Disney Dining Plan Induced Dementia?!

[Kittykat]

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.

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...

Anyone else suffering along with me?

[SunshineGirl]

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

[wilsonfamily4]

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.

[bartleby1]

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!!

[Kittykat]

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!!

[Magical JenK]

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!!

[Kittykat]

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.

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...

[linanglab]

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

[llgray16]

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 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 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!!!

[3dog2kidmom]

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

I do! I do! I do!

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 the 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.