ADR Burnout

[Boopuff]

I have given up on trying to get the "hot" restaurants. We avoid those, and haven't had a problem finding places to eat. Social media seems to point people in the direction of the "must-do" restaurants when there are so many others, much easier to get into. Plus I won't even get into the folks that hoard reservations and try to "sell' them...

 

[loves to dive]

No burnout for us but only because we never made ADRs in advance. Like you, now, we didn't like having to be tied down to being at a certain place at a certain time. One of the reasons we didn't use FP, FP+ or Genie+ now as well. We do eat TS a couple of times a trip but we just book it day of while walking around. One of us will get on MDE and find out what's available, let the other(s) know the places and times and go from there. We always have hoppers and like trying new places so it works for us.

I was there last week with my son, his SO and their baby girl and we made no ADRs. We were staying in separate resorts and most of the time just meeting up in the parks - with the exception of one night when I babysat so they could go to Jollywood. I think I had a few QS breakfasts at my resort (CSR) and 3 suppers there - one of which was a kids meal. We did walk up wait list for Spice Road Tables and HBD Lounge for meals together. I had quac and queso at La Cava for lupper one day and ate at 3 Bridges one night, which is walk up wait list. One afternoon I had corn dog nuggets from Caseys and ate on the lawn in front of the castle and another day had a kids meal from Toy Story. Other than that, other meals were QS breakfasts in the parks and snacking at booths at Epcot. I don't eat large meals and tend to do more snacking then eating an actual meal most days at WDW. I do like the food there and it's not about the prices for me, just not able to eat large amounts of food at one time.

 

[DDuckSouthBend]

For the past few years we will only make up to 2 ADRs, and only if the times are decent. There have been trips with no ADRs. We only had one ADR for our November trip, but that was our anniversary dinner at Cali Grill.

I can not see us getting into have an ADR for every dinner. That just doe not work for us.

 

[bbak30]

Definitely the same. I don’t mind paying for good food, but agree that it’s been mediocre at best. My girls are older, so we are past the character meals. I’ve never been a fan of buffets anyway, I would prefer quality over quantity.
In January for our girls trip we did Via Napoli, 50s PT, the Boathouse and Steakhouse 77.
This next trip is a family trip and I only have Via Napoli and 50s booked.
The flexibility is nice.

 

[Anna131517]

We did a lot less ADRs this last trip than we normally do, and almost all were booked that day, sometimes within a couple hours. It’s so hard to commit to ADRs right now. With FP you had a ride schedule you could work around. With Genie+ there’s no way to predict where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing. Combine that with the ridiculous pricing and I’m just not as excited about dining at WDW as I was in the past.

 

[flav]

When the kids were small, we used to do the Deluxe DDP (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015). Those (3 TS a day) meals were relaxing breaks from the sun and the walking.

In 2016, we already knew we wanted to have less fixed plan and a lot less food so we only booked ADR for one meal a day. What a great 10 days trip that was.

Since then, our trips to WDW involved some runDisney race (2017, 2020, 2023) and that in itself imposes a lot on the schedule. Hence, we have booked only a handful of strategic ADR. That is experiences we really wanted to have: Oga Cantina, Space 220 Lounge, Beaches n Cream for a No Way Jose sundae, family gathering at Pizza Napoli, meet Dopey at Storybook…

My next trip will almost certainly be solo. I am still unsure if I want to do any ADR. The two hours cancelation window helps a lot both with making tentative reservations (knowing that I can change my mind if I am busy elsewhere or too tired) and with last minute ones. I do plan on trying some Lounges. I also have Landry’s gift cards that I will probably be using at T-Rex, Rainforest Cafe and Yak & Yeti.

 

[Mazz519]

Feel exactly the same !!! this past September had all our ADRs in line by the 3rd night I was like for the price were paying the food is just ok, I remember the days where every restaurant was something to brag about..not anymore, but as usual the prices will keep going up and the quality down.....and people will still pay !!!

 

[onewishupon]

To come full circle…. I just got back from our recent quick vacay.
Where we ate…
Day 1: arrival day- Fort Wilderness Trails End. Had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn bread. Bought a refillable mug and had
hot cocoa Yum
Day 2: McD’s quick breakfast
Lunch: at Epcot ate around the world and a macaroon lollipop in France pavilion bakery. Was so darn full I didn’t eat much else.
Day 3: Breakfast: pop tart and coffee in room.
Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe after looking at the Gingerbread House.
Dinner at Tony’s Town Square at the MVMCP
Late night snack: Contempo Cafe Rice Krispies and milk
Day 4: Left a day early- due to bad weather. McD’s breakfast again before the car ride home.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I feel the need to echo many others when I say Narcoossees may just be the only must do/worth it TS for us. It was my first restaurant when I visited and so it has that powerful nostalgia factor but besides that...it's really really good food and drinks, with great service and that view....and if you happen to be there for the fireworks....perfect.

 

[Justrose]

Yep, the cost is keeping me from making a lot of ADRs for our Spring Break trip now that my daughter is considered an adult at restaurants. She doesn't eat enough to make it worth it anymore. We used to do at least one TS/day. This trip I will let her choose one TS and I will choose one (I'm picking Skippers Canteen). For me, it's not about ADR fatigue or inconvenience of scheduling them; it's financials only.

 

[Becky_W18]

I am going Jan 20-27th and just made 2 reservations, Yak n Yeti and 50's Prime Time. That is all I am making ahead of time because I will be solo and I can always find something CS. I also dont like to be scheduled out for dining times all the time.

 

[Mizanne]

With toddlers I’ve learned it’s so much easier with QS to adjust for an unexpected nap or tantrum lol

 

[leebee]

DH and I will be at Disney for 4 nights in January. The only ADR I have made is for Boma. Other than that, we'll wing it. It's easier now that it's just the 2 of us, no kids to juggle around, not doing parks every day. Often we find we are just as happy with QS, especially if we go to Disney Springs, but if we want a nice dinner, last-minute, we've always had luck finding a good meal at the Springs.

 

[Cramden]

I was shocked to see how many restaurants are still available for our February trip. Multiple time slots for places like Ohana, Cali Grill, Topolino's, Homecomin etc. Places that usually book up 60+ days in advance. You have to wonder if this will cause Disney to slow down and maybe reverse some of their price increases.

 

[Shughart]

We make less and less each trip. We're making ONE adr for our trip in June because it's our honeymoon but we'll either snack/mobile order/eat at our resort (poly), make same day reservations, or gasp walk up. On our 2022 trip mouse dining showed lots of same day/next day reservations.

 

[JulieODC]

We also make fewer each trip - just can’t justify the prices and being tied down for what usually amounts to mediocre food! We prefer to grab dinner at the bar or QS - we also tend to stay at swan or dolphin, and find those dining options to be more flexible!

 

[Mle8308]

We make less and less each trip. We're making ONE adr for our trip in June because it's our honeymoon but we'll either snack/mobile order/eat at our resort (poly), make same day reservations, or gasp walk up. On our 2022 trip mouse dining showed lots of same day/next day reservations.

Congratulations!!!

 

[BlovesC]

I completely get how you feel! Since we live close our wdw stays are usually very short, 2-3 days. If we were in property for a week or more like most DISers, I think I'd go absolutely bananas juggling daily ADRs, especially now with the virtual queue system. I'm not at all a spontaneous person, but even I can appreciate that sometimes it's nice to give yourself a break from planning and just live in the moment!

 

[Wxcaps]

Going solo in two weeks and didn’t make a single ADR. I’ll check day of, walk up, and/or sit at the bar.