Do you feel like your ADR cause 'time' restrictions?

[moonspinner]

I'm trying to figure out how best to ask what I mean to ask.

We are going to WDW Sept 23 thru Oct 1 with the free quick service dining plan. Our agent encouraged us to upgrade to the dining plan (which would have made very little difference price wise). But because ADR are required for a majority of quality table service restaurants, we chose to stick with the quick service.

We felt like to have dinner reservations every day or night for our vacation would feel constraining (especially with two kids who have never been to WDW).

Of course, this also means that any table service meals we enjoy will have to be paid out of pocket (we made one for Akershus and one for Chef Mickey's). The other down side is that we will have to miss out on some fabulous dining. Not meaning to whine; I'd rather go to WDW and have quick service all week then to not go at all, so it will be fine no matter what.

My question is this: For those of you that have taken advantage of the great restaurants at WDW, did you find that having to keep 'a schedule' imposing at all?

Thanks!

 

[ThinkTink721]

My question is this: For those of you that have taken advantage of the great restaurants at WDW, did you find that having to keep 'a schedule' imposing at all?

Yes, sometimes...but, we love the TS meals so much that we accomodate our schedules to include them.
:wave:

 

[SleepingMonk]

With two kids, or adults, who have never been I could see how it might add further tension.

If everyone involved are park regulars then no, it actually offers a nice break and can simplify things.

 

[knnyrobb]

We love making ADRs for sit down dinners. Our kids love them and not just the character dining. We all feel that the dinners we go to and enjoy add to our trip and experience. We went last year with only 2 dinners and we really missed it!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We don't find it imposing at all. We like to know we will be sitting down to a nice meal and not QS the whole week. If you dont want to do a sit down meal every day, there are a couple places that take 2 TS credits so that is also an option..

 

[wizards8507]

Our agent encouraged us to upgrade to the dining plan (which would have made very little difference price wise). But because ADR are required for a majority of quality table service restaurants, we chose to stick with the quick service.

Of course, this also means that any table service meals we enjoy will have to be paid out of pocket (we made one for Akershus and one for Chef Mickey's).

If there are only two restaurants that you want to go to bad enough to make the ADR worth it, then you made the right decision and paying out of pocket for those meals will end up being better for you in the long run. I never use the dining plan simply because A) I've never gotten it free, and B) I rarely eat desert and, if I do, I share it. That being said, I have eight ADRs for my upcoming 7-night trip, and I find that I wasn't strained to make the scheduling work any more than I would have been without the ADRs.

I like to plan what parks I go to on certain days based on certain factors (Fantasmic schedule, avoiding morning EMH days, etc.). With park days planned it becomes easy to make the reservations because I just eat wherever I happen to be that day. The reservations just happen to fall into place. For example:

Day 1 - Arrival - Dine in Downtown Disney (Paradiso 37), close to hotel (Old Key West)
Day 2 - Epcot - Dine in Epcot (Rose and Crown)
Day 3 - DHS - Fantasmic dinner package (Mama Melrose's)
Day 4 - Day off - Could dine anywhere, Breakfast @ Chef Mickeys, Dinner @ Cali Grill
Day 5 - Animal Kingdom - Dine at AKL (Boma)
Day 6 - Magic Kingdom (Evening EMH) - Need a break before 2am park close, dine at MK resort (Whispering Canyon)
Day 7 - Epcot - Dine at Epcot (Les Chefs de France)

With that lineup, I'm not scheduling around my ADRs. Rather, I book my ADRs around my schedule.

 

[Magical Dreamer]

ADR Dining is part of the experience.....

Kids look forward to where we're dining each day.

If something came up while on your trip you could always cancel the ressie and opt for a walk in...

 

[Penelope]

My question is this: For those of you that have taken advantage of the great restaurants at WDW, did you find that having to keep 'a schedule' imposing at all?

Yes, sometimes...but, we love the TS meals so much that we accomodate our schedules to include them.
:wave:

I agree with ThinkTink. You have more of a schedule, but we also enjoy and look forward to the TS time as it is a nice break from the heat and walking to regroup that it outweighs the scheduling and time issues. We are avoiding ADR TS for most lunches though as a way to have a more flexible day this trip.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The only time I feel that TS dining hurts our schedule is when it's middle of the day, poorly timed in general, and or not well located for our park plans. i.e. an early breakfast and/or a dinner timed well with EMH, fireworks or park closing is actually very refreshing. For example, pre-park opening breakfast at Tusker House on our AK day and a late dinner at Boma the same day = a great plan. On the flip side- early breakfast at 1900PF on our Epcot day followed by lunch at Akershus- not the way to go...although dinner at Rose & Crown that day was good.

Our kids seemed to do better when we have TS meals than CS meals...maybe b/c the sit down restaurant helps isolate them from the parks a bit and calms them. Plus, dining is part of the attraction of being at Disney...i.e. it's not just stopping for dinner, it's another almost equally important experience for a Disney trip.

And while I know people love the dining plan, while we like the TS credits, we could do without the CS and snack credits - so we're skipping it this trip and just paying OOP since our plans and normal dining habits make it the cheaper way to go.

 

[moonspinner]

I think part of my problem is I've got a vague idea of what parks I'd like to visit when, but since I started considering doing MNSSHP, I find myself floundering a bit, not sure of how a late night like that might affect the kids, so maybe we should do this park on this day instead.... blah, blah, blah...

The short of it is I'm making this harder then it has to be. It's a good point that to set a schedule of sorts allows you to at least know where you will be, which really would make it considerably easier.

There are SO many choices, too!! I'm just amazed at all Disney offers.

Based on an earlier discussion, I'm not sure I can talk DH into switching to the DP at this point. :shrug: I think I'm starting to drive him nuts... well, more so then normal. But it's worth considering.

Thanks so much for the responses! It helps to have some insight from more experienced travelers.

 

[ob1thx1138]

We took our first trip last summer and to this day the kids (now 17 and 9) talk more about where we are going to eat on our "next trip" than they do what attractions they want to experience again. The fact is, if you plan you dining around your park time then it is not a chore. We did 8 park days with a break in the middle and rode or saw everything we wanted to and this was on the Deluxe Dining plan. We did several signature dinners and far too many character buffets. But we planned the meal for the parks we were visitng or a close resort, so there was no hopping necessary.

 

[me_stitch]

I agree with Wizards8507, I just schedule my TS dinners for whatever park I'm going to be at that day, or TS breakfast, and I use my QS meals for lunches.

 

[mickeysshoes]

We have been going in August so the chance to sit down, cool off and relax is something to look foward to each day. Disney is more than just the Parks...to use at least!! Enjoy your trip which ever way you choose!!! :wave:

 

[captainkidd]

I remember reading an article about WDW in Newsweek back in 1989. This family was interviewed about what they spend in Disney. One thing I remember the father saying is "We didn't come to Disney World to eat." Well, no one goes there just to eat, but at Disney, dining is part of the experience. So, you just have to work it into your schedule. We get park times, extra magic hours, schedules, etc., and then plan our ADR's around that. It's a lot of work, but it's fun and it pays off in the end.

 

[Master Yoda]

Any scheduling is going to be somewhat limiting. You will always run into that situation where you have to stop the fun to make it to an ADR. That being said, dining is a big part of the Disney experience. For us, as well as many others, leaving out TS dining is like not going on dark rides or roller coasters.

 

[xdan0920]

Yes, it is undoubtably restricting. Especially for someone who does not like to plan every detail of their trip 180 days in advance. This is part of the reason so many people hate the DDP. Yes, as Wizard said, if you are a big planner (I am) you can make things work with ADRs and park hours and shows and such. But it takes effort, and the willingness to have your days planned 6 months before you even start packing. So yea, it is restricting. But it is the system we are stuck with, so you need to make it work for you.

 

[WDWmazprty]

Well, if you figure you're going to have to stop eventually at some point in the day to eat a meal, then no, not restricting. You have to eat. Dining at Disney is part of the fun. Maybe if you have the Deluxe dining plan and have to stop 3 times throughout the day for long periods of time to eat, but why would you get that if you know you like to spend more time on the rides?

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

My question is this: For those of you that have taken advantage of the great restaurants at WDW, did you find that having to keep 'a schedule' imposing at all?

No -you've got to eat, so why not have a planned meal time and take a little time away from the hustle of the parks and regroup over a meal. Time to discuss, reflect and plan

 

[coltow]

When we've travelled with extended family having an ADR every night for dinner was GREAT. It gave everyone a chance to reconnect. We like knowing that even though we'd split up during the day we'd all get back together for dinner and can talk about things we saw/did during the day.

When we've gone with just our family we still made 1 adr every day, but mixed it up between lunches & dinners so that we always knew either which park to go to in morning or which park we'd be ending the day with

 

[EnchantedRose]

Ever since our 2009 Trip where we had free dining....I can't imagine going to Disney & not going to eat at some of the TS restaurants. I do have to fit it into our schedule...but I also see it as some time to wind down and relax. We get out of the heat, the sun & the crowds & get to sit down and have a great meal. The trips usually consist of my hubby, our son & myself. We also tend to do a few Character meals....and this is a great way to get some of the Characters out of the way & not have to worry about making lines in the heat.