ADRs are harder to get now?

[Sparkly]

I think they're actually easier! I'm surprised at what comes up when I try searching for the next day online.

When we booked our ADRs last year we had no problem getting what we wanted for great times, despite it being a week or so past our 180 day point.

 

[ksyfumedland]

I'll start mentally preparing myself for the crowds I thought we were avoiding.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I've had a much easier time making ADR's with the new rules, etc. I was still seeing coveted options popping up well past our 180 day mark. Then Free Dining was announced and everything was quickly snatched up. Things start popping up again around the 45 day mark as people drop out of their packages and others finalize their plans. Everything I kicked myself for not booking when I had the chance, I've been able to pick up in the last week or so. It just takes perseverance.

 

[Lolsmum]

Honestly, I think it may reach the point of being easier to get reservations the night before than 60 or 100 days out. Judging from the November thread on cancelled ADRs, people are grabbing reservations for the good restaurants for 2 or 3 nights (or mornings) of their trip to start with, then cancelling later on. As long as they cancel before the 24 hour deadline, there is no penalty for that.

 

[lauradis]

October has always been our favorite slow month. Well food and wine and Halloween parties have ruined the slowness.

Have you tried to calling the dinning line, or you can just keep trying online everyday.

 

[leebee]

We have always been last minute planners (2 months to 5 days out) and never had any issues with ADRs. This year's trip has been planned since February, and although I didn't make my ADRs right AT 180 days, it was within a week. Then park schedules changed, so my plans were adjusted, and poof! No dinner! Actually not quite true, but at 90+ days out I couldn't get a decent dinner time at WCC (5pm or 8:10pm- one too early for us, one too late to get to MK to see Wishes) and can't get a TS meal anywhere in DHS for either lunch or dinner on our DHS day- and I find their QS to be just this side of abysmal. Not sure what we'll do that day- don't really want to leave the park and go back, but we might choose to do that. Also couldn't get California Grill for the night I wanted, but that's OK- it was an "afterthought" ADR so no loss.

 

[ZoZo]

I'll start mentally preparing myself for the crowds I thought we were avoiding.

As others stated earlier, it's not that the parks are super-crowded. It's the table servicerestaurants that are crowded due to free dining. Lots of people who would not otherwise make ADRs in sit-down restaurants do so because of free dining.

Crowds in October are still pretty good for the most part - usually about a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-to-10 most days.

 

[ShannonMB]

I'll start mentally preparing myself for the crowds I thought we were avoiding.

I don't think it's so much that crowds will be bigger than your Mar/Apr spring break-time trips as it will be that SO many more people will be on the dining plan with Free Dining. That's a lot of people eating 1 (or more) TS meal a day that might not have been otherwise.

Edit: Should have read the responses - I see the person before me said the same thing. Well, I agree!

 

[Princesca]

Someone on another post explained it better than I. It isnt that the crowds are that bad but rather that because of free dining more people table advantage of table service reservations than would otherwise. It made sense to me but I guess we'll see when we get there.

Yes, I think this is true, and this perfectly describes me and my DH. Ordinarily, in WDW, I might do one TS res or Deluxe res for the week and eat counter service the rest of the time. Since we happen to be going during free dining this time, of course I've got a TS reservation every day of our trip. So I am definitely proof positive that this promotion increases ADR difficulty just because you have people booking TS who wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[donnawine]

Last year during free dining we went to every single table service restaurant in HS and not one would take walk ups. We tried from about 6:30 until Fantasmic. Gave up and ate a CS meal.
In all my years of going to disney I have never had it where I couldn't even wait for a table. They just said if I didn't have a reservation I was not eating there (nicely though). They were completely booked solid.