When in Sept/Oct do restaurant crowds decrease?

[Lisa P.]

I've read that this year's "free" dining is in effect for those who booked promo package rooms by June for stays beginning between Aug 24-Sept 20, 2008. And perhaps some folks (Disney Visa? Bounce back?) may be checking-in as late as Sept 27th and get "free" dining for the length of their stay packages. How long can these packages last? 7 days? 10 days? 14?

Naturally, ADRs have filled-up for most of September. What I'm wondering is, around what date(s) would you expect to see crowds at the restaurants returning to more "normal" levels? Thanks for your thoughts!!!

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

I purchased a 10 day (9/19-9/29) package, but they were available for up to 14 days of free dining. The bounce backs &/or Visa holders could book for arrivals through 9/27. Food & Wine Festival over laps part of the time as it runs 9/26 through 11/9. I dont know when it slows down for ADR's though.

 

[dlstc]

Any reply you get will most likely be anecdotal, so here's my observation: it seems that most people don't know that you just have to check in by Sept 20 to get the free dining. If you look at the Sept trade/cancel ADR board, very few people are looking for ADR's after 9/20. People offering ADR's after the 20th are getting slow/few responses (including myself).

I am staying 9/21-9/25 and have had little to no problem getting ADR's, a tour and the Breathless cruise booked (twice - I cancelled one and booked another). However, as you get closer to Halloween, I think the attendance at the parks, especially by locals, will pick up for MNSSHP. Note also that the Oct trade/cancel ADR thread has 4 pages or so compared to the nearly 80 pages for Sept.

I would think the optimal time would be the last week of Sept. through the second week of Oct. People booking bounceback are so few, I wouldn't think they would have much effect.

IMHO,
Diana

 

[crisi]

October brings Food and Wine, which creates a lot of traffic and Epcot restuarants in particular can be very difficult to get. But since those restaurants fill, Disney restaurants get booked with "foodies." Before free dining, Food and Wine and holiday periods were the hardest time to get reservations. Food and Wine ends just in time for Thanksgiving - which is a bad time to make reservations. There is a reservation lull in early December (but you still will have to be very lucky to walk into LeCellier) before Christmas. January frees up again.

 

[Abharmagic]

NEVER!!! I think the restaurants are always full and crowded

 

[Lisa77]

So are the restaurants being full any indication of what crowds are like in the park?

 

[crisi]

So are the restaurants being full any indication of what crowds are like in the park?

There is correlation, but it isn't absolute. Christmas and Easter are both crowded in restaurants and in parks. September and October are not "empty" in the parks, but restaurants book unusually fast.

Note that pretty much year round since the advent of the DDP, Disney restaurant book nearly full. Even in less crowded park time. And there really aren't uncrowded park times any longer - just more and less crowded. You can sometimes still get really lucky with a cold wet day in January where everyone hopes it will be warmer tomorrow, but by and large people going in January know to pack for the possibility of cold and wet.