No More 180 Days?

[FirstVisitEver]

I am a little out of the loop since I had our trip totally planned, but now that we have to change the dates - I have to re-do everything!

Is it true that EVERYTHING is 90 days out now?

 

[TDC Nala]

All restaurants are now 90 days for reservation booking.

The only things that are still 180 days are La Nouba and Grand Gathering Experiences (the special events for Grand Gatherings, not regular restaurant reservations)

 

[FirstVisitEver]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[ppony]

Does anyone know why this happened? I was surprised (and a little bummed) to have found that out recently in planning our trip too.

 

[tgropp]

This has been bad for DVC owners as when they buy the meal plan, they have to contend with people getting the free dining. I long for the 180 day window

 

[MelanieC]

I also miss the 180 day window- but since the park hours don't come out till 3 months prior, I guess its only fitting.

 

[Alesia]

Does anyone know why this happened? I was surprised (and a little bummed) to have found that out recently in planning our trip too.

My guess is that it's because the economy is in the toilet so Disney needs more flexibility in when they release park hours.

 

[starstruck93]

I was disappointed in this too. I'm going in Sept. However, I called last week and they told me that I could book MNSSHP on May 1st; so I'm def. doing that! Thanks, April

 

[Condorman]

I wouldn't be surprised if this were a temporary change due to the economy and Disney installing their all-encompassing new reservation system.

This is the only rational explanation. Why else make the CMs receiving ADR requests take 3x to 6x the number of calls when everyone's 90 days hit, when you could have spread that # out over the previous three months? No reason, except the new system and the economy.

I have no doubt they wanted to keep a closer watch on reservations made so as to know which promotions to roll out; in addition, if anything goes wrong with the new system, botching up 90 days worth of reservations is much better than 180.

When the economy picks up, and the phone and online rez systems are operating without (much) failure, and the CMs at the call centers are brought up to speed, and people begin booking their hotels months in advance again, I believe the policy will return to 180 days.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I wouldn't be surprised if this were a temporary change due to the economy and Disney installing their all-encompassing new reservation system.

This is the only rational explanation. Why else make the CMs receiving ADR requests take 3x to 6x the number of calls when everyone's 90 days hit, when you could have spread that # out over the previous three months? No reason, except the new system and the economy.

Your logic here is extremely faulty. Unless there are "3x to 6x" the number of people calling to make dining reservations, the average number of people calling on any given day remains the same. It doesn't matter whether that day is 90 days or 180 days before arrival, or whether people are calling for all their ADRs on the same date or spreading out their calls over the entire window. If the same number of people need to make the same number of ADRs, then the average number of ADRs made on any given day remains the same.

Remember that if today the CMs are taking calls for arrivals between now and July 26, (1) it is true that in the past people arriving July 26 could have been calling since January, but (2) it is also true that in the past, the CMs would be taking calls on today's date for arrivals between now and October 24--an extra 90 days' worth of guests. It goes in both directions.

 

[ppony]

I thought it made sense because the numbers of people knowing they are going to WDW at 90 days out is greater than the numbers @ 180 days. Granted, most of us here, know well beyond that , but not everyone camps on DIS or the internet. Now you have all the people that knew they were coming beyond 180 days and everyone inbetween then and 90 days that made their plans.
It made sense to me.
Wasn't it a little rude to saying someone was "extremely faulty"? Just explain your side, no need to qualify what kind of faulty you felt their logic was w/ that word IMO.

 

[tgropp]

This has been bad for DVC owners as when they buy the meal plan, they have to contend with people getting the free dining. I long for the 180 day window

I could forsee problems trying to get dinner reservations with the free dining and DVC members coming when they went from 180 to 90 days. Now with Disney supposedly trying different tiers in the dining reservation system, why not just go back to 180 days as free dining packages are usually offered after the 180 day window. When I book at the 11 or 7 month window and am paying $40 a day, please let me make my dinner reservations........ but I suppose that people are constatly changing them so many times that it must have been a problem for Disney