Any rumors regarding the dining reservation window going back to 180 days?

[KYMickey]

..Dining at 180 days was, I'll admit, my favourite option. But I am the person who has a daily, coloured coded itinerary (planned by the hour) printed for every vacation day. I think I am definitely in the minority...

Planning like that for vacation is worse than going to work! Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and you do things spontaneously, not plan 6 months in advance every step of your day. It's one thing to know where you're going 6 months away but it's much more enjoyable to just do what you feel like doing when you are there! That's 1 of the reasons that Disney is no longer the "Vacation" used to be.

 

[Feberin]

I would be a fan of ADRs at 90 days and FP at 60. As the primary organiser of our whole family group every time we travel, spacing things out helps hugely and also the more time I have to fiddle faddle after, the better (my mother is on strict medication and can only eat within certain gaps between meds so timing is not as flexible as just for myself and DH).
Dining at 180 days was, I'll admit, my favourite option. But I am the person who has a daily, coloured coded itinerary (planned by the hour) printed for every vacation day. I think I am definitely in the minority... Also IMHO if you're waiting a year to travel, the 180 days makes you feel a little closer towards the vacation.

I definitely feel like 180 days helped make the trip feel sooner. I enjoyed researching restaurants and talking with family about it. And when I got them booked it was so exciting.

 

[WickstarRunner]

Planning like that for vacation is worse than going to work! Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and you do things spontaneously, not plan 6 months in advance every step of your day. It's one thing to know where you're going 6 months away but it's much more enjoyable to just do what you feel like doing when you are there! That's 1 of the reasons that Disney is no longer the "Vacation" used to be.

Respectfully, if spontaneity is enjoyable for you then more power to you, but if I'm spending $3,000-$7,000 on a Disney trip, than planning meals 6 months out is a small price to pay to ensure I get enough value out of the money spent.

My number one concern (having a trip coming in December) is that Disney will just say on X day that we're going back to 180 days on dining. The rush on the system for that will cause a huge crash, hopefully they walk it back to eventually get it to 180.

 

[Cynner]

I think Dining will go back to 180 sometime, but it will be announced to give you enough warning for trip 180 days out. Which means Oct 1 is already out. I think it will happen around when the park reservations phase out, as it helps them know where everyone will be well ahead of time.

 

[randumb0]

Please don't bring it back

 

[lovethesun12]

How so? If nobody can book earlier than 60 days out then how is it different?

Because at 60 days, many more people will know they’re going, so there will be more competition for reservations.

 

[JenSop]

How so? If nobody can book earlier than 60 days out then how is it different?

Because at 180 days out, not everyone going for those dates is even booked yet. So there really is less competition to get your preferred restaurants. You're competing with a smaller pool of people.

I would be a fan of ADRs at 90 days and FP at 60. As the primary organiser of our whole family group every time we travel, spacing things out helps hugely and also the more time I have to fiddle faddle after, the better (my mother is on strict medication and can only eat within certain gaps between meds so timing is not as flexible as just for myself and DH).
Dining at 180 days was, I'll admit, my favourite option. But I am the person who has a daily, coloured coded itinerary (planned by the hour) printed for every vacation day. I think I am definitely in the minority... Also IMHO if you're waiting a year to travel, the 180 days makes you feel a little closer towards the vacation.

I am also a chart person! I love it! It genuinely gives me joy to plan and make my color-coded chart for each Disney trip!

 

[JenSop]

Planning like that for vacation is worse than going to work! Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and you do things spontaneously, not plan 6 months in advance every step of your day. It's one thing to know where you're going 6 months away but it's much more enjoyable to just do what you feel like doing when you are there! That's 1 of the reasons that Disney is no longer the "Vacation" used to be.

Everyone is different! I also love making color-coded charts for my annual Disney trips. (I also do colorful charts with pics sometimes - not just for Disney trips, but for other kinds of trips, too!) It's literally fun for me, and it helps me build the excitement for my trip. I can't imagine just going without the planning. I'd be a nervous wreck.

To each their own! :-D

 

[cakebaker]

Planning like that for vacation is worse than going to work! Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and you do things spontaneously, not plan 6 months in advance every step of your day. It's one thing to know where you're going 6 months away but it's much more enjoyable to just do what you feel like doing when you are there! That's 1 of the reasons that Disney is no longer the "Vacation" used to be.

Is there anyone who really considers going to a theme park to be a relaxing vaction? And we plan cruises YEARS out, a lot of vacation require a great deal of pre-planning so that while you're there, you can relax rather than trying to figure out what you're going to do while you're there.

But WDW is not and never has been a relaxing vacation- that's what a week on the beach is for.

 

[Cynner]

Is there anyone who really considers going to a theme park to be a relaxing vaction? And we plan cruises YEARS out, a lot of vacation require a great deal of pre-planning so that while you're there, you can relax rather than trying to figure out what you're going to do while you're there.
But WDW is not and never has been a relaxing vacation- that's what a week on the beach is for.

That depends - if you've done WDW a bunch, you can be much more relaxed about it vs someone who is doing their once in a lifetime trip. We generally do our 3 FP+s and rope drop/or late night and take it easy.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is there anyone who really considers going to a theme park to be a relaxing vaction?

Yes there are people like that. Before retiring and moving to Central FL, my wife and I had visited WDW so many times it was impossible to count. We would visit at least 4 times a year. For us it was just relaxation. No rush to get out for rope drop. No stress over how to get from the airport to the resort. Dinner reservations were limited to perhaps 1 or 2 places during a visit.

 

[cakebaker]

That depends - if you've done WDW a bunch, you can be much more relaxed about it vs someone who is doing their once in a lifetime trip. We generally do our 3 FP+s and rope drop/or late night and take it easy.

I've been going for nearly 35 years, multiple times a year and I never finding it relaxing overall. We aren't commando's anymore, but it's still tiring and a busy, busy trip. We too normally only do our 3 FP's, use to rope drop and always close a park at night. But just rope dropping and then closing a park is exhausting. I just don't think a busy, bustling, loud theme park is where you go for relaxation. And planning doesn't exclude relaxing regardless.

 

[cakebaker]

Yes there are people like that. Before retiring and moving to Central FL, my wife and I had visited WDW so many times it was impossible to count. We would visit at least 4 times a year. For us it was just relaxation. No rush to get out for rope drop. No stress over how to get from the airport to the resort. Dinner reservations were limited to perhaps 1 or 2 places during a visit.

But how does planning prevent you from having that type of vacation? And without children, it's much easier to do a laid back trip. But if you're park focused, and you'd have to be for how you select what you're going to ride and how and when it's booked, then it's not relaxing regardless. I'm not talking about people who aren't heavily into rides, I'm talking about a typical vacationer- and I'm positive most people going to WDW are heavily focused on the parks.

 

[randumb0]

I've been going for nearly 35 years, multiple times a year and I never finding it relaxing overall. We aren't commando's anymore, but it's still tiring and a busy, busy trip. We too normally only do our 3 FP's, use to rope drop and always close a park at night. But just rope dropping and then closing a park is exhausting. I just don't think a busy, bustling, loud theme park is where you go for relaxation. And planning doesn't exclude relaxing regardless.

It's as relaxing as you make it. There's no reason to rope drop or stay until close unless you choose to.

 

[OKW Lover]

But how does planning prevent you from having that type of vacation?

I'm confused. I was responding to the portion of your post that I quoted in my reply.

To this question in particular, planning wouldn't prevent me from having a laid back vacation. Not having to plan doesn't add to any pre-vacation stress.

 

[cakebaker]

I'm confused. I was responding to the portion of your post that I quoted in my reply.

To this question in particular, planning wouldn't prevent me from having a laid back vacation. Not having to plan doesn't add to any pre-vacation stress.

Following conversations can get messy. I was originally referring to someone who equated having to plan with a vacation that is not relaxed and I just don't see how the two are mutually exclusive.

 

[shawthorne44]

I don't see why they need to have a window at all. Dining reservations could be like park reservations. You could make in-park dining reservations whenever you have tickets and (pre-2pm) a park reservation in place. Outside the parks dining could just be made whenever. It would also help with planning your park reservation. If you really really wanted a XYZ lunch reservation, and it was only available on the Wednesday of your trip, then you'd set that park reservation to Wednesday. Whereas the way it is now, your park reservations are likely locked in because of no availability by when the ADR window opens up.

I am one of the people that love to plan vacations. It is my happy place. I've also observed that non-planners miss out on stuff and instead sit-around a lot saying "I don't know, what do you want to do?" Disney in particular, there are a lot of things you just aren't doing if you didn't plan for it. But, lots of vacation places, you have a hard time finding a good place to eat dinner without reservations.

 

[Adventureland]

I'm thinking if they reinstate the 180 day mark, there will be a mad scramble as everyone with trips planned up to 180 days out goes to book their reservations all at the same time at 6 AM the day that they open up that window again.
I could see arguments for 180, 90, and 60. Let's throw another number into the mix...120. Six months advance. We usually start thinking of Summer vacations in January or February, around 120 days.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

But how does planning prevent you from having that type of vacation? And without children, it's much easier to do a laid back trip. But if you're park focused, and you'd have to be for how you select what you're going to ride and how and when it's booked, then it's not relaxing regardless. I'm not talking about people who aren't heavily into rides, I'm talking about a typical vacationer- and I'm positive most people going to WDW are heavily focused on the parks.

See, I have to disagree with this. Before DVC, I was 100% that way. Disney was exhausting. I figured it always would be. I used to joke that I needed a vacation after my vacation.

But I consider myself a park person in general. I love the parks. I am not the kind of person who would visit a Marriot hotel and just relax in the pool and hot tub. Not my ball of wax. I also am not a beach person. Pre-pandemic, when I went to Disney, I would spend HOURS and HOURS planning and tweaking my FP+ selections, ADR's, and other activities.

I would hit the parks first thing in the morning. I would usually plan for a lunch, then be out of the park after lunch. In general I avoided the crowds. I might come back for a desert party. I would walk slowly (generally), take it in. If there was a new ride, I would usually skip it for the first trip or two to avoid the craziness. If I didn't get to do something, it was no big deal. I didn't get to do it - it helped knowing I had another trip already planned. It was pretty much set that I would be back and I would get to see it then.

When I get tired, I went back to the resort. Took a nap. Went to the pool Read a book. Maybe mozey on back to a park in the afternoon if I felt like it.

You don't get more relaxed than that.

Disney is not relaxing to many people because they make it that way. They generally make it that way because they want to see everything - or as much of everything as they can. When you let that go and decide you don't care if you see everything as long as you see something, WDW absolutely can become a relaxing vacation. With or without planning. This is much easier to do if you are DVC, AP, Local, or for some other reason not a once-in-a-while or once-in-a-lifetime guest.

 

[Timbud2]

My kids are 10 and 14 and the only reason we finally booked our first trip to Disney is because of the 60 day reservation window and no fast passes. I felt like it was a lost cause if we couldnt book over 180 days in advance. Even with the shorter window we got all the reservations we wanted at 60 days.