Hi All ! With the holidays fast approaching i felt the sudden need to share some advice i learned the hard way. Now realize i'm a seasoned Disney Vet and you would think this would have occurred to me. . .but oh well.

So if you are going to disney around the week of christmas and new years. . . MAKE AS MANY ADRS AS YOU CAN!!!! My fiance (as of that New Years Eve! :P) and I didn't have ANYWHERE to eat on the night before NYE (literally). Thank fully we were staying in fort wilderness and stopped in at the trading post and picked up a pizza to nuke in our kitchen. . . but otherwise. . there was literally nothing most of that week open.

I had thought i had made all the ADR's i had needed (big shows , more popular locals - ie Italy , Canada, etc) but i learned the hard way that unless you're okay with snaking instead of a meal, you may be SOL if you don't have ADR's set up .

SO - Try to make at LEAST dinner ADR's in advance and perhaps lunch ones at least a day ahead? (esp if there will be rain b/c then everyone wants to eat lunch indoors! )

I hope this helps someone! :) Good luck! Dreams do really come true in Disney!

Hi All ! With the holidays fast approaching i felt the sudden need to share some advice i learned the hard way. Now realize i'm a seasoned Disney Vet and you would think this would have occurred to me. . .but oh well.

So if you are going to disney around the week of christmas and new years. . . MAKE AS MANY ADRS AS YOU CAN!!!! My fiance (as of that New Years Eve! :P) and I didn't have ANYWHERE to eat on the night before NYE (literally). Thank fully we were staying in fort wilderness and stopped in at the trading post and picked up a pizza to nuke in our kitchen. . . but otherwise. . there was literally nothing most of that week open.

I had thought i had made all the ADR's i had needed (big shows , more popular locals - ie Italy , Canada, etc) but i learned the hard way that unless you're okay with snaking instead of a meal, you may be SOL if you don't have ADR's set up .

SO - Try to make at LEAST dinner ADR's in advance and perhaps lunch ones at least a day ahead? (esp if there will be rain b/c then everyone wants to eat lunch indoors! )

I hope this helps someone! :) Good luck! Dreams do really come true in Disney!

And making ADRs at the 'World different then any other time? I suggest doing that whenever you go to the 'World.

My friends are leaving Dec 23 to go (staying offsite) but are hitting the parks and I warned them about crowds....she was like oh it wont be so bad ...they are jewish so their holiday will be over but for some just starting....:eek:

And making ADRs at the 'World different then any other time? I suggest doing that whenever you go to the 'World.

Yes its a good idea to always make them, but i know people like my future in laws hate having reserved times everyday because they like to kind of go with the flow of the day and hate having to rush home or out and about. . .

so as much as always having plans is good but its not always possible or best for everyone's situation. We didn't make them for everyday. . . and paid for it. I just wanted people to be aware of that. Most "normal" disney days, even in busy season, ive been able to get into A RESTAURANT. This day we couldn't and in all my 20 + years of visiting disney I had never experienced that. So i thought i'd share. . .

But from now on i will make more ADR's

Unfortunately the popularity of the Disney Dining Plan has made ADR's much more important than in the past. You'll find many times when there are no reservations available for a given day at any but the most mundane of WDW restaurants. It used to be that you could have pretty good luck on the same day, or even booking most of your meals a couple weeks out. Now you have to start calling 180 days in advance if you want decent times at the most popular of restaurants (Coral Reef, Le Cellier, California Grill, etc.). The DDP has make Disney a bucket load of money, but it's very much negatively impacted the dining process for the rest of us.

My friends are leaving Dec 23 to go (staying offsite) but are hitting the parks and I warned them about crowds....she was like oh it wont be so bad ...they are jewish so their holiday will be over but for some just starting....:eek:

What does the Jewish holiday have to do with the crowds at Christmas? If a non-American visits at Thanksgiving or Independence Day, they will face the same crowds in the parks, and the same booked restaurants as Americans who actually observe the holidays. Are you saying they should not mind the crowds, because many people are there for a holiday your friends don't observe? Crowds are crowds. As for the special stuff (which is mostly secular) that goes along with the holiday, they will appreciate it also. Last Thanksgiving we stopped at the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread House, and saw the Osbourne lights.

What does the Jewish holiday have to do with the crowds at Christmas? If a non-American visits at Thanksgiving or Independence Day, they will face the same crowds in the parks, and the same booked restaurants as Americans who actually observe the holidays. Are you saying they should not mind the crowds, because many people are there for a holiday your friends don't observe? Crowds are crowds. As for the special stuff (which is mostly secular) that goes along with the holiday, they will appreciate it also. Last Thanksgiving we stopped at the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread House, and saw the Osbourne lights.

I meant because their holiday ends she does not "feel" it could possibly be so busy..shes not rational lol..thinks theyll walk up and eat anywhere...

I meant because their holiday ends she does not "feel" it could possibly be so busy..shes not rational lol..thinks theyll walk up and eat anywhere...

Hannukkah, to Jews is not the same as Christmas is to Christians, in terms of having a lot of social activities. It's not a major holiday, like the High Holy Day season. There might be a family dinner, or a special event at the temple or synagogue, but it's not really ongoing throughout the holiday, except for lighting the candles every night (and a small present for the kids). I'm sure your friend fully understands that Christmas is a popular time, especially since she's paying higher hotel rates, and plane fares. Some people just don't see the need to make reservations, and, at WDW, especially at a peak time, they will be in for a rude awakening. A friend of mine went with friends of hers, from Florida, who insisted they did not need any dinner reservations. They waited for hours to eat, with young kids. It's a common mindset. I would encourage her to make at least one reservation per day, if they want to eat at any table service places.