What Does ADR Stand For, and Why Does It Matter in Disney World?

If you’re planning a Disney World trip, chances are you’ve come across the acronym “ADR”. We’re letting you know all about it!

To put it simply, ADR stands for Advance Dining Reservations — and good luck dining at popular restaurants without using this system. If you’re a newbie when it comes to ADR, you’ve come to the right place! We have YEARS of experience and can let you in on everything you need to know!

ADR is essentially a computerized dining reservation system that manages restaurant seating flow at Disney World. The demand for some Disney World locations is so high that without an ADR, it’s impossible to guarantee dining at your favorite restaurants.

Anyone can make a Disney dining reservation. You don’t need to be a hotel guest or have park tickets to do so (unless you’re dining INSIDE the parks, of course). The simplest way to make an ADR is to log into the My Disney Experience website or app.

For the website:

• Click on Things to Do
• Scroll down to Make Reservations under the “Dining” section
• Select your location, date, time, and party size.

For the app:

• Tap the plus sign at the bottom of your screen
• Tap Check Dining Availability
• Select your party size, date, time, and location

If you’re staying on a concierge floor at a Disney World hotel, the concierge can make an Advance Reservation for you. Once you have your hotel confirmation number, ask for Itinerary Planning to contact you and they can make the reservation.

Some Disney World restaurants (mostly in Disney Springs) are available to book via OpenTable.com. Unlike Disney reservations, OpenTable lets you cancel on the day of without penalty (more on that in a second).

ADR can be done 60 days out before your trip, and while they may seem like way too early to decide where you want to eat, you can get left in the dust if you don’t take advantage of this window. When it comes to Disney dining, you might have a good chunk of your meals planned out 2 months before you’re even in Florida.

The online system opens at approximately 5:45 AM ET, and 407-WDW-DINE opens at 7 AM ET.

Alright, now back to that bit about the penalties. You will need to enter your credit card information to hold your ADR — but it’ll only be charged for a no-show or if you do not cancel at least two hours ahead of your reservation at most restaurants.

If your reservation is before the park opens, check with your resort to see when transportation to the park begins, and then find a Cast Member holding a sign for Advance Dining Reservations (usually on the far left of the entrance). If there isn’t one, speak to a Cast Member and let them know that you have an ADR for your meal.

As we previously mentioned, restaurants offering advance reservations do not allow modifications within two hours of the reservation time. Most have a cancellation/no-show fee per person if you fail to modify your reservation, as well. These prices can vary (usually $10 per person for average restaurants), but some signature dining experience fees can be triple digits per person — so modify your reservations if you can.

Cancelations can be accepted by calling 407-WDW-CNCL, going through the My Disney Experience website or app, or at Guest Relations in the parks and hotels.

Some special dining experiences have a pre-paid policy. Guests who booked those meals have one day to cancel for a full refund.

We’ve beaten home how hard it can be to visit your favorite restaurants without ADR. However, if at first you don’t succeed in getting your preferred reservation, we recommend trying again. Cancelations happen all the time, so check online before and during your trip. The My Disney Experience app can give up-to-date results on ADR availability. When in doubt, you can always walk up to the restaurant and ask about walk-in availability.

Honestly, becoming an ADR expert takes a lot of practice and time (trust us). That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help ya out with the ins and outs of ADR, as well as the specifics on how ADR works at super in-demand restaurants! Check it out below and continue to follow us here at AllEars for all kinds of Disney World tips, tricks, updates, and more!

CLICK HERE to Learn All About Disney World ADR!

Have you used Disney World’s ADR system before? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below!

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