Feeling overwhelmed with all the schedules...are ADR really needed?

[Matt_Black]

I don't find that at all. In AK, you can get ribs and other smoked meats at Flametree, a variety of Asian inspired dishes like Korean BBQ and teriyaki bowls at Yak & Yeti, samosas and falafel at Mr. Kamal's, and a variety of curry dishes at TamuTamu. The QS DHS may be a bit more pedestrian, but there is still some decent variety there. For example, Fairfax Faire has ribs and chicken and Starring Rolls as great sandwiches. At MK, you have places like Be Our Guest and Columbia Harbor House that offer a lot of variety grilled salmon, braised pork, quiche and quinoa salad. On top of that, many of the resorts have wonderful food court offerings like the Tandoori station at Art of Animation.

Certainly, QS dining at WDW is not going to be a gourmet affair, but I think there is a lot of variety beyond the standard burgers, hotdogs and chicken fingers.

And that doesn't even take into account the Wolfgang Puck QS spot at DTD.

 

[JillC LI]

I'm glad you booked some more places. For sit-down in the MK, there's the Plaza and Tony's and Liberty Tree. You can also consider eating at one of the restaurants in a resort on the monorail line as those are easy to get to and may provide a nice break from the Park. Kona Cafe (and the Polynesian) for a late breakfast that you can call brunch at 11am is to die for.

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

I'm glad things are working out for you. My only question is quite off topic but you said you are staying at NOPR. What is NOPR?

 

[Bandjwayne]

I'm glad things are working out for you. My only question is quite off topic but you said you are staying at NOPR. What is NOPR?

Sorry, probably the wrong abbreviation. New Orleans Port Riverside

 

[Tuvalu]

Sorry, probably the wrong abbreviation. New Orleans Port Riverside

You are either at
Port Orleans Riverside (POR)
Or
Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ)

Your resort name does not exist

 

[mousehockey37]

4 adults plus 8 yr & 5 yr old boys traveling to Disney for the first time in mid-Jan. We are staying at NOPR for 6 nights and have 5 days at the parks. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with all the reservations. I've booked the ride fast passes...often having to split our group up into 2 due to the kids having different ride preferences. I've also booked a character breakfast & specialty restaurant. Now I feel like I don't have any other special must-haves so I was thinking of NOT booking any more dining reservations as I don't want to be too tied down to a schedule. Now after reading some posts it seems like this might not be a good idea as the restaurants might be all booked up and not take walk-ins, is this true? I'm not sure either what time is the best for sit-down meals...lunch or dinner. I don't want to eat too much that I feel sick when I go on rides afterwards. Also, is it true that I can use a TS credit at a Quick service place if I choose? That might help elevate kid meltdowns. HELP with your thoughts please!!!

When we go, the first thing I do is figure out when and where I want to make my ADRs. Then we kinda plan around that with the FPs and such. Depending on the "Must haves" for fastpasses, let that guide you through booking your meals now.

 

[RinkaDink]

Prior to 2013, I always had success with walkups for sit down dinners. The last 4 trips, we were lucky once, at the China pavilion, just before closing. With the advent of Magic Bands, seat-of-the-pantsing it has gone bye-bye. I highly recommend ADRs.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

That is the one thing I dislike about having ADR's every day. Free Dining was great when we were there in Nov... We had amazing meals all week and we loved each of restaurants we chose. It was just a little annoying having to be somewhere at a certain time each night. I felt rushed through out the day since we like to take a break midday and freshen up for dinner. I hated having to constantly look at the time everywhere we went because we had to worry about getting to our ADR's on time also. I don't mind morning ADR's at all since I wake up very early in Disney anyway and I am a big breakfast person. This years trip, I am just doing the QS dining plan so that I am not tied down to adr's each day. I will still go to Hoop Dee Doo because its a must do each trip and I'll have breakfast at The Grand Floridian Café one early morning. I think that will be more relaxing this trip. I love the variety of QS options in each park so I'm really looking forward to the QSDP.