I knew Disney would.....

[Jenn_niven]

.....change MK opening on the day I had PPO at CRT. Why does Disney require that we make ADRs 180 days out, and they change park hours one month out??

Thanks for listening.

 

[dansdad]

Disney doesn't require ADRs be made 180 days out. Demand by guests does.

 

[Lynne M]

I'm going to move this to the Dining Reservations board.

 

[bumbershoot]

Disney doesn't require ADRs be made 180 days out. Demand by guests does.

Since when does Disney listen to guests? They set it, so we follow it. When they changed it that one time, who knows why they changed it back? It was their decision to do so.

If you've looked at their marketing materials, at their MDE, at everything they've been setting up the last 2 years, it's all about planning, getting things planned, set in stone, locked in, etc.

And then they change things like this. It's ridiculous. They offer a pre park opening breakfast, they KNOW why people want that (to eat, and to see an empty park), but they change it and you either change what you get out of that morning OR you cancel.

They did that to us back in '10 and it was maddening then, when we didn't even have a cancel fee. (however we were traveling as a party of 8 and it's hard to make on the fly decisions in a big group, especially since we didn't have the best communication)

 

[dansdad]

Since when does Disney listen to guests?)

I have no idea. I never said, nor insinuated, that they did.

They set it, so we follow it. When they changed it that one time, who knows why they changed it back? It was their decision to do so.

My only point was that Disney did not make it a requirement to make an ADR at 180 days out. They just make it available then.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Since when does Disney listen to guests? <snip> They offer a pre park opening breakfast, they KNOW why people want that (to eat, and to see an empty park), but they change it and you either change what you get out of that morning OR you cancel.

Disney doesn't listen to guests, yet they typically open in-park restaurants an hour before the parks open because they know what guests want...and why?

No. Restaurants normally open before parks to give guests the opportunity to eat in the park and still get a full day's access to the attractions. Being in the park when it's relatively empty is not ever promised, preferred offered, guaranteed, or implied. Extending park hours at either end of the day is a business decision, made based on projected crowds.

 

[Polydweller]

There would be a legitimate complaint IF Disney offered an empty park as part of the ADR. But they don't. The only thing they promise as part of the ADR is the next available table for your party size at that time. Nothing more. Anything else is the guest's hoping something works out but the guest can only really expect what they were offered and that's a table.

And Disney does listen. They do as much surveying of guests as anyone and like the survey going around about CP they are looking at making changes. In that case they have offered good seats so they are listening and looking for ways to better provide what they promise.

But in this thread's case, what is there to listen to when they are providing exactly what they promised, a table.

 

[Jenn_niven]

There would be a legitimate complaint IF Disney offered an empty park as part of the ADR. But they don't. The only thing they promise as part of the ADR is the next available table for your party size at that time. Nothing more. Anything else is the guest's hoping something works out but the guest can only really expect what they were offered and that's a table.

And Disney does listen. They do as much surveying of guests as anyone and like the survey going around about CP they are looking at making changes. In that case they have offered good seats so they are listening and looking for ways to better provide what they promise.

But in this thread's case, what is there to listen to when they are providing exactly what they promised, a table.

True. There is no guarantee of an empty park with my ADR. And Disney doesn't require ADRs at 180 days. BUT if I need to plan my vacation months in advance in order to secure the experiences that my family would like, I expect that Disney could keep firm on the park hours. WDW has been open for 44 years.....I think they should do a better job at predicting crowd levels farther out than 30 days.

 

[minnie mum]

if I need to plan my vacation months in advance in order to secure the experiences that my family would like, I expect that Disney could keep firm on the park hours

Just what are "the experiences" that your family would like, then? If your expectation is to have breakfast in the park at a particular time early in the morning, then what difference does it make if the park opens earlier? If the purpose of your breakfast is to get into the park and be finished dining in time to beat everyone else to your first attraction, then perhaps you need to adjust your expectations.

Disney has been adding extra hours to park days with ever increasing frequency in order to handle increasing crowds. Disney does not specifically offer PPO ADRs. They offer ADRs for specific times. Period. It is YOUR expectation that that time will be PPO. So you have 2 choices. Either continue to make those early morning ADRs, understanding that you may not finish before the park opens, or make other breakfast plans that won't be affected by actual park opening times.

 

[AngiTN]

True. There is no guarantee of an empty park with my ADR. And Disney doesn't require ADRs at 180 days. BUT if I need to plan my vacation months in advance in order to secure the experiences that my family would like, I expect that Disney could keep firm on the park hours. WDW has been open for 44 years.....I think they should do a better job at predicting crowd levels farther out than 30 days.

I do agree with you, you'd think they'd know the hours they need to operate in on a given day well in advance and not have a need to change hours. It also frustrates me when they change hours. Sometimes this works in to your favor though. Especially if you had a FP you couldn't get. Adding in the additional park hours could allow you to book a FP you otherwise missed out on. So there are times they work in your favor

But I also agree with the others that at no point does Disney advertise a meal as a way to get in to the park early, be it for pictures or first in line for rides. Booking a pre-opening meal is a gamble and I always advise to never book early for a meal you aren't willing to cancel or loose the park time for. Booking just for early entry is not what they intended when they opened the restaurants before the park. They did it to be able to serve more bodies during the hours of operation.

 

[gdrj]

.....change MK opening on the day I had PPO at CRT. Why does Disney require that we make ADRs 180 days out, and they change park hours one month out??

Thanks for listening.

I think that it is a positive that they are flexible and adjust park hours. By doing so they enhance the opportunity for 1000's of guests to get into the park. I understand what you wanted to do, which really isn't the purpose of a dining reservation.

 

[gdrj]

Why does Disney require that we make ADRs 180 days out,.

We have a last minute trip next week and I was able to get dining reservations over the last few days. We also added something in the beginning of April and were able to BOG and Chef Mickey's.

 

[larryz]

Disney doesn't listen to guests, yet they typically open in-park restaurants an hour before the parks open because they know what guests want...and why?

No. Restaurants normally open before parks to give guests the opportunity to eat in the park and still get a full day's access to the attractions. Being in the park when it's relatively empty is not ever promised, preferred offered, guaranteed, or implied. Extending park hours at either end of the day is a business decision, made based on projected crowds.

And how can you tell that the elephants on the Jungle Cruise are African elephants?