New Dining Plan option

[GhostLady]

I think any frustration about the DDP and the ability to obtain ADRs stems from the Free Dining promotion. People got in on that deal later than some, and it's about to begin shortly, and are now scrambling to find ADRs only to find there are none left. That seems to be the concensus on the Dining Boards. The rest of the year I have never found it difficult to find a table at most TS locations as walk-in.

The problem still exists during times where free dining is not offered as well. I am going in the middle of October and there are very few if any ADR's left for the entire week that I will be there. From everything I've read, it is not even supposed to be an extremely busy week.

I did make my ADR's well in advance and I was happy with what I had (only 2 TS). Then Disney decided to close the GG during lunch and we were stuck with only one TS meal for the entire week. I started calling as soon as the GG lunch closing was posted on this board as a rumor and it took me days to get another ADR for a character meal and I still didn't get the day and time I wanted. Maybe I should have double booked like some do so I would have at least had something when they canceled my ressie without much notice. I would never do that but in cases like this, I can see why some do.

Anyway, sorry to vent (yet again) but my point is that I think this problem exists throughout the year but I'm sure it is much worse during free dining. IMO the only way to solve it is to add more TS (character and non). I'm glad to hear they are doing that in DTD but I wish it wasn't at the expense of PI.

 

[KYMickey]

.... IMO the only way to solve it is to add more TS (character and non). I'm glad to hear they are doing that in DTD but I wish it wasn't at the expense of PI.

Adding extra dining to DTD really won't help the problem. Very few park visitors will leave the parks to go to DTD to eat lunch or dinner. The people eating there are usually people not visiting the parks that day. Usually when we visit if we're not eating at the park's the offsite, very seldom do we eat at DTD. We definitely don't visit restaurants there or anywhere else in Orlando that we can visit elsewhere since the prices are usually considerably higher in Orlando and especially in Disney.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Very few park visitors will leave the parks to go to DTD to eat lunch or dinner. The people eating there are usually people not visiting the parks that day.

I would have to disagree with this observation. I've been on plenty of trips where SOMEBODY just HAS to eat at the Rainforest Cafe (a location I could really really do without). So much so that I got a Safari card the last time I was in Orlando with a biggish group...handy for discounts at Joes Crabshack anyway. Their need is so urgent (and this is different people every time the group has been larger than 2) that its planned as an event to do at the end of a park day. If I'm lucky its planned for an arrival day with no parks but generally I'm not that lucky.

Lunch-wise I'd have to agree but dinner-wise...plenty of those folks were in the parks earlier.

 

[mitros]

Adding extra dining to DTD really won't help the problem. Very few park visitors will leave the parks to go to DTD to eat lunch or dinner. The people eating there are usually people not visiting the parks that day. Usually when we visit if we're not eating at the park's the offsite, very seldom do we eat at DTD. We definitely don't visit restaurants there or anywhere else in Orlando that we can visit elsewhere since the prices are usually considerably higher in Orlando and especially in Disney.

We leave the parks regularly for both lunch and dinner to eat at DTD. It breaks up the days at the parks. Of course, we always have our car, so it is easy for us to do this.