For discussion..are there enough restaurants?

[Ourtoystory]

So I planned a trip about 6 weeks out for a pre-Christmas trip to Disney for the family. I know from reading this forum 6 weeks may be plenty of time in many holiday destinations but not at Disneyworld. I added the meal plan because the rooms were so affordable. I attempted to make table service adr's as soon as I booked. I had very little success. Really only one ADR that we wanted at even a remotely decent time. However I did know it would be challenging so c'est la vie.

So now I have done the calling every day to see if more suitable ADR's have come available. It is a time sink but I call every day anyway. I have one day that I can't even score a sit down meal for, so that part of my meal plan for that day will be a bust unless something comes up.

So now I am sitting here thinking... does Disney have enough table service restaurants or are the exsisting ones big enough? Just looking at the length of the ADR trade/request thread makes me think perhaps I am not the only one who thinks this. What do all think Disney makes of it all?

 

[MickeyNicki]

I think they do but by allowing people to book 180 days in advance really cuts the last minute ressies out of luck.....

We have gone last minute many times and have always been able to get some type of TS breakfast lunch or dinner...but we are very flexible on where and when

 

[mousefan1972]

I think what WDW needs is a better ADR system, not more restaurants.

 

[troynkasey]

I've always felt like EPCOT and Magic Kingdom have enough choices to eat. DHS on the other hand is very lacking. THere are very few choices to eat and if you go during one of their big productions (Soaps, ESPN the Weekend, Star Wars Weekends, etc.) it will be tough to land somehting in the middle of lunch rush hour.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I think Epcot has enough, and so do the resorts. I wouldn't mind some more TS choices in the rest of the parks.

 

[simonkodousek]

The only park I see as lacking in the department of table service dining locations is Magic Kingdom. It is, by far, the most popular of the Disney World theme parks, yet it has only 3 or 4 table service restaurants. While guests are able to take the monorail to any of the three monorail resorts and enjoy the restaurants there, it is a lot easier (and makes a lot more sense in most cases) to simply stay in the park.

 

[FireDancer]

I agree that they need to overhaul their ADR process. I also think the problem isn’t so much too many or too few restaurants but inconsistent supply and demand. At Christmas or during free dining every restaurant may be filled (ok, maybe not filled but out of ADR’s) but on a Wednesday evening in mid April the restaurants are half empty. I’m not sure what the answer is but a better ADR tool would help. Another option would be to do what concert venues and sporting events do. Hold back a percentage of ADR time slots for resort guests and don’t allow them to be booked until 7 days out. Then, when a guest checks in they could check the pool of ADR’s that open that day and offer them to the resort guests. At a given time, say 3 pm, the spots not used by resort guests open to the general public for last minute ADR’s or walk ups. With an integrated guest reservation system (think ERP-CRM hybrid) this could be managed.

 

[RMulieri]

I think they need to start penalizing for duplicate adrs and no shows...which means some sort of credit card guarantee.Which I know won't happen cause lots of people don't have or use credit cards.

 

[sorul82?]

I have often wondered if Disney ever gets to a point where they cannot sell another DDP because technically they had already sold enough to fill every single restaurant on a given day. Do I think it is realistic? No. But could it happen? Possibly. Is this why they at the last minute extend hours or add lunches during peak times; because they overbooked the DDP?

 

[DISNEY1975]

The CMs can tell you which restaurants are available on which days when you call.

You can say "Im looking for table service at Epcot for lunch on 12/28" etc....and they will tell you what is available.

 

[Ourtoystory]

I did ask for them to check all of MK for a table service on December 14th and was told there was nothing. This was six weeks ago. I have since managed to get a 2:45 adr which is neither lunch nor supper for my family but the best I can do.

I was well prepared for the challenge of ADR's thanks to these boards and for my next trip I am all sorted already but there are moments like today when I think.... Should Disney have sold me a dining plan with table service when there is not a table service reservation to be had for all the days of my stay?

I know there are people that I work with that planned trips to Disney and bought the dining plan not relizing that in reality adr's are a requirement and not just a suggestion. I of course set them straight and send them here!

 

[TDC Nala]

Magic Kingdom has 5 table service restaurants. I haven't tried the Plaza but I don't think the food is worth a stop at any of the others. (Of course there are a lot of character meals, where the emphasis is going to be on the atmosphere rather than the food). I'd be for better food before I'd be for more restaurants. Of course my favorite place in the World was shut down this year supposedly to make room for restaurants. (Those, however, will be third party restaurants and may not accept the dining plan)

Disney keeps sending me emails suggesting strenuously that I make ADRs and I am not even on the dining plan.

 

[DisneyMom92]

We did a sort of last minute trip to Disney for this Christmas about 4 or 5 weeks ago. I say sort of, because it wouldn't be last minute anywhere but Disney. Of course, we are staying club level, so this might have made a difference, but we got all of our wants except things like CRT. We didn't get breakfast at the Princess Story Book meal, but got the first lunch instead. I am still hoping to change that, as the lunch meal doesn't look very good to us.

But I am posting this in response to the meal plan issue. We opted out of the meal plan because we didn't believe we would get that many table service restaurants this trip and thought we would try more counter service ones.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I have since managed to get a 2:45 adr which is neither lunch nor supper for my family but the best I can do.

side note....its linner!

 

[Lmichele]

I think what WDW needs is a better ADR system, not more restaurants.

I agree, DH and I just returned from the world and the one thing I noticed was the amount of people that simply couldn't walk up to a restaurant in the park for dinner. I know the drill, 180 days out sit on the phone, plan your meals...I get it. But let’s face it most people don't, especially if it's their first visit or don't know about ADRs. At two of our three TS restaurants, people were continuously turned away because they had no openings. I know most of the disers are saying how can they not know about ADRs………believe me there are MANY people that don’t know about the ADR system.

Not sure what kind of revamp to ADR system needs, but I really felt bad for those little old ladies that probably were subjected to tasteless burgers or the family that all had 1st visit pins on, that won’t have a “magical” dinner and have to eat another round of hot dogs.

 

[Brian Noble]

I was last at the World over Memorial Day weekend in '08---not super-busy, but pretty good crowds. We reserved three same-day meals, one of which was last-minute. True, this wasn't for Le Cellier, but we had no issues getting something with just a few minutes on the phone or at the concierge desk.

 

[dvcdisney]

side note....its linner!

That's what we call it also!

 

[dvcdisney]

I would prefer to see increased space added on popular restaurants, rather than more restaurants. JMHO

(By the way, when I say increase the space, I mean increase the space by building another room or wing, NOT cramming more tables together so as to accomodate more people.)

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I really feel that the MK needs more TS. We've always done Crystal Palace, but with my kids getting older, I'm not sure that Pooh characters are going to be on the "must do" list next time. We absolutely loved Liberty Tree, but the characters will be gone next year. Tony's does not have very good food in our experience, CRT is way over-priced (and my sons don't want to eat with Princesses anyway) and the Plaza doesn't really have much of a theme so I don't see the point in spending the money there. I really think the MK needs a great character meal with Mickey and friends.

Epcot has plenty of TS. At DHS, we end up eating 2 TS during our usual one day there, because Sci-Fi and Prime Time are both big hits with our kiddos. Ak is lacking, but again, we spend only about half a day here, so I don't want to take the time for TS anyway.

 

[buckirj1]

There are plenty of restaurants. Well, MK could probably use one more (bring back the Saloon!). The biggest problem is 180 day ADRs. Cut that to 60 days and things will open up. I'd also like to see fewer character dinners.