Checked out early - Parks too crowded.

[Farro]

Universal's been getting our $ instead. We enjoy the simple pleasure of hassle-free dining. It is nice to be free of the 180 day crazy. While some places get a wait, and some places take reservations, they are actual reservations. If you elect to put your name on the waiting list for the awesome chocolate emporium, you can actually go on rides while you wait to be texted.

It is just SO much more civilized than punishing customers.

I just don't think I could ever make a full vacation out of Universal. I could tack on two days for it before a cruise, or before a Florida Keys trip, but I wouldn't make it a vacation in itself.

 

[Dentam]

For us the limit is due to my husband's comfort. He'll do 30 min no problem and 45 is OK if its something he REALLY wants to go on, but much more and his feet start to hurt. Once that kicks in its a done deal, we have to go back so he can rest. I've tried pushing him (as in, stop to get a drink and rest a few min then try another ride), tried pain meds etc but no good. I've changed my touring drastically except the one trip he was in a scooter. I was back to 25K steps or so a day in Disneyland that trip. I've tried to get him to rent one again but he IS able bodied.. just a little whiny.

He might have plantar fasciitis. My mom does and has dealt with it for years. Standing in one place is what is the most painful for her so she also can't do lines longer than 30-40 minutes. We have rented a wheelchair for her a couple of times but she prefers not to go that route if she can help it. We try mostly to only going during the slowest/least crowded times of the year, although that is so hard to do. We've tried January and it was unusually busy that year. Week after Labor Day which is supposed to be one of the slowest weeks - yeah, it was 2015 and for some reason Sept was crazy that year. It feels like we can't win or slow times just don't exist anymore.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It is too bad so many customers were not showing up, or making multiple ADRs that Disney felt they had to do something too. I remember struggling to get ADRs only to show up and find all sorts of tables empty. It isn't asking too much of people to call if they are not going to show up. If someone can't even be that considerate then I don't feel bad for them being charged a small fee.

No, Disney created a bad system, not the customer.

Disney puts their customers in an impossible situation. Making/modifying/canceling reservations at WDW has always been a bit of a joke. All of us have posted on this subject a number of times, and some folks always give WWD a pass on this subject.

The website is down, slow, erroneous. CM's regularly say, "Please call back later, our computer network is down," or "Gee, my computer is very slow today," as if it is fast some days. It isn't.

We've often tried to make same day ADR's, only to be disconnected or put on hold an absurd amount of time.

The new systems are only marginally better. WALKING across the park to the actual attraction is usually FASTER (and far more reliable) than looking up attraction waits electronically!

Please don't blame WDW's customers for a problem that's purely the fault of WDW. WDW turned eating into a hassle, not the guests. Customers just want to eat.

The joke of the whole thing is that they continue to call their customers "guests!"

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I just don't think I could ever make a full vacation out of Universal. I could tack on two days for it before a cruise, or before a Florida Keys trip, but I wouldn't make it a vacation in itself.

Fair enough, I used to think that too. Truth be told, we mostly do split vacations of a sort. We might visit WDW and US, we might spend a few days in another city. But we've also now done some trips where we easily spend 4 days on Universal property.

I kind of chuckle when folks say, "Oh just spend the day at your WDW hotel if the parks are too crowded."

The STARTING rate for a room at the Contemporary, with the current discount offer this upcoming summer is $520 per night!

Why would I pay that much just to go swimming in a pool, when Universal deluxe rack rates are $302, and high-end Marriott rack rates are $190-ish? The Universal hotels all have fabulous pools, plus I get Express pass. The high end Marriott properties all offer super pools, like water slides and lazy rivers.

Both options ALSO offer better quality dining, for less money, and less hassle than the Disney hotels.

(Take your pick: JW Marriott $185/night +tax, Lakeshore Reserve $191+tax, Grande Vista $152+tax, the World Center Marriott $146+tax)

Disney charges $500 per night on the promise of (easy) access to the parks. That's what makes them special.

The pools at CR aren't much to get excited about. The Wave isn't anything to get too excited about either.

 

[Klayfish]

No, Disney created a bad system, not the customer.

Disney puts their customers in an impossible situation. Making/modifying/canceling reservations at WDW has always been a bit of a joke. All of us have posted on this subject a number of times, and some folks always give WWD a pass on this subject.

The website is down, slow, erroneous. CM's regularly say, "Please call back later, our computer network is down," or "Gee, my computer is very slow today," as if it is fast some days. It isn't.

We've often tried to make same day ADR's, only to be disconnected or put on hold an absurd amount of time.

The new systems are only marginally better. WALKING across the park to the actual attraction is usually FASTER (and far more reliable) than looking up attraction waits electronically!

Please don't blame WDW's customers for a problem that's purely the fault of WDW. WDW turned eating into a hassle, not the guests. Customers just want to eat.

The joke of the whole thing is that they continue to call their customers "guests!"

Could not disagree more.

Do you really believe that WDW intentionally tried to find a way to make eating a "hassle" for their guests/customers? Again, just think of it from a pure business owner perspective. Are you really going to sit around and say "How can we make the dining experience as complicated as possible? That should make us more money." Just don't see it. I also think it's 100% guest/customer created. You could argue until the cows come home if WDW has handled it well or not, but I fully believe the systems they have in place are responses to the number of guests they have and the issues that has created. I don't do ADRs, but I understand how they work. Given how many people are in the parks and how many people want to eat in the themed restaurants that have character greetings, etc...what would you actually propose they do? Let's just say they have no reservation system, it's first come/first serve. Oh goodness, imagine the wait times for that...and the complaints that would follow! So I'd have to guess (and I admit it's just a guess) that's why they created a reservation system. If you're WDW management, how do you pick the perfect amount of time ahead that you let people make reservations? Because whatever it is, you know that people are going to call in that very first date. How is that WDW's fault? What would you suggest as a perfect answer that would allow guests/customers to eat where they want, when they want? If you've got an optimal solution, you may want to share it with WDW, because I'd bet they'd pay you a fortune for it.

Maybe my experience is different, but I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't been able to pull up my phone and within 15 seconds be able to find wait times. Works almost every time, and quickly.

I guess there will never be consensus on this issue, which isn't a bad thing. Just from my own perspective, I simply can't see how this is "caused" by WDW. Perhaps they could manage it better, but the challenges they have are customer driven.

 

[tanyaegangibson]

2. Ride density. Give me an hour at RD, and I'm fairly certain I can get more rides done at DLR.

As a DLR vet, I'm very excited to be going to WDW next week--and also very interested/curious/apprehensive about the issues mentioned in this thread. (But believe me, I'm so glad to be reading about it ahead of time, as it has allowed me to prep my family for not necessarily getting to ride everything they want and has made my kids take me seriously when I've said, "We are seriously going to be out at 6 a.m. for a bus to MK for 7 a.m. EMH. It's fine if Grammy and Pop Pop want to sleep in and drive the rental car over at 9 and meet us. They can do that because they don't care about getting on a lot of rides!")

I love everything about DLR that Starjazz mentioned above (we're going again this summer for my birthday), but I was wondering about the line I quoted above. I used to feel like we got a lot done at RD at DLR--especially when it is at 7 a.m.--but the last couple of times we were there, we ended up wandering around more than anything else because SM was having problems (which flooded SW and Matterhorn with people), and DH isn't into the Fantasyland rides. I think we got on one or two rides during that first hour--though granted, if I'd just been with the kids, we could have done a bunch of Fantasyland (which they do like) except for PP. I'm hoping that because MK has a lot more rides open during EMH, we can make the 7 a.m. EMH more productive.

 

[bumbershoot]

For us the limit is due to my husband's comfort. He'll do 30 min no problem and 45 is OK if its something he REALLY wants to go on, but much more and his feet start to hurt. Once that kicks in its a done deal, we have to go back so he can rest. I've tried pushing him (as in, stop to get a drink and rest a few min then try another ride), tried pain meds etc but no good. I've changed my touring drastically except the one trip he was in a scooter. I was back to 25K steps or so a day in Disneyland that trip. I've tried to get him to rent one again but he IS able bodied.. just a little whiny.

Definitely look into if he has plantar fasciitis.

And from my hubby's recent experience, try out Hoka shoes. They are gigantic, they look like pillows are strapped to your feet, but DH is a convert. Oh and they are expensive too, but having a non-whiny hubby whose feet aren't dying is totally worth it!

Or maybe do a craft at your resort? LOL, you did miss a few things.

Still don't know what the issue is with that. My cousin has lots of fun doing crafts at the comm centers! Since they aren't park people for budget reasons now, they find the fun. And the community centers at Dvc resorts have that. I've seen grown adults spend an hour coloring there, even before coloring books became a thing for adults to do in public.

I suggested it because I've done it or been part of it. And it was fun. And mostly included (unless you want to do one that has a cost). And it's better than going home!

My extended family has spent hours collectively doing things at the community center, having a terrific time.

It is too bad so many customers were not showing up, or making multiple ADRs that Disney felt they had to do something too. I remember struggling to get ADRs only to show up and find all sorts of tables empty. It isn't asking too much of people to call if they are not going to show up. If someone can't even be that considerate then I don't feel bad for them being charged a small fee.

Having many tables empty with no adr doesn't simply mean people didn't show up. It means the restaurant kept reservations from happening due to projected guests and/or scheduling issues.

It's not reservation-related but this sort of thing was highlighted during a recent trip to a large chain restaurant. We were being told it was an hour wait for our large group, when there were double the chairs we needed in empty outdoor seating. However their policy was that outdoor seating started at 5, and we were 1.5 hours from that. A friend kept insisting on it, but the fact was that they didn't have the staff to man those tables.

No, Disney created a bad system, not the customer.

Yep.

We cancelled ahead of time several times and they didn't care. Told us it wasn't necessary to cancel and I'm not sure they actually noted the cancellation. Their systems caused the issues, or at the very least their people did.

Happened on rccl too, with a free character breakfast that they had. We had two reserved, then didn't want to go to one. Called to cancel it and we were told it wasn't needed and they hung up. And about two months later they started charging for it, citing the fact that customers would reserve then not show up.

They had bad facts and/or were making excuses for their own faulty systems and/or people. Just like Disney. Look at the things they used to do then stopped, citing the guests. Requests to make personal menus or signs in the tank. They couldn't manage the demand so they took their ball and went home. Figure yourselves out, Disney, don't just end things because you don't know how to put limits on things.

Do you really believe that WDW intentionally tried to find a way to make eating a "hassle" for their guests/customers?

Not sure if it's intentional, but they have this system. They made this system. Their IT is based in Seattle (I know that everyone wants to think those poor laid off Orlando employees were IT but the articles literally said that their job was to "monitor websites", and that's not IT...plus we know several people who work for Disney IT here) and they could easily have a world class, functioning, website if they put money into it. But the worker-bees are 18 year old interns who follow what they are told (by our acquaintances, who scurry off when they see us because they know we have things to talk to them about). And they are being told junk.

They have created this system. Therefore there is a reason.

And in a big way it's just another queue. Queues are disney's thing. They keep crowding down, or at least controlled.

Everyone earlier in the thread was freaking out about the unmanned security lines or entrance lines when it's so busy (and yet, no closures like at xmas, so it seems not quite to capacity?). They wanted those open. So, ok, they put people there and guests get in faster and then what? They are all clumped together even faster and there is nowhere to go. They don't man all stations because it's a way of funneling people in slower, to control the crowds.

Not surprising that their hand-crafted website does the same thing of slowing us down.

 

[thevolcanogod]

Would love for them to go to a prix fixe for most table service with app, entre and desert. A la carte for alcohol and extra food. Paid in full when you reserve. No shows can wait for a free table or lose entire price. Bet this would keep people on schedule and actually free up some walk-in slots.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Could not disagree more.

Do you really believe that WDW intentionally tried to find a way to make eating a "hassle" for their guests/customers? Again, just think of it from a pure business owner perspective. Are you really going to sit around and say "How can we make the dining experience as complicated as possible? That should make us more money." Just don't see it. I also think it's 100% guest/customer created. You could argue until the cows come home if WDW has handled it well or not, but I fully believe the systems they have in place are responses to the number of guests they have and the issues that has created. I don't do ADRs, but I understand how they work. Given how many people are in the parks and how many people want to eat in the themed restaurants that have character greetings, etc...what would you actually propose they do? Let's just say they have no reservation system, it's first come/first serve. Oh goodness, imagine the wait times for that...and the complaints that would follow! So I'd have to guess (and I admit it's just a guess) that's why they created a reservation system. If you're WDW management, how do you pick the perfect amount of time ahead that you let people make reservations? Because whatever it is, you know that people are going to call in that very first date. How is that WDW's fault? What would you suggest as a perfect answer that would allow guests/customers to eat where they want, when they want? If you've got an optimal solution, you may want to share it with WDW, because I'd bet they'd pay you a fortune for it.

Maybe my experience is different, but I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't been able to pull up my phone and within 15 seconds be able to find wait times. Works almost every time, and quickly.

I guess there will never be consensus on this issue, which isn't a bad thing. Just from my own perspective, I simply can't see how this is "caused" by WDW. Perhaps they could manage it better, but the challenges they have are customer driven.

Um, yes. Disney chose a system that locks guests into a commitment. I'm sorry if you don't see it.

Lots of companies do it. I can't even begin to list all the companies that make it somewhat easy to sign up, but a hassle to discontinue. Are you saying you've never had trouble dealing with a cell phone, cable television, or subscription service?

I'm sorry you didn't have the opportunity to dine at WDW before the DDP, because Disney pretty much DID have a walk-up dining policy. Before the DDP, it was easy to eat just about anywhere at WDW, during Easter-types weeks, with a relatively large group.

It wasn't bad at all. I have fond memories of eating all over WDW from that time period.

More or less, WDW added the DDP to increase demand without adding capacity. If you don't believe me, go search up DIS posts from that era. Plenty of folks posted often on the subject.

I've long said, MK simply doesn't have enough dining capacity to meet demand. The DDP wasn't designed to give customers a reward, it was a marketing strategy to increase demand.

When Disney added the dining plan, they didn't add (enough) capacity to meet the increased demand. This ALSO enabled them to - substantially - lower the quality of the food that was served. Again, multiple factual threads from that era documented many of them: missing desserts at Kona, changes in the cut of carved beef offered at many buffets, disappearance of fresh fish. Don't take my word, search up old threads for yourself. Check out prices, too! It is amazing how much the cost of a WDW buffet has climbed in ten years!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Do you really believe that WDW intentionally tried to find a way to make eating a "hassle" for their guests/customers

I don't think it was intentional, but I do think they mishandled the IT needs of implementing these systems, and that is absolutely on them. Whether they intended to or not isn't the issue - they created a system that required IT demands that have proven difficult for WDW to meet. There are websites that handle far more demand than WDW's site on a daily basis, and they don't crash at the same rates as WDW sites crash.

 

[starjazz]

As a DLR vet, I'm very excited to be going to WDW next week--and also very interested/curious/apprehensive about the issues mentioned in this thread. (But believe me, I'm so glad to be reading about it ahead of time, as it has allowed me to prep my family for not necessarily getting to ride everything they want and has made my kids take me seriously when I've said, "We are seriously going to be out at 6 a.m. for a bus to MK for 7 a.m. EMH. It's fine if Grammy and Pop Pop want to sleep in and drive the rental car over at 9 and meet us. They can do that because they don't care about getting on a lot of rides!")

I love everything about DLR that Starjazz mentioned above (we're going again this summer for my birthday), but I was wondering about the line I quoted above. I used to feel like we got a lot done at RD at DLR--especially when it is at 7 a.m.--but the last couple of times we were there, we ended up wandering around more than anything else because SM was having problems (which flooded SW and Matterhorn with people), and DH isn't into the Fantasyland rides. I think we got on one or two rides during that first hour--though granted, if I'd just been with the kids, we could have done a bunch of Fantasyland (which they do like) except for PP. I'm hoping that because MK has a lot more rides open during EMH, we can make the 7 a.m. EMH more productive.

You'll love WDW. We truly do love both. And yes, I definitely include fantasyland when i think of ride density at DLR. But everything is generally more compact at DLR, so you can do more because you walk less between things.

That said, one to thing to remember during your EMH at WDW, don't get in any long lines. One 20 minute wait will blow half of your EMH (like, PP, or Winnie, for example). If you focus on getting in rides that have short waits, you'll do plenty. Especially if you're not going to start in fantasyland.

 

[Minnesota!]

FWIW, my family would LOVE to do a craft at a hotel. Honestly.

My vacations are all about relaxing and everyone enjoying "the moment". If that means coloring, or tie-dying, or napping, or swimming...so be it. I don't look at it as I am "losing" money...I paid X amount for the ability to relax and enjoy my family. I know going in that I am spending that amount. If that amount gets us naps and crafts, or if that amount gets us parks and fireworks...I don't care, as long as at the end of it, everyone loved the time we spent together.

No, I would not go home from a vacation to WDW early based on crowd levels. I would shift my focus, though. Mini golf, swim (yes, even in 37 degree weather...we have done it before and it is not bad...), Fort Wilderness, crafts, monorail crawl, resort hop, a different park, sit on a bench and people watch, etc.

FWIW - we DID leave a vacation in Northern Wisconsin a few days early - because the place BLEW and because we had random squirrels appearing in our living room at all hours. But, ya know, that was a little different

 

[Klayfish]

Um, yes. Disney chose a system that locks guests into a commitment. I'm sorry if you don't see it.

Lots of companies do it. I can't even begin to list all the companies that make it somewhat easy to sign up, but a hassle to discontinue. Are you saying you've never had trouble dealing with a cell phone, cable television, or subscription service?

I'm sorry you didn't have the opportunity to dine at WDW before the DDP, because Disney pretty much DID have a walk-up dining policy. Before the DDP, it was easy to eat just about anywhere at WDW, during Easter-types weeks, with a relatively large group.

It wasn't bad at all. I have fond memories of eating all over WDW from that time period.

More or less, WDW added the DDP to increase demand without adding capacity. If you don't believe me, go search up DIS posts from that era. Plenty of folks posted often on the subject.

I've long said, MK simply doesn't have enough dining capacity to meet demand. The DDP wasn't designed to give customers a reward, it was a marketing strategy to increase demand.

When Disney added the dining plan, they didn't add (enough) capacity to meet the increased demand. This ALSO enabled them to - substantially - lower the quality of the food that was served. Again, multiple factual threads from that era documented many of them: missing desserts at Kona, changes in the cut of carved beef offered at many buffets, disappearance of fresh fish. Don't take my word, search up old threads for yourself. Check out prices, too! It is amazing how much the cost of a WDW buffet has climbed in ten years!

It's amazing how the cost of any good restaurant meal has climbed in ten years. WDW is not alone in this.

How would they increase dining capacity to accommodate all guests to go into a restaurant at any time and just get a table? Think about that logically. On a busy day, let's say there are 70k people in the park. How many people will want to be eating during dinner hours? Let's say it's 45k of them. I'd bet it's more, but let's stay conservative. Say each restaurant has a capacity of 250 guests. That means you'd need 180 restaurants, filled to capacity, to be able to handle that volume if you wanted nobody to have to wait. And that's assuming the crowd spreads precisely evenly among all the restaurants. Yes, I realize that not everyone goes to the restaurant at the exact same moment, so there isn't an instant flood of 45k+ guests going to eat. However, big rushes like lunch and dinner are fairly concentrated times. I wouldn't be shocked if there were 15-20k people or more trying to dine at any given time, and they probably aren't all precisely spread out. Some restaurants will always be more popular. I just don't see how they could build capacity to handle that volume without having any wait? They'd go bankrupt trying.

I get the frustration in making reservations, no way on earth would I ever plan meals 180 days out. No thanks. If I ever did a DDP, I would do 100% quick service, just not interested in doing a 6 month schedule. But outside of expanding restaurant capacity to unrealistic and unsustainable levels, what other answer do they have? As I've said several times, just imagine the chaos if they dropped the reservation system all together and just did first come/first serve! It would be a disaster.

I just don't see an easy answer to the dining situation. But the problem is guest created...and I don't mean in a malicious way, just in a sheer volume way. That many people are hard to manage. Ever go to a sold out NFL game? Try to use the restrooms at halftime. try to grab a beer or a snack. Good luck not waiting. Do they have enough restrooms? Enough food vendors?

As for their website, I don't use it for making ADR, so I can't argue or comment about that. I'll take your word for it, as I have nothing to show otherwise. All I can say is it's quite rare that I have an issue with MDE trying to make/change FP+ or check wait times. It works fine for me.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

FWIW, my family would LOVE to do a craft at a hotel. Honestly.

My vacations are all about relaxing and everyone enjoying "the moment". If that means coloring, or tie-dying, or napping, or swimming...so be it. I don't look at it as I am "losing" money...I paid X amount for the ability to relax and enjoy my family. I know going in that I am spending that amount. If that amount gets us naps and crafts, or if that amount gets us parks and fireworks...I don't care, as long as at the end of it, everyone loved the time we spent together.

No, I would not go home from a vacation to WDW early based on crowd levels. I would shift my focus, though. Mini golf, swim (yes, even in 37 degree weather...we have done it before and it is not bad...), Fort Wilderness, crafts, monorail crawl, resort hop, a different park, sit on a bench and people watch, etc.

FWIW - we DID leave a vacation in Northern Wisconsin a few days early - because the place BLEW and because we had random squirrels appearing in our living room at all hours. But, ya know, that was a little different

The Orlando JW Marriott has tons of resort activities! Actually, a number of Orlando area hotels do, but the JW was REALLY nice. I've done non-park days at WDW over the years, but nothing like we had the JWM. They even have a farm/garden tour you can take!

While I try not to nickel and dime every step of my vacation, $400 per night is a LOT of money to just throw away per hotel night!

Our offsite nights, we've gone to amazing historic sites like the Castillo in St. Augustine. In the cobblestone shops there, we also had some blow-your-mind popsicles, too! That are made with fresh fruits, herbs, and real flavorings like quality vanilla.

Over near Tampa, we visited honeymoon Island. We saw Great horned owls, an impressive osprey family, and a beach shoreline teeming with layers of beautiful shells. Later we dined on the most amazing combination of guacamole with crab, plus a rich conch chowder served with black rum as a condiment. At another place- quite near the airport- we had the best ceviche I've ever had.

Down by the Everglades, well, everyone should see the Everglades. In winter, the parks are teeming with life. It is just amazing to see so many plants and animals so close. Down by the Everglades, tropical fruits grow that grow no other place in the USA. You can try a wide assortment for just a few dollars at a fresh fruit stand.

Often when we stay off -WDW, we just eat SO much better quality, or at least pay much less.

Now I get that WDW is a theme park, and food is going to cost more. For a theme park, it is great the food is as good as it is, but I just can't help be aware how much we are spending to be there. It kills me to spend WDW time napping or watching television. We usually do hit the WDW pools, but they are usually quick visits.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I have accepted qs meals will be around 15 each meal each person some ts will go as high as 70 each most will be around 30-50. Sure It is a lot more then I would spend here. I do a lot of cheap meals, but this is a trip of a lifetime to us. We may or May not get back in 5 years or 10. However, I will say I am hoping that getting the meals I wish won't be so hard. There is one I am worried about, and if I do not get it, I will just keep checking back. My family also likes to eat early dinners so sometimes we snack for Lunch and then have snacks later in the evening.

I am sorry the Op left because of the crowds. I hope that others are finding a way to deal with the heavy crowds and find a way to have a good time.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Someone didn't do any research. If you go during march break and complain about crowds, that's 100% on you, not Disney.

 

[housetomouse]

Resort guests aren't offered *more* FP+ to book ahead...just a longer booking window. 3 FP+ to book ahead, just like everyone, resort guests just get to book at 60 days instead of the 30 for everyone else.

I agree with you on the bolded...one of the main reasons I've never been a fan of booking FP+ before you're on property. There are those who disagree, but I'm not one of them I also totally agree with you that they need more ride capacity.

Thank you for clarifying! I just wish we could all be guaranteed a few more attractions.

 

[MMR76]

However, I will say I am hoping that getting the meals I wish won't be so hard. There is one I am worried about, and if I do not get it, I will just keep checking back.

Touring Plans has a reservation finder that has gotten us a lunch & dinner reservation at BOG when I was unable to secure one on my own.

 

[erc]

The new systems are only marginally better. WALKING across the park to the actual attraction is usually FASTER (and far more reliable) than looking up attraction waits electronically!

I only experienced a problem with MDE once and it was only for 10 minutes or so. For wait times I purchased the Lines app from touringplans and it was well worth the cost for me. The times were very accurate, and I even got to contribute to the wait time data when I remembered.

And I will say I was very impressed with the free WiFi coverage around WDW. I was there two years ago and it was terrible then. As someone in this industry knowing the scaling and bandwidth requirements, for a densely packed space, it was pretty impressive.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It's amazing how the cost of any good restaurant meal has climbed in ten years. WDW is not alone in this.

How would they increase dining capacity to accommodate all guests to go into a restaurant at any time and just get a table?

I just don't see how they could build capacity to handle that volume without having any wait? They'd go bankrupt trying.

I just don't see an easy answer to the dining situation. But the problem is guest created...and I don't mean in a malicious way, just in a sheer volume way. That many people are hard to manage.

Um, add more dining options. For a start, they could staff Tortuga Tavern, the Diamond Horseshoe, and the Tomorrowland Terrace on a regular basis. This topic (lack of capacity) has been a round since the advent of the DDP. As I recall, folks back then said what you are saying now, that it would be impossible for WDW to add more dining options in MK. Yet somehow they found space for BOG, the Skipper Canteen, and Gaston's, while regularly keeping Tortuga Tavern, Diamond Horseshoe, and T Terrace closed.

Meanwhile, they ALSO built Bay Lake Tower. Are you seriously saying it would have been impossible to put an interesting restaurant in that building? On top of BLT, they've added DVC rooms to GF, Poly, and now WL.

Bay Lake Tower = 300 rooms, CR= approx. 655 rooms (old CR had 1041 rooms)
GF Villas 383 villas, GF= 867
Poly DCV=20 bungalows (+360 studios) Poly= 484 (old Poly had 853 rooms)
New WL DVC= 112 unites, WL = 727 (old capacity was 728 WL + 136 villas)

The 2005 MK area deluxe hotel capacity was 2758 rooms. The new capacity is = 3908rooms , which is about 45% more in the MK area deluxe hotels (plus additional per room capacity of the largest DVC rooms)!

Meanwhile, we ought to contrast that against the way Universal has expanded. Their newest hotel Sapphire Falls, offers a number of exciting new dining options, including a brand new Caribbean-themed dinner show.

Meanwhile, the amount of undeveloped land at WDW is vast.

Adding new hotel rooms = More people need to eat. That's pretty basic.

Disney's customers didn't add a single room to WDW property. Disney did.