What time do you book your dinner ADR when you have young kids?

[Mickey2013]

You have received quite a lot of advice...what the heck, I'll add mine too...

No matter what with children, I'd schedule 5-6PM ADRs (Heck, I might even if it were just me and DH)

Depending on ages of your kids...you may want to do CS for dinner and save ADRs for breakfast or lunch. If your kids are early risers anyway, you could do pre-rope drop ADRs for breakfast OR late breakfast/early lunch around 11AM.

So if you can't change the dinner ADRs to an earlier dinner, try a different meal. Good Luck whatever you decide!

 

[Darcy03231]

I try to schedule them between 5:00-6:30. If we have a 6:30 ADR I find that we're usually leaving between 8-8:30, depending on when we get seated.

 

[princesscharming]

OP can you tell us your kids' ages? That might help here. (You just said young kids.) From what I guess, I would think young kids means kids maybe 6yrs and under.

It sounds like you are only there for a few days and have late ADRs 2-3 nights. On the one hand if you aren't going to be in the parks for several days in a row, you might get away with it. On the other hand, the fact that you have more than one late ADR (and it's two days in a row), might be difficult. I also wonder if only going for a few days might cause you to go full force, trying to see as much as possible in that time. (Don't know for sure, just a posibility.) If that's the case, I think it's likely your kids will run out of steam.

I'd see if you could change the ADRs. Keep checking, even if they aren't available right now. If you can't change I would either slim it down to one late ADR, or (at the very least) really make sure they get in a good nap.

 

[jm106]

I mostly have 5 pm so we can take a break and go back, eat and have the evening still to see and do. But on night AK closes at 7 I have 6:50 adr so we can finish the day in park then go eat. But its Boma so buffet so onbce seated we can eat. My kids often eat at 6:30-7 pm and obviously with a late ADR you would feed them a late lunch or a decent snack to hold them over. If your kids will be a wreck adn tired by then and wont nap, rest or get a break then I wouldnt but if you are taking a break or know they wot be too tired I think it will be ok. We have often on vacation gone all day then eat later, ods has fallen alseep at the table so we try not to wait too late.

 

[Joe'sgirl]

OP can you tell us your kids' ages? That might help here. (You just said young kids.) From what I guess, I would think young kids means kids maybe 6yrs and under.

It sounds like you are only there for a few days and have late ADRs 2-3 nights. On the one hand if you aren't going to be in the parks for several days in a row, you might get away with it. On the other hand, the fact that you have more than one late ADR (and it's two days in a row), might be difficult. I also wonder if only going for a few days might cause you to go full force, trying to see as much as possible in that time. (Don't know for sure, just a posibility.) If that's the case, I think it's likely your kids will run out of steam.

I'd see if you could change the ADRs. Keep checking, even if they aren't available right now. If you can't change I would either slim it down to one late ADR, or (at the very least) really make sure they get in a good nap.

My kids are 7.5, almost 6, almost4 and 2. I have already decided we are NOT going to keep the Tony's rez at 7:45pm that first night. I'm trying to get an earlier Park Fare but everything is booked so finding anything at this point has proven tough. Scariest part of anything we do that last night is that our flight departs at 6:45am the next morning. So we will be yanking kids out of bed for sure and they won't be happy!!!

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I know my 5 & 2 yo would never make it to then. Our latest ADR is 6:55 the night we arrive and I hate that we had to go that late but our flight arrives at 3:25 and I was worried about getting ME over to the resort, checking in and then having to take the bus to MK then the monorail to CR, that any earlier and we'd miss it. We'll be going over ASAP and see if we can get in earlier if we are ahead of schedule, also might check the ressies on dad's iphone if we think we'll be earlier. Other than that our ADRs are at 5 PM and our lunch ADR at 11:30. That closer to out normal schedule of dinner at 5:30-6:00. You have to allow for the fact that you may not be seated right away and your food won't be right there (unless it's a buffet). I usually figure at minimum 1/2 hour from the time of the ADR until food is in front of them and that's if you are seated right away.

 

[staceylynnga]

it definitely depends on your kids. When we took my now 3.5 year old in 2009 (He was 18 months), we tried to stay between 6 and 7. Although he did great at a 715 HDDR. We had one bad night, 730 at Le Cellier, but we didn't get seated until after 8, which didn't help.

For our upcoming August trip, we are also staying between 6 and 7 generally, with 2 exceptions (one 530 at Captains Grill to give us time to get from Yacht Club to DHS for Fantasmic, and again 715 HDDR).

Our oldest will be 4 and our younger son will be 20 months. We like to have time in the afternoon to go back to the room to rest or even visit DTD if we want to. Since we always shower and change for dinner after a day af the parks, we definitely don't want to be rushed. Anything before 6 is almost too early because of travel time. Definitely take that into consideration.

 

[Mamu]

Am I nuts to have booked our dinner reservations for 7:45pm and 7:50pm? My thought was that we will be at AK day 1. I have to assume we will be there 4-5 hours. I want time to head back to the hotel, refresh, take a swim maybe and then head to dinner/MK. Same deal with the following night, we are trying to hit 2 parks a day since we are only going for 3 nights!

When traveling with our younger GC (2 and 6) we try to book 2:00 o'clock lunches. After lunch we head back to our resort for some down time. Then grab something from one of the CS in the evening.

We usually eat breakfast early, have a healthy snack around 11, fruit, yogurt or something very light.

This meal plan seem to work out very well for our family.

 

[loganpaulsmom]

I will let you all know how I do then.. All of my Adr's for dinner are 7:00pm or after.. My son has been used to staying up late since he was born.. The only reason he goes to bed, semi early is because he is in school. If he had it his way he would go to bed with us.. Plus, lots of fun stuff happen at night so I didn't want all of us to miss out..
I plan on coming back to the resorts for a siesta if need be..

 

[disneyquestions]

I think it depends on the ages of your kids (don't think you said) and what the first part of your day will be like. If your not going out at rope drop, and take it easy a bit I think it will be OK. Plus, if its a character meal, the kids will be so excited, they probably won't even realize the time!

 

[pmaurer74]

We are doing the DXDP and have breakfast ADRs around 8-9am every morning, sometimes lunches at 1pm for our TS a few days and CS other days, our dinners are between 6:30-7:30pm I spaced them out because we are eating so much and our days will most likely be extended by 2 hours to see the fireworks. We are planning naps for 2-5pm every day or swimming for the oldest. My kids will be 5 and 2 when we go. DD will sleep in the stroller if she gets tired. Having our dinners 2 hours after normal may be a mistake but we will see.

 

[Joe'sgirl]

YESSSSSSSSSS! Just got a 5:55pm (versus the 7:50pm I had booked) ressie for Park Fare!!!!!!!! Problem solved, won't need to do a late night dinner and worry. Furthermore we can probably catch fireworks at either MK or Epcot that night! Not going to keep my late rez for the prior night because decided to do a different park. All is right with the world.