Should I bother with an ADR for Boatwrights?

[dormouse72]

We're staying at POR and while my first thought was that we'd try our luck on DTD on a Saturday night for a walk-up (ok Disney may be magical but probably not THAT magical on Columbus Day weekend), I'm realizing that two people in our group of 8 have never even stayed in a hotel before (I'm not talking about the kids either) let alone a resort of the size and themeing of this one. So I'm now thinking that maybe we'd do better to just stay at the hotel so we have time to look around and enjoy it before we only spend time there with our eyes closed.

I've heard Boatwright's is ok though not spectacular and it will probably be our only time to eat there (we have ADR's all other days). Also while 7 of us are driving in from Miami earlier in the day (around noon), # 8 is arriving by plane in the late afternoon; by the time he gets to the hotel it could be around 6 PM. He's diabetic and while he's going to eat breakfast late in the morning and have snacks for the plane, he's also one of the ones who has never stayed in a hotel before - he hasn't even been on a plane since 1978. I'm afraid he'll get so wrapped up in the experience of being on a plane and going on his first real vacation in decades that he'll forget to eat and we'll have a problem on our hands if we can't do walk-up (the food court would be an option except that we've all agreed to save that credit for our day of departure in the parks when we don't have an ADR).

Am I crazy to worry about stuff like that? What would be a good TS option if Boatwrights couldn't seat us at about 7 - 7:30 PM? Would DTD be a possibility for a walk-up for 8 people? Can I trade a TS credit in for extra CS and snacks if I need to hit the food court that night after all?

Can I mention that I'm officially 29 days out and have NEVER made a res this close to my time of travel?

 

[Sagginit]

i would try to get one just in case ASAP. im staying there in less than two weeks. i didnt make a brkfst ADR for our last day and figured i could always get one at boatrights. well starting about 70 day out i have been trying to get one and they are booked solid the entire morning. they told me on the phone that i wouldnt be able to trade my TS for a CS meal either, they only make that exception on a case by case basis and not very often. i made two other ADRs at resorts but we dont know what park we want to spend our last few hours in and its a big annoyance at this point.

 

[Hootch]

I would go to DTD. The boat ride there is very relaxing. Once there you have a small feel of Disney. The boat docks near the Rain Forest Cafe. T-Rex is nearby also.

If there are kids in the group there are several stores that provide hands on experiences with Legos and the ultimate Mr. Potatoe Head.