Will I regret not having ADRs?

[Madeleinebelle]

Hello all!

This is my first Dis post! I’m going to Disney in May and staying at Port Orleans. I’ve been twice before and stayed off Disney and mostly did QS meals or at the hotel (my parents paid for these trips). I was initially excited to book ADRs but here’s my issues 1. I have severe GI issues so most likely would not order a large entree 2. I eat smaller meals throughout the day. Im not going to be able to carry around leftovers all day. It’s my husband’s first Disney trio and I want to be memorable but the thought of sitting down and worried a entree then getting sick is a worry. Am I thinking about this too much?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

You can always make a couple of adrs to enjoy the experience and atmosphere and just have an appetizer, I often skip an entrée there.

 

[MooseBucks]

I think 2-3 ARD's would still be worth it. You can look at the menus and see what you could pick on the smaller side that could work for you and stay away from "family style" meals and buffets BUT ARD's are not a must

A few suggestions would be:
Via Napoli (you could share a pizza)
Be Our guest lunch
Sci-fi

good luck!

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

When I’m on vacation, I’d like 1-2 days at least of service where I am waited on. If I were waiting in lines , looking for tables, and bringing food back on a plastic tray for EVERY meal while on vacation, I would personally get sick of that and want just a more relaxing meal opportunity at some point.

 

[SteveH]

@Madeleinebelle welcome!
Only you know what is best for your situation. I would encourage you to look at the online menus and see if there are some smaller items that might interst you. Keep in mind that Disney is very good about accommodating dietary restrictions. There are some places around WDW that do offer a Small Plates menu that might appeal to you; Nomad Lounge and Yak & Yeti in AK, Spice Road in Epcot, Appetizers at Coral Reef and San Angel Inn Restaurante, plus some great places at Disney Springs. My wife and I are working on our plans in our case we're looking at doing some sharing as portion sizes at Disney are often large and we don't want to waste food or money.

 

[xlsm]

You should be able to find reservations during your trip, if you don't book ahead of time. I had our New Year's Eve trip all planned out, and once we got there, we ended up cancelling almost all of our planned ADRs for the week and changing to something else the night before.

I can't handle quick service for more than a couple of days before I need sit down meal and some good food. Sometimes a nice sit down meal can give your day a boost, just by getting a chance to relax and let someone else bring you food and drinks! And if it's your husband's first trip, he might need those breaks from time to time.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Another option are the lounges, you don't need an adr and they often have some nice small plate/appetizer options.

 

[Disneylover99]

I don't think you'll regret not having an ADR. But if you decide the day before or day of that you want one, check the app. There's usually decent availability for a number of restaurants.

 

[DeanDoug]

Firstly, don't worry- you'll be at Disney!
Next, like others have said, browse the menus. You don't need to order a huge meal... In fact, there are some Disney restaurants that cater to "tapas." Spice Road table in Epcot comes to mind. If that is the case, you may want to book an ADR or so (which can be cancelled).
At any rate, if the ADRs will stress you out, go with the flow when you are there... if you don't have grand expectations on where you NEED to eat, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

 

[tbholc81]

I also have had Gi issues and while on a trip to Disney I find that TS to be "easier" on my stomach than QS. I can only take so much of the typical quick service type meals. With that being said there are a lot of QS places where you can get some blander easily digested foods, but I find that picking out places ahead of time helps me prepare prior meals. So in other words if I know what I'm planning on eating for dinner, I can be pickier/ eat lighter for breakfast and lunch.

 

[kiford]

I find a lot of the QS places to have mediocre (to say the least) food. Also tends to be more greasy and carb-laden. This is not true of all places - some have nice salads or reasonably well-balanced, healthy(ier) and/or smaller entrees - but you have to check them out in advance or that's what you get left with. Check out the menus ahead of time and know where to go and not to go. I often have only 1-2 appetizers instead of entrees just because they appeal to me more than a large entree.

 

[Pmlocke]

I like ADR's because I like to be sure that I have a place to sit down and enjoy a good meal. When it is busy in the parks, trying to find a nice place to sit and eat is hard without an ADR. This is where pre-planning comes into play. Look up the locations and review their menus. See if they have something that will fit your needs. If not, there are plenty more places in WDW to check out. You can always try using the hotel concierge in the morning to see if there are any openings for that day if you are having problems getting your ADR's right now. I have always been able to secure a table using the concierge. Good luck and enjoy your stay.

 

[Oneanne]

Not having ADRs really isn't an issue, I typically pre-book only a couple then play it by ear. As PPs have mentioned, the lounges are a good option for better quality lite-bites. During my December trip I ate at the bar at Flying Fish twice, which was walk-up with no wait both times. I chose off of the appetizer menu and had some of the best food I've ever had.

 

[sponica]

There's no rule that says you have to have entrees at a table service restaurant, well i guess if you're on the dining plan there are rules, but if you're paying cash for everything just order what you want to eat.

Table service is a nice break from the heat and provides time to relax. While I understand people who are all park all the time (I used to be one of them) but now that we've settled into a routine of going every couple of years, I don't NEED to go go go all the time when I'm down there.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

We aren’t doing many ADR’s this trip either. I did snag 2 BOG lunch ADR’s because it’s about the same price as QS and it is nice to sit down occasionally. But other than those, we’ve decided not to spend the time or money on sit down restaraunts this trip. My kids, honestly don’t care. BF and I are planning a trip next year with my oldest and we will probably do a dining plan that trip. But we are also planning on eating outside of the park a few times as well because there are several regional restaurants in Orlando that my family likes.

 

[StageTek]

It’s my husband’s first Disney trio and I want to be memorable but the thought of sitting down and worried a entree then getting sick is a worry. Am I thinking about this too much?

Nope. You're fine.

WDW regulars have special restaurants they love; read the posts here and you'll see people say their trip is ruined because they can't get a reservation to a fav restaurant or because a fav dish at a fav restaurant is changed.

Is there a restaurant that your husband would really like? Maybe get an ADR for that one and you can order only a side dish or an appitizer or salad. But since it's his first trip he won't feel he's missing something.

Think about Liberty Tree. It'll be expensive to get the Patriot's Platter for both of you, but then you can eat only what you want.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

For a party of two I don't think you'll regret it. Same day ADR's are easy to come by. We were at Disney for 10 days and 90% of our ADRs were made the same day. Everything from BOG to Ohana to CRT opened up on any given day. If there is something you MUST DO then make that ADR. We did that with BOG and HDDR. Everything else was on the fly.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You'll be fine. We regularly go without ADR's or very few. If you want a sit-down meal, simply go on the MDE app and see what's available. Though you may not get hard-to-get restaurants (though you may be surprised!), there is always something available and, if not, there are always snack carts/kiosks and QS. There are some very good QS with smaller portions in WDW, particularly in EP and the resorts, IMHO. I was just in EP last week and was starving when I got off Soarin' so I got a small grab and go Mediterranean salad with a whole wheat croissant at Sunshine Seasons. It was delicious, quick and very affordable (the salad was about $10!). You can also mobile order for most QS. You will save time and money and, hopefully, won't get sick if you go this route.

If you do feel like doing a sit-down, you can also share meals if that would work better for you. There are also some restaurants with great apps or small plates (Skippers in MK and Spice Road Table in EP come to mind) that can serve as a meal. I would not sweat the ADRs!

 

[Captain Kittens]

To save any disappointed I would look through the menus of restaurants and make a couple ADRs. Quick service is good when you are on the go but lets be real, its not that good in terms of quality. If you are going to WDW you deserve to treat yourself to a decent sit-down meal. Every experience is different but I would NOT wait until the last min or day of or day before, etc to start looking. Every time I have gone to WDW and look for ADR's the week of, 99% of them are GONE. This will be a huge bummer if you see a restaurant you want to try but cant get in.

It wont cost you anything to make a few ADRs now and cancel them in the future if you deem you dont want to go through with it.

 

[MomOTwins]

To save any disappointed I would look through the menus of restaurants and make a couple ADRs. Quick service is good when you are on the go but lets be real, its not that good in terms of quality. If you are going to WDW you deserve to treat yourself to a decent sit-down meal. Every experience is different but I would NOT wait until the last min or day of or day before, etc to start looking. Every time I have gone to WDW and look for ADR's the week of, 99% of them are GONE. This will be a huge bummer if you see a restaurant you want to try but cant get in.

It wont cost you anything to make a few ADRs now and cancel them in the future if you deem you dont want to go through with it.

The trick is to wait until around 10pm the night before. People cancel to avoid the cancellation charge. Night before there is tons of availability