Where are your ADRs?

[danyoung]

5/5-DFF4 ended up making reservations for Plaza Inn for lunch. Although we had an excessive wait for our table the food was good. The service was mediocre. It was nice of the hostess to give us an instant FP for any attraction to compensate for our wait. DH and I split the vegetarian sandwich and the ruben. I ordered their homemade chips as my side, remembering how much I liked them last time.

I just found out that the Plaza Inn existed. Of course I'd heard the name before, but I thought it was one of the quickie ice cream places on Main Street. I've walked right by the Plaza a dozen times and never even noticed it before. Lunch there was also a rueben with the homemade chips - very tasty. I had kind of a long wait, but it was out on Main Street with a Castle show going on and lots of great people watching, so I didn't mind it at all.

[fairestoneofall]

We found it on our last trip and really enjoyed it then. We also watched the castle show while waiting, but it was a little excessive. What day did you eat there? I swear, we must have crossed paths a dozen times over the course of our trip and not even known it. I was following your TR and kept saying...."hey, we were there, too!"

[3Princesses1Prince]

Thanks for reporting back fairest and DFF4.

[Silvercat]

Reached my 180 day window yesterday, and due to staying at OKW for 2 weeks in November I was able to book for the next 10 days too! I got all the ADRs I was looking for, and at virtually the times I wanted too, all done online. Sigh. Very happy bunny.

Thanks to the free dining plan, we are trying restaurants we have never eaten at before - we usually stick to the Electric Umberella, Caseys, Cosmic Rays etc., as at least we know that we will like the food there. However, with the free dining plan, we can try lots of new places as if we really don't like a restaurant or the food, at least we haven't forked out lots of dollars for it!!

So - we are eating at Trail's End, Garden Grill, Crystal Palace, Hollywood Brown Derby, Planet Hollywood, 50's Prime Time Cafe, and a second stab at Trail's End - we have eaten there once before and loved it. We have also done Planet Hollywood before and loved it, but everywhere else is new.

In the next couple of days, I can finish off the bookings with (hopefully) Tony's Town Square and Le Cellier.

We are soooooooo excited to be doing something new like this!!

[danyoung]

What day did you eat there?

I was at the Plaza Inn on Monday afternoon at around 1:15pm. Sorry we kept crossing paths and never connecting!

[danyoung]

So - we are eating at ... Hollywood Brown Derby ... In the next couple of days, I can finish off the bookings with (hopefully) Tony's Town Square and Le Cellier.

Keep in mind that both the Brown Derby and Le Cellier are 2 credit restuarants, meaning that you'll have to spend out of pocket for at least a couple of meals this trip.

[fairestoneofall]

I was at the Plaza Inn on Monday afternoon at around 1:15pm. Sorry we kept crossing paths and never connecting!

Ah, we were there Thursday for lunch at noon.
I'm sure if I knew who I was looking for I would have seen you.

[danyoung]

Well, here I am in all my stunning glory!!!

[TinaMouse]

Totally off-topic, but I love the action/work shot, Dan!!!

[Silvercat]

Keep in mind that both the Brown Derby and Le Cellier are 2 credit restuarants, meaning that you'll have to spend out of pocket for at least a couple of meals this trip.

Ah, I have this covered! One of the days we are having a shopping day followed by the Very Merry Christmas party, (already got tickets for this), so we will just have a QS on this day and then buy another meal or replace it with free cookies, this saves us one extra TS for the Brown Derby. Then the Le Cellier part is hopefully being covered by having lunch there, which is only 1 TS at the moment. There is another day when we are eating at Akershus for breakfast, and Biergarten for dinner - again, requiring 2 x TS in one day. Solution? Another day we are heading out to the beach in the daytime and then eating at the Pepper Market in the evening - 1 meal bought and a second on the QS, thereby saving yet another day's TS credit.

Thanks for the heads up though.

You should see my spreadsheet!!

[tappenfeat]

A friend of mine is headed to WDW this upcoming week. She made early ressies at EPCOT's Akershus at 8:10 am. She asked me how she could get in the park so early...I told her if she made the ressies thru WDW (which she did), then go to the turnstiles and show her reservation confirmation number and she should get in. They are taking their little one for the first time to WDW, I'm so excited for them!!!

[fairestoneofall]

A friend of mine is headed to WDW this upcoming week. She made early ressies at EPCOT's Akershus at 8:10 am. She asked me how she could get in the park so early...I told her if she made the ressies thru WDW (which she did), then go to the turnstiles and show her reservation confirmation number and she should get in. They are taking their little one for the first time to WDW, I'm so excited for them!!!

Last week the parks had a special turnstile for people with reservations before park opening.

[danyoung]

Totally off-topic, but I love the action/work shot, Dan!!!

Thanks. I just slammed through the pics I had here at work and found that one. I don't have a whole lot of smiling-at-the-camera pics - that's one of the few bad things about vacationing solo!

And Silvercat, it sounds like you've got everything under control!!!

[tappenfeat]

Thanks for the info on the turnstiles...I will let her know. And...it's a Dan sighting!!!! yeah!!!

[danyoung]

I told her if she made the ressies thru WDW (which she did), then go to the turnstiles and show her reservation confirmation number and she should get in.

While it probably wouldn't hurt for her to have the printout, it's not really necessary. They have a turnstile at each early opening park set aside for early dining folks. Sometimes they check your name off of their list, and sometimes they just let you on in without checking anything.

[fairestoneofall]

We didn't have a print out of anything when we checked in for our breakfast reservation that was before park opening. We just told them our name and the number in our party.

[Silvercat]

And Silvercat, it sounds like you've got everything under control!!!

Oh yeah! Finalised with Tony's Town Square yesterday, and then today - deep breath - I GOT LE CELLIER!! FOR THE DATE AND TIME I WANTED!! Thursday 17 November at 12.15 p.m. - for lunch, obviously. Who's the daddy???!!!

I set up the online dining page with all my details, and then at EXACTLY 11.00 a.m. (UK time) I pressed 'make reservation'. I got exactly what I asked for. *sigh* Good job the boss wasn't watching me at the time!!

I'd better be impressed with this place, after all this worry and effort ......

[tappenfeat]

Congrats Silvercat for getting the ressies you wanted! I'm sure you will enjoy Le Cellier.

And thanks Dan! I passed the word along to my friend. She really appreciated that info!

[tinkaparis]

Going in late August and finally started making ressies;

Lunch at Rose and Crown, Chefs de France, Raglan Road, Biergarten

Dinner at Boma

Breakfast at Kona Cafe (this will be solo and hopefully a better experience than going solo to the Crystal Palace for breakfast where everyone aksed me if I was alone 1,000 times and then made me feel weird...similar to Dan's experience).

Also, we have no discounts for this reservation...maybe we waited too long to book it, but we don't even have a room discount.
We have tried; AAA, some disney agencies etc... no pins in emails nothing. Anyone have any advice? It really sucks to have to pay rack rate and not even get free dining

[kiki]

Technically not an ADR but we just booked the Safari Celebration Dinner!!!!! Its gonna be a surprise for all the kids!!

[Silvercat]

Interestingly, I tried to book for T-Rex today (I know it's not on the dining plan, but is where we want to finish our holiday) and I can't get anything for lunch, even though it is just within my 180+10 day window. Any ideas why? Is it because it is not Disney, and therefore needs to be exactly 180 days and not the +10?

[wishiwasthere]

Also, we have no discounts for this reservation...maybe we waited too long to book it, but we don't even have a room discount.
We have tried; AAA, some disney agencies etc... no pins in emails nothing. Anyone have any advice? It really sucks to have to pay rack rate and not even get free dining

You might want to try making a new thread, but the free dining plan that is out right now doesn't apply to you?

[3Princesses1Prince]

Silvercat, TRex only puts a small amount on their tables I'm Disney's system. Call the restaurant directly for more availability.

[mxrapu]

Going in late August and finally started making ressies;

Also, we have no discounts for this reservation...maybe we waited too long to book it, but we don't even have a room discount.
We have tried; AAA, some disney agencies etc... no pins in emails nothing. Anyone have any advice? It really sucks to have to pay rack rate and not even get free dining

Sounds like you missed the discounts. We're going the last week in August and got a room discount, but reservations had to be made by (I think) mid March. Maybe try Travelocity or Expedia?

[TinaMouse]

Going in late August and finally started making ressies;

Lunch at Rose and Crown, Chefs de France, Raglan Road, Biergarten

Dinner at Boma

Breakfast at Kona Cafe (this will be solo and hopefully a better experience than going solo to the Crystal Palace for breakfast where everyone aksed me if I was alone 1,000 times and then made me feel weird...similar to Dan's experience).

Also, we have no discounts for this reservation...maybe we waited too long to book it, but we don't even have a room discount.
We have tried; AAA, some disney agencies etc... no pins in emails nothing. Anyone have any advice? It really sucks to have to pay rack rate and not even get free dining

Ooh, that does suck! They only have so many packages at those "special" rates and once they're gone, they're gone. You never know about people cancelling, though. Maybe try back again right around that 45 day mark when all of their money has to be in?