Disney Dining Plan Induced Dementia?!

I suffer from DDPID™--Disney Dining Plan Induced Dementia.

I swear, I have never studied, calculated, scheduled, cancelled and stressed over reservations in Disney like I'm doing for our upcoming trip!

I just got off the phone with CRO (or more technically Dining, I suppose) where I cancelled one ADR, rescheduled another ADR and made TWO new ADR's! I am going to lose my mind before my vacation gets here!

One of the "new" ones I reserved is for Whispering Canyon Café...

At 9:20PM. :eek:

I'm wondering how long it will last before I panic and cancel it. Granted, it will be an "easy" day, we'll probably end up doing BB and miniature golf...and my boys are older so they should be able to hold out...but I know my DH is going to give me that "look" when I tell him... :headache:

Anyone else suffering along with me? :angel:

Ah, the love/hate relationship that we all have with ADRs. LOL!

How I love DDP! I am already planning our meals for a year and a half away. And I have heard they could cancel it and we wouldn't have DDP then! What would I do? The DDp is one of the pros I use to convince my husband when I talk about buying DVC, knowing it could go away at any time. :) He would be so sad.

Gosh, this is why I could never do the dining plan, lol! We've never even done a character meal because I can't narrow down a day, time, and place, lol!

My dad just called me and wants to treat the family to a character meal if we can get an ADR on such short notice. Problem is, I can't seem to pick a day and time! Like, if we are out late watching a night show, I don't want to have to wake the kids up early to go to breakfast. Or, if we are planning a park day, I hate missing the empty early no-lines-for-rides park hours to eat breakfast. Oh what to do.

I can't even imagine what you guys all go through to plan out each and every meal! I definitely feel for you. I'm almost embarrassed to tell people that I have never done a sit-down meal and I've been to disney over fifteen times, lol!

Now, if I can't pick a day and time for a character breakfast for our August trip, it looks like I am destined to remain a character meal virgin!

Good luck with your dining plans!!

Debbie, we ALWAYS do a character breakfast the first full day we're in Disney. Usually we aim for an early time (7-8-ish) and it's the PERFECT way to start a Disney vacation!

Now, I'm trying to branch out of the ADR's that we always make and try something new. There are a few restaurants that we love and we can't bear not to eat there while we're in Disney.

This time we're trying Marrakesh, WCC, and LTT. Everything else is a repeat of those tried and true menus!

It's insanity, I tell ya! Insanity!!

Oh yes! It's quite an obession of mine too. I'm surprised I haven't changed my last couple that I changed at the beginning of July. I think I'm quite content w/my choices right now....right now...no really I'm ok with them! :0)

Kitty-We always make LTT our first night's ADR. We like it there. Hopefully you will too!!

I swore to DH that this would be the last time I changed our ADR's. Not that he cares, Disney vacation are his "non-thinking" vacations. :rolleyes:

I've read such good things about LTT that I thought I would try to score an ADR for the night of MNSSHP, thinking that NOTHING would be available. I was shocked when the CM said she had a opening at 7:50PM.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder what's happening at 7:50PM?! Will we be missing something important?! A parade?!

Oh geez...

We did a few ADR's in July. Rainforest Cafe, Sci Fi, Crystal palace, and Liberty Tree. We were there for 11 days. I stressed about these ADR's because - what if I planned them on the wrong day and we will be wanting to do something else. Well, it worked out well.

We will probably never do the dining plan because we tend to eat more counter service and also like to eat off property sometimes. I do not think it would be cost-effective. But if I was ROLLING in the dough, then I might do it. It would be fun to do a few more character meals, or nicer type restaurants. Of course then I would be like you all in trying to plan them. I had a hard enough time with the 4 that I made!

Angela

I am somewhat obsessive about my ADRs as well. I consult TGM well in advance of the 180 day mark. I pick our park days (which of course are always subject to change ;) ) and then pick what ADRs we want. I'm on the phone at 7am on that 180 day mark with ADR list in hand. Then I end up changing it 6 or 7 times of the course of the next 6 months :rotfl: Right now I have a 7:00pm ADR for 'Ohana on our first night. Well I just realized it is a Spectro night and we have never seen Spectro (believe it or not!) I tried to get a new ADR but they only had 9:40pm. There is no way me, my mom and my 2 boys will be able to make that especially since we start our day with a 7:30am flight!

I both love and despise Disney ADR system. It is great to get to eat at some fantastic restaurants but how really knows where they want to eat 6 months in advance :confused: I am helping a Disney newbie at work plan his December trip. We are working on ADRs right now and it is driving me nuts! I barely know where I want to eat let alone where he and his family want to eat!!!

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Originally Posted by llgray16

It is great to get to eat at some fantastic restaurants but how really knows where they want to eat 6 months in advance

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I do! I do! I do! :rotfl:

In fact there are so many great restaurants that I start a mental list even before we finish one trip for where to eat the next. LOL but I am a really obsessive planner and we love to eat at Disney!

I just finished (I think) my list of ADRs for January and plan to call for them today in fact. I just :heart: the :mickey: DDP!

KittyKat -- we ate at WCC for the first time last month and really enjoyed it. I am torn between going back there in January for DS and DH who haven't been there, or repeating 'Ohana which we all have been to and loved.

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Originally Posted by 3dog2kidmom

KittyKat -- we ate at WCC for the first time last month and really enjoyed it. I am torn between going back there in January for DS and DH who haven't been there, or repeating 'Ohana which we all have been to and loved.

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I had an ADR for Ohana for our last day (late breakfast) but ended up cancelling it because we're actually going to the parks before we leave. We've never eaten there and I really think if/when we do, I'd rather eat there for dinner rather than breakfast. I've read such good things about dinner--why waste it on a breakfast?! :rotfl:

So far we have ADR's at:

Chef Mickey's
Artist Point
Marrakesh
The Brown Derby
Sci Fi Drive In
Liberty Tree Tavern
Whispering Canyon Café

So technically I'm going to have to pay OOP for one of these unless I cancel it. :blush:

Too. Many. Decisions. :computer:

Oh I love LTT and Chef Mickeys. Definetly don't cancel either of those. I'm thinking you can get away with a cheap meal at Sci-Fi if you cut back or share. I haven't eaten there but I'm imagining a burger type joint.

Love your fitness tracker. You live much closer to POP than I!

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Originally Posted by m 'n c

Oh I love LTT and Chef Mickeys. Definetly don't cancel either of those. I'm thinking you can get away with a cheap meal at Sci-Fi if you cut back or share. I haven't eaten there but I'm imagining a burger type joint.

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That's a great idea, actually. That's probably the "cheapest" table service joint, I'm glad you said that. My brain would've never put it together otherwise--I've wasted too much brain power on figuring out WHERE to eat. :p

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Love your fitness tracker. You live much closer to POP than I!

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Thank you. :) I might live closer but you're still kicking my booty! I have to say that since I put my tracker on SR I'm more motivated to get on and ride at least once a day. The little tricks we instill to make us do things we should already be doing...;)

Definetly let me know how Sci-Fi is. I think I might make that one of our TS restaurants next trip since BF is on a zombie kick. It was star wars for a while so I got some DD for him to make his own light saber and now its zombies so I'm thinking Sci-Fi. Their menu should be on allearsnet.com to get a general price idea.

I sometimes feel like I'm cheating when I add in my bike miles since you can do so many more miles per bike ride but then I think a mile is a mile.

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Originally Posted by m 'n c

Definetly let me know how Sci-Fi is. I think I might make that one of our TS restaurants next trip since BF is on a zombie kick. It was star wars for a while so I got some DD for him to make his own light saber and now its zombies so I'm thinking Sci-Fi. Their menu should be on allearsnet.com to get a general price idea.

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We ate there last summer (June '06) for lunch and DH and the boys really liked it, hence the ADR for this trip. I can't remember what we ate (burgers and onion rings, I think??) but it was good. I'm pretty sure we had shakes, too, and IIRC they were awesome.

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I sometimes feel like I'm cheating when I add in my bike miles since you can do so many more miles per bike ride but then I think a mile is a mile.

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Then I probably shouldn't tell you that ALL of my miles are on the bike...:blush:

Sci-Fi is one of our favorites. The burgers and shakes are great. And they have the most wonderful hot fudge sundaes!:rotfl:
My lil guy loves to go there. And even if you go for dinner they will make the burgers, they are not on the dinner menu, but they do it for me everytime.
My mil got a steak this last trip and said it was great too!!!

Lydia

I'm happy to see so many people that like Sci Fi. This place gets such a bad rap(esp on the Dis) and I really don't understand it. I mean, the food there isn't 5 star, but you can still get a good meal. I think it is worth a trip just for the atmosphere. A lot of fun.

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Originally Posted by m 'n c

Definetly let me know how Sci-Fi is. I think I might make that one of our TS restaurants next trip since BF is on a zombie kick. It was star wars for a while so I got some DD for him to make his own light saber and now its zombies so I'm thinking Sci-Fi. Their menu should be on allearsnet.com to get a general price idea.

I sometimes feel like I'm cheating when I add in my bike miles since you can do so many more miles per bike ride but then I think a mile is a mile.

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We are planning on doing that on our trip to DTD too. My DS11 and DS7 are really excited about it, did you already do it? Was it fun and worth the $$?
:sunshine2:

Im driving my husband crazy by panning meals etc. He told me to not burn him out before we go to disneyland in November. I wish he could get as excited as I am. LOL

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Originally Posted by LuvMyBoys

We are planning on doing that on our trip to DTD too. My DS11 and DS7 are really excited about it, did you already do it? Was it fun and worth the $$?
:sunshine2:

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No. we aren't going until next year but I've already gotten the money set aside for doing the light saber.

Ooh! I love the DDP. I tend to plan early dinners for us. Works good as we get up early and do park openings (wherever Tour Guide Mike recommends because by lunch this means we've ridden pretty much every ride we're intersted in)...then when Cameron starts to get tired, we go back to the hotel for swimming/nap. Then we head to dinner and are out in time for the night shows and going back to any favorite rides. So we're commando in the mornings and then we come back for a leisurely dinner and park touring in the evenings...I do have a couple breakfasts planned for December, but I've splurged and we're there for 11 days....I figure we will have been to each park a couple times and it won't be as big a deal to be there at opening.

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Originally Posted by Kycha

I'm happy to see so many people that like Sci Fi. This place gets such a bad rap(esp on the Dis) and I really don't understand it. I mean, the food there isn't 5 star, but you can still get a good meal. I think it is worth a trip just for the atmosphere. A lot of fun.

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I agree. It is alot of fun. The food is average American fare. Do I crave it? No. But we do really enjoy sitting in those cars enjoying yummy milkshakes. I have heard some of the appetizers are kind of good. We have an ADR there for lunch one day in Sept. We likely won't use any of our credits and just split a thing or two and pay OOP.