Opinion/Question

[tfc3rid]

I know that these types of things drive everyone nuts here but as I' contemplating my upcoming trip and reservations I though about this...

Is it crazy to make reservations for a meal 6 months before you ever go away???

I mean I live here in NYC with restaurants that have demands for service but I make reservations a week in advance and I'm good to go...

I love going to WDW but 6 months ahead?? Man oh man...

 

[atisikitabasket]

I agree when we went in Feb. it was our first time staying on site and doing the DDP and Feb. is the slow time. I decided to go head and make ADR's and I am glad I did because 5 out of the 7 places were not taking walk ins and we went at a slow time.

I think it depends when you are going and what places you want to eat at. I am a big planner so it was ok for me just to plan our parks around what ADR we had but some people like to be a little more spontanious and I can see were it could be a pain. If you really want to try a specific place I would go ahead and make the ADR just in case.

Have a great trip!

 

[jayhjay]

You will get both responses on this topic here - Yes you must make them, No I never make them. Honestly, it depends on 1) Do you care what time you eat? 2) Do you care where you eat? 3) Do you care if you can't get a TS one night and must eat CS instead? 4) How many are in your party (larger groups tend to have a harder time, and finally, 5) What time of year are you going.

#5 is the biggie I think. Some times of the year it is much easier to walk up, or get ressies late. Others they are all snapped up very early (like free dining).

That being said, 180 days ahead is not a necessity for all restaurants regardless. Some places you can easily get into a month in advance. Others book up the first day they are eligible.

Personally I book my must dos the first day I can. Then as I figure out where I want to go I add them in. But I typically have all my ADRs by 4 months out. Don't forget, you can always cancel. But finding an ADR when they are full is much harder.

 

[Uncle Servo]

If you have a "must do" place in mind that's going to make or break your trip (especially if it's a fairly popular restaurant), it never hurts to make it as far out in advance as possible.

 

[tfc3rid]

I think that what my question was saying as opposed to 'should you make them that early' is more on the lines of doesn't it seem absurd to make reservations that far in advance...

 

[MickeyNicki]

I remember when we would enter Epcot, head to the left of the "ball" and there were all these tv monitors with telephones attached. You would pick up the phone and a live CM would come on and you made the reservation then and there for that same day.

I like making my plans as soon as I book my reservation..that could be with 6 months notice or 6 hours notice since we do a lot of spur of the moment trips. With the exception of Le Cellier and Chef Mickeys I am always able to get what I want

 

[Tink3Belle]

I wish we could deceide when we arrive and just go with the flo but if we do that we may not eat at a sit down restaurant. It's crazy if you ask me too but this is they way of the world!

 

[anabelle]

It is really absurd. I totally agree. But unfortunately, it is a fact of life now. It doesn't look like the dining plan is going anywhere, so it is a necessary evil. The Dining plan did what it was supposed to do, fill the TS restaurants. You have to hand it to Disney on that one. Those of us who probably would have been going off site to eat a sit down meal are now staying on site to eat due to Disney dining. I would have not thought to try Le Cellier or Hoop De doo due to the cost, but we have done them both now. My hubby loves the dining plan. He likes the fact we can try all the restaurants now without guessing what our food budget is going to be. We just have to figure out what we are going to be hungry for 6 months in advance. No problem! We are compulsive over planners anyway. I just feel sorry for those who have no clue what they are doing and wait to plan meals until they get there. LOL

 

[Uncle Servo]

I think that what my question was saying as opposed to 'should you make them that early' is more on the lines of doesn't it seem absurd to make reservations that far in advance...

If it were anywhere else but WDW I would say yes it would seem absurd... but since we're dealing with a place where people plan visits months (even years) in advance, then depending on the venue and the time/season it's not all that farfetched an idea.

 

[DizzDoll]

With potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the parks on any given day, having to make ADRs 6 months ahead of time is a necessity if you have to have dinner in say, LeCellier, without being put in the 8:40 PM slot. I called 6 months to the day for LeCellier and STILL got the 8:40 slot!! We decided to switch over to lunch instead. But other than the "musts", you can pretty much wait until you're closer to departure to make ressies.

 

[Barbers2005]

doesn't it seem absurd to make reservations that far in advance...

Not really. You have a large group of people in a smallish area who all want to eat at about the same time. Many of those people have purchased a plan that requires them to eat on site, others don't have transportation outside the "world." Add to that that WDW is the mecca of the uberplanners...not really surprising that ADR's need to be made way in advance.

 

[inaminute]

This is only one more reason for me to spend my money elsewhere. It's ridiculous to have to make dining reservations so far out! Especially for what you get these days.

We used to eat almost exclusively at the sit down restaurants. We never used the dining plan but the cost didn't bother us because the food and service were great. After our trip this June, we decided that the ho-hum food, so-so to just awful service, and exhorbitant prices are just not worth the hassle of dining at the sit-down restaurants in the parks any more.

If I go back to Disney, I will make reservations only for those two or three that we still like. We'll either eat our main meals off site or at one of the hotels (where we found the food and service to still be up to Disney standards) or just grab something quick.

No more worrying about making reservations for every meal months before we arrive!

 

[inaminute]

You have to hand it to Disney on that one. Those of us who probably would have been going off site to eat a sit down meal are now staying on site to eat due to Disney dining.

And those of us who used to pay their regular prices are now avoiding the table service restaurants like the plague. We're the ones leaving for places outside the world. Personally, I think Disney blew it with the dining plan. It's cheapened the dining experience to that of the Olive Garden variety--but at premium prices.

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with Olive Garden. But, if that is the quality Disney is looking for, then they should just buy a few franchises and be honest about it.

 

[Uncle Servo]

And those of us who used to pay their regular prices are now avoiding the table service restaurants like the plague. We're the ones leaving for places outside the world. Personally, I think Disney blew it with the dining plan. It's cheapened the dining experience to that of the Olive Garden variety--but at premium prices.

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with Olive Garden. But, if that is the quality Disney is looking for, then they should just buy a few franchises and be honest about it.

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of DDP either as it's made TS reservations harder to get nowadays if you're not 'with the program.' On the other hand, we've kinda worked around that by shifting our TS dining options to lunch and hit some counter/food court/DTD spot for dinner so it's not that big a deal for us.

I would however like to see some sort of report that tracks TS restaurant activity before and since the intro of DDP (not likely, I know). If overall business in the TS places are up now because of it, then the WDW powers that be will likely consider it a success.

 

[tfc3rid]

I'm sure that business is up and that people are taking surpreme advantage of the DDP... It's a business decision that I don't have an issue with... The goal od the Diney Dingin folks is to have restaurants at or near capacity... They do that now, therefore, it's a success... Which is seemingly why they are making changes to the plan for next year, hoping that people who feel this is a good deal now, will continue...

 

[Uncle Servo]

True. You have to think that the goal of any restaurant owner is to be running at as close to full capacity as possible... add to that WDW's goal of keeping as many guests (and their money) on-property as much as possible, and I'm not in the least surprised that something like the DDP gets introduced.

Is DDP a good idea or a bad idea? I dunno. It seems to be a bad one for those who feel the same way as inaminute. On the other hand, there's no telling how many people were unsatisfied with the way things were beforehand and who really like DDP. That's why I'd like to see the unvarnished numbers -- to see whether or not DDP is a marginal success, a resounding success, or even if it's a success at all.

The main problem with an organization so large as WDW is that no matter what they do there will be those who hate it (and for reasons perfectly viable to their own personal situations).

 

[MadToad]

It's no crazier than trying to get a reservation at Babbo's in Manhattan...