Planning ADRs without park hours?

[COscrapper]

This is my first time planning a WDW trip, so please excuse me if this is a stupid question...I've been reading up on ADR posts and am trying to understand how this works...

We are planning a WDW trip for Oct/Nov 2016. Since we are totally flexible on dates, we are waiting to book it to see if any discounts are released for that timeframe. Since we are on a strict budget, getting the best deal is a top priority, and we could even push the trip to Jan/Feb 2017 if it means a significant cost savings. However, from what I have read, DW may not release those discounts until summertime - which would make us miss the start of our 180-day booking window if our trip ends up being the last week of October...how would you handle this? At the end of April, should I just pick a week and make our ADRs? Will I really not be able to get them if I miss the 180-day mark?

Also, how do you even MAKE your ADR's at 180 days out if Disney changes park hours any time they please? I mean, I can't really know which day I'll be in which park at what time if I don't know what hours they will be open? Especially with MNSSHP and/or the Christmas Party to work around at that time of year...how do you all handle this?

 

[supersnoop]

How would a shift in park hours affect your desired meal times?

The restaurants don't really change their hours, so you should be able to book what you want. The main complaint is when a pre-park breakfast is no longer before opening. You should have enough notice to adjust for that if you need to.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We usually decide our dates first, book what we can afford without a discount, and plan park days using a crowd calendar(Easywdw, etc). If a discount comes out, great. If not, we go anyway.

This year, we had no plans to go to WDW. I was bored and looking at Disney's site one day, to see how much a trip would cost with the spring discount. We were able to get a shorter stay (5 nights/6 days) for very close to our vacation budget for this year. We ended up booking at 146 days out. I've only booked one ADR so far. We may book a couple more, or we may not.

The park hour changes seem to be extending and hour or so during busier times. Party dates should be announced by May or so, but you can usually guess those based on days the MK closes early.

What ADRs are you interested in? A few are very hard to get other than 180 days, but usually something will open up eventually, if you keep looking.

 

[COscrapper]

supersnoop: yes, but the park hours will determine which park we are in on a particular day. For example, let's say we want to be in MK for early EMH but already have a breakfast/lunch reservation at a restaurant in AK (or vice versa)....or what if we have a later dinner reservation in MK but then find out it's a night for MNSSHP and we have to be out of the park early? Or are you allowed to stay in the park if you have a dinner reservation? Or are all of the party dates and EMH dates released 180 days in advance so you can plan for it? I saw some posts saying that park hours can change even a month or 2 ahead of time, I think...?

Bigbabyblues: if you can "guess party dates" based on the days MK closes early, does that mean you can know park hours already? They won't be changed later? I feel so confused, haha! We will only be doing 1 ADR a day, but wanted to try some of the popular experiences like BOG and at least one character meal...Biergarten looks fun, sci-fi dine in, etc. Will not be on the DDP unless free dining comes out and will save us more than a room discount. Again, we're not even booked yet, but if we do the last week of October, should I be ready to book ADRs the last week of April? We will go whether a discount is released or not, but if there IS a discount, we will def choose/change our dates to get it.

 

[supersnoop]

The days for EMH shouldn't change, even though the times could. But, in you example, that means you'd simply have an extra hour in the park before you had to head off for breakfast. I would expect party dates to be announced ahead of the 180 day mark.

Don't stress over it. If the hours change and it messes up your plan, you can always cancel (up to midnight the day before). Stick with your plan, and if something changes, stress out when you're frantically looking to replace that reservation.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I don't think you can know for sure that hours won't change. Usually, if the calendar comes out and the MK is scheduled go close at 7, that would be a strong indication of a party day.

We avoid the parks that have EMH. However, they have been known to add EMH or extend park hours if crowds are higher, usually during busy times. The last time we were there, MK was scheduled go close ag 10. When we got there that morning, there were signs that the park would be open until midnight; that was in June. I've never been in October, but they don't shorten hours that I know of. I would make your best guess for ADRs at 180 days from when you plan to go, especially BoG, and Chef Mickey's, if that is what you choose for a character meal. 'Ohana is also difficult to get, so if you want that, book it as soon as possible. If hours change, you should be able go switch most ADRs around to fit. Just make sure to cancel them if you change your trip dates, so you aren't charged the no-show fee.

I hope this helps! Enjoy the planning!