Free Dining headaches

[Anal Annie]

Well, I am thoroughly disgusted with the free diners already mucking up our vacation week! I just spent 1 hr and 48 min. on the phone to make our ADR's for the week of August 16-23. After hitting the "all circuits are busy" recording a few times I was on hold / in the que for just about 1 hr 30 min. I knew it would be a busy day but good grief!! It's irritating 'cuz being DVC we DON'T have the free dining and the phones just can't handle this call volume.

I wanted to book Fantasmic on 2 diff. nights ('cuz DS wants to go and I wanted the option of choosing to go on the better day once we can get the forecast) and the ONLY thing left was one 3:40 time at the Brown Derby on only 1 of the days we're going that they have the show. Now that they've cut back on the number of shows per week it's a real mess. I did NOT want the Brown Derby as I do not think the priority seating is worth $50 pp. But both H & V and Mama's was booked solid already and with fewer shows I don't want to waste time waiting in line to get in. Part of it already being booked up was probably due to others who's reservations started a few days before ours so they could call & book it a few days ago. (So I will liken it to people feeling the need to "walk" their reservations.)

Have I mentioned already that I hate making ADR's?? 2 hours of my life I will never get back and 1/2 of my monthly long distance hours on my cell GONE and I didn't even get the time & place I wanted for Fantasmic!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, you DO have Fantasmic I am sorry to hear about your bad experience making ADR's and hope you can work with the cell minutes that you have.

We have our TV/Cable/Phone bundled and so we have all of the time free calling from home. It has it's share of problems, but running out of minutes is not one of them.

Bobbi

 

[pamjb]

You can avoid long distance usage by calling the MS 800 number for dining reservations.

 

[lah3hh]

I am not a fan lover of how dining at WDW has turned over the past few years. The whole ADR by everyone has turned my casual relaxing vacation into a eating obsessed situation.

I truly miss the days of just showing up at any of the restaraunt options and being able to get in. Now if you don't have ADRs then you can't get in for the most part and I think that stinks. If anyone were to ask me my opinion of dining at WDW I would say the way it is now being handled has turned for the worse.

That is why we very rarely take the dining plan and try to eat at the places not listed on the plan. We try to avoid any of the options where everyone else is fighting to get a seat. I wish they would just go back to the 'good ole' way of handling dining. For me this is not a turn for the best....that's just my thought and I know many disagree but that is OK I have broad shoulders!!!!

 

[Anal Annie]

You can avoid long distance usage by calling the MS 800 number for dining reservations.

Yeah, under normal circumstances... But the dining line opened at 7:00 so it was imperative that I at least try to start the madness with the free dining competition as early as I could...that stoopid Fantasmic thing is the hardest to get now! I was literally on the phone 1 hr and 48 min. and got like the last slot available!

 

[jco_direwolf]

I truly miss the days of just showing up at any of the restaraunt options and being able to get in.

I miss the video phone kiosks at EPCOT Center.

Those rocked.

johno

 

[ACDSNY]

Yeah, under normal circumstances... But the dining line opened at 7:00 so it was imperative that I at least try to start the madness with the free dining competition as early as I could

Sorry to hear of your troubles...be glad you're on the east coast and don't have to start calling at 4AM like us west coasters.

 

[Crystal_27]

I'm so sorry that you couldn't score the ADRs that you wanted. I guess one positive is that apparently the Fantasmic! Dinner Package "VIP" seating has become not so VIP. I've read a lot recently that you're better off just planning on being at the theater 45 minutes early to get a seat.

Still, ADRs or no, you're going to Disney in just a few short months! YAY!!

 

[JimMIA]

I'm not sure the whole blame goes to the "free" DDP folks, although that surely adds to the problem. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to call Disney Dining just to see if I could get a last-minute Le Cellier ADR. I never did get through to them, so we ate offsite instead. I think they have already reduced their staffing in anticipation of the rollout of online ADR's.

We gave up on DDP a couple of years ago when they deleted the appetizer and tip from DDP. Since then, we've been eating almost exclusively offsite with the exception of one character meal per trip.

Eating offsite, we get:

1. Restaurants who answer their phones and make our reservations immediately for whenever we want to dine
2. MUCH better variety of dining choices
3. often considerably better food
4. less expensive meals, even when we dine at fine-dining restaurants offsite

We're done with Disney Dining.

 

[nappingbeauty]

Jim,
would you be kind enough to make some suggestions for offsite dining. we will be there twelve nights in august, and i am in agreement with you. always used to do the dining plan, but since the changes have opted not to.

any suggestions would be appreciated

thank you,
Laura

 

[PinkTink63]

Well, I am thoroughly disgusted with the free diners already mucking up our vacation week! I just spent 1 hr and 48 min. on the phone to make our ADR's for the week of August 16-23. After hitting the "all circuits are busy" recording a few times I was on hold / in the que for just about 1 hr 30 min. I knew it would be a busy day but good grief!! It's irritating 'cuz being DVC we DON'T have the free dining and the phones just can't handle this call volume.

I wanted to book Fantasmic on 2 diff. nights ('cuz DS wants to go and I wanted the option of choosing to go on the better day once we can get the forecast) and the ONLY thing left was one 3:40 time at the Brown Derby on only 1 of the days we're going that they have the show. Now that they've cut back on the number of shows per week it's a real mess. I did NOT want the Brown Derby as I do not think the priority seating is worth $50 pp. But both H & V and Mama's was booked solid already and with fewer shows I don't want to waste time waiting in line to get in. Part of it already being booked up was probably due to others who's reservations started a few days before ours so they could call & book it a few days ago. (So I will liken it to people feeling the need to "walk" their reservations.)

Have I mentioned already that I hate making ADR's?? 2 hours of my life I will never get back and 1/2 of my monthly long distance hours on my cell GONE and I didn't even get the time & place I wanted for Fantasmic!

That is not what I wanted to hear! I have yet to make any ADR's for our trip and I told my family I have to start doing that or we will end up with none! (AGAIN!) We are arriving the same day as you and of course it is the starting of FD!

I'm with you on this whole FD thing! It is hard enough getting ADR's when FD isn't going on! I guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow!

 

[gkrykewy]

Dining offsite at WDW feels to me like going to the local Outback or other generic chain restaurant in the suburbs at home.

We never get the DDP, but always dine on-site. Have the DDE right now since we have APs, and it works out for us. I'd love to see them make the DDE/TIW available to DVC members without requiring an AP purchase.

OP, you just got unlucky with your trip dates. Our trip overlaps free dining but starts earlier, and so I was able to call last week and make all of our reservations, even those overlapping free dining. Luck of the draw, I suppose.

 

[nunzia]

I wish they'd do away with the free dining mess..just give people "free" park hoppers or something instead..I can only imagine how much of a nightmare this is for CM working the restaurants..explaining dos and don'ts, having people argue, etc etc.

 

[JimMIA]

Jim,
would you be kind enough to make some suggestions for offsite dining. we will be there twelve nights in august, and i am in agreement with you. always used to do the dining plan, but since the changes have opted not to.

any suggestions would be appreciated

thank you,
Laura

Here's a link to a thread on the restaurant board on this very subject: Best Offsite Restaurants

As mentioned above, many of the choices will be chain restaurants. But that's not all bad. With chain restaurants, you will find consistently decent food at consistently reasonable prices and a very wide variety of dining choices. If you're going to be there 12 days, you will want a lot of variety. I can't imagine eating Disney food for more than 4-5 days in a row! If you don't want to eat at Outback, you go elsewhere. There are literally hundreds of choices.

There are also a lot of suggestions on that thread for small Mom & Pop places which are good choices for a quick, inexpensive meal.

There are some very good fine-dining choices offsite. Our two favorites at WDW are Charley's Steak House (2 locations on I Drive) and Columbia Restaurant in Celebration.

Charley's is a great steakhouse on the level of Morton's. It's expensive, but very, very good. I think my Porterhouse last week was $32.95 a la carte. Total bill w/tip for DW, DD7 and I was +/- $130.

Columbia is an old-line Spanish (not Cuban) restaurant from the historic Ybor City section of Tampa. They have a great variety of dishes, and I haven't found anything I didn't love yet. In particular, they have two snapper dishes -- Snapper Alicante and Snapper Adelita -- that are just plain wonderful. They also have several paella dishes that are great. Our Columbia bill was $120 with tip, but that was with a bottle of wine. If you go there, be sure to order their legendary "1905 Salad," even if you just get the small one with your entree. Whenever I eat at Columbia for lunch, I usually just get the 1905 Salad entree.

Another excellent better dining place offsite is Bonefish Grill. I have not tried them at WDW, but we eat there all the time here in Miami. Excellent seafood, and the steaks aren't bad either.

 

[Hunclemarco]

Hello.
Ok...just called in our ADR's.
not able to get into fantasmic package from August 18 through 23rd, but that's for a party of 7. I metioned that the number can be split into 4/3, 5/2, and the CM said they just put in the total number of people, and then the restaurant at the time of the reservation figures out how they will work out the table situation. I haven't heard of that before.


I had this also on the dining thread and thought i'd share it on this one too:
(posted at 6:30am)
Hello....Question .....
I'm calling today to make my ADR's 90 days out. I'm going based on incentive points for DVC. Disney did not give me my confirmation number for this yet. (apparently they have a different process of reserving the rooms, and although they'll give a confirmation at a later time, they assured us that the room is in our name) Will they have availablity to look up that information when calling dining?
Thanks in advance
mark
(Posted around 8:30am)
UPDATE: ok... they were able to find my reservation. Otherwise without the reservation number, they would have only allowed me to book for the first day only.
I wish they would (at our option) link split stay reservations...still have 2 days to get ADR's for.

 

[Anal Annie]

Dining offsite at WDW feels to me like going to the local Outback or other generic chain restaurant in the suburbs at home.

We never get the DDP, but always dine on-site. Have the DDE right now since we have APs, and it works out for us. I'd love to see them make the DDE/TIW available to DVC members without requiring an AP purchase.

OP, you just got unlucky with your trip dates. Our trip overlaps free dining but starts earlier, and so I was able to call last week and make all of our reservations, even those overlapping free dining. Luck of the draw, I suppose.

That's what I think happened with trying to book the Fantasmic package - people who were maybe going a few days before us yet also overlap our dates were eligible to call & book it a day or two before me. Only having the show 2 or 3 times a week now (they seem to alternate 2x one week with 3x the following week) has also made it super hard to get in. It was hard enough when they had the show every day...but this cutback in shows makes it really tough. I like the show but have seen it enough times to skip it but it's sort of a nostalgic tradition for DS so we still go....but I'm really not happy about it this time.

We're going to pass on getting the TIW card this year. We don't have enough meals planned at participating restaurants on either of our planned trips to be able to recover the $75 fee. We can get a 10% AP or DVC discount at a few of the restaurants where we're planning to dine so I think we'll just stick to that plan this year. The extra 10% off at only SOME of our planned meals is not worth the $75 fee.

We use DME bcuz it's free so no rental car to dine off-site... Rental rates have gone thru the roof the past few months - there would just be no savings for us to pay for a car just to be able to dine off-site....

 

[JimMIA]

Hello.
Ok...just called in our ADR's.
not able to get into fantasmic package from August 18 through 23rd, but that's for a party of 7. I metioned that the number can be split into 4/3, 5/2, and the CM said they just put in the total number of people, and then the restaurant at the time of the reservation figures out how they will work out the table situation. I haven't heard of that before.

I would try a couple of variations on your theme. One is to try to get an ADR for 6. Then, show up with 7 -- they'll accommodate you.

The other option is try to get a ressie for 4, then call back and get one for 3. They will have a LOT more availability for 3-4 than they will for 7. If you tell them seven, they're going to look for seven...so book the smaller tables separately. I know you mentioned splitting the party to them, but they weren't trying to make it work for you, so try the back door.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I am not a fan lover of how dining at WDW has turned over the past few years. The whole ADR by everyone has turned my casual relaxing vacation into a eating obsessed situation.

I truly miss the days of just showing up at any of the restaraunt options and being able to get in. Now if you don't have ADRs then you can't get in for the most part and I think that stinks. If anyone were to ask me my opinion of dining at WDW I would say the way it is now being handled has turned for the worse.

That is why we very rarely take the dining plan and try to eat at the places not listed on the plan. We try to avoid any of the options where everyone else is fighting to get a seat. I wish they would just go back to the 'good ole' way of handling dining. For me this is not a turn for the best....that's just my thought and I know many disagree but that is OK I have broad shoulders!!!!

I could have written this post. Couldn't agree with you more!

 

[ead79]

I'm sorry to hear about your ADR making troubles! I swear that making ADRs has gotten ridiculously crazy ever since they rolled out this "new and improved" system.

I might get flamed for this, but I really miss the 180 day ADR window. Having it that far out helped advance planners get a leg up on the rest of the WDW visitors who weren't willing to plan that far out. Now with the window being at 90 days out, more people are willing to plan that far out and are all trying to make their ADRs.

I think it's really just plain silly that if you call at 7 AM 90 days out, you can't get Le Cellier or a Fantasmic dinner package. For cryin' out loud, that just seems ridiculous to me! I think that Disney should only release a certain number of tables during the 90+10 booking time, then they could release the rest of the tables at 90 days exactly. That way if you couldn't get what you wanted during the 90+10, you'd have a decent chance (and everyone would be on equal footing) at 90 days out exactly. They could then reduce the offsite guest booking window to 75 days to give onsite folks a little more advantage.

 

[gkrykewy]

I would try a couple of variations on your theme. One is to try to get an ADR for 6. Then, show up with 7 -- they'll accommodate you.

The other option is try to get a ressie for 4, then call back and get one for 3. They will have a LOT more availability for 3-4 than they will for 7. If you tell them seven, they're going to look for seven...so book the smaller tables separately. I know you mentioned splitting the party to them, but they weren't trying to make it work for you, so try the back door.

These are both excellent suggestions!

I wish they would (at our option) link split stay reservations...still have 2 days to get ADR's for.

Hmmm... we have a 10-night split stay in august (6 nights kidani, 4 nights SSR), and when I called last week at 90 days from the check-in day, I was able to book ADRs for all 10 days . This was really critical, since the last 4 days are the first 4 of free dining - saved me from dealing with this fiasco.