What's up first week of Dec?

[pezaddict231]

I noticed the same thing for the week after. We went last year same time and I was able to get pretty much everything booking in November for our December trip. I almost wonder if some reservations are being held. We do have a large group but I also check for smaller tables because we could split up and there's nothing.

 

[geenerbell]

If your stay starts during Free Dining then you get it for your entire stay, or at least that how it used to be. Sounds like there may be some folks with lonnnng stays.

 

[jaysmom4285]

For anyone having trouble finding ADRs, try the touring plans reservation finder (google it). Tell them what you're looking for, and they search hourly and notify you by text and/or email when something becomes available. You have to be quick about making the reservation yourself, but they can almost always find what you're looking for.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Except free dining ends on Nov 28, and the first full week of Dec starts on Dec 4. People checking in on the 28th probably aren't staying through that first full week, so that doesn't explain the difficulty unless OP is arriving earlier than the 4th.

We are there December 10 - 18 and we have free dining and I've had a bit of trouble getting the ADR times I wanted. I believe that has a lot to do with FD.
FD dates this year were:

• August 23* through October 1, 2016
• November 15 through 21, 2016
• November 26 through 28, 2016
• December 10 through 21, 2016

So, if you booked November 28th through anytime in December, you have Free dining.
Not that long a trip.

 

[FortForever]

Just 2 of us. We're planning to stay Dec 4-10. What is Pop Warner? Is it like Presidents week as far as crowds? I went presidents week this year and found it to be very manageable.

Pop Warner is kids' football. They have their championship at WDW every year about the same. It doesn't add the park crowd, in my experience. Been there many times with them an no problems. Usually hard to get reservations at Sports resort the week they are there, and then the other budget resorts once Sports fills up.

We never make dining reservations, but I can imagine that is where they are all going.

 

[Lothlórien]

I am sorry you are having so much trouble with ADRs. We are there for the 26th of November through the 2nd of December and we were able to get everything we wanted for the times we wanted.
We do not do buffets. We did get 1 table service reservation per day.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Pop Warner doesn't affect the ADRS at all, they don't go to TS restaurants, eating CS while there.
What does affect ADRs is the free dining offer, it makes it really really busy those dates.
Everyone wants to get the best bang for their free dining buck! So all the popular and more expensive (not necessarily signature) restaurants are packed and hard to get ADRs. Especially in the parks, more so than the resorts.

 

[TCRAIG]

We're going Dec 8-14 - No trouble making ADRs for 2 - However - We don't do any of the more popular ADRs except BOG (for lunch) and Crystal Palace prior to MK opening.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

We're going Dec 8-14 - No trouble making ADRs for 2 - However - We don't do any of the more popular ADRs except BOG (for lunch) and Crystal Palace prior to MK opening.

We've been struggling for CRT, got it twice but not good times, no 'Ohana, and still working on a time I like for Minnie's with F+ (could only get lunch).
So it is tight... This is actually the following week, 10th through 18th.
We are very excited that we got a Cali Grill Brunch on Sunday before we leave! What a great way to end the week!

 

[TAK]

When it came to CRT, I knew it was going to be tough so I was SUPER flexible right away, and came up with three different days/times I could make it work. And I put those at the end of my reservations, so I took advantage of the 180+10 as much as possible.

Keep looking -- I'm told a LOT of things open up at the paid-in-full date, when people sometimes cancel or move their trips. Good luck!

 

[North of Mouse]

I keep reading that the first 2 weeks of December aren't overly crowded, but I haven't been able to get hardly any of the dining reservations my mom and I want for our trip. Is there something missing that's going to make that week crowded? I started trying to get them at 180 days. The next week, a lot more seems to be available but isn't as feasible for us to go. Am I going to have the same problem with fast passes?

It 'used' to be that way, until everybody's dog had to tell everybody else's dog!! Now, it's not!!

 

[JediBonas]

I'm going Nov 29th through Dec 9th. I was online at exactly 6am at my 180 day mark and did not get ONE ADR that I wanted at the time I wanted. I go at the same time every year and this is the first time this has happened. It was very frustrating. By constantly checking, I've managed to get most of the ADRs I wanted close to the time I wanted. When I went this May, I forgot about the 180 day mark and made the ADRs several weeks later and got everything I wanted at the times I wanted--even one for BOG. Be persistent and you should get the ADRs you want eventually.

That's insane. We're going Nov 30 - Dec 8th and were able to get all the ADRs for all the times we wanted, including CRT (and a bunch were still available later in the day when I went back to check) and Cape May for 18 people. We usually go last week of Oct or mid-November and always had a hard time getting ADRs, this year it was so easy.

 

[Elliemay2]

I have a group of 14 going Dec 11-16. We were able to get WCC, Candlelight DP at San Angels, Sci-Fi, H&V Minnie Holliday, 1900, and Chef Mickey, and BOG Lunch. We have Free Dine. I did have an Ohana, AK Breakfast...and several others, but I cancelled them so they could be available to others. Maybe with the late release of actual December hours, people could be holding more than normal so they have more options when the updated park hours come out.

 

[Skywise]

I'm trying to setup a trip for November 10-12 and there's practically NOTHING available for ADRs, let alone room reservations. Liberty Tree Tavern is practically sold out, 1900 Park Fare breakfast AND dinner are sold out as is Ohana for dinner on the 11th.

I don't get it.

 

[100acreHiker]

I'm with the folks who say free dining--some one checks in on 11/28 and they can have it up to 10 days, which takes you right through the first full week of Dec. We are going down Nov 30-Dec 5th and have had little luck getting what we want. Some yes, some no. We were there last year the very same week (Dec 1-5) when there was no free dining around that week and our party of 7 had excellent luck. We also had very manageable crowds. I'm worried this year won't be the same...

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I'm with the folks who say free dining--some one checks in on 11/28 and they can have it up to 10 days, which takes you right through the first full week of Dec. We are going down Nov 30-Dec 5th and have had little luck getting what we want. Some yes, some no. We were there last year the very same week (Dec 1-5) when there was no free dining around that week and our party of 7 had excellent luck. We also had very manageable crowds. I'm worried this year won't be the same...

We were there during free dining in December last year as well and the crowds were very manageable during the week! We couldn't snag 'Ohana last year either... lol. (First world problems!)
The weekend we left on Sunday (doing it again this year) and parks and resorts were much busier. We did a monorail crawl on Sunday and the resorts were packed! But we had a really good time!

 

[DekrRini]

That's insane. We're going Nov 30 - Dec 8th and were able to get all the ADRs for all the times we wanted, including CRT (and a bunch were still available later in the day when I went back to check) and Cape May for 18 people. We usually go last week of Oct or mid-November and always had a hard time getting ADRs, this year it was so easy.

I wish it had worked that well for me. Funny thing is that I could have gotten CRT for almost anytime I wanted, but I wasn't interested in that one. The three I wanted most were BOG, Sci-Fi, and Garden Grill. I did get BOG and Sci-Fi for later in the week, but it took quite a while to get Garden Grill for anytime that week. Maybe I just check at the wrong times of day.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I wish it had worked that well for me. Funny thing is that I could have gotten CRT for almost anytime I wanted, but I wasn't interested in that one. The three I wanted most were BOG, Sci-Fi, and Garden Grill. I did get BOG and Sci-Fi for later in the week, but it took quite a while to get Garden Grill for anytime that week. Maybe I just check at the wrong times of day.

I had a really hard time getting GG, it kept telling me no ADRs available... Then later after my 180 day booking window a bunch opened up. I wondered if there was a refurb scheduled, but then up they came!
We have not been able to grab sci fi, but I didn't originally try at 180 days, so my bad!

 

[Candycane83]

I had a really hard time getting GG, it kept telling me no ADRs available... Then later after my 180 day booking window a bunch opened up. I wondered if there was a refurb scheduled, but then up they came!
We have not been able to grab sci fi, but I didn't originally try at 180 days, so my b!

I think it was because of candlelight processional. I had the same issue with GG n coral reef.

 

[DekrRini]

It could have been the candlelight processional. I noticed today that there were several available times for GG. AFter I spent something like 6 hours trying to get an ADR for the candlelight processional when it first opened for reservations. I didn't check Sci-Fi, but openings pop up every so often.