Count me in as one of the people ticked about this.
My 180+10 day is tomorrow. When I planned the trip, I forgot about the CP table hold and deliberately planned Le Cellier lunch for late in the trip thinking this would GUARANTEE us a table (just want a regular lunch, not CP).
Now, I've come to the sad realization that for certain EP resturants during CP, the 180+10 advantage for resort guests is meaningless. To add insult to injury, once those restaurants are finally opened, a table will be harder to get than normal because so many will be blocked off for CP. Consequently, I have no choice other than to check the Disney dining site multiple times per day and hope to get lucky.
It would seem that Disney could make at least SOME tables available for regualar ADR bookings at restaurants such as Le Cellier, Rose & Crown, and Coral Reef. My understanding for why they haven't is because the schedule for CP hasn't been finalized and the demand for CP dinner packages varies depending on what celebrity is involved on a given night.
Even worse is a rumor that, this year, general bookings won't be available until the same day as the CP bookings are available, which isn't until late July (in past years, while non-CP bookings were delayed, they were usually available by mid to lake June). So, if that rumor is true, those of us who just want a regular ADR are going to have to be trying to naviate the system in the same zoo-like atmosphere as those trying to get a CP booking.
I can't decide whether this is more of an example of ineptitude or greed on Disney's part.
Ineptitiude because it seems they could finalize the schedule PRIOR TO the 180 day mark for all ADRs from Thanksgiving until year end.
Greed because it's obvious they prioritize profiting from CP to the absolute maximum extent by prioritizing the number of tables they think CP will require and leaving the scraps to those of us who just want a regular ADR (this is why I believe they totally block off Le Cellier, Rose & Crown and Coral Reef - these are all smaller restaurants, so there is a possibility that virtially all of their tables may be needed for CP packages on certain nights).
I suppose some would argue that we always have the choice of not going during the holidays (or not have our hearts set on eating at a certain EP restaurant during the holidays) and should, therefore, stop whining. But this misses the point. If I pay good money to be a resort guest, I should be entitled to all of the advantages promised to resort guests, regardless of the time of year.
One of the most important of those advantages, IMO, is being able to make ADRs 180+10. Obviously, honoring this promise is less important to Disney than maximizing their profits from CP.
...... All these abbreviations get to me sometimes.
