What do you think of our ADRs

[forbinsgirl]

This is our first family trip to Disney World. We are super excited. It is me, dh, dd 6, dd 4, and ds 2. My sister and her family are also coming so we are 10 total. We are staying at All Stars Movies. I am the type that could eat hamburgers 3 meals a day but sister and husbands are more sophicated on that front. They opted to do a value resort and splurge on the dxdp. Anyway, tell me what you think of these ADRs and if plan looks good. We are going 8 days, 7 nights, 11-12 through 11-19

Saturday 11-12
Arrive MCO 12 pm
MK for afternoon
Dinner Crystal Palace (not sure of this one, debating Liberty Tree)
Wishes

Sunday
MK
Breakfast - Crystal Palace at 8:05 am
Lunch - probably counter service for kids and snacks for adults since adult sare doing signatures later in week
Dinner - HDDR (if they ever let us make a reservation)

Monday
EP - primarily doing Future world
Breakfast - Askershus at 8:10 am
Lunch - Coral Reef
Dinner - San Angel Inn

Tuesday
HS
Breakfast - Hollywood and Vine at 8:10 am
Lunch - Sci Fi Dine In
Dinner - one couple is headed to the Yashtsman for romantic dinner alone and other couple is at the resort food court with the 6 kids.

Wednesday
EP late morning for World Showcase rope drop
Breakfast - up in the air, we debated doing MK in morning but don't want to pay for park hopper for just one hop.
Lunch - Via Napoli
Dinner - Teppan Edo

Thursday
AK
Breakfast - Tusker House at 8:15 am
Lunch - Yak and Yeti's
Dinner - one couple is headed to the Yashtsman for romantic dinner alone and other couple is at the resort food court with the 6 kids.

Friday
Breakfast and lunch are up in the air since we don't know what park we are going to since not sure what all we will accomplish other days.
Dinner - Ohana's

Saturday
Brunch - Chef Mickey's
Depart

We have 2 more table services to use for Friday. I am thinking I will want to return to the MK on Friday while sister is thinking we will need more time at HS. We are not interested in CRT and probably couldn't get in now anyway. Thanks for any input

 

[rapunzels]

I wouldn't do Crystal Palace back to back like that. Unless your kids are REALLY REALLY into Pooh, I probably wouldn't even do CP twice in one trip, but especially not back to to back.

I'd go with Liberty for your dinner that first night.

I'm assuming your hearty eaters to be fitting in 2-3 squares a day, so your going to be spend a lot of time eating from the looks of your ressies. And moving from restaurant to restaurant. I hope you get to see the parks. By the time you leave one ressie, a couple hours will pass, and you'll be on to your next meal. I think you may end up finding your schedule isn't very flexible with waiting in lines for rides, characters (that you won't see from meals), walking from one show to another, ect..

 

[forbinsgirl]

I agree we will not go hungry. I could have gone with some quick services in there, but... the rest of the adults want that table time so I'm going with the flow. Frankly I think the hubbys couldn't do much more theme park time so I am hoping this will break up the day for them. Ideally I would love a 3 meals dining plan that has one quick service and two table services. Oh well.

 

[OhThePain]

I agree with everything rapunzels said.

It is nice that you are thinking about the hubbys, but in doing so you are not thinking about the 6 kids you are with. 3 meals a day is A LOT of time in what ends up being a pretty short day (24 hours is not a lot of time when your in Disney).

For example, on Monday when you are doing FW at EC, you have an 8:10 ADR at Akershus. By the time you get in, eat and see all the princesses it could be 9:30 or so by the time your ready to leave (if say you just missed the princesses in your section and have to wait for them to come around again). After that you will have time to do maybe 2 or 3 things before you have to worry about getting to lunch. Say lunch is at 12:30 or so, for 10 people by the time you all eat and leave its almost 2. Then you have time for 3 or 4 things before you have to worry about dinner, back in WS at 6. You are done by 7:30 but if you want to watch IllumiNations now is the time to go hunt a good spot. IllumiNations is at 9, EC closes after, and it's back to the resort without accomplishing too much. Now say the kids need a break mid-day, which they often will, you'll lose all that time between lunch and dinner.

Is this trip more for the kids or the adults? If it is more for the adults, keep the DxDP and leave the kids at home. If it is more for the kids, you should consider dropping to the DDP (1TS, 1CS, 1 Snack), and give them a chance to enjoy Disney for what it is and not just the restaurants.

 

[rapunzels]

And I totally agree with OhThePain. DDP works best for us too. It gives the most flexibility for eating, visiting the parks and rest.

Forbinsgirl, you REALLY should reconsider your plans. If anything, those kiddos are gonna need some down time and sitting in a restaurant doesn't count. By the end of the week, you might be reconsidering that Disney is the happiest place on earth.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I agree with everything rapunzels said.

It is nice that you are thinking about the hubbys, but in doing so you are not thinking about the 6 kids you are with. 3 meals a day is A LOT of time in what ends up being a pretty short day (24 hours is not a lot of time when your in Disney).

For example, on Monday when you are doing FW at EC, you have an 8:10 ADR at Akershus. By the time you get in, eat and see all the princesses it could be 9:30 or so by the time your ready to leave (if say you just missed the princesses in your section and have to wait for them to come around again). After that you will have time to do maybe 2 or 3 things before you have to worry about getting to lunch. Say lunch is at 12:30 or so, for 10 people by the time you all eat and leave its almost 2. Then you have time for 3 or 4 things before you have to worry about dinner, back in WS at 6. You are done by 7:30 but if you want to watch IllumiNations now is the time to go hunt a good spot. IllumiNations is at 9, EC closes after, and it's back to the resort without accomplishing too much. Now say the kids need a break mid-day, which they often will, you'll lose all that time between lunch and dinner.

Is this trip more for the kids or the adults? If it is more for the adults, keep the DxDP and leave the kids at home. If it is more for the kids, you should consider dropping to the DDP (1TS, 1CS, 1 Snack), and give them a chance to enjoy Disney for what it is and not just the restaurants.
>>>>I couldnt agree more!!!! It seems as though this trip will be more about the restaurants than about disney itself. The kids wont have enough time to enjoy the rides or anything else. Is it that important for all 10 of you to eat every single meal together?? If your sisters family wants 3 restaurants a day that bad, then thats fine. But if i were in your shoes I would let them go on their own, and do a quick service one meal a day with just your spouse/kids. Its not a bad thing to part ways....sometimes its a blessing! Travelling with a large group can be difficult. There are some fabulous quick service options. Plus your kids will be happier cause they got to see/do more than their cousins! I honestly think your schedule is a bit overwhelming.

I agree we will not go hungry. I could have gone with some quick services in there, but... the rest of the adults want that table time so I'm going with the flow. Frankly I think the hubbys couldn't do much more theme park time so I am hoping this will break up the day for them. Ideally I would love a 3 meals dining plan that has one quick service and two table services. Oh well. >>> isnt this trip for the kids too? not just the adults. With this schedule, if you factor in nap times at the resort, i dont think you'll have enough time to do many rides at all.

I wouldn't do Crystal Palace back to back like that. Unless your kids are REALLY REALLY into Pooh, I probably wouldn't even do CP twice in one trip, but especially not back to to back.

I'd go with Liberty for your dinner that first night.

I'm assuming your hearty eaters to be fitting in 2-3 squares a day, so your going to be spend a lot of time eating from the looks of your ressies. And moving from restaurant to restaurant. I hope you get to see the parks. By the time you leave one ressie, a couple hours will pass, and you'll be on to your next meal. I think you may end up finding your schedule isn't very flexible with waiting in lines for rides, characters (that you won't see from meals), walking from one show to another, ect..
>>>Again, i agree. I would definitely not do Crystal Palace back to back. Definitely do Liberty Tree for dinner. its one of my fave restaurants!! And as rapunzels said, i really do hope you get to see the parks and ride at least one ride between each meal (for a total of 3 rides per day) Lol!!!

And I totally agree with OhThePain. DDP works best for us too. It gives the most flexibility for eating, visiting the parks and rest.>>>i agree, its the best dining plan. If anything, i would try to fit in more signature restaurants than you already have. That way for most days you will have 2 restaurants booked (at the most). its the best way to utilize the delux dining plan. Then again i dont think the kids will enjoy the signature restaurants that much.

Forbinsgirl, you REALLY should reconsider your plans. If anything, those kiddos are gonna need some down time and sitting in a restaurant doesn't count. By the end of the week, you might be reconsidering that Disney is the happiest place on earth.>>>I agree again. As I said above, if you will still need a nap during the day, there's no way you will be able to do much at all with your dining schedule.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with the above posters. 3 TS meals per day is a lot of food and also very time consuming. We do the DxDP (no kids though) but we don't do 3 TS meals per day - 2 at most. While you might not get every pennies' worth this way, it makes it more enjoyable for us.

Saturday 11-12
Arrive MCO 12 pm
MK for afternoon
Dinner Crystal Palace (not sure of this one, debating Liberty Tree)
Wishes
I'd go with Liberty Tree since you have CP breakfast the next day, plus I've read that CP breakfast is better than CP dinner. Are you driving or flying and taking Magical Express? Keep in mind that ME takes about 90 mins from arrival to hotel when you're scheduling times.

Sunday
MK
Breakfast - Crystal Palace at 8:05 am
Lunch - probably counter service for kids and snacks for adults since adult sare doing signatures later in week
Dinner - HDDR (if they ever let us make a reservation)
Looks good to me!

Monday
EP - primarily doing Future world
Breakfast - Askershus at 8:10 am
Lunch - Coral Reef
Dinner - San Angel Inn
Time consuming meals. If you have picky eaters in your group, Coral Reef may not be a good option. The atmosphere is cool but the menu is different. Check out the menu if you haven't yet. I'm an adult picky eater and like you I'm perfectly fine with burgers all day long, and we opted to cancel our Coral Reef ADR because the menu didn't seem appealing

Tuesday
HS
Breakfast - Hollywood and Vine at 8:10 am
Lunch - Sci Fi Dine In
Dinner - one couple is headed to the Yashtsman for romantic dinner alone and other couple is at the resort food court with the 6 kids.
With the big breakfast, I'd recommend late lunch and then late dinner for the couple who go to Yachtsman. Otherwise fine IMO.

Wednesday
EP late morning for World Showcase rope drop
Breakfast - up in the air, we debated doing MK in morning but don't want to pay for park hopper for just one hop.
Lunch - Via Napoli
Dinner - Teppan Edo
With the big lunch and dinner here, do QS breakfast or use a snack credit for a pastry or something. And I agree, park hopper isn't worth it for one hop

Thursday
AK
Breakfast - Tusker House at 8:15 am
Lunch - Yak and Yeti's
Dinner - one couple is headed to the Yashtsman for romantic dinner alone and other couple is at the resort food court with the 6 kids.
Tusker House is a big breakfast so I would skip the Yak & Yeti's lunch or make it a very late lunch, and then making Yachtsman late dinner - think like 9ish.

Friday
Breakfast and lunch are up in the air since we don't know what park we are going to since not sure what all we will accomplish other days.
Dinner - Ohana's

Saturday
Brunch - Chef Mickey's
Depart

last two days look good to me! If you're taking Magical Express, they pick you up about 3 hours before your flight

Something else to keep in mind is to allot about an hour for travel time to parks/resorts when getting to ADRs and also anywhere from 60-90 mins to complete meals. A lot of places are not diligent with keeping ADR times and you could be seated late. This is partly why TS meals can be so time consuming, especially with a group.

 

[goofyintoronto]

nkereina makes a good point about wait times past your ADR. You can almost guarantee that with a large group like yours, you will most definitely be waiting past your ADR time! Thats another thing to consider.

 

[forbinsgirl]

Well I talked to sis and I think we have some follow up questions for all you veterans. First let me give you some of our thoughts on what we were thinking. We figured we would still eat 3 times a day and table service sounded more relaxing than quick service... no standing in lines and wrestling with food trays while finding a place to sit for 10. I have this vivid memory from Epcot as a child where I almost knocked over a woman carrying a huge tray of food and her really yelling at me. BIL and dh are definitely more interested in the food than the parks so you are spot on on that observation but I don't know what to do about that without rocking the boat. Sister and I each have a 2.5 year old so we pictured splitting up for the parks, us with the babies and bigger kids with the dads, for some of the attractions and then meeting up for meals. I don't know if we are the types that have to do everything but I don't think that means I want to miss a bunch for the sake of a dinner reservation either. Anyway
my questions are:
1. Does a lunch table service really take that much longer than a quick service?
2. Am I wrong to think that we will be getting a jump on the parks by having in park before opening adrs?
3. Are we wrong in thinking that it will be less crowded in mid November which will allow us to do more in less time?
4. Are we wrong that with 2 days for MK and Epcot that we would still be able to get to see most things even with multiple table services?

I really appreciate the advice and am truly taking it to heart. This is my family's first big vacation so I want it to magical etc etc etc.

 

[nkereina]

1. Does a lunch table service really take that much longer than a quick service?
I think this depends. If you make a lunch ADR at an off time like a late lunch, which I might recommend since you are having some TS breakfasts, then it may not take real long. Off-time ADRs are less busy but there's still a chance you may not be seated on time and with a large group, it's not uncommon for your food to take a little longer. I think QS would still be faster but an off time lunch ADR would be probably be faster than a dinner ADR
2. Am I wrong to think that we will be getting a jump on the parks by having in park before opening adrs?
You may or may not be done with your meals by the time the park opens. For instance, if AK opens at 9 and your Tusker House ADR is at 8, it would probably be close to 9:30 by the time you are done. If you finished before 9, you can't go on anything until 9 anyhow. But the pre-park opening ADRs make for good photo ops and help you get there early, and you can get more done in the AM in the parks right after opening so I would keep these
3. Are we wrong in thinking that it will be less crowded in mid November which will allow us to do more in less time?
Crowds are low the time you're going, it's the week after Jersey Week which is good. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will be on certain nights starting 11/8 which means MK will close early some nights. Also, since this is an off peak time, the park hours will be shorter so just plan accordingly for this.
4. Are we wrong that with 2 days for MK and Epcot that we would still be able to get to see most things even with multiple table services?
If you have a good touring plan in place, I think you will see a lot of what you want. Another thing that PP mentioned is allotting for naps - we are two adults and we feel the need to nap/rest mid-day. Granted, we go in Sept. which is much hotter, but the days are very long and we do a lot of walking so I think we'd need this rest time no matter what time of year we would go. With the little ones, you will need this which is another reason to re-think the afternoon ADRs. Going back to the resorts is a time consuming process as well.

.

 

[forbinsgirl]

nkeriena - I really hear what you are saying but I don't know what to do. Maybe we can drop Coral Reef for a counter service on our first day of Epcot. I think we were all looking forward toYak and Yeti's and I am thinking it is a later res, 1 pm I think. For the buffets, I feel like we have the earliest ADRs so there shouldn't be a long wait to be seated, right? We don't have to order or wait for food so won't it go more quickly than a traditional sit down?

My sister and I went with our parents when we were young. You know the posts you see about people pointing out the clueless families who buy tickets at the gate, have no touring plans, don't have any reservations, ask questions like "What time is the 3 o'clock parade" and miss half the stuff? That was my family so sis and I are really trying to be proactive with ressies and learning what to do. We need to work on our touring plans I guess but I am getting overwhelmed by all the choices (where to eat, shows, rides etc). We actually had originally planned to go Jersey Week until I learned it existed. We moved it back a week because we want lower crowds if possible and cooler weather.

 

[AimeeMichele]

Years ago.. I think in either 2008 or 2009 we did 3 sit down table service meals a day. Let me tell you that everyone agreed we spent the majority of the days eating. No one liked it. A TS for breakfast and one at night with a snack or counter service meal for lunch is so much better than trying to cram in 3 table service meals each day. Or having breakfast in the room with an early lunch and then a later dinner is also great.

Like others have said, you will pretty much be going from meal to meal with enough time to barely do anything in between those meals. Why waste all of that money to go to Disney World with kids and just eat? No offense to those that do, but those seem to be for the adult only vacations (which one of these days, once I find the right man, I will most definitely be doing!), not for vacations with kids. I highly suggest sitting down with all of the adults and trying to figure out who this vacation is for...the adults or the kids. Good luck!

 

[MrsWEsq]

For my family, even two TS meals a day would be too much. We would be happier by just getting a Mickey Bar and taking 20-30 minutes to sit back and people watch. My favorite Disney memory to date was on one of those breaks (ODS was challenged to a light saber duel by one of the HS sidewalk artists - the smile on his face was priceless). No matter how you cut it, three table service meals will take a lot of time out of your day. With your party size, I would plan on your TS meals taking no less than 90 minutes, even at the buffets. Things just move slower when there at that many people involved. When you add in characters, autographs, pictures and the fact that you will have six kids at your table for the characters to interact with, I think you will find that the character meals take just as long, if not longer, than a regular TS meal. My kids love going out to eat, but if we made them sit through three TS meals a day at WDW they would revolt. I would, too.

All that said, I would make the following suggestions to your ADRs:

1) Skip a TS meal altogether on 11/12. Your kids will probably wear out quickly due to the traveling.

2) Drop one TS meal on 11/14. Time aside, it is just a lot of food for one day. A snack or two will easily carry you from breakfast to dinner.

3) Reconsider your dining plans for your AK day. The park is only open 9-5. You will lose a lot of park time with two TS meals. I haven't been to Tusker House yet, but I would still anticipate 90 minutes because of the size of your group.

4) Not related solely to ADRs, but you will probably need to take a day off somewhere in there. With three young children, a non-park day is helpful, if not necessary.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip!

 

[nkereina]

nkeriena - I really hear what you are saying but I don't know what to do. Maybe we can drop Coral Reef for a counter service on our first day of Epcot. I think we were all looking forward toYak and Yeti's and I am thinking it is a later res, 1 pm I think. For the buffets, I feel like we have the earliest ADRs so there shouldn't be a long wait to be seated, right? We don't have to order or wait for food so won't it go more quickly than a traditional sit down?

My sister and I went with our parents when we were young. You know the posts you see about people pointing out the clueless families who buy tickets at the gate, have no touring plans, don't have any reservations, ask questions like "What time is the 3 o'clock parade" and miss half the stuff? That was my family so sis and I are really trying to be proactive with ressies and learning what to do. We need to work on our touring plans I guess but I am getting overwhelmed by all the choices (where to eat, shows, rides etc). We actually had originally planned to go Jersey Week until I learned it existed. We moved it back a week because we want lower crowds if possible and cooler weather.

Honestly I'm not real sure on the buffets. I have not eaten at a buffet yet but will on my next trip and have been told by some Dis veterans that even though you can go at your own pace at the buffets, they can take just as long especially character buffets. You spend the majority of the time waiting for the servers (who are few and far between at buffets) to bring you your check so you can square up, and at the character ones you spend the time waiting for the characters to get to your table. Tusker House is a character one so if waiting on the characters is important, it could take a while. That's one of the more popular breakfasts and that's a prime time to go since it's right before AK opening.

What we like to do on DxDP is an early TS ADR, hit the park early, snack mid-morning if needed, QS lunch around the time we take a break so we can eat either at the park or our resort, and then snack mid-afternoon if needed, and a later TS dinner. This way we aren't watching the clock constantly for the next ADR, and we're hungry enough to eat by the time the next ADR rolls around. Another option could be to use a snack credit in the morning for a pastry or bagel or something, eating a TS lunch and then a later TS dinner, something like that. You could still make the ADRs and then cancel them if you don't think you're going to make it.

 

[forbinsgirl]

We would be happier by just getting a Mickey Bar and taking 20-30 minutes to sit back and people watch.

I appreciate tradition, but I cannot make it all day on an ice cream bar. And neither can the kids. I guess I feel like I eat three meals every other day, why would I not eat three meals on vacation??

I don't know... we have given thought to all your suggestions, I guess we will play it by ear. If things start crowding up, we can always cancel an adr.

 

[goofyintoronto]

picture this....you have an 8am ADR. By the time your outta there, its 930am at the earliest. You walk around the parks etc and by 1140am you head over to another restaurant for a 12-1215pm ADR (for example). By the time your done with that, its about 130pm-2pm. Kids are cranky and need a nap, so you head over to the resort. by the time you have your naps etc its already 530-6pm. Ooops, you have a 645pm ressie....so off you go for dinner. If you think about it, by this point you only had 2 hours of park time!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Just remember to keep the Disney reservation # in your cell phone so that if you decide to cancel an ADR, you can make a quick call. that will help other families who are desperate to get a reservation!

 

[nkereina]

I appreciate tradition, but I cannot make it all day on an ice cream bar. And neither can the kids. I guess I feel like I eat three meals every other day, why would I not eat three meals on vacation??

I also agree with eating 3 meals a day. I do at home as well, and definitely need it more at WDW since the days are longer and I'm much more active in WDW than I am at home. That being said, dinner at my house takes a half hour with no travel time. At WDW it takes 90 minutes+. That's why I like QS for at least one, if not two meals per day when I'm there, even on DxDP. I'm not concerned about getting my money's worth but choose this plan rather for the convenience. I think I have read, though, that to get your money's worth you'd need to eat two TS meals per day.

 

[MrsWEsq]

I appreciate tradition, but I cannot make it all day on an ice cream bar. And neither can the kids. I guess I feel like I eat three meals every other day, why would I not eat three meals on vacation??

I don't know... we have given thought to all your suggestions, I guess we will play it by ear. If things start crowding up, we can always cancel an adr.

I meant that two TS meals is too much for us time-wise. Of course we eat, but we limit TS meals to one a day. We just don't want to spend that much time in restaurants. If we have a good breakfast then a short break and a snack or two at lunchtime easily carries us through until dinner. The break and snack also allows us to sit back and soak in some of that Disney magic that can easily be missed when running to the next attraction or ADR. We also eat three meals a day at home, but we find that three full Disney meals is too much food for us. But this is what works for us.

If you are happy with your plans I wouldn't worry about it anymore. As long as you are realistic about how your days may shake out when you have three TS meals planned you should be fine.

 

[smiths02]

You said 3 meals a day at home, but they are not Disney meals with drink ,dessert, appy (some AYCE and buffets)


Even in the real world when I go out to eat a lot, I really only need two complete meals...I just had company over this weekend (Fri-Mon), we usually only ate 2 meals and some snacks (and I gained weight b/c we were eating so much!)


I know you are going when it is colder. But in June, 2009 on our AK day...we went to Tusker House breakfast, then we had a frozen lemonade for lunch, then we had Ohana for dinner....we were beyond stuff that day. I could not fathom having put in a TS lunch (and we didn't really do all that much in AK, which is okay b/c it is not our favorite park).

 

[bricorssk]

There is no way that many meals would work for my family (6 of us) we would never get anything done and the kids would be too grouchy by dinner. Consider doing some 2 credit meals/dinner shows. I promise you that with 2 snacks each a day you do not need 3 meals, it will be miserable. I think most that do deluxe do more 2 credit meals.