Early vs late breakfast ADRs

[pennylane16]

Hello! We went to WDW in 2015, 2017, and planning to head back in August. And yet every time I go to plan a trip I feel like I am learning all over again! I am struggling with the idea of an early breakfast ADR so as to not have to worry about missing out on time in the parks mid morning vs doing rope drop and then doing a late breakfast res as a break? What's your preference? I know we did both in years past and I feel like every time I plan, the scheduling is trickier! Thanks

 

[cmorris303]

We prefer an early breakfast. It gets everyone up and out early, we eat, and then get into the parks early enough to ride a few rides standby without long lines. I start fastpasses for the more popular rides shortly after that. I've always had difficulty planning the later breakfast timing ahead of time. Sometimes we felt like we weren't ready to stop yet. We rope drop and do a later breakfast or early lunch when we are doing counter service so we can take the break exactly when we want to.

 

[Aj1129]

I have this same dilemma. I'm torn because of my 3 year old. At home he is usually up early, but at Disney he tends to sleep later and then wakes up very very hungry. We have snacks in the room to hold him over, but when I book a later breakfast it seems him and my DH get cranky. This year I'm trying earlier breakfasts to see how that works out. I'm sure everyone will be tired cranky instead of hungry cranky

 

[giovanni2231]

We prefer early breakfasts, especially when eating breakfasts in the parks (crystal palace, donalds safari, etc...). Think about this, getting an early start is a little cooler out, less crowded, can get you on some of the more popular rides without wasting a fastpass since you are there early and as parks open and you can have a much shorter wait time. sometimes even experience no wait. For years we eat at donalds safari and then go on Kilimanjaro safari without fastpassing it since breakfast is usually over around 915 - 930. When the kids were smaller we would go back to the room (or pool) to relax in the afternoon when the heat and crowds are at their peaks. Reservations are easier to get early morning as well when booking. We also by the Deluxe Dining, since we usually eat dinner at a signature restaurant that counts for 2 points. But what we would is alternate the days between breakfasts and lunches, no need for 3 meals per day. For example, we do Donald's Safari today for breakfast and then California Grill for dinner, then tomorrow do San Angel Inn for lunch at Epcot and Yachtsman Steakhouse for dinner. This way we use our 3 points daily, eat at really good restaurants for dinner and not everyday are we getting up early for breakfast. I know skipping breakfast when the kids are small is tough, we never did it, but many people buy cereal for the room for the kids on those non breakfast days. We would just get to the park and grab something light, like a croissant or something. Our lunches we usually schedule for around noon, so it really never a late lunch.

Also, when the kids got cranky, we had the stroller for them to pass out in. One of the keys for us was always a monorail hotel, so we didn't have to wake them up to transport them back to the hotel.

Lets face it, most of us need a vacation after a Disney trip... HAHA.... So, i would break it up based on some of the restaurants you want to include in your trip and do some breakfasts and some lunches which will allow you to plan in advance but also plan for a couple of sleep in days as well...

Good Luck!

 

[Alice121078]

Where is Donald’s Safari?

 

[giovanni2231]

Donalds Safari is a character breakfast at the tusker house in Animal Kingdom... Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy....

 

[10CJ]

It really just depends. I have done PPO ADRs that did give us a slight advantage. I don't have any planned for our upcoming trip. I do have a later Crystal Palace breakfast because that seemed to fit best into our schedule.

 

[giovanni2231]

Alice... One of the things you might want to explore is the Early Morning Magic's.... You can find them under the dining reservations on disney.com. They have 2, one is Disney Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland and the other Disney Early Morning Magic - Toy Story Land... These are paid reservations ($79 Adult, $69 Child under 9), not available everyday, but on select days get you get into the MK and Hollywood around 7:30AM. The MK you ride the rides in Fantasyland and in Hollywood you ride the rides in Toy Story Land. It also includes Breakfast. Although you cant use a dining plan to pay for this, if you are someone paying cash for you meals, this price is close the same price as some of the character breakfasts. Those run around $50 per person and you get early access to these popular park areas. Most people ride the rides from 7:30 until the park opens and the general public starts flooding those areas (about 9:00 - 9:30) then go grab the included breakfast before 10AM. It is a great way to start the day off early, get on popular rides such as Toy story Mania, Slinky Dog, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and if doing this in the summer, you may even be back at the pool before lunchtime if you make your fast passes from 10:00 to 1:00 for other rides in those parks not included in the early morning magic... Seems like these days, to get to ride these more popular rides, maybe even multiple times in one day, you need to explore these extra paid events. Making Fastpasses, even at the 60 day mark, just isn't cutting it...

 

[trubgerg]

I prefer an early breakfast that will allow for me to get to the park at opening or shortly after when I'm done eating. Since wait times are typically more reasonable earlier in the day I feel like it's a good idea to be going to attractions rather than eating once a park is open.

Of course, I typically visit the parks with my parents who are retired and we have a very different idea of what "early" means. A couple years ago I made a 7:45 AM reservation for breakfast at Whispering Canyon on Christmas Eve and my father's response to that was, "That's kind of late for breakfast, isn't it?"

 

[Nancyg56]

Of course, I typically visit the parks with my parents who are retired and we have a very different idea of what "early" means. A couple years ago I made a 7:45 AM reservation for breakfast at Whispering Canyon on Christmas Eve and my father's response to that was, "That's kind of late for breakfast, isn't it?"

LOL!!! I am still hearing my little family down the street whine about "Nana is up at 4:30 with the hair dryer blowing, Mama make her stop!!!" LOL! It was not that early, but I guess my idea of sleeping in and theirs was two different things! LOL!