What comes first? Park hours or booking restaurants?

AussieAngel

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Hi all,

It’s been 6 years since our last WDW trip (augh!!) and I think my brain has turned to mush in that time, after having two children.

When planning our upcoming trip, what comes first - park hours being released or booking dining? Aren’t they both around the 180 day mark?

On a kind-of-related note, are hotels and restaurants more difficult to book than they were six years ago? I looked 12 months in advance for Beach Club Villas and there’s nothing available, and restaurants for 6 months in advance seem tricky too! Ohana at either 3.30 or 10.30 for dinner!? Eek!
 
The park hours are subject to change at any time, which makes booking dining reservations harder. The park hours will usually be extended (extra Magic Hours), one hour added in the morning or up to three hours in the evening. However, Disney has been adding special "hard ticket events" (Disney After Hours). My suggestion would be book what you wan t, for the times that you want. You can cancel 24-48 prior to reservation with our penalty.

people change their plans all the time. Just keep checking for cancellations.
 
For my family, booking ADR's comes directly after choosing park days. I am not a strategic planner so once I make a plan I tend to stick with it, and the only change I would make based on hours is if I had a PPO breakfast planned and park opening hours moved.

I make my FP work around the ADR's. I am sure that my method is not one that others find useful, but my family is pretty easygoing in terms of attractions, etc,and I do nto like to be stressed about getting it all done.

I think that once you have your resort in place and you are in the window for ADR's things open up. You may not find what you want on Day 1, however if you look at the entire trip ADR's tend to be open, so book your most important ADR and the one that may be the most sought after towards the end of your stay. i always place CG at the end, and if I wanted 'Ohana or Storybook, I would add them there.

In terms of booking a resort, I think there is a very limited number of "villas" open to book initially. These are DVC units and IIRC, most are kept out of inventory for a specific amount of time to allow owners to book them. Look at regular resort rooms to see if there is availability
 

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