Will ADRs dictate our schedule?

[lola4795]

We have very little Disney experience and virtually no experience with the restaurants. We are the kind who like to scope out the restaurants we eat in before we go. With ADRs I have to rely on what I can find on the web.

I also feel like ADRs will ruin our flexibility. If we are booked at a restaurant in MK, then we have to be sure to be in MK on the night of our ADR...

How necessary will ADRs be in January? We are leaving for 7 nights on the 26th. We will be on the DDP so will do at least 1 TS each day.

Is it necessary at all to do ADRs for lunch? Will I get as much value out of my TS credit if we use it at lunch?

I hope this makes sense to all of you! My main concern is that we will be restricted on where we can eat once we get there. The only thing we want to do for sure is HDDR. After that, we don't really care where we go...

Thanks for the help!

 

[MsLeFever]

well - short answer is ---- yes with an 'and'
long answer -------------- no with a 'but'

For what it's worth - here's what I do.

I decide which park we are going to on which day. I highly recommend TourGuide Mike for information on which day is best for which park.

THEN I decide which restaurant we might want to eat at there. If you chance your mind at the last minute it is polite to call and cancell your ADRs which is no problem.

Or, for example if we want to go to AK we might make an ADR at Boma or Jiko at the AKL since that is close.

Your HDDR ADRs require a CC number and I think a 48 hour cancellation. You can take a ferry from the MK to Fort wilderness so that might be a good day to pair with it!

ADRs are always a good idea I think - but January is not as crowded and I'd think you'd be able to get a table at the less popular restaurants as a walkup. But you don't want to waste time wandering from one to another in search of a table! You can even call Disney Dining that morning from your hotel to secure an ADR.

have a great time!

 

[MiamiBeach]

My husband and I are VERY impromptu, don't have kids, have been to WDW many times and like to wander, doing whatever strikes us. So I can relate to your worry. But I've found having a few ADRs REALLY helps all of the above, because it takes one decision out of the day (night) and gives it some structure. It's much easier to cancel a reservation than worry.

We were in WDW early December last year - very uncrowded wherever we went, except the restaurants. We had a dinner ADR at Cape May buffet. If we hadn't, we would have had a 1-hour wait for dinner with all the last minute arrivals. Instead, we sailed in, took our time, didn't get cranky. At MGM, we had a lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dine Inn. Though the crowds in the park were small, people were still bunched up at the front desk, jostling to get their name on a list. Again, we sailed in. (My husband was amazed and grateful every time this happened.) There were other days we decided to do counter service at the parks. Though I don't like to overplan, I sort of sketch out what areas of WDW we'll be in on a particular day/night and go from there with ADRs. You can always veer from the plan, but I think you'll find it will create a more relaxing experience.

 

[ajksmom]

Since you have the time you may want to try and look at the menus posted at

www.allearsnet.com

Then keep your eyes open for reviews of the restaraunts you're interested in. After you have an idea of what you're doing on what day pop in 1 ADR per day. Don't forget that the resorts have great dining options and can be done on a non-park days, or after park closing.

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

Time and time again last week when crowds were light we saw people turned away from the more popular restaurants in WDW because they were already booked. And yes, ADRs will determine your schedule, so let me tell you our experience. If an ADR was at a buffet or family style restaurant, it would take about an hour from when we were seated until we were done. If the ADR was at a non-buffet or family style, we quickly learned that it would be at least 2 hours from seat until finish. This was relaxing, but also made it very difficult to get in night time entertainment, especially with a later ADR. This can be avoided by scheduling an ADR closer to 5 than 6. So, if you're doing a place like Le Cellier or Whispering Canyon, count on two hours.

That said, plan your time accordingly and use the ADR to guarantee that you have a place to eat. We enjoyed all the meals we had on our trip and would only change our ADR times, but they were well worth having. And as has been said, plan on traveling to the park with your restaurant 2-3 hours before your ADR if you're not going to be in the park. That way you can do some attractions in the parks and not lose much time.

 

[lola4795]

One more question! Do we need ADRs for lunch, or is that less crowded? Thanks for all your replies!

 

[sameyeyam]

We usually eat cereal in our room for breakfast, get milk from food court at hotel. Saves time & money!

Have a snack around noonish!

For lunch we normally eat counter service at around 2:00 - 3:00 (beat the crowds).

Have another small snack around 5:00. If we are at the hotel we bring Cup O Noodle's and use hot water from the coffeemaker. Nutritional value is probably suspect! But probably better for us than chips or ice cream and pretty filling for a snack!

ADR's - we normally make them around 8-9pm. Then our reservations don't dictate our day! We can go back to the hotel and rest in the afternoon/evening and come back to park or different resort later for dinner after we are rested. Also restaurant's are not usually nearly as crowded at that late hour!

We find if we make ADR's between 4-7pm it seems to cut into our day and makes us rush around more.