To all DVC Members - Preference for ADRs Booking Window

[zulaya]

While I do agree that the 180 days did make for more availability to us planners, I think even 90 days is exorbitant to some extent.

Honestly, I'd really like it if I did not have to decide my exact dining schedule 90 days out.

The planner in me is screaming, but it's just becoming more and more of a pain to plan meals so far in advance.

I'd really prefer if we only had a 2 week window. Or at most, 30 days.

I think that really would cut down on all the double booking that is not legit. That is what I am sick of reading about. People who double book and then because they do it so far in advance, they either forget to call and cancel or they just don't care to cancel and no one who really wants that particular ADR can snag it.

 

[M5ward]

I voted for the 180 day window. I plan my trips anywhere from seven to eleven months in advance which is usually prior to Disney announcing any promotions. I don't like having to compete for ADRs during a free dining promo when I have been ready to make reservations well before the 90th day. I prefer to plan my park time around my ADRs.
I would even be happy with a 120 day window...just don't like having to join in the frenzy that some of the promotions seem to provoke.
I'd also be in favor of requiring credit cards to guarantee ADRs at TS restaurants which would cut down on double booking.

 

[BeccaG]

So I voted neither. As much as I am a planner, I kinda like not having the pressure to decide where I want to eat so far in advance. On vacation, I like to go with the flow more, and it seems the park commandos (which is not a knock since that is how I use to vacation) benefit with the 90 or 180 day windows. So while I normally am a planner, and I have no problem with the booking windows either way . there is a part of me that wishes it was even shorter and that they held some seats for those who wanted to make ressies while they were there. . which is what I did on my honeymoon. . .Call it one of the positive ways my husband has changed me.

 

[crisi]

I voted 90, but really don't care. I'm not someone who has ever had a disappointing vacation due to the lack of an ADR. At this point, we go to Disney often enough (and less than a lot of you) that we've done many of the things we want to do. I'm not someone who really cares for hassle. And if we end up eating at Yachtsman rather than Le Cellier or at Artist's Point instead of California Grill, not a big deal.

Frankly, I'm at Disney - most of the food has become a step above lousy - does it matter where I eat my not quite lousy food?

 

[Starr W.]

I don't know what I want to eat for dinner tomorrow let alone 60, 90 or 180 days out!

My preference is the current 90 days to co-ordinate the restaurants we would like to eat at with parks and their schedules.

However, I really would like to see it the way it was years ago when we would make our dinner reservations on the way into the park at stations set up specifically for that purpose.

, I sometimes have trouble with tonight's dinner, let alone 180 days out.

As long as it works with when the park schedules come out, I'm fine.

I don't feel my vacation is "ruined" if I don't get a particular ADR. I'll catch the place next trip.

My boys are a bit older and really have never cared that much for characters at there meals.

 

[yasuern]

Okay voted neither

Would probably prefer 90 days not 90 +10 because the DVC ressie doesn't show in the ADR,specialty cruises etc. reservations systems so DVCer can't use the +10 unless you call MS - which opens 2 hours after the regular reservations open - so if you are looking for a Fantasmic package others have had 2 hours to book for days throughout their whole vacation prior to DVCers being able to use this same option(the +10)


IMHO


Sue

 

[Inkmahm]

I voted for 90 days because I like to see the park hours schedule before I make my ADR's.

I liked the 180 days, especially when the park schedule WAS out by that point so I could check my choices against the schedule before making ADRs.

 

[gk90]

I voted for the 180 day window. I plan my trips anywhere from seven to eleven months in advance which is usually prior to Disney announcing any promotions. I don't like having to compete for ADRs during a free dining promo when I have been ready to make reservations well before the 90th day. I prefer to plan my park time around my ADRs.
I would even be happy with a 120 day window...just don't like having to join in the frenzy that some of the promotions seem to provoke.
I'd also be in favor of requiring credit cards to guarantee ADRs at TS restaurants which would cut down on double booking.

Totally agree! After spending hours on the phone 2 weeks ago because the 1st day of our stay happened to be the 1st day of Free Dining, I voted 180 days, but really, 120 or even 110 would be fine. All I want is a few days advantage--the telephone situation was truly horrendous 90 days out before Free Dining.

 

[epcotwanderer]

I don't know what I want to eat for dinner tomorrow let alone 60, 90 or 180 days out!

My preference is the current 90 days to co-ordinate the restaurants we would like to eat at with parks and their schedules.

However, I really would like to see it the way it was years ago when we would make our dinner reservations on the way into the park at stations set up specifically for that purpose.

You and I both!

 

[Laurabearz]

I remember the days of being in line for splash mountain in the morning and being able to call disney dining and have a selection of places you could dine for lunch.

Then free dinning and the dining plan bleh

PS's were forever 90 days then they changed them to 180 out which was good if you wanted a hard to get restaurant, but bad if you cared about park hours.

Honestly for our upcoming vacation I only made two ADR's for the 9 day trip.

 

[Elise79]

I voted 180 days - I liked that

I also noticed a lot of people saying they want 90 days so they park info but didn't Disney used to release hours at 180 days too? I am sure when I was booking my September 2007 ADR's at 180 days that I had park hours too.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I voted 180 days - I liked that

I also noticed a lot of people saying they want 90 days so they park info but didn't Disney used to release hours at 180 days too? I am sure when I was booking my September 2007 ADR's at 180 days that I had park hours too.

I know that Disney did have park hours out at the 180 day mark in '05 and '07 when we were there. Getting ADRs at 180 days, or even 120 days was not really a problem.

I do remember years ago, there being kiosk at Epcot that would allow you to make lunch/dinner reservations as you came into the park in the morning. We only used that once or twice because we were young broke newlywed theme park commandos.

I really like that idea, or better yet...some kind of interactive reservation system inside our rooms, that would show what restaurants are available at what time. That way I could figure out where I want to go sometime during the trip, and be able to decide for myself if I'd rather go to Ohana at 9:30 or Whispering Canyon Cafe at 5:30.

 

[dvcdisney]

I also noticed a lot of people saying they want 90 days so they park info but didn't Disney used to release hours at 180 days too? I am sure when I was booking my September 2007 ADR's at 180 days that I had park hours too.

I also remember Disney also releasing the hours at 180 days also. I was always able to go over my ADRs with the Park hours before my 180 days window opened up.

 

[Anal Annie]

I despise being forced to make ADR's & I think 30 days out is too much let alone 180 so I voted in the minority of neither!! But 90 days is much more reasonable if there has to be one or the other. They don't even publish the park hours or Fantasmic dates beyond 90 days any more (it did used to be 6 months). How could you possibly plan when & where you'll be?

I was really frustrated planning for our trip in August - mostly because Free Dining coincidently starts on the day we go so I had to compete with all those people - I was on hold for 1 hr. & 48 minutes!! All the Fantasmic dates were booked already by the time I got thru with the exception of only one date, one time and one restaurant (3:40 in the afternoon at the Brown Derby). NOT what I was hoping for. They also now restrict you to one ressie per dining time slot per day. Even being the obsessive planner that I am I don't know when & where I'm going to be, so I still made 2 ressies for dinner at Tony's Town Square on 2 diff. days and 2 ressies for Tusker House lunch on 2 diff. days and San Angel Inn once for lunch & once for dinner on 2 diff. days simply because I don't know when & where I will be yet. So you've still got some of us who overbook just because it's the only way to be sure you'll have a ressie. I would much prefer to wait until we're there to have an opportunity to decide. I don't want to plan my park days around my meals. I should be able to plan my meals around my park time. JMO.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay voted neither

Would probably prefer 90 days not 90 +10 because the DVC ressie doesn't show in the ADR,specialty cruises etc. reservations systems so DVCer can't use the +10 unless you call MS - which opens 2 hours after the regular reservations open - so if you are looking for a Fantasmic package others have had 2 hours to book for days throughout their whole vacation prior to DVCers being able to use this same option(the +10)


IMHO


Sue

I've never had an issue booking the 90+10 when staying DVC. Have I just gotten lucky??
In any case...back in '99, it used to be 60 days. Then it changed to 90 days. Then to 180 days, now it's back to 90 days. Yes, it was easier to get those harder to get ADRs with the booking date at 180 days..especially for those of us who planned that far ahead. Even without knowing park hours, I still booked my ADRs..then did the parks accordingly. If there was a park that had hours that made me want to be there vs in the park where I had ADRs, then I would call and make new ADRs and cancel the 'bad' ones. I seldom had an issue.
But now that Disney isn't releasing park hours until the 3 month mark,and sometimes less than that, it makes more sense to keep the ADR booking dates consistent with the park hour release.

 

[Paticake]

I voted for 90 days. Seems when I did the 180 I always needed to tweak them a bit as the time got closer. I did my ADRs at the 90 day mark in March for our upcoming June 27th vacation and got everything I wanted CM, CP, 2 for Le Cellier (one for DH and me to celebrate our 35th anniversay) (one for DD and DSIL to celebrate their 4th annivesary) and Wolfgang Puck upstairs dining room.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I'm not sure why 180 would be an advantage.. I mean, as long as it's the same for everyone (on site guests), does it really matter?

It seems as though 90 would be a bit better, as everyone's plans will be more firm. Heck, at 180 days out we're still not sure if other family members are joining us..

MG

 

[crisi]

I voted 180 days - I liked that

I also noticed a lot of people saying they want 90 days so they park info but didn't Disney used to release hours at 180 days too? I am sure when I was booking my September 2007 ADR's at 180 days that I had park hours too.

I was usually using historical hours from someone else's site. Disney hadn't released theirs - or perhaps hadn't released them with the "Spectro/Halloween Party/EMHs" marked in.

Even when they do release park hours, hours are subject to change - we've had them change mid-trip. Last year was the year Fantasmic went from every night when park hours were released to a few times a week by the time we took our trip.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I voted for 180. We're always planning a year in advance and its just what I'm used to. I like to have all my vacation details nailed down well in advance.

 

[bigsmooth]

I preferred 180 days just because I usually have the trip planned out at 180 days. But to be honest, I'm fine with 90 days. Our ADR requests tend to be not that challenging anymore. Did the Cinderella thing with the kids once, no need to ever do that again. Most of our meals of off peak to better rest and avoid crowds. We'll be doing Hoop De Doo at 9:30pm because of the discount and the fact as West Coasters our kids will still be awake late early in the trip. But we are also not travelling during the Christmas/Spring break periods either. If I were hitting the peak times more often I would appreciate some extra time.