Too many ADR's? I've got a shy kid here...

[VTdisneytravel]

I was reading other posts and commonly saw people mention that they regretted doing too many ADR's for their trips (as a rookie mistake). It's got me a little worried...

I planned mostly ADR's because my 5 year old daughter is really shy & does not want to do any meet & greets (aside from Elsa) because she's is too scared to talk to the live characters within the short window of time they give you at M&G. She will warm up to the idea of characters, but it may take more than 10-15 minutes. So, I planned the character meals because I thought this was an easy way for her to see the characters from a distance if she wanted OR to interact with them (after seeing the other guests do so while the circulate the tables). I also thought this would be a nice FORCED sit down break.

Can you guys tell me if this is over doing it?

Day 1 - Arrive at Disney mid day - Dinner at Be Our Guest 445pm (then staying at MK)

Day 2 - Breakfast at O'Hana 730am (then off to MK), long afternoon break, then Dinner at The Crystal Palace 755pm (right before fireworks)

Day 3 - Breakfast at Tusker House 820am (then staying at AK), long afternoon break & then Dinner at 1900 Park Fare 635pm

Day 4 - Breakfast at Chef Mickey's 705 (then off to MK), long afternoon break, Dinner at The Wave 625pm (right before the pirates firework cruise)

Day 5 - Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine 805am (then staying at HS), long afternoon break, Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe 7pm (right before fireworks show)

Day 6 - Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table 810am, then leaving Disney

 

[Tuvalu]

The only changes I would consider is dropping Rainforest and the Wave. You will be full from the big breakfast at Tusker and have another buffet (1900 Park Fare) at dinner, so Rainforest is unnecessary in terms of a lot of food (portions are huge) and stimulation (it's noisy in there!)

The Wave is nothing special (definitely not special for a child). If you want to eat in the Contemporary in order to be close to the Pirates & Pals cruise, why not do quick serve in the Contempo Cafe? It is much more kid-friendly and my kids loved watching the monorail glide by.

Otherwise, I think your picks look great!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Can you guys tell me if this is over doing it?

Only you can decide whether you have too many.

We have ADRs booked for every night we're at WDW this August AND we have quite a few booked for breakfast.

You have to eat while in WDW, and we'd rather eat "proper" meals rather than counter serve offerings

 

[VTdisneytravel]

Rainforest is unnecessary in terms of a lot of food (portions are huge) and stimulation (it's noisy in there!)

Is there another place at AK that is less noisy & just as impressionable (this cafe looks super interesting)? My kiddo likes to go out to eat, but tends NOT TO EAT... so even though we are doing a buffet in the morning, she will still be hungry by 12-1. If I don't feed her on a regular regimen, she gets very grouchy.

...we'd rather eat "proper" meals rather than counter serve offerings

Captain Hook, that's exactly my thought process...

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You have to eat while in WDW, and we'd rather eat "proper" meals rather than counter serve offerings

What does that mean? I've had counter service meals consisting of roasted chicken and green beans. Certainly more nutritious than whatever I'd eat for breakfast at Crystal Palace.

To the OP, I see two red flags with your plan. First, it's a ton of food. There are plenty of people here who report that the dining plan is too much food, and that's only one table service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per day. You're going way beyond that into two or three table service meals per day, and several of those are all-you-can-eat.

The other red flag is time. I'm not sure how long a "long afternoon break" is, but if I assume something like two hours plus another hour and a half for each dining reservation (including travel and check-in time), you're chopping off five(ish) hours of every day right off the bat. I think you'd be fine with either a "long afternoon break" or a sit-down meal out of the parks but both might be overkill.

All that said, you know your family much better than I do and you'll have a blast either way! Go with your gut and then don't second guess yourself because you'll spend the trip wondering if you made the right all.

Captain Hook, that's exactly my thought process...

A character buffet is still junk food, it's just highly priced junk food. It would be a mistake to assume that your only options at a counter service location are hot dogs and chicken strips.

 

[englanddg]

I think the plan looks fine. Though, I second the suggestion to drop Rainforest for Yak and Yeti so you don't have to trek to the front of the park to eat.

But, I don't like Rainforest...so take that with a grain of salt.

The other thing is the afternoon breaks. You need to factor that the busses can take you up to an hour to get back to your resort, so I'm not sure what your plan is there. The actual ride time isn't an hour, but those busses can take 20 - 30 minutes off peak to arrive, and then you've got a 15 - 20 minute drive and unload and before you know it, you are back to your room, but an hour has been burned.

If you are bringing your own car, or renting one, then you can disregard this concern, as that process takes far less time.

 

[VTdisneytravel]

To the OP, I see two red flags with your plan. First, it's a ton of food... The other red flag is time...

I agree, it is a ton of food... but to explain a little... the reason I did the meal plan with 3 meals a day is b/c my kid is very regimented on eating at certain times, in addition she does not tend to eat a lot during meals, so she gets hungry very quickly. I know its not cost effective, but it's the way she works, so I accomidate.

I also planned on a lot of breaks for sit down meals and down time in the afternoon (knowing it's taking 5-6 hours out of our day) because my daughter gets grouchy in the afternoons. So going to the parks for 4 hours in the morning for rides, then relaxing in the afternoon, before heading back for the 4-5 evening hours, is really the realistic schedule for her. The biggest thing she wanted to do at Disney is see all the night time shows, so without the afternoon rest... that would be a disaster!!!

I would absolutely consider changing this plan, if we get to Disney & I realize that I am taking too much time to eat/rest. I may be underestimating her...

 

[VTdisneytravel]

I've heard from too many people that I shouldn't do Rainforest... So I cancelled it.

 

[Tinkerkelle]

Those are great ADRs. BoG is gorgeous and so much to see in there, plus you get to meet the Beast as you leave. My boys loved meeting Lilo and Stitch at Ohana and Tusker was a favourite of us all - we have an 8am ADR there for this October, as well as one for Crystal Palace. We tend to have a big breakfast (fill up on buffets!!) and then a dinner. The heat also suppresses appetite so we weren't too hungry in the middle of the day and so used the snack credits then.
Enjoy!!

 

[natolij02]

We have done the dining plan several (6) times and still feel that TS and QS are plenty of food for the day. We usually have left over snack credits because we just can not finish all the food. With that said, you are doing multiple table service meals in your day and they are on average and hour to two hours of your time per meal, more on the two hour side when having sit down versus buffet. Now if taking breaks and doing a little less activities during the day is what works well for you then this is perfect. If you are a go getter, have to do/see everything then consider more buffet options as you can get in and out a little quicker. As for your actual choices I have only been to a few of those one being Ohana's but for dinner and is by far my favorite place to eat in disney. I love the food and atmosphere there. Another place you could consider if you like "different" things to try is Boma's for buffet dinner. Then after you can wander around the resort in the back and see the animals, at night they have night vision goggles to look. Make sure you factor in travel time for all of this as well. On average you can figure at minimum 45 min to an hour and a half for travel all depending on where you are, where you are going, and how you are getting there. Utilizing the buses is a no-go for us. I hate the waiting in line late at night trying to get back to the hotel so we rent a car. Renting a car we always factor in at least an hour to get to our dining destination and up to two hours if we are going from park to park since every park you have to park your car, take another means of travel to get up to the park plus walking in. Hope this helps!

 

[natolij02]

Those are great ADRs. BoG is gorgeous and so much to see in there, plus you get to meet the Beast as you leave. My boys loved meeting Lilo and Stitch at Ohana and Tusker was a favourite of us all - we have an 8am ADR there for this October, as well as one for Crystal Palace. We tend to have a big breakfast (fill up on buffets!!) and then a dinner. The heat also suppresses appetite so we weren't too hungry in the middle of the day and so used the snack credits then.
Enjoy!!

Agreed! The heat does supress your appetite!

 

[VTdisneytravel]

The heat also suppresses appetite so we weren't too hungry in the middle of the day and so used the snack credits then.

That's great advice, about the heat. I didn't even consider that. I am assuming that the table service restaurants are air conditioned right? That may be another bonus & break from the July heat.

Now if taking breaks and doing a little less activities during the day is what works well for you then this is perfect.

That is exactly my goal... to do less and try to take in the experiences instead of rushing. This is our first time, so we don't know anything about Disney, so everything is going to be exciting & interesting. I'd rather plan less activities (fast passes), shows and do character meals where I am guaranteed to meet some of our favorites in the air conditioning, then spend the rest of the time just exploring. We will come back again next year (and the year afterwards, etc) so I know I will experience the rest another time when my daughter is big enough to walk for distances.

Considering we are from the middle of nowhere in Vermont, coming to Orlando FL is a HUGE change in scenery!

 

[AnCsMommy]

I've got littles too, and while I definitely appreciate the sit down meal each day, we find that one is usually enough at Disney, so I would definitely not plan for more than two.

 

[JasonDeyoung]

The only changes I would consider is dropping Rainforest and the Wave. You will be full from the big breakfast at Tusker and have another buffet (1900 Park Fare) at dinner, so Rainforest is unnecessary in terms of a lot of food (portions are huge) and stimulation (it's noisy in there!)

The Wave is nothing special (definitely not special for a child). If you want to eat in the Contemporary in order to be close to the Pirates & Pals cruise, why not do quick serve in the Contempo Cafe? It is much more kid-friendly and my kids loved watching the monorail glide by.

Otherwise, I think your picks look great!

Id agree, drop the wave otherwise looks good

 

[VTdisneytravel]

I've got littles too, and while I definitely appreciate the sit down meal each day, we find that one is usually enough at Disney, so I would definitely not plan for more than two.

Thank you so much!

 

[mishel635]

We went last February with our 3 and 5 year old. My kids enjoy going out for dinner, so we planned either two or three sit down meals each day and it worked great. We all enjoyed the break sitting down in the AC and most were character meals. Next time I will probably stick to two sit downs a day, but I don't regret doing three.
I agree with dropping Rainforest and switching the Wave.
Hope you have a magical time!!!

 

[tlev]

I have an 8 year old daughter and we LOVE character dining. It's a great way to see many characters at once and not have to wait in such long lines. Especially with your daughter being shy having them come around to the table instead of standing in front of everyone in line could definitely help. In my opinion I do not think you have too many reservations. I like to schedule and early breakfast 2-3 times per trip as you have done since it really does not interfere with park time. I also schedule a table service every night of our trip. I feel it is important to sit down and relax for a while after a long Disney day. If I were going to cancel something it would be Chef Mickey's. You will see the same characters there as Tusker House. I've eaten everywhere on your list except for Chef Mickey's. I've heard mixed reviews and we typically saw those characters at Tusker House anyway. My least favorite on your list is 1900 Park Fare. We were very disappointed with our food. However, it was one of the best character dining experiences we've ever had. Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters were great! I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[MaryJaneP]

Let's see. We agree that Rainforest and Wave are most droppable. Since you have already nixed Rainforest, that leaves Wave. We also agree with the one ADR per day suggestion as otherwise our trip feels overscheduled and we seem to be running from one res to another. We, unlike above, prefer Chef Mickey's to Tusker, having done both. We really enjoyed viewing the Monorail from our table at Chef Mickey's and tried to schedule it on our arrival day since we wouldn't be needing a park ticket to eat there, as opposed to needing park admission to eat at Tusker. Finally, heat did suppress appetites for all our party. May we also add that our ADRs pretty much determined which park we were going to spend our day at.

 

[VTdisneytravel]

Would you guys do CRT twice in the same trip?

 

[Tom P.]

Would you guys do CRT twice in the same trip?

Our kids love the experience at CRT, and we do too, so we always make sure to get an ADR for it when we go. We do the dinner, but I'm sure the breakfast you've booked will be magical too!

That said, for me personally, I can't see us doing it more than once. For us, we do the standard dining plan, which means CRT eats up two table service credits or we pay out of pocket for us. If you're on the deluxe plan, which it sounds like you are, that part isn't a concern since even signature dining is only one credit on deluxe.

However, even if that wasn't a concern, the fact is that you'd be doing the exact same experience twice during your visit. As much as our kids love it, I don't think they'd be real excited about doing it a second time vs. trying something else. Have you considered Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot? They have a character meal called Princess Storybook Dining that is offered at all meals. Might be an alternative to consider.