservations for our 10 nights. We tried to walk up to a resturaunt in MK I believe, and they were full. We tried another, and again, they were full. We ended up eating a QS meal.

That night we called and were able to make reservations for all other nights, but not where we wanted. So just make sure to have a back up plan and a good attitude if you can't get into a TS resturaunt because they are full.

 

[monica9]

I agree totally about making reservations and then cancelling if you have to. I went last year with my dd 3, and our friends children ds 2, ds 4 and I couldn't imagine wasting the time to try to find an open table at a restaurant. We had ressies at Mama Melrose and still got in 1 hour later! Most reservations made us wait another 20 minutes after they were scheduled. I can't imagine if we didn't have reservations!

Off the topic....How do I quote something somebody else has already said?

 

[daisy112878]

We're going in 24days with a 2.5yo and 18 monther. I planned out most of the meals but we'll cancel them if we need too. I would definitely make any character meals you want then go from there.

We're going back in september with my whole extended family for our annual trip. We'll have my boys will then be 3yo, almost 2yo and we'll have DS3 who will be 12wks. We've made our 2 must do character breakfasts, my sister's bday dinner and one other lunch. I find for my boys breakfast and lunch are our best meals so we stick to those if there are must do things.

I've also found especially in epcot you can usually find a few of the table services to get 4 people in. We've walked up and got a table at Nine Dragons, Tutto Italia and Via Niapoli with hardly no wait for dinner. Tutto Italia and Via Niapoli actually have a stand up line outside at night. If someone doesn't show up for their reservation they take someone from the stand by line. The most we've ever waited for 4 people is 15 minutes.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I just wanted to thank every one for their feed back on this topic. We are in the planning stages for our next trip and the rules for cancelling ADR's changed from our last trip. I was interested in see how people were coping and you've given me some great ideas.

Thanks!

 

[LILOLO]

Just a heads up, we are going 9/22-29, and im having trouble with finding a ts adr for 9/23. since its emh at mk, im unable to find an adr for any ts in mk or on the monorail circuit (other than signature) seems like it may be busier than expected. good luck!

 

[MHSweb79]

You are paying for your "free" dining by booking a full-priced package - that is, you are paying rack rate for your room. Typically during free dining periods, you can get up to 30% off room rates using other discounts (AAA for one, check our Mousesavers.com for more). AAA also gives a small discount on your park admission.

With the dining plan, I would definitely make some ADR's well in advance. It's not uncommon to see signs at most restaurant podiums stating "We are not accepting any walk-in's at this time" during Free Dining weeks. I am not sure how the new CC guarantee policy has affected this - it might make the non-CC restaurants even more crowded. I would at least book one or two character meals (we like the Crystal Palace breakfast with Pooh) since your kids should be in good spirits in the mornings. (The brutal heat/ humidity and constant stimulation can really wear them out by the end of the day).

If you really plan to eat counter-service all week, I would look around and see if you can't pick up a nice discount on your room instead of keeping a dining plan that you won't be getting much value out of.

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

I agree totally about making reservations and then cancelling if you have to. I went last year with my dd 3, and our friends children ds 2, ds 4 and I couldn't imagine wasting the time to try to find an open table at a restaurant. We had ressies at Mama Melrose and still got in 1 hour later! Most reservations made us wait another 20 minutes after they were scheduled. I can't imagine if we didn't have reservations!

Off the topic....How do I quote something somebody else has already said?

You can hit the first button at the bottom of the post it says quote, the second one looks like " " or something which is for multiple quotes. I don't know what the last one is for lol.

To the op maybe schedule a late breakfast or a time when you know all members will be awake and ready to eat. I was thinking like a 10:00-10:30 breakfast before the baby takes a nap. I don't know your time zone or schedule, but am thinking most of us get cranky later in the day lol.

Make a few ads before you go, or I am afraid you may not end up with anything. I would schedule a character meal for you little ones. They are so fun!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Our girls were 2 and 4 the first time we took them and I decided that ADRs were the best thing I could do to prepare for them. I use my ADRs as the anchor points in my day...we're pretty flexible beyond that...i.e. touring, napping, resting, snacking, and CS eating when needed. My kids also really like eating out in restaurants...DD5 actually begs to go to restaurants so having exciting TS meals lined up for them is just another form of attraction (i.e. it's just as much of a part of a trip to WDW as riding the rides is) and the ADR is like my FastPass into the best food attractions!

Having been during free dining and seen people waiting hours or just turned away, I would strongly encourage you to make ADRs.

 

[aubriee]

Off the topic....How do I quote something somebody else has already said?

Just click on the blue 'Quote' button on the lower right side of the person you want to quote. If you want to quote more than one person at once, you need to do multiquote so, hit the "+ mark to the right of that quote button and when you get to the comment of the last person you want to quote, click on the quotation marks below their post, then the quote button below their post. Everyone you want to quote will show up at once and you just type in between each person's quote to answer each one idividually.

To OP: after saying that I was going to try to go without ADRs for my early Sep trip, I changed my mind. I just couldn't do it. I always make ADRs at 180 days out and just couldn't make myself go without ADRs (especially during free dining). I went online a couple of weeks ago and was able to get a variety of times for every single restaurant I wanted. I purposely did not book any restaurant that required a cc guarantee though, so did not choose all the popular restaurants. I did get ADRs for Boma (plan on trying for a walkup at Jiko though), Rose & Crown, 50's Prime Time, Via Napoli, Yak & Yeti, Tony's, Kouzzina (plan on tryng for a walkup at Flying Fish that night though), Tokyo Dining, Turf Club, and Rainforest Cafe (called for RFC).

 

[maxiesmom]

Like many others going that time, we are on the free dining plan. We are staying at a moderate, so got the dining with the TS. I haven't been to Disney in YEARS so I don't have any favorite places to eat. We don't really care if we have TS vs CS. We are pretty laid back people.

I appreciate all the responses. There is still so much I don't know about, so thank you.

Unless you are very very very flexible and not picky at all, you really need to make ADRs if you are on the dining plan. Especially during Free Dining, as the restaurants will be very busy. Or else you could end up with dining credits that you can't use!

 

[Bingham2]

Unless you are very very very flexible and not picky at all, you really need to make ADRs if you are on the dining plan. Especially during Free Dining, as the restaurants will be very busy. Or else you could end up with dining credits that you can't use!

We made a couple of ADRs for character breakfasts. I really dont want anything in the evening because I have mom ESP and how that will turn out.

We can use out TS credits for QS credits if needed, correct??

 

[mom2rtk]

We didn't have ADR's in Sept 2004 and we were able to eat places. You just have to go at "off" times and not be picky. BUT it can be done.
If you cant find a table service you could always eat at a cs? The food is actually quite good there. Some places I rather a cs to a ts. It all depends on what your expectations are

Interested to know how it turns out.

Didn't free dining during September start as a means to fill rooms after Hurricane Charlie hit in 04? As such, I would not use 2004 as a comparison.

OP.... it is VERY common to walk into a park during free dining and see a sign saying there are no ADR's available in the park that day.

If you want the benefit of your dining plan (which you might have gotten free, but if so, only in place of a potential room discount) then you need to make ADR's for those table service meals.

If you don't want to use a CC guarantee, then choose restaurants that don't require one. Unfortunately, those are not the character meals.

 

[mom2rtk]

We made a couple of ADRs for character breakfasts. I really dont want anything in the evening because I have mom ESP and how that will turn out.

We can use out TS credits for QS credits if needed, correct??

How about some lunch ADR's in the parks? Crystal Palace at the MK is a great place to get off your feet and escape the heat in the middle of the day.

How about an ADR on arrival night? Maybe one on departure morning?

It really would be a waste to let any of your credits go to waste. And without ADRs that is a distinct possibility.

Do keep in mind that even if you CAN get in as a walkup your wait is likely to be long. And that's something that should REALLY set off your mom radar.

If you decide to do dinner ADR's, try scheduling for the earliest seating of the night. That will really diminish your potential waiting time. Go for the buffets so you don't have to wait for the food to arrive.

Request your check right after ordering so you're not sitting around with little kids waiting for the server to return.

There ARE ways to help this work out. And if you do the character meals, it can save having to wait in line to see them in the parks.

 

[MHSweb79]

Don't count on trading TS credits for CS meals. You *may* be able to exchange them at your resort, but in the parks it's a different story.

Back in the early days they offered incentives for doing this (I think you got 1 CS meal plus an extra snack) but they don't any more.

If I were you, I'd plan out my park days (looking at crowd calendars and whether or not you'll take advantage of EMH) and book a non-CC hold ADR for every day. That way you can cancel without any penalty, and you'll also have a definite place to eat lined up every day.

 

[smitch425]

Don't count on trading TS credits for CS meals. You *may* be able to exchange them at your resort, but in the parks it's a different story.

This is no longer the case. The 2012 Disney Dining Plan brochure states that you may now use any TS credit for any CS meal.

 

[MHSweb79]

I stand corrected - thanks! That is definitely different from when I last had the dining plan. It does help take the stress off not having an ADR when you can just get a CS instead. (Not a great value, but at least you have somewhere to eat!)