People who like to "relax" on their Disney vacation...

[bucky1023]

More relaxing to have ADRs. I go with my mom (who is diabetic) and nieces and nephews and the thought of having to choose a place to eat and then wait in line while everyone is starving for every meal drives me crazy.

With at least one ADR a day, I have a good idea when we should eat our other meals and not have to worry.

 

[Lady Radington]

As we come from the UK, it seems such a hassle to have to ring Disney World to make reservations in advance, so if we want to eat somewhere we will go to hotel concierge once we have arrived to see what is available. So although i would not make reservations in advance, i do find it more relaxing to know that we have a table for the next day, or a few days ahead. Also we have been able to pick up on other people's cancelations this way.

 

[Corinne]

we like to come back from the parks mid afteroon unwind, maybe use the pool, clean up and head out to dinner. We enjoy Disney TS meals and feel they are part of the magic and feel of being on vacation. We don't mind that they take longer and we are prepared to sit and relax.

ITA!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

My wife and I love to relax at Disney. Part of that relaxing is to have ADR's for dinner each night. We love to have relaxing dinners at California Grill, Jiko, Flying Fish etc.

 

[mskayjay]

I agree with him. I hate that feeling of knowing you have to be somewhere at a certain time but with the free dining while we are there, if we didn't do ADRs we wouldn't be able to eat other than quick serve! I hate all this ADR nonsense!

 

[pta-mom]

We enjoy having the one day ADR as that forces us to sit down as a family & relax for a couple of hours. I think without the ADR, we would just be running from ride to ride the whole day & eventually burn out.

 

[Clotho]

As we come from the UK, it seems such a hassle to have to ring Disney World to make reservations in advance, so if we want to eat somewhere we will go to hotel concierge once we have arrived to see what is available. So although i would not make reservations in advance, i do find it more relaxing to know that we have a table for the next day, or a few days ahead. Also we have been able to pick up on other people's cancelations this way.

Next time you come, enlist the help of a Disney TA--like Mousketrips or one of the other great groups out there. They can make the calls for you, so you don't have to spend that time on the phone!

 

[Swoop1]

I used to be one who liked to wing it. But now I'd much rather have ADR's for anytimes that we will be eating breakfast, lunch or dinner on site. Actually makes it more relaxing.

 

[ransom]

We like to relax, so we usually have one or two ADRs on any given day. Dinner is 90% ADRs, while breakfast and lunch are about 70% counter service.

It's a trade off, really. But we find it relaxing enough to sit down for a nice, long dinner that it makes up for having to be somewhere at a certain time rather than going with the flow.

 

[daisax]

I also usually have a car, so I like to go back to the resort and relax, then get dressed and go out for dinner, then hit a park for the rest of the evening. My "breaks" are pretty non-negotiable, so it's not a hassle to make an ADR and keep it.

However, after our pretty uninspired (and expensive) moderate choices on our last trip, I think from now on it will be counter service and the finer restaurants only. I don't mind paying $$ for good food, but we found last November that several times we paid close to $100 for mediocre entrees and a salad and a shared dessert. I'd rather pay $200 and get good food or $20 for decent counter service than pay so much for food that the local Dennys would serve on a bad night (Whispering Canyon in particular). After several disappointing meals, we cancelled Ohana, because I'd read such recent mixed reviews and didn't want to leave yet another restaurant annoyed. Boma has kept up its quality, however -- I only wish we'd eaten there 3 times!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

However, after our pretty uninspired (and expensive) moderate choices on our last trip, I think from now on it will be counter service and the finer restaurants only. I don't mind paying $$ for good food, but we found last November that several times we paid close to $100 for mediocre entrees and a salad and a shared dessert. I'd rather pay $200 and get good food or $20 for decent counter service than pay so much for food that the local Dennys would serve on a bad night (Whispering Canyon in particular). After several disappointing meals, we cancelled Ohana, because I'd read such recent mixed reviews and didn't want to leave yet another restaurant annoyed. Boma has kept up its quality, however -- I only wish we'd eaten there 3 times!

I have to agree with you, and I'm very curious where you had these subpar meals. We had them at Raglan Road, Boatwrights and Chef Mickey's (I know, you pay for the characters not the food). We were pleased with Spoodles and Boma...

 

[daisax]

Let's see... Jiko was great.

Prime Time Cafe was lousy (I've been before and been more entertained, but with the entertainment hit or miss I didn't feel we got any real value for our very expensive chicken sandwiches). When the best you can say for a $50 lunch is "at least we got out of the sun"... it's time to reexamine your dining priorities!

Ate for the first time at Columbia Harbor because we did the Keys to the Kingdom tour and were really pleasantly surprised -- far better meal than Prime Time or our next ADR... Whispering Canyon.

Then Boma was fantastic as usual and we decided to cut our losses and cancel Ohana.

In the past I've had great meals at the moderates, so much so that the 2 TS dinners were a real splurge because we were happy enough with the moderates. But now I think I'd rather play it safe and go cheap or go first class, whether on the meal plan or not, because I'd rather have a hotdog for lunch and a fantastic dinner than walk away feeling like I just got cheated.

 

[thepwa]

Much more relaxing to have the ADR's. I am much less stressed knowing when and where and how long I'm gonna eat rather than not knowing, and getting stuck waiting an hour for a table, and meanwhile missing my Fastpass to an attraction...

The time saved with the ADR gives me time to enjoy the parks, or the resort, or whatever. Time sitting waiting for a table is not what I want to do on vacation!

 

[Clotho]

Ate for the first time at Columbia Harbor because we did the Keys to the Kingdom tour and were really pleasantly surprised -- far better meal than Prime Time or our next ADR... Whispering Canyon.

Columbia Harbor House is our FAVORITE CS in The World (well, now it is in close running with Sunshine Seasons, simply for the variety that Sunshine Seasons provides--yum, getting hungry thinking about it!). And I don't mind crowing about it, because the place is huge, with both an upstairs and downstairs, so there will always be room for us. I love the Starboard Deck Sandwich (such an innovative sandwich I would never expect to see at a "theme park"!), and hubby enjoys the fish n' chips, which are not too greasy and an excellent portion. Soup's good, too, and it feels out of the way/off the beaten path, like a little escape from the noise.

 

[Tikitoi]

We like to throw in a Signature Restaurant or two, this was it frees up an evening. Or gives us the chance to go off site.

 

[Kay1]

Columbia Harbor House is our FAVORITE CS in The World (well, now it is in close running with Sunshine Seasons, simply for the variety that Sunshine Seasons provides--yum, getting hungry thinking about it!). And I don't mind crowing about it, because the place is huge, with both an upstairs and downstairs, so there will always be room for us. I love the Starboard Deck Sandwich (such an innovative sandwich I would never expect to see at a "theme park"!), and hubby enjoys the fish n' chips, which are not too greasy and an excellent portion. Soup's good, too, and it feels out of the way/off the beaten path, like a little escape from the noise.

I don't think the Starboard Deck sandwich made it on the the new menu but my favorite -The Lighthouse - did. And the chocolate cake is wonderful!

 

[Clotho]

I don't think the Starboard Deck sandwich made it on the the new menu but my favorite -The Lighthouse - did. And the chocolate cake is wonderful!

*heartbroken*
NOOOO! THERE IS NO JUSTICE!

 

[KristiMc]

We enjoy planning which restaurants we are going to eat at. I like knowing that we are going to be able to eat at the places we want.

 

[buckirj1]

I do this, but I don't always eat counter service. I eat at the restaurant bars and lounges. Some of them offer the full menu and no ADRs are required.

Oooh, could you please provide a list of these? I've been wondering about that. Eating at the bar/lounge is my preference anyway.

Glad to know it can be done.