Footloose and fancy free

[Mrs Bus Driver]

During the off season just how important is it really to have ADR's? DD doesn't want her trip that planed out, so I have decided to only make ADR's 3 out of our 6 nights. One for Fifty's Prime Time the night we see Fantasmic, Rose & Crown for illuminations and Regalin Road when we do DTD. We will be there end of Sept early Oct. :mickey:

[dfamasb]

I can't speak for fall, but I have seen people turned away during the first week of December. I guess it depends on how flexible you are on your eating times and restaurants. If you are doing the dining plan I would make the reservations, but if you're not and won't be heartbroken if you have to do CS then go for it.

[Mrs Bus Driver]

No fixed time for dinner, we will be using DDP. If this is a big deal then I'll make reservations, if not, then having the freedom will be nice.

[BMan62]

Understand that the end of September is the end of 'Free DDP' this year and the beginning of the Food and Wine Festival (F&WF.) Both of these are pretty big draws for the restaurants around WDW.

As a lot of people will tell you, if you don't mind eating at 'off' times you should be OK.

[magicofdisney]

Some friends of ours joined us last September with us under the free dining and them on no plan. They got into Crystal Palace around 2:00 one afternoon (no ADR) with only a 10 minute wait! There was only 3 in there party so maybe that was their golden ticket. They were also willing to be flexible with their schedule.

[Mickey91]

If you are using the DDP I would strongly suggest ADRs. It would be a shame to lose those TS credits because there are no tables anywhere. You're not guaranteed a meal just because you have paid for it. The end of Sept is not the best time to go without ADRs.

[RockinRollerMom]

I can't recommend making ADR's enough. I have seen many people get turned away from restaurants due to not having ADR's. (this includes off season as well.) I would just hate to see you not get your money worth out of the dining plan. Just becuase you make ADR's doesn't mean that your trip can't have freedom. I have found making ADR's for restaurants that are easy to get to, like the ones on the monorail work the best. Kona, Grand Floridian Cafe and Chef Mickey's are all great choices. That way you can take the monorail or if you are at AK or DHS, you can just take the bus to that hotel.

[Seasonscraps]

I was there last sept and we had some problem getting last minute adrs - with complete flexability. We ended up at ESPN twice because they don't take ADRs.

[disneylovinmom]

If there is someplace that you are really interested in eating, then you really should make ADR's. They were turning people away at some of the restaurants in December and if they could get in, the wait was very long. It can be almost impossible to get in anywhere good especially in the summer months. We found that out on our first trip in July 2003. You can always cancel once you get there if you change your mind.

[DestinationWDW]

:mickey: I feel torn regarding this issue. We are big Dining Plan people. With 5 in our family, it has really allowed us to experience some of the finer table service restaurants we otherwise may have never even stepped into. I do miss being spontaneous though and just "hey kids, what park do you feel like going to today?' Now, it IS, all planned around where and what time we have reservations for dinner. If you can be flexible, like others have mentioned, and do not have your hearts set one particular place - I'd say go for it and do your table services late afternoon for lunches. Some would say you might not get the most out of your dining plan that way, but it is magic YOUR way - right? :mickey: