The
#1 reason for your dates is indeed Free Dining because
it makes a huge impact on ADR availability on top of many other issues. If there were not Free Dining during that time frame then the availability would increase but not to say you still wouldn’t have to be more flexible. I have traveled to WDW for the last decade during your same time frame and going back this year. For 8 years on the Dining Plan and last few on room discounts using my TiW to dine.
Dining at the World has changed. Maybe you got lucky the last few years.
Many folks gave some of the reasons that all combined but maybe for newbies to understand the importance of booking as far out as possible here are some reasons dining has become a job in itself:
- The economy constantly improving. The last 4-5 years the parks are getting more and more crowded. More people means more diners.
- Improving economy means more guests on the
DDP. DDP means more people eating table service which means less ADRs. Disney has not been increasing dining spots.
- Improving economy means more guests than ever are booking the Deluxe DDP. I’ve never heard so many folks on here talking about having it as I do now. That means the same number of guests are now taking up more ADRs.
- MyMagic+ means Disney is sending you packages, emails and reminders to book your Dining Reservations. The new program means more guests are more educated than ever about traveling to Disney.
- Increasing prices with no more value of the Quick Service meals means I would rather book a Table Service for a few more dollars at lunch time. Gosh the turkey leg/pork shanks have increased 20% in last couple years - you know the cost did not jump that much that is straight up folks will pay that crazy price.
- Quick Service that require an ADR speaks for itself. As they improve the Quick Service options I expect this to continue.
- The building of BOG and now the new Adventureland restaurant yet rarely opening Tortuga or Tomorrowland Terrace tells you that the average guest wants a better counter service experience and more table service options for dinner. These builds were done based on projected desires of guests AKA Disney TS spots are fully booked.
- The addition of breakfast and lunch to Garden Grill tells you there is a demand for more table service.
- Things like LTT being closed will impact less desirable locations like Tony’s because many guests do not want to leave the park to eat.
- As parks like AK has been and DHS is about to become a construction zone, some guests are not visiting them and therefore putting more pressure on the MK and Epcot restaurants.
- The internet. Yes blame the internet. Thinking of a trip, having Disney withdrawals, watching a cute Disney World You Tube video, shopping at the
Disney store, ordering a Disney lunchbox at
Amazon – GOOGLE knows it and now is bombarding you with every Disney World ad they have. On any given day I would see 20 ads for Disney Free Dining. No secret to even the DIS-free internet surfers.
- Used to be there were huge threads from a couple “in the know” folks to let us know when and what time we could get Free Dining. Those threads are long gone because Disney leaks it out, travel agents know, we all know as common knowledge and ready to pounce.
- Disney didn’t offer Free Dining to Disney Visa folks first this year. They don’t need to start a frenzy anymore. Free Dining slammed the website and the phone lines. The General Public is fully in the know and rooms booked like crazy, and guarantee most those folks already had ADRs.
- In the know means people guessed dates and booked ADRs without hotel reservations. I book ADRS when I see a good one with NO TRIP even planned. If I can make it work, great I go, if not I drop it. I had California Grill during Wishes, Dining with Imagineer and SciFi Dine In for a “maybe” trip in July. Family issue came up and I had to cancel, the day before. I have some booked now for a September
maybe stop after a cruise.
- I travel as group of two often. I firmly believe the Disney bean counters have told the reservation programmers to limit tables for 2. Most tables are 4 tops, every couple that sits at those tables, Disney loses half the potential income. Look at the Wishes Dessert Party. WHY not book more twos? They don’t even use all the tables - because they make more money with four. We once had 3 booked there. We walked up with a 4th and they gladly took her money and seated her. It's not the capacity that is at issue with empty tables, it's filling tables.
- Sci Fi has been one of the hardest to get for years. If you consistently got with no problem you were lucky. It’s my DS favorite (he is special needs) and last few trips I had to tell him I couldn’t get it. Last week I booked the first week of October and after trying for days I finally got Sci Fi to pop up – at 2 am. So far only one I have.
- Disney Website. YUP, blame it too. What a pain it was to book or change dining ADRs when you had to call. Once they made it an option on the website and they added a phone APP, booking is a breeze and can be done anytime, anywhere. The easier you make it, the more folks will book.
- Days of Walk-ups are all but gone. I rarely see a restaurant say yes to someone walking up. I think part of it is they are told not to no matter what. I have walked up and asked, been told no. Then I walk a few feet away, check
MDE and have been able to pick up a time in the next hour or so. The system is getting times when the restaurant itself isn’t.
- CC Guarantee did nothing to stop those who want to double book do it. While folks may not hold them now until the day off, they will book them farther out until they get to 60 days. Why?
- FP+. Yep, blame it too. Before you didn’t have to plan what park you were going to unless you were tying yourself to EMH or later night hours. Now at 60 days when you book FP+ you are committed to a park. Rather than attempt to change your ADRs at that point, book multiples at 180. Once you have your FP+ set then you can drop some. But with others doing the same, they will get picked up as fast as you drop them. Overall FP+ has changed some folks touring plans and probably has affected their dining choices.
- There are going to be lots of other variables that inadvertently impact. I used to ALWAYS stay on property. If I didn’t have the dining plan I would eat breakfast in my room and eat mostly quick service to offset the price of my room. Now with so many great offsite options, I will often stay offsite to save money so that I can eat Table Service in the parks. Those trips I am staying offsite and not on DDP but I am eating more TS than I used to ...
LOTS complicate what seems like a pretty simple task and FREE DINING is the icing on the cake.
Bottom line – if there is a restaurant that is a must have – book at 180 even if there is a chance you are going
ESPECIALLY during Free Dining and holidays. You can always cancel it. If you can’t get what you want you can check ongoing, use one of the dining services, check at 60 days after folks make FP+ reservations, check at 45 days when folks have to cancel their packages (and therefore ADRs due to CC guarantee), check the week of, the night before and the morning of ……. and most of all be flexible.
