ADRs?

foslizedtresap

foslizedtresap

New Member
I'm planning a trip for the second week in December next year.
Most likely my Aunt and I will be getting the Dining plus plan for 5 days.
I will make reservations for possibly a character breakfast and a dinner show.
My question is during this time of year, are the crowds light enough that you really wouldn't need reservations for the regular table service resturaunts?
I would really just like to be able to decided where to use our last two table service credits where ever my Aunt wants to depending on which park we are in.
Are reservations required for Table service with the dining plan? Or could we just walk up? A wait really wont bother us I'm sure.
I'm not really planning out the days for our trips. I mean I'll take into account the meals we will have reservations for, but I want my Aunt to decide what she wants to do during the day and where we eat.
 
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bugsbunny

bugsbunny

Well-Known Member
ADRs are basically a MUST for ANYTHING anymore! If you do not do the ADR 180 days out (or whatever it is these days with the new system they are building), you will be eating a lot of cheesburgers at a counter service.

I just got back from a 10 day stat from 12/4 to 12/13. Le Cellier was sold out as well as 50s Prime Time. And that was on a week night! So it most likely wasn't even from the locals.

Unfortunately, the DDP and other deals have made it virutally impossible to get a walk up without having to wait an hour or just being turned away altogether. No doubt some people will add to this topic and say how one time they walked right up and got a table, they no doubt got lucky. 99 times out of a 100, you will be turned away for the popular places.

you can always pick a dinner at a hotel rather than a park this way no matter what park you are at that day, you know you have to head to a resort hotel to catch dinner. That might be a good compromise for you.
 
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foslizedtresap

foslizedtresap

New Member
Original Poster
Wow...

This just seems so annoying. I would like the ability to just walk up to a place and be able to eat there (even if we had to wait). Do you think it's possible to go to a restaurant in the morning and make reservations for later that night?
I know that my family has eaten at restaurants in the parks without reservations in the past.
 
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Cubs Brian

Cubs Brian

Active Member
Chances are in slow times you MAY be able to "walk-in" but be prepared to check in at the resv. boards at each theme park as soon as you arrive. Certain eateries will be next to impossibleto go to without ADRs. As far as eating at the hotels,certain places (Whispering Canyon Cafe, Boma's and Chef Mickey's among others ) will be booked far in advance. Now that being said, we will be down there from Jan 4th to 10th next month and called last week and were able to get ADRs at the following: Whispering Canyon, Boma's, Artist Point,Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace for the days and times we wanted.:slurp::slurp: Maybe we were just very lucky.
 
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P

Philo

Well-Known Member
I've been during very quiet times in January and I was able to get tables at short notice (i.e. either walk-in, same day reservation or one / two days in a advance) for about 3 TS restaurants. This doesn't sound too bad but there were plenty more that were fully booked for weeks.

If you want to eat somewhere in particular, book it ASAP. If your not fussed about particular restaurants but don't want to eat counter service every night, book somewhere (anywhere) ASAP. If your happy to risk eating nothing but burgers and ceaser salad for every meal, leave it to chance and see what happens.
 
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Mystic

Mystic

Well-Known Member
I just got back from WDW last week and here's what I can tell you about getting dining. Walk up seating is EXTREMELY unlikely. We saw numerous people getting turned away from the podium. One group was turned away from the Rose and Crown and one group was turned away at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

If you don't want to make your ADRs 180 days in advance, it is possible to get seating if you call the Dine Line from WDW. The best thing you can do is to call in the morning and have a list of restaurants you're considering. Also DON'T be picky about the times they give you. If you don't like the available time, try another restaurant. Also go with Resort dining as you are more likely to get it.

I know this is possible from experience. The people my mom and I were travelling with didn't show up on time for our Processional Dinner so my mom and I checked in and were seated at a table for 2. 15 minutes later our travelling companions stormed into Marrakesh, which was PACKED for the Processional, and caused a HUGE scene in the middle of the restaurant claiming we'd told them the wrong meeting time even though they not only had a dining card with the correct time on it but had even run into us earlier in the day when they could have confirmed the time. They were about 30 seconds away from being thrown out by the staff. After that my mom said she was finished, that she'd had it and she wanted to cancel every remaining dinner reservation we had. As we were eating our desserts I was writing down every possible restaurant we could try to get a reservation at. Between dinner and our Processional Time I was sitting on a payphone outside the American Adventure talking to Disney Dining seeing if I could get any kind of reservations for 2 people for the following 4 nights. I was lucky enough to snag a reservation at Rose & Crown but other than that, it was all resort dining. We ended up with Artist Point, Grand Floridian Cafe and Whispering Canyon.

As I said, if you don't want to book far in advance, make a list of all the restaurants you're interested in and CALL the DINE Line either the night before or the morning of to try to get reservations, don't expect to get a walk up.



I'm in the process of writing my trip report which should be posted soon if you want to know more about the scene in the restaurant. It will be entitled "Survivor: Disney World December 2008.
 
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abe

abe

New Member
foslizedtresap said:
What if I ditch the dining plan idea? Would we still need to make reservations?
Click to expand...


If "DISNEY" ditched the dining plan, then maybe you could find walk up table service easier. But since the dining plans were implemented I have found it extremely difficult to find availabilty at any of my favorite restaurants (WCC, LeCellier, Ohanas, Chefs de France, the Teppanyaki restaurant in Japan(not sure what it's called now) even when I have called 2 months in advance.

My advice call ahead as early as possible.
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Some folks are exaggerating here--you don't have to call 180 days in advance to get in ANYWHERE...that's ridiculous. Only a small handful or restaurants book up THAT far in advance (e.g. I will be calling for Cinderella's Royal Table tomorrow morning as it is 180 days out for the 6/14 date I would like). That said, if you are picky, certainly book at least a few months out. You can still find stuff several weeks out if you are flexible. My advice--as soon as the park hours are released for your trip, there's no reason you can't figure out a schedule for yourself and book ADRs. As others have said, walk-up dining is VERY hard to come by anymore. You have to get lucky, but why create that stress?
 
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foslizedtresap

foslizedtresap

New Member
Original Poster
Thanks...

Thanks ya'll I really appreciate the advice/info. And yes, I can be stubborn, sorry about that!
I'm just trying to plan the trip and I really could care less, it's more about what my Aunt wants. I want this trip to be special for her and let her do everything she wants. Being in different states, it's hard for me to give her the information on resturants and let her pick. She's older and not quite up to speed on working around the internet/computers. I guess I'll just have to go visit her and in person explain the options and such.
Also it's good to know that I don't have to make res. 180 days out. Hopefully I'll be working at a kids camp this summer, therefore wiping out the opportunity to make those advanced plans.
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
by the way, I did get a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table by calling this morning at 7 am for dinner on 6/14 :D Score. They charge you up front for tip and tax, now! $57/person. Eeek.
 
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foslizedtresap

foslizedtresap

New Member
Original Poster
ISTCNavigator57 said:
by the way, I did get a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table by calling this morning at 7 am for dinner on 6/14 :D Score. They charge you up front for tip and tax, now! $57/person. Eeek.
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$57 per person! For Tax and Tip? I had no Idea! Wait...are you doing the dining plan or not? Tax ahead of time, weird.
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
foslizedtresap said:
$57 per person! For Tax and Tip? I had no Idea! Wait...are you doing the dining plan or not? Tax ahead of time, weird.
Click to expand...
No we aren't doing the DDP. I was more ed that the tip was included. I understand they do that for parties of 6+, but there are only 2 of us, and call me old-fashioned, but I still determine what my tip will be based upon the quality of the service rendered.
 
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Mystic

Mystic

Well-Known Member
ISTCNavigator57 said:
No we aren't doing the DDP. I was more ed that the tip was included. I understand they do that for parties of 6+, but there are only 2 of us, and call me old-fashioned, but I still determine what my tip will be based upon the quality of the service rendered.
Click to expand...

We ate there on Dec 3 and the service we got was definitely worth the cost of the included tip.
 
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