Totally Disappointed

[williamson_ja]

I didn't find it all that difficult to get reservations at most of the TS restaurants! We'll be there in a month during free dining and there are still quite a few restaurants open for good reservation times. I don't see the problem here. Unless you just refuse to get a reservation at all, you should be fine even calling or looking online last minute. Something will be open.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Oh I absolutely agree, you do have to monitor it from day to day. I haven't played with my ADRs since I made them. There is just one I am unsure of keeping, and I added another which I knew I was going to do, but yes, people do cancel.

BTW, where have you been on the UK boards tonight? People are in dire need of your advice and support with flight problems. (Read: Missing you )

Am having a busy couple of days, so been seriously slacking on DIS-time.

Which thread? It's not like I'm even close to a pro or expert, but love reading anyway.

 

[goofy4prez]

It is kind of fun. I am doing QSDP and paying OOP for our TS. Made my ADRs at 180 days +10 and got everything I wanted including the dates and times I requested. A day or two later I was playing around on the site and none of the sought after restaurants had any availability left. However the ones not on the DDP ..... well let's just say that I had all the options of times and days I could dream of just a few days ago and I am now only 6 weeks out.

So another option is to pay OOP and make your TS reservations at places that do not participate in the Dining Plan. I would imagine this to be especially true during free dining.

I'm glad you find it kind of fun, I hate trying to plan my vacation 6 months + 10 days out around where I want to eat.

By the way, I do know of a 1 TS restaurant in Epcot that will soon be a 2 TS restaurant that shouldn't be to difficult to get a dinner seating any longer.

 

[2Tiggies]

Am having a busy couple of days, so been seriously slacking on DIS-time.

Which thread? It's not like I'm even close to a pro or expert, but love reading anyway.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2531581

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2530792

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2530747

So are you still messing around with your ADR's or do you have them sorted to the point you are happy to stick with them now? I do still think that the non DDP restaurants give you great walk up options. But as you said in your previous post, cancellations do happen. Another good strategy, as a last resort of course, is to check with Guest Services at the resort every morning/evening. People cancel when they are there too. I was quite surprised to snag myself 3 ADRs that way at short notice 2 years ago - 2 of which were highly sought after restaurants - add to that, the fact that it was Easter week.

The general advice is not to give up. It's probably the most useful advice that can be given in cases like this.

 

[2Tiggies]

I'm glad you find it kind of fun, I hate trying to plan my vacation 6 months + 10 days out around where I want to eat.

By the way, I do know of a 1 TS restaurant in Epcot that will soon be a 2 TS restaurant that shouldn't be to difficult to get a dinner seating any longer.

I quite enjoyed the suspense of it all I know, I am strange .... when I was a lurker on the DIS, I just picked them, booked them and the ones I couldn't get, booked something else. End of story. Then I joined the DIS ..... it suddenly became a whole new ball game!

 

[summerlady]

It is kind of fun. I am doing QSDP and paying OOP for our TS. Made my ADRs at 180 days +10 and got everything I wanted including the dates and times I requested. A day or two later I was playing around on the site and none of the sought after restaurants had any availability left. However the ones not on the DDP ..... well let's just say that I had all the options of times and days I could dream of just a few days ago and I am now only 6 weeks out.

So another option is to pay OOP and make your TS reservations at places that do not participate in the Dining Plan. I would imagine this to be especially true during free dining.

We actually prefer the QSDP after having used it twice in the past.I was going to pay OOP for 2 or 3 TS meals plus the QSDP next trip until FD for our dates in Nov. was offered. I used a 35% off room PIN to book originally back last April but FD at a mod for 4 adults (one is a 10 year old Disney adult) was a much better savings for us. I did however make ADRs at 180 days in anticipation of free DDP and would have canceled a few of them if FD wasn't an option.

 

[summerlady]

By the way, I do know of a 1 TS restaurant in Epcot that will soon be a 2 TS restaurant that shouldn't be to difficult to get a dinner seating any longer.

How true!

 

[2Tiggies]

We actually prefer the QSDP after having used it twice in the past.I was going to pay OOP for 2 or 3 TS meals plus the QSDP next trip until FD for our dates in Nov. was offered. I used a 35% off room PIN to book originally back last April but FD at a mod for 4 adults (one is a 10 year old Disney adult) was a much better savings for us. I did however make ADRs at 180 days in anticipation of free DDP and would have canceled a few of them if FD wasn't an option.

In some ways, it is almost more important to be organized with your ADRs if you are not doing the DDP or DxDDP as you have usually selected a few restaurants you really want to eat at. The benefit for me is that I have flexibility on days as cancelling is less likely to impact all the other ADRs. It also means if I can't get my option, I am not stuck with a credit and nowhere to eat.

 

[summerlady]

It's definitely *a lot* of fun! We don't go until June of 2011, but I've been working on figuring out our ADRs for at least a couple of months. I can't wait until our 180 day window opens up...and then I might tweak it a half dozen times or more AFTER we get our ADRs figured out...we might even tweak them once we get there. FUN!

Yep, I was reading menus and reviews for months before I could actually make the ADRs, getting opinions from family members. I was up and had the Disney site open, my choices and times in front of me, and as soon as they were open for booking, I did it. Now I'm messing around rethinking some and not others, adjusting times, but I'm 99% with sticking with what I already have.

 

[2Tiggies]

but I'm 99% with sticking with what I already have.

Beware of that 1% though ...

 

[vicki_c]

Advance Dining Reservations. For table service meals it's highly recommended to have an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) for the table service restaurants. It's a crap shoot on whether you'd be able to have a nice sit down meal by just walking up. You can make ADRs at 180 days from your arrival date.

LOL! I think Coach81 said "ADRs?" as in "make some." I think Coach knows what ADRs are!

 

[summerlady]

Beware of that 1% though ...

Yeah, I know. I booked the Sci-Fi for our arrival night because we'll be at DHS anyway and I know we'll be tired from traveling. It's got a super-cool atmosphere but the food (other than burgers) has been reported as being just meh. I know the 10 year old will love it, and I'm really doing it for her, but then I start going back to see what else is available or canceling a TS entirely for that night and just eating at at CS at DHS and booking a lunch on one of our park days. Waaaaaa! I am so able to make myself bonkers. So that's my 1%.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

I luv that I don't know where I want to eat in 6 months attitude. Really. Those folks make it so easy for me to get what I want. I wonder if these people call their spouse at 3 pm and tell them what they've decided on for dinner that night.
I know right now that when I go next year I will want to eat at PTC on my DHS day, just like I'll be doing 1n 45 days. I know that on my Epcot days I'll want to eat at 2 of 3, Biergarten Le Cel, or R&C. I'm pretty sure I'll want to do HDDR, probably on my AK day, or one of them. I'll want to try something new one night, maybe Artist Point or Tonys. Wherever I'm eating on a certain day will be fine. I won't pick any place I won't be happy. I don't have to know what 'mood' I'll be in that day, my stomach will be happy with whatever is on the menu that day. And I have eaten TS since 1985 and would never be happy with qsdp.

 

[disney1990]

Even during packed summer weeks and free dining weeks, DH and I have been able to either call in the morning or walk up to many sit down restaurants and get a reservation. Showing up when the restaurant first opens for dinner is also a good option to getting in.

 

[larryz]

LOL! I think Coach81 said "ADRs?" as in "make some." I think Coach knows what ADRs are!

With 2,953 posts, I sure HOPE so...!

 

[jillyb]

QUOTE=vicki_c;37793297]LOL! I think Coach81 said "ADRs?" as in "make some." I think Coach knows what ADRs are![/QUOTE]

With 2,953 posts, I sure HOPE so...!

Ya know after I hit "enter" I thought to myself "Oh...wait...wonder if he was being sarcastic?"

I never look at how many posts someone has but I'd say with 2,953 posts he's got a pretty good clue!

 

[tami82]

I made ressies at 180 days and had choice of places & all times so i lucked out this year. Even at the last moment im still changing things around because we are going 3 days later but had good luck with getting everything i wanted, you just have to be persistent. Even though the most popular places go quickly you still have plenty of restaurants to choose from still so i dont see a problem.

 

[Laurin612]

It would be great if no one had to make ADRs and you could just walk up to the restaurant of your choice. But if you think of the logistics of hundreds (thousands?) of people walking up to a popular TS restaurant at dinner time and expecting to be seated, you have to agree that ADRs are very necessary!

That said, I like planning my ADRs. It forces me to make a "game plan" of what parks we are doing which day, how our park schedule will work with our ADR times, etc.

 

[pooch]

has 1600+ posts and has been on the Boards since 2003.

Have you missed ALL the threads about ADRs and full restaurants?!?!? I'm taking my 5th Free DDP trip in a couple of weeks and EVERY trip see people trying to walk up to restaurants with no ADR and get turned away. I truly feel badly for them (well except for 1 loud, obnixious guy SCREAMING at the poor girl at the podium in Italy - seriously - get a grip!!!) My guess is, no one told them or at least didn't make it clear enough that ADRs are mostly a fact of WDW life if you want TS meals. But someone who's been on the Boards for years? How could you not know?

 

[nana2tots]

Hey Pooch
Of all the years we have been going to Disney, with the Dining plan added on, we have never ever had to have reservations, not until last year, and every sit down required this.Was just wondering why the change ?