What's your attitude about making ADRs 6 mos out.

[scubamouse]

Once I got over the of planning 6 mos out, I tried to find the humor in it. Now with our group we ask:

So where will we want to eat 6 mos from Tuesday ... hmmm Ohana sounds good. No wait, Spectro will be on Monday so maybe we should do Le Cellier instead. Or we could do Ohana on Tuesday and Le Cellier on Wednesday and stay for Illuminations so we don't have to late nights in a row..

It's become a really funny thing for us in our planning.

Usually I come up with 10-11 choices for a 7 day trip and circulate links to the menus and see what the consensus it. Because frigid northeastern February is the best time to decide what sounds tasty for balmy late August

 

[illiniowl]

My attitude is the same as yours: it's a necessary nuisance that can actually be a lot of fun if you approach it in the right frame of mind, and it can also spur you to do a lot of advance planning (which parks to go to on which days and at which time of day), which will ultimately make your vacation go much smoother IMHO. The only "problem" is that you do so much planning way, way in advance of the trip and get all keyed up about going, and it's still months away. Here's how it went for our upcoming trip in September:

12 months prior - research renting DVC points, figure out budget, research where to stay, find member willing to rent us points
11 months prior - get DVC reservation made
next few months - research historical park hours, EMH, parade and fireworks schedules (since the actual info won't be available for several months), draft a touring plan, and then look at the TS restaurant choices convenient to that plan - tinker, revise, tinker, revise
6 months prior - make ADR's, STILL miss out on a couple things - tinker, revise, tinker, revise
next few months - watch airfare and car rental rates and book when advantageous

I enjoy the planning but I also enjoy the payoff. I've been planning for 9 months and the payoff is still 3 1/2 months away!

 

[Mkrop]

My attitude is that we usually dont even plan our vacation trip that far out so then we have to scramble to get ADRs. BC of DH's work schedule we cant always decide that far in advance. But we do it as soon as possible once we book.

 

[pixdust]

So our trip is set for 9-22 thru 10-1, Am I blowing smoke to think that I will be able to get ADR's anywhere at this point? I know it is past the Free Dining and everything, but all I have read makes me worry we will be stuck with the least appealing places to eat. I love the planning, I hate the actual doing part, and the 2 other times we have gone I just made ADR a day or 2 before, that was in 05 and 06. This is going to be more of an event with the family this time, so I want to make sure everyone has a good time. Crowds are lower during that time aren't they? Meaning I hope that getting some ADR's will be easier. Has anyone gone to WDW during that time and used the DDP without making ADR's 6 months in advance? I am not quite in panic mode but the more I read the more scared I become. It is really just getting DH to decide if HE is going and he is slowing up the works. Please some one give me some words of encouragement and hope that we will get some fine dining in,

 

[JimMIA]

So our trip is set for 9-22 thru 10-1, Am I blowing smoke to think that I will be able to get ADR's anywhere at this point? I know it is past the Free Dining and everything, but all I have read makes me worry we will be stuck with the least appealing places to eat. I love the planning, I hate the actual doing part, and the 2 other times we have gone I just made ADR a day or 2 before, that was in 05 and 06. This is going to be more of an event with the family this time, so I want to make sure everyone has a good time. Crowds are lower during that time aren't they? Meaning I hope that getting some ADR's will be easier. Has anyone gone to WDW during that time and used the DDP without making ADR's 6 months in advance? I am not quite in panic mode but the more I read the more scared I become. It is really just getting DH to decide if HE is going and he is slowing up the works. Please some one give me some words of encouragement and hope that we will get some fine dining in,

I think it depends greatly on where you want to eat. From 9/28 forward, Epcot will have Food & Wine, so the Epcot eateries should be quite busy. I'd get busy and get ADRs at least for any Epcot restaurants you want to try.

If it's going to be a collaborative family planning process, I'd make the ADRs you really want and circulate the list to everyone else. If someone has a "better idea," give them the option of calling Disney Dining and making alternate ADRs before you cancel what you have. Once they see how tough it is, they'll appreciate your planning.

Another option many use with big family trips is to only plan a couple of major family meals, and let folks make their own plans for other meals. That's especially important if you have some people on DDP and some not, and it allows everyone to have their own vacation within the broader family activities.

 

[thunderbird1]

So our trip is set for 9-22 thru 10-1, Am I blowing smoke to think that I will be able to get ADR's anywhere at this point? I know it is past the Free Dining and everything, but all I have read makes me worry we will be stuck with the least appealing places to eat. I love the planning, I hate the actual doing part, and the 2 other times we have gone I just made ADR a day or 2 before, that was in 05 and 06. This is going to be more of an event with the family this time, so I want to make sure everyone has a good time. Crowds are lower during that time aren't they? Meaning I hope that getting some ADR's will be easier. Has anyone gone to WDW during that time and used the DDP without making ADR's 6 months in advance? I am not quite in panic mode but the more I read the more scared I become. It is really just getting DH to decide if HE is going and he is slowing up the works. Please some one give me some words of encouragement and hope that we will get some fine dining in,

These may not be the words of encouragement you were hoping for, but your time frame isn't quite past free dining. Those who booked through the bounce back offer last Nov/Dec could get it for arrivals up to 9/29, and of the general public, those checking in on 9/22 can get it for their entire stay.

If I were you, I'd choose some restaurants (and some alternates, in case your first choice is booked) and call for ADRs ASAP, especially if you're going with a bigger group. For party size, just assume your dh is going and make the ADR accordingly--you can always try to adjust later or just show up and explain that one couldn't make it. Good luck!

To the OP, I'm about 50/50 on my opinion of the 180 day ADR's. On the one hand, it's just crazy to make dinner reservations 6 months out. Period. But on the other hand, most of our trips are planned 4-6 months out, so it isn't really any hardship for us. Plus, I think it's fun to sit with my calendar and plan out our days and meals.

I guess my biggest complaint about it is the fact that the park hours and emh's are also only released 6 months out. If we're checking in during the first few days of the month, we may have to make ADR's before we even know the park schedules, and that's just not easy for me to do.

I also usually try to make a couple of extra ADRs (not double booking--extra meals, like lunch and dinner), so we can cancel or adjust a few as needed.

 

[pixdust]

These may not be the words of encouragement you were hoping for, but your time frame isn't quite past free dining. Those who booked through the bounce back offer last Nov/Dec could get it for arrivals up to 9/29, and of the general public, those checking in on 9/22 can get it for their entire stay.

So there is free dining if we check in 9/22? Did I miss something or maybe I have been in space. Was this for booking earlier in the year? ooh please tell me more if you can.

 

[thunderbird1]

So there is free dining if we check in 9/22? Did I miss something or maybe I have been in space. Was this for booking earlier in the year? ooh please tell me more if you can.

Here is a brief summary:

What is "free dining"? Will they offer free dining this year?
During the heart of Hurricane Season, Disney has offered a free dining promotion to help encourage reluctant guests to visit during this normally very quiet time of the year. The free dining promotion requires guests to book a Disney MYW package, paying for the hotel at the rack rate, and in return offers the Dining Plan as a free add-on to the package. Reservations are limited to those with check-in from August 26 to September 22. There is a three night minimum required; the maximum number of nights for MYW packages is 14. This offer expires on June 24, 2007.Note that free dining is not available with any other discount applied.

That summary came from this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1479952

When you book, you do have to specifically book the free dining package, and those are getting scarce at some of the resorts. You can check for availability at your resort here:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/special/promo/genericPromoLandingNav?id=Q407FreeDineNavPage

Or you can call WDW or your travel agent to look into cancelling your current reservation and booking one with free dining. HTH, and good luck!

 

[faindrops27]

My opinion is. I don't see a problem with it. I basically know what resteraunts I would like to dine in. I look at the menu' to see potential add on's and just make my reservations. I don't see honestly how it is so hard for so many people. But, maybe that is because, I like to plan. So, different strokes, for different folks.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Our attitude is it's no biggee. We've never been able to go at a time when it wasn't crowded and we didn't have to plan everything, so for us it's just one more part of the planning process.

Yeah, it'd be cool if I could just walk up to a popular restaurant and get seated. It'd also be cool if I could stroll into Epcot around 1 p.m. and walk right onto Soarin', too. But I just accept the fact that neither is likely to happen and plan accordingly.

 

[Disneyof3]

I usually when booking ADR's know where I want to eat and it connects with the park I'm in that day. Usually we have been lucky and the park days don't change much for us closer to the arrival date. We usually stick with our regular CS restaurants and usually add 2-3 TS and there usually new ones. I get some info on the dis regarding the likes and dislikes from people, but in the end I decide on the restaurant. I'll try one place at least once then mark it off the list if it was really bad This year the ADR's will be booked in September for March but if the DDP conditions haven't been decided by WDW by then, my ADR's will likely change a bit.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I don't mind making ADR's six months ahead of time as long as WDW posts park hours and EMH days so I can plan.

 

[HelenePA]

I was really freaked out 3 days before we left for disney and realized I had a reservation I still needed to make for one night! YIKES! I thought I'd never get in.. I did.. infact we missed our first ressie our first night (we were just too tired to even try to make it) and so while there we actually got a reservation for LTT a few hours before we ate... and then another day we planned on going to the ESPN zone we changed our minds and made another reservation the same day.. we got in Boma no problem (this was the reservation we missed the first night) unless its a holiday or some major thing is going on there I really dont think its a HUGE deal (ie free dinning).. I could be wrong. I'm glad we played it by ear most of our trip.. I just wouldn't expect to walk up to a place and ask for a table... call bright and early when you wake up like we did

oh I wanna add both times we ate were good times.. .I think 4:30 at LTT and 7:30 at boma.. I like to do the sit down's a little earlier with kids.. this way they aren't too cranky

 

[Forevryoung]

We are going in Jan. and I think DBF will be grateful when ADR's are finally made

I think he wants me to just make up my mind already and shut up about it

His exact words were "you know that you are calling once, making all these stupid reservations and then you are NOT allowed to change your mind and call them back every day for 6 months!"

He's never been to Disney but he knows how indecisive I am

 

[daisy112878]

We planned our adr's before the dining plan and even when they were still called Priority Seating. We have 8 people so it would be hard to try to just walk up anywhere with that many people. I'm also a planning to the extent I want to make sure we have times to let everyone in the family know when we are eating and we have a place to eat. We do park hoppers and usually go back to the room around 2 or 3 anyways so making sure we are in the right park isn't a big deal to us.

Last May, my dh and I did a last minute WDW trip. I called for adr's 2 weeks before we left. I got everything we wanted but I had to be flexible with times. My parents just went a couple of weeks ago and didn't do adr's until 3 weeks before. Again they got everything they wanted but were very flexible in times. The one thing they did have to do was eat lunch at Le Cellier instead of dinner.

 

[GreatLakes5]

On the one hand I enjoy it. I'm a planner by nature plus I pour over the restaurant reviews, menus, etc. and it just gets me more excited for the trip . My children enjoy doing the same so in that respect it actually gets us in the vacation mood long before vacation.

The downside is the hinderance on spontanaity. But this is spoken as an 'older' gal who remembers the "good old days" of walking up to Crystal Palace (and others). Then again, I miss Nemo's ride too - and I don't mean the fish....so I'm sure it's just my age showing.

 

[marcyinPA]

I don't have a problem planning 6 months out. We know where we like to eat, and we know what time we like to eat. I just arrange everything else around our eating times.

That said, I think we're going back to our original traveling style for our next trip, when we used to do a couple of TS and the rest CS meals. After being on the DDP a few weeks ago, and then the trip before too, we are ready for a more flexible trip next time. We will still make a couple of ADR's some TS places, and pay OOP for them....but we'll make other days flexible. We'll probably be driving down too, so we'll have the added benefit of being able to eat off-site if we want to.

 

[thunderbird1]

So there is free dining if we check in 9/22? Did I miss something or maybe I have been in space. Was this for booking earlier in the year? ooh please tell me more if you can.

pixdust--any updates for us? I've been thinking about you, hoping you are able to get in on the free ddp for your family trip.

And get going on those ADR's!

 

[disneynewbee]

I don't mind having to pick out my dining so far in advance but what makes me crazy is that on our last trip we didn't even have the complete park hours and stuff before we had to make the ressies.

 

[pixdust]

pixdust--any updates for us? I've been thinking about you, hoping you are able to get in on the free ddp for your family trip.

And get going on those ADR's!

Thank you so much for thinking of me! I switched today. Got the 2 room ressie with free dining at POR! Have to get with DD to get all wishes lined up and then we are going to divide and conquer hopefully in getting some ADRs lined up that all 6 of us can be happy with. I so appreciate the heads up on the info. I had just completely missed it. THANK YOU AGAIN