Why is it so difficult to make an ADR, 180 days out for some??

[faindrops27]

Well, with the countless, posts. I have seen about people, hating the DDP, or why is the DDP so hard.
Please, I want to understand. The statement. I hear over and over again. I don't want to make a ADR 180 days in advance. Because, i don't know what I will want to eat, on that day?? I really do not understand why it is such a big deal. I mean, you look up resteraunts on allearsnet.com. You look at what kind of food the resteraunts offer. You make a compiled list of those resteraunts/foods you want to try, and you make an ADR. Not because you feel like chinese, or steak on one perticular evening. But, because, the menu items, looked good, and you want to try that resteraunt. Please, for all of you that find it so difficult. Please help me understand, why is it so hard? To me, it is a piece of cake. I must be missing something

 

[disney queen]

we like to try new restaurants and of course our "must do's." we just decide which night for which restaurant and off to the phone i go! piece of cake!

 

[BillSears]

My biggest problem is knowing what park I will be at 180 days out. I don't want to make a reservation at the MK for dinner when I'm over at MGM for the day. Park decisions can vary for me depending on weather and crowds.

Our first 4 days are easily planned out. I pick one park a day and then I've been to each park. But as my vacation continues I then decide what park I want to go to based on what I've already seen during the trip. If Spetrmagic/Wishes or Fantasmic were rained out then I plan another MK/MGM day. For an 8 day(7 night) trip the last couple of days are just a guess on what park I want to go to. I've had 11 day trips in the past and for those there is no way I would have any idea 180 days out on which parks I want to attend on the last 5 days. Darn on those type of trips there are days where we don't go to any park depending in how we feel that morning.

 

[Williamsfamily7]

I'm all for planning and I do what I have to do. That said, I'd much prefer to not have to make any ADR's before we actually go. Things change, your moods are different every day. I would much prefer to say to my family each morning "where do you want to eat tonight?" and take it from there. How about the inconvenience of deciding so far in advance exactly WHEN (what time of day) you want to eat each meal? I feel like we then have to time out our breakfast, lunch and snacks around when our ADR is.

As I said earlier, I am a big planner (bordering on anal), but when it comes to eating dinner every night of vacation, I really wish we could just wing it. The key word there is "could".........I do have 6 of my 7 TS ADR's booked for our August 13-20 trip. Can't fight City Hall.

Aren't there any major league planners who feel the same?

 

[english rose 47]

I thought that to get a time you wanted you had better make adr's 180 in advance. Surely if plans change you could try that day to change them or just cancel. I know basically what time we want to eat so it's just deciding which park which day and I know I want to avoid Early hours 9a.m. will be hard enough. I don't want to wait till the last minute and end up with nothing available for the time frame I want.

 

[faindrops27]

I think I understand what you both are saying about moods, and not wanting to be tied down, to a decision on dinner. I am just the opposite. I am not a wing it type. here is what I do. I look at the Disney schedule for the month, I am going to be there. Then, that way I have a itenerary. I usually pick the parks that have the emh night hours to be at. I am a big commando type tourer. I just look at what time i want to eat. I ususally eat late. Then, I look at all of the delish food there is to be had. And, then, I just book. This is my first time on the DDP for free. But, in recent trips. I did one Ts every night of the trip. and one CS. So, the value, and the pluses of the DDP, in my mind is just priceless!!

Ok, I think I understand now. It is not that everyone is complaining. I guess, everybody, just tours differently. Gotcha!! Anyhow, wishing everyone a magical vacation!!

 

[Ricguz]

I have not any problem getting reservations at any of the restaurants that we want to try on this trip. We are going in mid-September and have reservations at Le Cellier, Mama Melrose, Cape May and 50 Prime Time. I have changed restaurants a few time in the last few weeks and have at no problems. All of mine Dinner Times at from 5:30 to 7:30 pm

 

[faindrops27]

Ricguz. Good for you!

 

[singingpixie]

I think that if someone wasn't planning on park hopping, planning out dinners 180 days in advance would be tough. Since we park-hop, I make ADR decisions based on evening shows and EMHs, and we're not forced to spend all day in the park dinner will be in. Usually we like to mix up our days. That way, I know where we'll be in the evening for dinner most of the days of the trip, and we know we'll get all the evening shows in, but we can be more relaxed about the days (maybe even.... gasp.... deciding the night before where we want to go the next morning!).

 

[faindrops27]

Singing. I dont see how, people who hop. Cannot figure out where they want to eat. It is so easy to see. If I want to go to magic kingdom say day one. , and since we like to hop also. Be at epcot for emh. I then would book lecieller. For that day. Either way you chop it, it is more than simple. Know what you want to do. Know what you want to eat. Then, make the ADR. I have a 7 day trip first thing i did was find out, what park hours, shows, etc. For each day. If i will hop or not. On each day. Looked up all the resteraunts i wanted to try, and penciled them in according to when, and where I will be, on said day, at said time. Some people on here, act as though, it is like pulling teeth to figure this out, why?

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

Maybe I am an over obsessive planner, but I like being able to make my ADR's in advance.

I subscribe to TGM, so maybe that's the difference. I rely on him to tell me which is the best park for which day and then I base my restaraunt choices on that. We don't park hop either (I think it takes too much time).

I like knowing what to do when. I go so far as to laminate my touring plans (see I am THAT obsessive). So for me, I don't understand the problem.

 

[faindrops27]

Disney4girl. Tell me how do u laminate your tour plans. Sounds a bit obsessive. But, if i knew how. I would probably do it too!

 

[BillSears]

Singing. I dont see how, people who hop. Cannot figure out where they want to eat. It is so easy to see. If I want to go to magic kingdom say day one. , and since we like to hop also. Be at epcot for emh. I then would book lecieller. For that day. Either way you chop it, it is more than simple. Know what you want to do. Know what you want to eat. Then, make the ADR. I have a 7 day trip first thing i did was find out, what park hours, shows, etc. For each day. If i will hop or not. On each day. Looked up all the resteraunts i wanted to try, and penciled them in according to when, and where I will be, on said day, at said time. Some people on here, act as though, it is like pulling teeth to figure this out, why?

For me I can't understand how people know what park they will want to be at on the 5th, 6th and 7th day out 180 days in advance let alone the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th etc... The last days of my trip depend alot on the first few days of my trip. If I only have one AK day scheduled for my trip but Expedition Everest is closed that day then I'll make a second trip back towards the end of my vacation. If I miss Fatasmic due to rain I'll come back to MGM on a later day. One year on an 11 day trip I missed out on every planned Spectromagic parade due to rain. I kept going back to the MK in the evening hoping to see it and I finally saw it on our last night.

Maybe it's because I don't do the parks commando style? I am more of a wander and enjoy type of guy. This didn't use to be a problem since ADRs weren't really needed in the past. But now the 180 day out ADRs are making it hard to just wander and enjoy WDW.

 

[Ricguz]

I guess since we have been to Disney so many times it becomes easier on how to plan. When we first started years ago, I would have every day planned and based on the parks that's were we would eat. Now, 30 + years later, I am picking were I want to eat and going to that park. Staying at the beach club makes it easy for us since most of the restaurants that we like are at MGM or Epcot. We can get to those parks eat and then going somewhere else if we like or just stay at that park. It takes the stress away.

 

[twinkletoesmom]

This is our first trip and though we have all our ADR's, I must say I felt like I was in a research class!! esp. since our trip is for the end of nov & begining of Dec in order for me to make the ADR's 180 days out I had to do this 2 days before the dec hours were posted. My husband kept shaking his head at the fact that I was planning the details of the trip so far in advance. I'm happy that it is all done but I'm a little stressed at the thought of rain canceling out a evening show and messing up the evening ADR's for rest of the trip.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Well, with the countless, posts. I have seen about people, hating the DDP, or why is the DDP so hard.
Please, I want to understand. The statement. I hear over and over again. I don't want to make a ADR 180 days in advance. Because, i don't know what I will want to eat, on that day?? I really do not understand why it is such a big deal. I mean, you look up resteraunts on allearsnet.com. You look at what kind of food the resteraunts offer. You make a compiled list of those resteraunts/foods you want to try, and you make an ADR. Not because you feel like chinese, or steak on one perticular evening. But, because, the menu items, looked good, and you want to try that resteraunt. Please, for all of you that find it so difficult. Please help me understand, why is it so hard? To me, it is a piece of cake. I must be missing something

I wish it were a piece of cake <sigh>

I've lived within two hours of the World since '75. I know every restaurant's menu. For us, it isn't a matter of just looking at menu items and picking up the phone.

For instance, say on Tueday night, the hubby and I seriously tie one on (on site or off). I can tell you that come Wednesday, we will need BEEF...all day! Not African beef or Asian beef...good ole fashioned, American, fatty, greasy beef. Now how are we to know 180 days out that we're going to get a wild hair and see how many tequilla shots we're going to feel like slamming on any particular night?

Along that same theme, the day AFTER our hangover/beef day, we usually like light fare, seafood, salads, light snacks. Again, how do we know 180 days out what will be the day after our hangover/beef day?

So that's a factor for us in dealing with the headache of making a dinner reservation six months from now.

Please don't interpret this as complaining. We have an off site timeshare, so eating at Disney isn't a must-do for us. If we feel like steak one night, we go eat steak off site. Problem solved.

 

[adrock1976]

It is never a problem for us, and I think the real question is, how important is the dining experience for you? For us, that is a major part of the experience. Many people are content to always eat CS meals, and the rides and attractions are the main focus of their trip. For us, the dining is just as important, and we have never found it hard to be at one place in the daytime, and head over to another park for a dinner reservation...it is not unlike driving across town for dinner after work. It really comes down to preferences and priorities.

 

[CamColt]

I am a compulsive planner, and even I think 180 is too far out.

Sometimes at 180 I dont even have my hotel booked as I'm waiting for discounts or whatever. Without having a room booked,you can't use the 180+10 perk.

Another reason is I sometimes have 2 trips planned at the same time and I dont want to have to worry about the second trip before the first. For example this June when I should have been concentrating on my August trip, I had to worry about my December trip which seemed like a lifetime away at that point.

Lastly the whole CP Package thing. I dont like that they open regular bookings before that since I wont know if I get the day I want until after the fact. If I dont get what I want then I will have to go and adjust all the ADRs I had previously made for my whole trip and then I may be shut out of some places.

I thought 90 days was perfect, but I do feel 180 is too far.

***Edited to make the confusing part clearer.

 

[mrsltg]

I have no problem planning 180 days out. I know how many days I will be on vacation, know what I want to see and how long it will take me to see it, know which restaurants I want to go to and go from there. I sit down with a grid and start writing. I may change things a few times but the general itinerary never changes. For instance, when I've got my girls with me (5.5 and 14 mos) I can't go theme park commando. I know we need an afternoon break and that early mornings are very doable. I pick a restaurant for an early dinner and then decide which park to go to. When it's just dh and I, I know we're going early morning till late at night. I make later dinners and just plan activities based around where we will need to be. I really enjoy planning it out and putting the spreadsheet on the fridge soliciting commentary. It's a sickness, really, but I wouldn't change any of it!!!

Have a great trip everyone, no matter how you plan it!

 

[NMW]

I have no problem planning 180 days out. I book our trips 11 mos out and even before 180 days I have a rough plan of our days. For us, it's pretty easy. We go in the Fall or early Dec, so park hours are pretty much the same. The only thing we really have to wait for is the release of the Halloween and Christmas party dates in the MK. These dates as well as park hours/EMH are all released by or at 180 days. We always do the party one night of our trip and do a 5 PM ADR at a monorail restaurant like Kona. Once we have that night planned, the rest are easy.

We already have a list of some of the restaurants we are doing for our Dec 2007 trip, when we know the dates of the MVMCP and early entry days/evening EMH, it's easy to put everything into a spot and make those ADR's.