Thinking of adding DDP, wishful thinking on ADRs?

[MomOf2As]

Hi all! We just made a spur of the moment decision to go back to WDW the week after thanksgiving. Since we got such a good price on our room at Coronado Springs ($560 for 4 nights!), I've been debating on whether I should add the DDP to our reservation. It will be me and my husband, plus our two boys ages 2.5 and almost 4. We've never been on the DDP before, and I'm not entirely sure if it will be worth it for our family, but I definitely welcome the thought of going to WDW and not doing mental computations every time I order our food. Our previous 2 visits, we always did counter service, ordering 2 meals and sharing them with the kids. We brought water, juice, crackers, etc. with us, so we saved money on drinks and snacks. But boy, what a stressful way to go on vacation!

Anyways, this close to our trip, I'm having trouble finding ADRs on some of the recommended table-service restaurants. I really want to get our money's worth on the DDP and would prefer to be able to eat at the higher-priced options. I've seen available times for some good places at Epcot (not at Le Cellier, which I really wanted to try), but not much luck with the character dining restaurants. What are the chances of these places having cancellations this close to our trip? Anyone had good experiences finding last-minute ADRs on the character buffets? I know Hollywood & Vine, and Tusker House are still available, but aside from these two, any suggestions/recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[DeborahA]

there are good uses for the DDP and not so good uses. The breakfast at Crystal Palace is very good and I think your children would probably enjoy the characters there--Pooh and friends. We have had good luck getting last min. res. there. We usually spend a TS credit on that one and do a counter service at night. I personally think LeCellier is over-rated as a 2 credit meal. It was a good use of 1 credit but not 2. Maybe try to get some of the characters at breakfast instead of evening, you might have better luck. Also, try garden grill in Epcot, good character interaction and the food is really good. It is served family style at your table, so you don't have to keep getting up to make plates and miss Mickey, Minnie and Chip and Dale. Good luck.

 

[MomOf2As]

Crystal Palace is completely booked for the days we're there, but I'll check Garden Grill for sure.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[nanhol]

You'll probably be able to get into some last minute, as most (all?) character meals have a $10/person charge for no-shows if not canceled by the night before. If you're flexible about your times and diligent about checking for reservations in the next few weeks then you'll likely pick up some, and then you may be able to pick up more while you're there.
The disboards are full of comments from people who picked up a sought-after ADR close to vacation time, and I've read a few people who say they got a walk-up table at Le Cellier & other hard to get ressies on a slow day, but there's no guarantee of that! However, Tues & Wed after Thanksgiving should be slow, so perhaps those are your best days for catching a walk-up somewhere.
I'd recommend scheduling a back-up ADR (preferably one without the credit card guarantee) for each day that you can cancel if you get a better one. But, if you end up in a not so well reviewed restaurant, don't despair. Even the not-so-well-reviewed restaurants at Disney are a good place to take a break. We were pleasantly surprised by Mama Melrose's but less enthusiastic about some of the character dinner buffets! (Maybe we're just not dinner buffet people!)
I liked doing character meals with the kids instead of waiting in line for the characters in the parks--but I also felt like the dinner food at Chef Mickeys and 1900 Park Fare was meh. The character breakfasts are generally less money than the character dinners, which makes them not as good a deal on the dining plan--but I find that I prefer them. On our next trip we're planning an Ohana breakfast (Lilo & Stitch), Cape May Cafe breakfast (Minnie & friends in beach gear), and Cinderella's Royal Table dinner (for my daughters and their grandma!) Ohana is a tough ressie to get last minute (though not impossible), but I'd bet Cape May Cafe might be available--and it's a short walk to Epcot's "back" entrance, so it's a good pick for an Epcot day!
If you do end up booking some breakfasts you should price your meals out and compare them to the DP cost. You may find that paying OOP is a better deal. Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[davedmaine]

I wouldn't both with it. Pay out of pocket and I think you'll still come out ahead, even eating at the same TS restaurants.

 

[MomOf2As]

I was able to get ADRs for dinners at The Wave and Chefs de France, lunch at Teppan Edo, and a character lunch at Hollywood & Vine. I priced them all out, and the only meal that's less than $100 would be the one at H&V. I would love to try Cape May, Garden Grill or Chef Mickey's so I'll have to keep checking to see if those become available. Right now, the only character meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner!) that have openings are H&V and Tusker House, which we've tried last July.

I've heard good things about The Wave, so I'm excited to try that! We're hoping to see Holiday Wishes from the CR observation deck after dinner. I chose Chefs de France and Teppan Edo because the menu looked good, and it seems to give the best value for the DDP. We've only had table-service at Mama Melrose and a couple of character meals, so I hope I made the right call on the restaurants!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

PS: at davedmaine-- it probably makes no sense, but I don't think we'll be eating at any of these places if we have to pay OOP. Too expensive!

 

[mickeynut1]

If you're flexible with your times and restaurants, I think getting the DDP would be fine. We love the DDP and it is nice to have everything paid for before you go. Keep in mind, though, that if you have a room only reservation, the DDP cannot just be "added". However, if you already have a package (room + tickets), adding the DDP is easy (but you will be expected to pay for it when it's added). If you have a room only reservation and want tickets and DDP, the room only will have to cancelled/refunded and the package booked, requiring payment in full since you are less than 45 days from arrival. Room only reservations and packages are on different reservation systems, so money paid toward one cannot be applied to the other. Good luck and have a great trip .