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Disney ADRs – are you a fan or a foe?
© Copyright 2010 Tink *~*~*
Let’s talk about one of my “favorite” (NOT) Disney subjects – ADRs! For those who are acronyminally challenged (like me!), this means “Advanced Dining Reservations”. I would agree that one should expect crowds during a holiday and therefore it would be prudent to secure reservations for sit-down dining well in advance. However, I think Disney manufactures a certain level of hysteria surrounding sit-down dining by making 180-days-out reservations available all the time, even for non-holidays.
Think about it. A hundred and eighty days in advance is six whole months – half a year! – prior to the day you’d like to dine. Some people don’t even know they are going to Disney yet at 180 days out. Not everyone plans a Disney vacation that far in advance. Even 90 days – 3 months – is a bit much for my taste. It’s too rigid – where is the ability to be flexible, to change one’s mind in all of this? To be fair, probably the reason I don’t plan that far out is because I am a Florida resident; while it’s still an overnight car trip for me, I don’t have to make plane reservations and save up to pay for them, etc. But to be equally fair, this means that the 180-days-out practice for dining reservations discriminates against Florida residents who want to just hop in the car and go when the mood strikes them. It’s even worse for the true locals – those who live in Orlando, Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee and the surrounding area who can literally be at the restaurant in minutes, if only there were tables to be had!
I know this is a radical concept, even more radical than flexibility, but I would like the luxury of being a bit spontaneous sometimes – let’s see, what cuisine am I in the mood for today? However, by allowing reservations so ridiculously far in advance, Disney has made people anxious enough to take them up on it, and spontaneity flies out the window. This results in a lot of “I’m sorry, we’re totally booked for the entire week” should you not get through to WDW-DINE precisely at 7:00 AM 180 days prior to your meal. While there are allegedly a certain number of seats per meal set aside for “walk-ups”, my personal experience indicates it is a rarity to be seated this way. If it happens and you mention it to regular Disney-goers, they will stare at you in awe and maybe want to reverently touch your hem or kiss your ring to rub off some of your mojo.
From my point of view, the availability of sit-down dining reservations half a year in advance is NOT a valuable service for all guests. While it may be comforting to some, it’s also stressful and sometimes disappointing to others. It’s a method of creating near-panic that results in guaranteed butts-in-seats revenue for Disney’s sit-down dining establishments. Can you say “ka-CHING! $$$”?
The preceding rant was inspired by a story at The Daily Disney, an Orlando Sentinel blog. You can read the story at the link below. Note how the headline admonishes that you’ll “miss out” if you don’t make ADRs – even the media is encouraging hysteria!
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Tink’s *~*~* Links: flash mobs, family and a fun new show!
© Copyright 2010 Tink *~*~*
Disney flash mobs in our future, maybe?
The Daily Disney reports on the grand opening festivities of D Street, a new merchandise store in Downtown Disney, Orlando. More intriguing to me than the “dominant presence” of Vinymation figures (I may never “get” Vinylmation…) is the somewhat flash-mob-ish live entertainment. Dewayne Bevil reports, “What I really liked about this entertainment was the surprise incorporation of dancers dressed as everyday cast members. The guy in the back looked like one of Disney World’s street sweepers.”
I don’t know about you, but I think I would really like to be walking down Main Street and suddenly find myself in the middle of an unexpected flash mob. As long as they did it randomly (no schedules with people sitting on the curbs waiting) and not too often, I think it would be a cool bit of serendipity to happen upon.
Places I can think of where this would be really cool:
- EPCOT – flash mob takes over the fountain plaza in Future World.
- MAGIC KINGDOM – the obvious places are the hub or the town square at the entrance, but I think it would be kind of cool to use that area where the sky ride used to queue up – make it useful for something besides stroller parking. The “mob” could crawl all over that little hill, adding a height dimension to the act.
- ANIMAL KINGDOM – problematic due to the narrow trails in this park. The only place I can see this happening without running into big crowds is basically the whole of Camp Minnie Mickey.
- HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – obvious places are along Hollywood Blvd and all around the Big-Ass Hat. Streets of America would be good, too – LOTS of space back there. But the PERFECT place for this activity is actually the Animation Courtyard. It’s a wide open area, and you could have extras pour out of Mermaid and/or Playhouse Disney. OK, even though Studios is my least favorite of all the Disney parks, it is now my favorite site for a potential flash mob.
Yes. I know. Disney should hire me as an entertainment Imagineer. Are you listening, Mouse?
READER MAIL: Questions about Ohana and the Polynesian
“Ohana” means “family” – and “family” means no one gets left behind or forgotten.
I got a message on Facebook from a friend and fellow blogger -
“Have you ever eaten at Ohana at the Polynesian? How is it? I tried making reservations online but they say they don’t have any! So I think I’ll call but wanted your opinion.”
My reply:
Ohana is very popular. Keep calling – sometimes people cancel just before the window (I can’t remember – it’s 7 days I think or you forfeit the deposit – I think. Ask when you call!).
The food is good and the entertainment is fun, but it is really geared toward families with children little enough to want to get up and play all the games. Also it is a LOT of food – it’s one of those places where they would put an entire cow on your plate if you let them.
What I like best about eating at Ohana is having a fruity cocktail in the Tambu Lounge beforehand and going out to the pool bar afterward for a nightcap. In the Tambu Lounge, they serve drinks in “the glass that looks back at you”. At the pool, they tend to pipe in the music from Wishes and you get to see it from the Polynesian’s beach.
Got a question you think I know the answer to? Leave a comment or E-mail Me!
World of Color debuts at Disneyland June 11th
While I was at Walt Disney World last weekend, I noticed that much of the merchandise in the shops, both inside the parks as well as at Downtown Disney, was drenched in color. Splashes of bright, nearly-neon color were everywhere. It was as though a box of Crayola Day-Glo threw up all over The World (ewww!). OK, bad analogy for something I actually liked, but you get the idea, right?
Now that I’ve seen the video below, I’m thinking perhaps it’s intentional, to celebrate the opening on June 11th 2010 of World of Color, a new multi-media night time show that will apparently make its home at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Watch this:
[Subscribers: if you do not see a video just below this sentence, then click through to the blog HERE]
That’s it for TINK’S *~*~* LINKS this week – hope you’ve enjoyed
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Pina Colada French toast at the Sanibel Cafe – WOW
This is REALLY good!
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Brunch on Sanibel Island
Entertaining a friend visiting from NY this weekend – we’re at the Sanibel Cafe for lunch!
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Help decide! Dinner candidates Boardwalk and Epcot Resorts
There is a pic attached with the "short list"… Meeting up with friends who are running in the Princess Marathon in March. Looking to dine out near EPCOT on the Friday before. Please help decide!
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Subject: Help decide! Dinner candidates Boardwalk and Epcot Resorts
Mobile Blogging from Walt Disney World this weekend!
Yep, I’m going to Disney World on Friday – right after work, I’ll head over to the “pearly gates” ºoº .•:*¨¨*:•. ºoº and meet up with some friends at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s new restaurant, Sanaa. Can’t wait to see everyone! Just scroll down past this post to see all the LIVE mobile blogging that will happen Saturday and Sunday. See ya real soon!
Our lovely model Lara…
…displays the mystery dough. Tastes like something fried dipped in sugar
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Dessert at Paradiso 37
Churro thingies with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces
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