Yep. Dining is a big part of our vacation experience. We spend about 340 days a year at home in our small town, where the best restaurants within 20 miles are the coney island and the corner pub. For those 3 weeks or so that we're traveling, I want to eat well. Disney accounts for almost half of the time we spend away from home these days, and I want to have a good variety of ADRs for our trips. I wouldn't cancel a trip for lack of Le Cellier or any other specific restaurant, but overall dining availability has played into my decision not to book short-notice trips or change dates.
Case in point - I received a PIN code about a week ago for 40% off through my birthday month (May). I priced a package for next week, and the price was good enough that I thought about cancelling Sept and going now instead. But before I made any changes, I called to check dining availability. No California Grill, no Narcoosees, no Kona or Ohana, no Tutto Italia or Teppan Edo, and of course, no Chef Mickey, Akershus, or CRT. So we're still booked for Sept and I'll be spending my birthday weekend at a local resort known in part for their wonderful food. Being at Disney for my birthday isn't worth not having any character meals for our youngest's first trip, and certainly it isn't worth eating counter service all week.
