As of the writing of this post we are 10 days away from day 180 until our trip to the Wilderness Lodge. Another way to say this is........we are 10 days away from ADR DAY!!! Walt Disney World's "Advanced Dining Reservation" (ADR) system is a way for guests staying at a Disney Resort to preset/preplan meals at Disney restaurants. You can call or go online 180 days in advance of your arrival date and make dining reservations for up to 10 days. This could be a location in one of the 4 parks or a restaurant in one of the many resort locations.
What I've learned (but have not experienced myself) is that this really isn't a reservation in the terms most view reservation. Apparently WDW doesn't hold a table in your name for the time selected. All this does, apparently, is setup a way for guests to get their name on a list to dine at the selected location at a particular time block. I've read many board posts where folks with ADR's for a particular time have waited 45min to 1hour to be seated. Now I have never experienced that, our longest wait was 15min at the Crystal Palace for Lunch. I don't doubt what people say, especially when the crowds are large and the restaurant is one of the more popular ones onsite. I've been lucky.
To get the list of locations in WDW where you can setup an ADR, I've included a link to the Disney Food Blog site. This is a great site that is all about food at Disney. You can go to [this link] to search the different locations within WDW and get all kinds of information about menu, ambiance, reviews, and also link into the Disney ADR site to make your reservations.
On to our ADR plan...............
During our trip planning we've discussed particular restaurants where we'd like to have our meals. We enjoy having all are meals at Table Service (sit down restaurants) locations. For each day (with the exception of arrival and departure day) Donna and I planned out our breakfast/lunch/and dinner. To many this may not be the way you want to go, planning every meal in advance. That's OK do what you feel most comfortable with (remember we don't have kids.......it's just Donna and I) and what your budget permits.
What we did is after planning out WHERE will be on each particular day we began to breakdown the restaurants in that particular area. For example I'll use our 2nd day onsite, which is our Magic Kingdom day.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Breakfast)
This is our first full day at WDW so we want to start with a BANG! Since we're at the Wilderness Lodge we thought a great way to start was taking a boat to the Contemporary Resort for breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Note this is a character meal so plan for it being crowded. For us we're looking to book around 7am or 7:15am. We do that for 2 reasons, we're thinking early is better and less crowded and this also allows us to leave breakfast and burn some calories by walking to the MK.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Lunch)
Our lunch plans are built around a couple of issues, the first being since we're starting off early in the morning and we're on the southern side of 50, our plan is a break afternoon back at the WL. Also impacting our choice is that Sept 16th is a "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" day!!!!! We need to rest up so we can be ready for the PARTY!!
So, we originally discussed having lunch in the MK but after more thought we thought since we're going back to WL to relax by the pool why not have lunch there! So we're planning Lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at around 12:30. This gives us the opportunity to enjoy our resort from a dining experience.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Dinner)
Our dinner plans for MK day are the most anticipated of our trip. We're planning dinner at................ "Be our Guest"!
Both Donna and I are very excited about BOG. Not so much for the food (not really in to French cuisine) but more for the theme and ambiance of the location. We've read so much about each of the 3 rooms in the restaurant and we're both excited about the opportunity to get a photo with the BEAST! How can you not like the Beast.....right!
Strategy for ADR Days
After we made our dining decisions, 11 meals in total over the 5 days of our trip, we now have to consider the priority for setting up the reservations. What I've been doing for several months is going into the Disney Dining Reservation page on "My Disney Experience" page and checking how the restaurants we have on our list are being taken on the latest date I can access. For today March 8th, that means I can review available times for Sept 4th. Over time I'm getting a feel for which of my choices are more popular.
For example, looking at Sept 4th available times this afternoon (March 8th) I found that BOG brings up a dinner availability of 7:50pm. Now what I found previously is that BOG was usually booked full by 8am. I do this with most (not all) of my choices.
Over time and based on things I've read on websites and discussion boards, the toughest reservation to get from our list is "Be Our Guest". So that restaurant is given the #1 slot on our priority list. Based on my review since January of this year I've made dinner at the "California Grill" our #2 priority (Day 4 dinner). I continue this until I've prioritized all 11 ADR selections.
IMPORTANT TIP: Usually your top 3 priority selections will be tough ones to get its best to be pretty comfortable with the selected time because making changes in these restaurants could be problematic.
My next step is to determine the best time for the meal. I take into consideration the days plans and plans we might have for after the meal. So for each meal I have a "Best Time". Now the ADR system may return more than 1 available time so you will have options, but I like to note my best time. Now I'm pretty much ready for ADR day
Here's a view of all 11 ADR's by Date (of trip) and by Priority.
Some closing thoughts
With the plan made, you're ready for ADR morning. Remember this is one person's view at how to go about this. We like to schedule each meal while were at WDW, that may not work for everyone, especially families with children. Your plan should be for you this is just a guide for how I go about things. Also, for me I like to use the computer and My Disney Experience site for scheduling my ADR's. Others, prefer making phone calls to complete this task. The bottom line is if you're looking to get an ADR in one of the more popular locations i.e., BOG, any meal in Cinderella's castle, Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot, or other Signature restaurants be prepared to be on the phone at 7am ET or computer by 6am ET. Below are several other important things to know:
1. Note that in the past months Disney is now requiring a credit card to hold all (I believe this is true) for any table service ADR.
2. For dinner show ADR's be aware that the ADR system will require payment in full at the time of your reservation. This is the case for shows like the "Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show" but its important to note that these dinner shows book up fast and the earlier you setup the better seating choices you will have.
3. As I've continually pointed out, don't worry about making changes because that can easily be done, with the exception of the most popular locations.
You may note that I didn't discuss the Disney Dining Plan and the potential impact on ADR's. That is a subject that is best handled in a separate post. I will do that next week...............so stay tuned!!!
What I've learned (but have not experienced myself) is that this really isn't a reservation in the terms most view reservation. Apparently WDW doesn't hold a table in your name for the time selected. All this does, apparently, is setup a way for guests to get their name on a list to dine at the selected location at a particular time block. I've read many board posts where folks with ADR's for a particular time have waited 45min to 1hour to be seated. Now I have never experienced that, our longest wait was 15min at the Crystal Palace for Lunch. I don't doubt what people say, especially when the crowds are large and the restaurant is one of the more popular ones onsite. I've been lucky.
To get the list of locations in WDW where you can setup an ADR, I've included a link to the Disney Food Blog site. This is a great site that is all about food at Disney. You can go to [this link] to search the different locations within WDW and get all kinds of information about menu, ambiance, reviews, and also link into the Disney ADR site to make your reservations.
On to our ADR plan...............
During our trip planning we've discussed particular restaurants where we'd like to have our meals. We enjoy having all are meals at Table Service (sit down restaurants) locations. For each day (with the exception of arrival and departure day) Donna and I planned out our breakfast/lunch/and dinner. To many this may not be the way you want to go, planning every meal in advance. That's OK do what you feel most comfortable with (remember we don't have kids.......it's just Donna and I) and what your budget permits.
What we did is after planning out WHERE will be on each particular day we began to breakdown the restaurants in that particular area. For example I'll use our 2nd day onsite, which is our Magic Kingdom day.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Breakfast)
This is our first full day at WDW so we want to start with a BANG! Since we're at the Wilderness Lodge we thought a great way to start was taking a boat to the Contemporary Resort for breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Note this is a character meal so plan for it being crowded. For us we're looking to book around 7am or 7:15am. We do that for 2 reasons, we're thinking early is better and less crowded and this also allows us to leave breakfast and burn some calories by walking to the MK.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Lunch)
Our lunch plans are built around a couple of issues, the first being since we're starting off early in the morning and we're on the southern side of 50, our plan is a break afternoon back at the WL. Also impacting our choice is that Sept 16th is a "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" day!!!!! We need to rest up so we can be ready for the PARTY!!
So, we originally discussed having lunch in the MK but after more thought we thought since we're going back to WL to relax by the pool why not have lunch there! So we're planning Lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at around 12:30. This gives us the opportunity to enjoy our resort from a dining experience.
Example - MK day Sept 16 (Dinner)
Our dinner plans for MK day are the most anticipated of our trip. We're planning dinner at................ "Be our Guest"!
Both Donna and I are very excited about BOG. Not so much for the food (not really in to French cuisine) but more for the theme and ambiance of the location. We've read so much about each of the 3 rooms in the restaurant and we're both excited about the opportunity to get a photo with the BEAST! How can you not like the Beast.....right!
Strategy for ADR Days
After we made our dining decisions, 11 meals in total over the 5 days of our trip, we now have to consider the priority for setting up the reservations. What I've been doing for several months is going into the Disney Dining Reservation page on "My Disney Experience" page and checking how the restaurants we have on our list are being taken on the latest date I can access. For today March 8th, that means I can review available times for Sept 4th. Over time I'm getting a feel for which of my choices are more popular.
For example, looking at Sept 4th available times this afternoon (March 8th) I found that BOG brings up a dinner availability of 7:50pm. Now what I found previously is that BOG was usually booked full by 8am. I do this with most (not all) of my choices.
Over time and based on things I've read on websites and discussion boards, the toughest reservation to get from our list is "Be Our Guest". So that restaurant is given the #1 slot on our priority list. Based on my review since January of this year I've made dinner at the "California Grill" our #2 priority (Day 4 dinner). I continue this until I've prioritized all 11 ADR selections.
IMPORTANT TIP: Usually your top 3 priority selections will be tough ones to get its best to be pretty comfortable with the selected time because making changes in these restaurants could be problematic.
My next step is to determine the best time for the meal. I take into consideration the days plans and plans we might have for after the meal. So for each meal I have a "Best Time". Now the ADR system may return more than 1 available time so you will have options, but I like to note my best time. Now I'm pretty much ready for ADR day
Here's a view of all 11 ADR's by Date (of trip) and by Priority.
Some closing thoughts
With the plan made, you're ready for ADR morning. Remember this is one person's view at how to go about this. We like to schedule each meal while were at WDW, that may not work for everyone, especially families with children. Your plan should be for you this is just a guide for how I go about things. Also, for me I like to use the computer and My Disney Experience site for scheduling my ADR's. Others, prefer making phone calls to complete this task. The bottom line is if you're looking to get an ADR in one of the more popular locations i.e., BOG, any meal in Cinderella's castle, Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot, or other Signature restaurants be prepared to be on the phone at 7am ET or computer by 6am ET. Below are several other important things to know:
1. Note that in the past months Disney is now requiring a credit card to hold all (I believe this is true) for any table service ADR.
2. For dinner show ADR's be aware that the ADR system will require payment in full at the time of your reservation. This is the case for shows like the "Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show" but its important to note that these dinner shows book up fast and the earlier you setup the better seating choices you will have.
3. As I've continually pointed out, don't worry about making changes because that can easily be done, with the exception of the most popular locations.
You may note that I didn't discuss the Disney Dining Plan and the potential impact on ADR's. That is a subject that is best handled in a separate post. I will do that next week...............so stay tuned!!!