Please help with my ADR

[dtkee]

I am going to WDW for 3 days in October with DW and DD6 (hopefully I'm correct and this means that my daughter is 6), and this is our first year having the dining plan. We went 2 years ago and only ate at the Crystal Palace. My DD loves princesses and will be absolutely thrilled with seeing the princesses at Akershus. However, I'm having trouble finalizing my dining plans. We got the DDP and are staying for 4 nights. I've been reading so many reviewing and as much information on this board as I can, and now I worry that I'm confusing and second guessing myself. My DW is laughing at me whenever I show her what I've schedule as I try and change it daily, so she is no help. Nobody in my family is a picky eater.

Saturday - Plane lands about 3pm. I figure it is a great day to grab a CS meal and enjoy some time at the pool and get ready for our trip. Also I didn't want to plan much that night in case we have plane delays.

Sunday - MK
8am - BOG - I'm hoping to get to 7MDT before rope drop while at the same time worried about getting DD and DW up and to the park on time! They tend to be late sleepers.
6:15 - Liberty Tree Tavern (I was hoping to get a character dining but nothing was available at MK)

Monday - Epcot
9:40 - Akershus - These were all booked when I first started looking so I was extremely happy to grab this once it opened up. Now several more have opened up for lunch and dinner. Which meal do you recommend? I temporarily booked all 3 while I make a decision. My thought it to rope drop a visit to Anna and Elsa before breakfast.
5:20 - 1900 Park Fare or 6pm Garden Grill - I've heard great things about both and I'm torn between seeing the Grand Floridian or staying in the park. My friend is recommending the Garden Grill.

Tuesday - MK - MNSSHP night
6pm - Crystal Palace.
There is a possibility that we go to AK Tuesday instead, and may try to do Tusker House.

What suggestions do you have, especially with the Epcot day! Thanks in advance.

 

[minnie mum]

Welcome to the Dis.

Saturday. Good call on not booking an ADR. With an afternoon arrival, you never know if a delay might throw a monkey wrench in the works.

Sunday. Looks good. If you really want a character meal for dinner, keep an eye out for an early dinner at 1900 PF.

Monday. I wouldn't do that breakfast. The first couple of hours in the morning have the shortest lines. Don't waste them in a restaurant. If you can grab a lunch ADR for Akershus around 11:00, you would have the morning free to tour. By 6:00 you'd probably be ready for another meal. And Garden Grill gets pretty decent reviews.

Tuesday. It would be a shame to skip AK. Couldn't you do both? Tour AK for a few hours, go back to your resort for a couple of hours to rest, then head to MK for the party? 6:00 should have you finished eating by the time the party starts. But they can sometimes run late seating people. A 5:30 ADR might be safer.

 

[Poipu]

Sun & Mon - agree with PP to try for 1900 PF dinner on Sun and Akershus for lunch on Monday.

Tues - remember u can get into MK for party as early as 4:00 pm so I'd go to AK in am then go to MK for party. Schedule early dinner - 5:00 or 5:30 so u don't waste party time eating.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

I agree to try to see if you can get 1900 PF on Sun. If you can, then you can try one of the other restaurants in Epcot. Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park. If you follow a good touring plan you should be able to see a lot of the attractions before going back to MK.

 

[suswa]

Agree don't skip AK, go in the AM and take a break before the party. Tusker House is yummy!

 

[Nancyg56]

I am going to WDW for 3 days in October with DW and DD6 (hopefully I'm correct and this means that my daughter is 6), and this is our first year having the dining plan. We went 2 years ago and only ate at the Crystal Palace. My DD loves princesses and will be absolutely thrilled with seeing the princesses at Akershus. However, I'm having trouble finalizing my dining plans. We got the DDP and are staying for 4 nights. I've been reading so many reviewing and as much information on this board as I can, and now I worry that I'm confusing and second guessing myself. My DW is laughing at me whenever I show her what I've schedule as I try and change it daily, so she is no help. Nobody in my family is a picky eater.

Saturday - Plane lands about 3pm. I figure it is a great day to grab a CS meal and enjoy some time at the pool and get ready for our trip. Also I didn't want to plan much that night in case we have plane delays.

Sunday - MK
8am - BOG - I'm hoping to get to 7MDT before rope drop while at the same time worried about getting DD and DW up and to the park on time! They tend to be late sleepers.
6:15 - Liberty Tree Tavern (I was hoping to get a character dining but nothing was available at MK)

Monday - Epcot
9:40 - Akershus - These were all booked when I first started looking so I was extremely happy to grab this once it opened up. Now several more have opened up for lunch and dinner. Which meal do you recommend? I temporarily booked all 3 while I make a decision. My thought it to rope drop a visit to Anna and Elsa before breakfast.
5:20 - 1900 Park Fare or 6pm Garden Grill - I've heard great things about both and I'm torn between seeing the Grand Floridian or staying in the park. My friend is recommending the Garden Grill.

Tuesday - MK - MNSSHP night
6pm - Crystal Palace.
There is a possibility that we go to AK Tuesday instead, and may try to do Tusker House.

What suggestions do you have, especially with the Epcot day! Thanks in advance.

I would drop the 9:40 Akershus ADR. This is an awkward time for an ADR in park, you miss the opportunity to enjoy attactions without the buildup that occurs as the day progresses. I woudl keep 1900 PF. This one is a great one fo the entire family. Your DD gets her Pincess fix with Cindy, and then you all can enjoy the Tremaine family. They are a hoot! I like GG, but given that your DD likes the Pincesses, I would go to the Grand.

Are you going to the party? If so, do you want that CP ADR? I agree that AK is worth trying to see, but if you are going to the party I would not go unless you can find time for a rest. It will be a long day for the little one. If you have hoppers and are not going to the party I would hit MK in the morning, leave for a short break, go to AK late afternoon and then have dinner at TH. Teh characters in their safari outfits are cute, and the food is really good.

 

[dtkee]

Thanks for all the advice. My DW didn't like AK when we went 2 years ago. I did and am still trying to convince her to go, as my DD is excited to do EE because she thought Elsa lived up there when she saw it last time. We don't have park hopper passes as it isn't the easiest to do with my daughter, and we don't currently have tickets to the MNSSHP. I'll keep looking for a 1900 Park Fare for Sunday, and dump the Akershus breakfast and have lunch there.

 

[aebeauregard]

Can I ask where you are staying? The more times I go the more I base my dining on easy transportation.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I'll be a little different and say for your Epcot day I'd do a Garden Grill dinner after your Akershus lunch. I'd save 1900 Park Faire for your Tuesday dinner. You'll have to leave the park by 7pm anyway and it would be a nice dinner to close out your vacation. If your wife changes her mind about Animal Kingdom instead of the MK that day you aren't stuck because of an adr there.

 

[mstephen87]

I am going to WDW for 3 days in October with DW and DD6 (hopefully I'm correct and this means that my daughter is 6), and this is our first year having the dining plan. We went 2 years ago and only ate at the Crystal Palace. My DD loves princesses and will be absolutely thrilled with seeing the princesses at Akershus. However, I'm having trouble finalizing my dining plans. We got the DDP and are staying for 4 nights. I've been reading so many reviewing and as much information on this board as I can, and now I worry that I'm confusing and second guessing myself. My DW is laughing at me whenever I show her what I've schedule as I try and change it daily, so she is no help. Nobody in my family is a picky eater.

Saturday - Plane lands about 3pm. I figure it is a great day to grab a CS meal and enjoy some time at the pool and get ready for our trip. Also I didn't want to plan much that night in case we have plane delays.

Sunday - MK
8am - BOG - I'm hoping to get to 7MDT before rope drop while at the same time worried about getting DD and DW up and to the park on time! They tend to be late sleepers.
6:15 - Liberty Tree Tavern (I was hoping to get a character dining but nothing was available at MK)

Monday - Epcot
9:40 - Akershus - These were all booked when I first started looking so I was extremely happy to grab this once it opened up. Now several more have opened up for lunch and dinner. Which meal do you recommend? I temporarily booked all 3 while I make a decision. My thought it to rope drop a visit to Anna and Elsa before breakfast.
5:20 - 1900 Park Fare or 6pm Garden Grill - I've heard great things about both and I'm torn between seeing the Grand Floridian or staying in the park. My friend is recommending the Garden Grill.

Tuesday - MK - MNSSHP night
6pm - Crystal Palace.
There is a possibility that we go to AK Tuesday instead, and may try to do Tusker House.

What suggestions do you have, especially with the Epcot day! Thanks in advance.

Sunday- try for 1900 Park Fare (you may have to keep checking)
Monday- Definitely drop that breakfast time. I would recommend dinner. (We filled up on pretzel and cheeses and fruit cups for early lunch with our snack credits our Epcot day until supper time.)
I would say 1900 Park Fare (super cool princess meal and one of my 6 and 9 year olds favorite places to eat) unless you can get a ressie for Sunday, then you could hit GG.
Tuesday- Definitely start in AK and move over to MK to make your ADR and the party (if you are going- which I would HIGHLY recommend) If you are not going to attend the party, definitely skip AK. MK is so worthy of 2 days (minimum!!)

Don't over stress it though... seriously, your girl will have the time of her life regardless, and it is just food!

 

[crabbygal902]

I am going to WDW for 3 days in October with DW and DD6 (hopefully I'm correct and this means that my daughter is 6), and this is our first year having the dining plan. We went 2 years ago and only ate at the Crystal Palace. My DD loves princesses and will be absolutely thrilled with seeing the princesses at Akershus. However, I'm having trouble finalizing my dining plans. We got the DDP and are staying for 4 nights. I've been reading so many reviewing and as much information on this board as I can, and now I worry that I'm confusing and second guessing myself. My DW is laughing at me whenever I show her what I've schedule as I try and change it daily, so she is no help. I change mine all the time, too. My family just rolls their eyes and tells me that they'll do whatever I plan. Nobody in my family is a picky eater.

Saturday - Plane lands about 3pm. I figure it is a great day to grab a CS meal and enjoy some time at the pool and get ready for our trip. Also I didn't want to plan much that night in case we have plane delays. So smart! You are saving yourself huge headaches!

Sunday - MK
8am - BOG - I'm hoping to get to 7MDT before rope drop while at the same time worried about getting DD and DW up and to the park on time! They tend to be late sleepers. Again, good move! You can lure them out of bed with the promise of breakfast. Be sure to request your in-room Mickey wake up call!
6:15 - Liberty Tree Tavern (I was hoping to get a character dining but nothing was available at MK) We really enjoy LTT. However...If characters are important, keep checking. I have found pretty much everything I want by stalking the dining site. As a matter of fact, I see Crystal Palace and Cinderella' Royal Table dinners pop up quite often. I snagged a CP ADR 2 weeks before our last trip.

Monday - Epcot
9:40 - Akershus - These were all booked when I first started looking so I was extremely happy to grab this once it opened up. Now several more have opened up for lunch and dinner. Which meal do you recommend? I temporarily booked all 3 while I make a decision. My thought it to rope drop a visit to Anna and Elsa before breakfast. We have only had dinner here and we thought it was excellent. It is a great way to spend your DDP credits as it is very, very expensive. I highly recommend the dinner.
5:20 - 1900 Park Fare or 6pm Garden Grill - I've heard great things about both and I'm torn between seeing the Grand Floridian or staying in the park. My friend is recommending the Garden Grill. Have you considered GG for pre-park opening breakfast? You could go right downstairs and ride the new and improved Soarin' afterwards.
I also recommend traveling around the "World" for meals as little as possible. As newbies, we wasted lots of great park time transporting ourselves all over the place. We have learned to eat where we are visiting, saving us time and frustration. After numerous visits, there are still many places we haven't eaten that I would love to try, but those plans will have to wait until they fit better in our schedules.

Tuesday - MK - MNSSHP night
6pm - Crystal Palace.
Do you really want to spend time during the party eating at CP? The party is expensive so the time is quite valuable, I think. You can get into the party at 4 pm, and your DD may be tired and need to leave before midnight. If you spend an hour and a half in CP, your party time may be very short. By the way, we LOVE the party!! It is our favorite special event at WDW, well....besides Food and Wine Festival! We will be attending both this year right at Halloween.

There is a possibility that we go to AK Tuesday instead, and may try to do Tusker House. If you are already planning AK for the 1st part of the day before the party, I think this is a great idea. Just make sure to leave some time to rest and relax at the resort before MNSSHP (we are terrible about this and run ourselves ragged!)

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[rg35]

Garden Grill gave us the best character interactions on our trip in June, plus the meal (lunch) was solid. I would definitely go back there, and recommend it to anyone.