Do I really need to make ADR???

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Some of the non-Disney owned ones have their own reservation system that is independent of Disney, but they don't accept Dining Plan. Some people are able to walk up, but it's like any other popular eatery - it could be a 40 min wait.


The new crowd numbers are slowly moving towards a Galaxy's Edge-based reality, in which a previous 10/10 day would now be considered a 5/10 day. Think about how many more people are going to be there... advance reservations are KEY to your getting anything done in any short amount of time.


I would agree with this, also especially if they are not Dining Plan restaurants they sometimes have more availability.

But... I would make SOME kind of reservations to eat SOMEWHERE. Throw a dart at a chart or pick out of a hat, just make sure you have SOME kind of emergency plan for when you find out that all table service restaurants have a 3 hr wait, it's a 30-min wait for a hamburger, and the fireworks show will be starting soon so the people are packing in, the popcorn carts are sneakily disappearing, and your HANGRY is only half-satisfied by the bag of overpriced candy you found at a register in a gift shop... cuz that has happened to my family, as well as many other people without a plan.

Problem is OP is on the DDP so can't even go to non dining plan restaurants.
To me if OP's DH doesn't want ADR's then they should have gone with QSDP or OOP.
I love the DDP but I also am perfectly fine with deciding on restaurants 180 days out and know what time I want them for.
It's not like I'm gonna decide the day of I don't feel like eating there.
For people that don't want to plan the DDP is not a good idea and I don't know why people do it.
Also even back in 2006 when I first got the DDP and got it for free and stayed onsite for the first time and had no clue about reservations or anything we found it hard to walk up to places without a long wait. We ended up with a couple TS meals left that were converted to 2 QS and 2 snacks each. The reason we had them left was because we couldn't find TS locations with openings so we had QS instead.
After that we realized there was a lot more to this than there used to be when we were growing up and our only TS location was Sci-Fi and the rest was QS/snacks or eat before and after the parks.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I couldn't remember at the time of reply whether OP was on Dining Plan or not, I was mentioning it specifically because it does affect the availability of some restaurants. And especially with the Free Dining promotion, A LOT of visitors that would normally have sufficed themselves with QS are going to book their ADR's, therefore affecting the availability of everything.

But with Deluxe Dining Plan, oh my! YES you need ADR's or you are just throwing money away!

 

[ABCanada]

ADRs are always a good idea to have but that does not mean you need to book them months in advance.

If you are flexible there are almost always openings, people cancel, although it does appear that some of the non Disney TS no longer take same day reservations. Even at busy times I have gone into MDE on my phone, found a restaurant nearby with availability, booked a time and walked (or other) over. With an ADR you will have priority over someone that just walks in. If your concerned about timing I always feel selecting a time a little later than you expect to arrive and arriving early is preferable to arriving late.

Do not forget the Resort TS restaurants I find they are reasonably easy to get into and much more peaceful then the Park TS. Ale and Compass at the Yacht Club is pleasant and easily accessible from both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Grand Floridian Cafe is nice and reasonably accessible from MK. Whispering Canyon Cafe or the character dinner at Artist Point also works for MK but take a bit longer to get to although a quick boat from the Contemporary. Kona Cafe at Poly also works for MK. (Biggest issue with Resorts if you are in the park is doing security again, we always try to avoid any bags etc.)

We usually dine at off times, so mid afternoon or late morning. Often easier to get in.

I agree that Disney Springs is likely easier but I would still try to get an ADR in advance. If you are in DS in the evening the Turf Club at SSR resort is pleasant, you can walk or take the boat, it has a large covered patio and good Prime Rib. We also enjoy Raglan Road, during the day you can usually get a seat at the bar which is walk up, no need to stand in any line, and offers the full menu. Some of the other restaurants my have the same policy for their lounges and bars.

We find the TS restaurants generally much better value vs the QSR and a much more pleasant experience so worth a bit of planning. (QSR that are pleasant Flame Tree at AK, Geyser Point at WL, there are likely others but we use TIW vs a DP so do not frequent the QSR)

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Did you get the Free Dining promo or are you paying for the dining plan? If you don't want to be tied down to ADRs maybe you'd be better off getting a room discount and Canadian Tickets and paying out of pocket for dining. You can always make reservations and cancel them the day before if your plans change. If you're flexible you can make same day ADRs but it might not be where you want to go.

Our last trip we didn't have the dining plan and it was very freeing. Often the kids just wanted to stay and hang by the pool instead of going back out to dinner. Or we ate in lounges, or snacked around Epcot. We ended up having 4 table service reservations out of 9 nights. If I had the dining plan I would have been stressed that we were throwing away those credits, or wasting them on quick service. Also, I've never been in August but have friends who have been who said it was so darn hot they didn't feel like eating much and wasted a lot of their dining plan credits. But, when it's hot it's also nice to have a place to sit in for a while in air conditioning.

 

[KatAlysmom]

Thank you everyone for your input
I'm making some ADR's. I can cancel them the day before if I need to. I just hate schedules on a holiday. We spent 9 nights at Universal a couple of years ago in July and had no reservations and it was no problem so I was hoping Disney would be the same.