Are a million ADRs really necessary?

[MirandaC]

We are going to be in the World June 18-25, 2009 and will be enjoying Star Wars Weekends our first weekend there. Normally we just make ADRs for CRT and Crystal Palace and just eat on the go the rest of the time. This time we decided to try the DDP. I am a little concerned though with the amount of time we will be spending eating. Is it really necessary to make an ADR for everywhere you plan to eat? I mean, what if we are in line for a great ride or show? and how do you plan travel time in there? Can I drop the DDP before our trip? What do you guys think i should do? I am so confused!!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

A lot depends on when you are going and whether you have must do's....I know the week of Christmas when we go, the table service restaurants are filled to capacity, so you really need ADRs then....if you want to eat at a really popular restaurant like LeCellier, you would do best to have an ADR....if you are not picky about what you eat or when you eat and don't go at one of the busiest times of the year, you can probably get into a TS at most locations

[the other micki]

Being on the DDP does take more planning. Like you said, working out travel time, etc. That said, I really love the DDP because I love planning, and it helps to structure my trip a little more. To me, the dining at WDW is part of the whole Disney experience, and sometimes a nice respite from the hustle bustle of the parks. However, you may just want to pay OOP for 3 or 4 meals, and that be enough.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!!!

[DisneyBabies]

It all comes down to your personal preference. If you want to do TS, you should make ADR's because (from what others have said) you will probably either be told that they will not be able to accept walk-in's or you will wait for an hour or more. It seems to me that you would spend more time as a walk-up than you would if you had an ADR. If you are fine with CS meals, either get the CS DDP or just pay OOP and you don't have to worry about making ADR's.

That being said, we are doing the Deluxe DDP and our ADR's are for breakfast before the parks open and dinners between 7 and 8pm. That leaves us in the parks after breakfast for at least 9 hours before we have to leave to get to our dinner ADR.

Example:
8:00am Cape May Cafe
arrive @ MK 9:30am
leave MK @ 6:30pm for dinner ADR
7:15pm Hoop Dee Doo Review

A lot of people complain about how much time they spend eating on the DDP, but how can 9 or more hours not be enough time in the parks?

[mouseketeer mom]

It takes alot of planning. And there have been many times we just don't want to stop what we're doing to make the ADR, like when the kids are having fun in the pool. There have been times we hauled it to make an ADR. because we didn't leave ourselves enough time. We find there is alot of clock watching with ADR's. We make them anyway. Dining is a big part of our Disney trips.

[Knitty Kitty]

My family used the DDP on our trip last year and absolutely loved it. We tend to have breakfast in our room, have a CS lunch and TS dinner so the dining plan really works for us. We actually had to work to use all our snack credits but boy did we have fun doing it. (Dole Whip anyone?) Making ADR's can be sort of a drag but if you're a planner, it becomes part of the fun. My DS and I had some great discussions about which places we wanted to do again and what new places we should include. Having a TS dinner every night might seem a bit regimented, but I found that it gave my family time to slow down and enjoy dinner together. We did the parks commando style in the morning/early afternoon, had lunch, took a break in the afternoon and had a nice meal every night. If you do decide to stick with the dining plan, it really is worth it to make ADR's. If you get there and find you simply can't or don't want to make a scheduled one, you can always call and cancel it.

[Seasonscraps]

If you are paying for the DDP, I think it's best to make ADRs. You want to make sure you don't lose any of your credits, waste time finding something last minute since walk ups are mostly a thing of the past or settle for something you don't want just because that's all that is available.

I don't love the scramble/process of needing/getting ADRs for nearly every meal but I do enjoy sitting down to have good meal every day. I don't really mind planning a small part of my day around that. It forces me (in a good way) to slow down and really enjoy where I am instead of rushing to get the next thing done.

[Ian]

We had a foul-up with one of our ADR's last week and we were unable to get in anywhere else at the last minute. It was totally booked.

We had to wait until 8:45PM to get into Nine Dragons.

I would answer this with an emphatic yes.

[kakn7294]

I also recommend making ADR's for most places. It's difficult to find open slots for popular times at popular restaurants without them. That's not to say that you can't go without ADR's but you'll have to be prepared for being turned away at some places. It's easier to get in to the less popular TS restaurants at the resorts so there's always that option if you can't get in at the parks or popular resort locations.

[Jared]

If you are going to use the dining plan, you absolutely must make reservations. You have paid for all those table service credits, and it is increasingly difficult to snag a table at the restaurants. Without prior arrangements, you may find yourself with pre-paid meals you literally cannot have.

True, it takes planning. But think of it as another fun aspect of your trip. For my family, dining is one of the most exciting parts of Disney.

[KylesMom]

We often go during the time period you are speaking of (we'll be there from 6/13-6/27/09, also enjoying SWW hopefully) and we would never plan a trip to Disney without ADRs for our favorites. Even though we are not on the dining plan, dining is a big part of our vacation experience and I can't imagine not being able to get a table at LeCellier, Mama Melrose, Chef Mickey's, Ohana, Sci-Fi or Whispering Canyon. Every time we've tried for a walk-up to these locations, we've been turned away.

I absolutely cannot stress enough that if you're going to DHS for Star Wars Weekends that you make ADRs. CS locations will be jam-packed, and TS locations will be booked to capacity.

Yes, it does take more planning on the front end as well as while you're at Disney, but I don't think you'll be sorry.

I mean, what if we are in line for a great ride or show?

You simply need to be cognizant of the time your ADRs are for, and not enter a long queue when your dining time is around the corner. We've never had a problem with "missing" something or needing to leave a line to make an ADR - but we do keep an eye on the clock, especially if we have to make it across the park.

[MirandaC]

thanks for the input. i guess it would be a lot more fun to plan, which i normally love doing, if i knew the extra magic hours and days for the parks during that time. it is REALLY difficult to plan without this info! do you guys know when this might come up? i have to come up w/ my ADRs by next weekend!

[KylesMom]

it is REALLY difficult to plan without this info! do you guys know when this might come up? i have to come up w/ my ADRs by next weekend!

It is possible that you won't be able to make your ADRs until after the new year. With the exception of Chef Mickey's, CRT and Victoria & Albert's you currently can't arrange your ADRs for June with the Disney dining line.

My best advice is to look at historical park hours in InfoCentral and go from there. The past couple of years have been fairly static as far as EMHs and park hours go.

[Hull-onian]

My recommendation is to go ahead and make your adr's. We did just that. Then if we couldn't make it to that ressie for one reason or another, I would go to concierge and have them cancel the ressie for us. At that point, we would eat at the food court of the hotel. We did okay. Nobody went hungry, that was for sure.

[MirandaC]

so, can i make my 180 days out ADR for CRT and Chef Mickey's on 12/20 and call back on 12/22 to make my other reservations?

[KylesMom]

so, can i make my 180 days out ADR for CRT and Chef Mickey's on 12/20 and call back on 12/22 to make my other reservations?

As far as the 12/20 for CRT and Chef Mickey's, yes. However, the 12/22 date may or may not be valid. Each month Disney is pushing back the new "date" for ADR dining reservations. Take a look at the post at the top of the Dining page - per Figment!,

Effective 12/22/08, the 180 day booking window with "+10" benefit for on-property Guests is scheduled to be reinstated.

Despite the announcement, rumours are reportedly internally circulating that a further 2 - 3 week delay might be encountered for the new system launch.

Therefore, it would be good to have your plans ready to go, but you may not be making reservations on the 22nd for the rest of your trip.

We're going to be finalizing ours this weekend for our June trip!

[beksy]

For me making the ADRs is a must. Of course I'm also a compulsive planner and totally enjoy doing it (this is actually one of my favorite parts of the trip!). We do the DDP and like a pp have an early CS lunch and then a TS dinner. I have health problems and have to eat a TS meal everyday with my meds or I'm sick so I've found that having the ADRs is also a good way to force myself to take a break and eat a full meal! We usually aim to do a fairly early or fairly late TS so that we are eating fairly close to park closing when its not closing really late or close to when we're re-entering the parks after our mid-day break.