TGM and booking ADRs

[a_sailor's_wife]

I purchased TGM for the first time this year. However, his crowd calendar isn't out for my time period yet. My ADR date is May 23. If he doesn't have his crowd calendar up in time for your ADRs, how do you schedule your meals? Do you wing it and hope for the best? Go based off of his crowd calendar last year? Or do you do something else?

 

[eelkmj01]

Personally, I think plans like TGM and Touring Plans are useful references, but I would NEVER hold up my plans waiting for them to publish their "opinions" on the best/worst strategies. I'm not trying to be confrontational by saying this, but what works best for any family can't be published and all encompassing in a book. IMHO, I would make the reservation you want. If your reservation is May 23, you have less than 2 weeks. You truly should have made your reservation months ago. I think that will be very difficult in itself. Good luck and best of luck to you and your plans!!!

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Personally, I think plans like TGM and Touring Plans are useful references, but I would NEVER hold up my plans waiting for them to publish their "opinions" on the best/worst strategies. I'm not trying to be confrontational by saying this, but what works best for any family can't be published and all encompassing in a book. IMHO, I would make the reservation you want. If your reservation is May 23, you have less than 2 weeks. You truly should have made your reservation months ago. I think that will be very difficult in itself. Good luck and best of luck to you and your plans!!!

I can't even make ADRs until May 23. I'll be making them 6 months in advance.

 

[eelkmj01]

I can't even make ADRs until May 23. I'll be making them 6 months in advance.

Sorry about that. I misread your post. That makes the touring calendars even more troubling. Our Meterologists can't predict the weather for the next week but we expect these resources to be accurate 6 months from now. I don't know if this helps, but Touring Plans lists Nov. 20 - 28 as a 10 out of 10, the 29th as a 6 and the 30th as a 4.

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Sorry about that. I misread your post. That makes the touring calendars even more troubling. Our Meterologists can't predict the weather for the next week but we expect these resources to be accurate 6 months from now. I don't know if this helps, but Touring Plans lists Nov. 20 - 28 as a 10 out of 10, the 29th as a 6 and the 30th as a 4.

I don't expect them to be 100% accurate. I just need a little guidance since we're going during such a busy time (November 21-27). I'm thinking of going based off what he had up last year especially for Thanksgiving Day. Thank you for posting the Touring Plans!

 

[dizneechic]

If it were me I would base it off of last years day for day comparison.

Going off the basics would be to avoid parks with EMH and special events (spectro, fantasmic, etc) but the hours are only posted through the end of Oct so looking at that to make your decisions *today* wont help too much. Maybe WDW will post the Nov. hours before the 23rd...

For some days on our trip we know we want to go certain places, regardless of the park we'll be in ie Chef Mickeys, Ohana, etc. We also like to do Epcot on the weekends (crowds seem more spread out) and always spend the morning of our last day in MK (with a 8 AM CRT ADR so we can get empty main street pics w/ the castle). So some basic ADRs are easy to make for us. Then I tend to overbook the rest of my ADRs and cancel as I weed things out. For instance I will have at least 2 ADRs booked each day (2 of 3 meals) and cancel the ones we don't need a few weeks before leaving as we finalize our touring plans, we prefer only 1 TS meal per day. Some you pay in advance for (CRT, Norway, etc), but most you don't, so overbooking 180 days out doesn't cost you anything. Just PLEASE be sure to cancel what you don't need as soon as you have it figured out so someone else can book it.

 

[diskids2]

Hi!

I use TGM too and have had the same problem especially when the ADR window was 90 days out.

First, I would post this on the TGM boards because you will get lots of advice on this issue.... you can even search old posts.

Second, if you look at last years LCP charts for your date DAYS....don't use the number dates...but the days of the week...for the time you will be there.....that will help you as well.

The other things to consider will be if you have park hoppers...if your ADR's are based in a hotel, downtown disney, or the park....if you want PM me and I'll help you.

 

[francie57]

We made our ADRs at the 180 day mark in Feb. and we just figure out which restaurants we want to eat at and then put them in order of our favorites and keep those until the end of trip. We don't worry about park hours or touring plans because we get the park hopper and just go with the flow of where we want to go. About the only major planning we do is figure out which days we want to go to which park and that is it. We usually due early mornings at AK and MK and then don't worry about the rest. We go to the park for the morning, go back to BWV for a swim and then go to the park for our ADR and then go from there. Guess after 25+ trips we are into not exhausting ourselves and actually having a more relaxing trip.

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Hi!

I use TGM too and have had the same problem especially when the ADR window was 90 days out.

First, I would post this on the TGM boards because you will get lots of advice on this issue.... you can even search old posts.

Second, if you look at last years LCP charts for your date DAYS....don't use the number dates...but the days of the week...for the time you will be there.....that will help you as well.

The other things to consider will be if you have park hoppers...if your ADR's are based in a hotel, downtown disney, or the park....if you want PM me and I'll help you.

diskids2, you are too sweet! Unforunately, this is the first time I haven't already decided on my ADRs. My brain hasn't been clear enough with school and an audit at work to think straight. However, I think I will take you up on that offer as soon as I get my thoughts gathered.

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

If it were me I would base it off of last years day for day comparison.

Going off the basics would be to avoid parks with EMH and special events (spectro, fantasmic, etc) but the hours are only posted through the end of Oct so looking at that to make your decisions *today* wont help too much. Maybe WDW will post the Nov. hours before the 23rd...

For some days on our trip we know we want to go certain places, regardless of the park we'll be in ie Chef Mickeys, Ohana, etc. We also like to do Epcot on the weekends (crowds seem more spread out) and always spend the morning of our last day in MK (with a 8 AM CRT ADR so we can get empty main street pics w/ the castle). So some basic ADRs are easy to make for us. Then I tend to overbook the rest of my ADRs and cancel as I weed things out. For instance I will have at least 2 ADRs booked each day (2 of 3 meals) and cancel the ones we don't need a few weeks before leaving as we finalize our touring plans, we prefer only 1 TS meal per day. Some you pay in advance for (CRT, Norway, etc), but most you don't, so overbooking 180 days out doesn't cost you anything. Just PLEASE be sure to cancel what you don't need as soon as you have it figured out so someone else can book it.

I haven't thought of doing this. Not a bad idea!

 

[mistysue]

If you check the forums on TGM's site people are probably already talking about this in at least a dozen threads.

If you pick your parks first- dining will take up much less of your time- you won't be hopping and traveling so much just to eat.
For now, I would pick 1-2 places per park that you want to try. hat resort are you at? Do you want a meal there? Maybe pick a dinner show if you ant one. Then when the days come out, you will only need about 20 minutes to pick which park per day and then fit meals in.

I know there is a ton of anxiety before it is done, but he puts all the info in a great format so it really doesn't take long to throw everything together.

 

[mmtska]

Aren't the hours up for Nov. yet? Check those, and I can send you the best/worst days off of touring plans if you want. Plus, figure out what restaurant you want for T-day and that'll help figure it out too.

But you should have just asked me first-duh lol

 

[ppony]

As others have said, do you best off of last year's charts and I posted this question there a few days ago actually. My week of Nov. tho just came out yesterday! My ADR widow opens up next Monday, so he might actually have them up by the time you need to book. All you can do is do your best and if things change, too much, you can always work around your most hard to get ressies. I also noticed, that sketching in my plans for hat parks on what days didn't change at all going off of last year's recommendations to now this years recommendations. Not that they couldn't, but mine didn't. We're the 13th- the 21st.

I want to address this tho:

Then I tend to overbook the rest of my ADRs and cancel as I weed things out. For instance I will have at least 2 ADRs booked each day (2 of 3 meals) and cancel the ones we don't need a few weeks before leaving as we finalize our touring plans,

I would NOT recommend doing this. It is widely reported that if and when CMs go through ADRs (And they DO do this) and find people w/ multiple bookings for the same time they will cancel them! They won't ask you or tell you, they will just do it. I know they didn't used to but w/ ADRs becoming more and more difficult to get w/ the dining plans etc., it's obviously become an issue. Sure, you can have them for probably a short period of time or even the whole time, but I wouldn't risk it for more than few days. You have no idea when and where they will be doing some "weeding" of their own. I'd rather not run the risk of having my ADR canceled on me than hedging my bets and taking up ADRs others want. That's a whole 'nuther "hot button" topic.