Will 180 dining res policy tick off first-timers?

[mmcguire]

Sorry this is so long. The 180-day dining policy is a boon to us super planners , but is it good for the average Joe? 90 more days will almost insure that there will be no ADRs left for walk-ins at any TS rest. My thoughts:

1) Could be a very non-magical first experience for first-timers who get turned away at every TS restaurant, and end up feeling alienated.

2) Could deter spontaneous people who feel confined sticking to an agenda on vacation.

3) Return visitors who call 3, 4, 5 months ahead, thinking they are way ahead of the game, get told the ADRs are all gone. Maybe their reaction will be, "Next time we'll just plan to eat outside the parks so we don't run into this problem".

4) It's going to increase multiple reservation abuse. While WDW currently tries to prevent this, people can and will find ways around it.

5) It adds stress and complexity that sucks the fun out of it for non-planners. While I love planning our WDW trips, my non-planning relatives would be hugely annoyed and might physically harm me if I asked them to choose restaurants six months out. In fact, some of my relatives might forego WDW in favor of a more flexible vacation, in order to avoid being aggravated with that kind of planning.

6) Perhaps a good balance for planners vs. non-planners would be to set aside a certain percentage of tables at EVERY TS restaurant for walk-ins. Some popular restaurants do this (ex: Bonefish Grill); they take only 25% capacity in reservations for each evening, and leave the rest open for walk-ins.

I'd love to hear others' reactions. Talk amongst yourselves.

 

[Hugpug]

The problem is they need to post the park hours SOONER so everyone can sch. meals better. My 2 cents worth.

 

[deebs]

I think it sucks. Not everyone can plan that far in advance nor wants to. How do I know what I want to eat 6 months in advance? 90 days is bad enough, but 180 is ridiculous

 

[Michelle2]

I totally agree about having the hours sooner. I hate planning ressies and not even knowing when the parks open/close. I did see on another thread that they are planning to do this though

 

[kimmbagley]

I think it sucks. Not everyone can plan that far in advance nor wants to. How do I know what I want to eat 6 months in advance? 90 days is bad enough, but 180 is ridiculous

Here!Here! It does suck. I think it could potentially drive people away to offsite dining.

 

[goofy4tink]

I am a huge supporter of massive planning when it comes to such a large outlay of cash...like a trip to WDW. I could never understand anyone paying thousands and thousands of dollars for a weeks vacation and never buying a guidebook. Or even checking WDW official site. I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting waiting for our ADR time to come and heard a walk-in family say..."What do you mean an hour wait?? We can't waste that much time. Not with what it costs to get in these parks!!" If people would just buy a book and read it, they would know how best to plan their vacations. As the UoG puts it..."WDW is no place for spontanaity." Yes, I realize it's tough to know just where you are going to feel like eating 5 months down the road, but you could make an ADR for each day, maybe two..breakfast and dinner...and then cancel them if you change your mind.
I really like the ability to plan way down the road. I have pretty much stopped eating at the character meals though...my 12 y/o dd is very limited in what she will eat and there is no way I am paying $32 for her to pick at a pancake or $28 for her to have some mac and cheese.
My concern it that people will make plans based on park hours so far out and then WDW will change them!!

I don't think this is going to negatively impact WDW. There won't be all that many that go off-site to eat. No one is going to starve at WDW...there is always counter service. And if people want to do walk-in, they will find that they can if they try to eat at some strange hours. Only the truly popular spots will fill-up quickly.

 

[ryan840]

I hadn't heard of this- is it official, you can book 180 days out, or are they just thinking about it? Personally I don't like the idea, I think it's overkill...

ETA- Got my answer, found the other thread!

 

[DVCajun]

I don't really understand the logic of a 180 day reservation period. Is it to lighten the load on reservation agents perhaps?? I agree that it's ridiculous, and I'm a planner!!

 

[DisneyMim]

I am with ryan840, I too think it is overkill. We often make spur of the moment trips. We've never had any problems, but I hate to think of what will happen now. I just hope that Disney does something about people making multiple ressies for the same day/night. Nobody should be able to.

 

[molly2004]

I don't think this is going to negatively impact WDW. There won't be all that many that go off-site to eat. No one is going to starve at WDW...there is always counter service. And if people want to do walk-in, they will find that they can if they try to eat at some strange hours. Only the truly popular spots will fill-up quickly.

But I think this will significantly hurt their dining plan, unless they decide to do away with it. I think the dining plan is probably the worst thing that could have happened for those trying to get ADRs at TS restaurants. Yeah, the plan will let you eat at a TS when you otherwise wouldn't, but if you can't get an ADR, you won't get to anyway!

I think they should do away with ADRs completely. You should just show up, put your name in, they give you a beeper (secured with a cc or license), and you return when the buzzer goes off, give you 15-20 minutes to return, and give your table away if you don't show up.

 

[safetymom]

I don't think it is a good thing. We live very close and there is no way I can plan a dinner 6 months ahead of time.

Guess we will eat in local restaurants.

Hopefully Disney is ahead of the game and has this figured out.

 

[Leota]

I agree that it's complete overkill.
I am obsessed with food - I do enjoy having reservations at particular places & I pour over menus & design my days at the Parks around some nice event meals. But even to this food obsessed WDW vet, it's totally ridiculous. I have given up on the ability to spontaeously change dinner plans already.

Our first 3 trips, we only planned things like Hoop De Doo & such. Everything else was off the cuff & it was Fun! I feel for folks going for their first time now. No more of that "Gee, I feel like having steak in Canada tonight" or "Kids, let's go see Chef Mickey"

I think those of us who "know the ropes" will be able to roll with it. I really feel for the newbies tho. I think it will detract from their experience.

 

[disneymama73]

We don't usually make many ADRs, and we eat at mostly TS restaurants. Also, we make a lot of last minute trips due to my DH's work hours. So this royally stinks for us.

 

[fwm]

I don't believe the change to 180 days will make any difference. The number of WDW visitors will not increase. Nor wil the number of diners. This will just spread out the time to make the ADRs an extra 90 days. Compulsive planners will make reservations sooner, and others will make them later, as they do now.

 

[krismom]

oh crud. When is all this happening? I just got used to the 90 days out thing...

 

[Servants of Evan]

I don't have a problem with 180 days. Heck, with something as expensive as a Disney vacation I plan the ever-living-snot out of it. I made my Hoop-de-doo reservations 350 days out, and I'm pretty certain others on this board have done as well. Yes, getting the park hours posted earlier will be a huge help, but only to a point. Are there that many people who eat Dinner at 10pm?

Unfortunately, I think it (in the long run) will only increase the already stressed CM's workload. How many times have we read posts of "I've changed this reservation and that reservation numerous times?" Now, instead of second-guessing themselves and changing them over a span of 90 days, they're going to be changing them for 180. Personally, I think you should be allowed to change your reservations once . After that, you should have to pony-up a few dollars with each change to offset that CM's time [he says donning asbestos clothing to protect from the inevitable flames].

For those of you who are fortunate enough to be "local" I realize this will put a crimp in your "What do you want to do this weekend?" style, but ... well... it's still not the end of the world.

Servants of Evan

 

[Soupermom]

Okay. I'm out of the loop on this one. Could someone point me in the right direction for the other thread, please? TIA

 

[harmonium]

Has anyone seen if they posted 2006 operating hours? We are already 77 days into the 180 ADR.

Thanks

 

[cobbler]

Has anyone seen if they posted 2006 operating hours? We are already 77 days into the 180 ADR.

Thanks

Supposedly they are loading them up today. We shall see but it should be up within the next couple of days.

However don't you find it funny they always announce new things on a Friday. BRP was another infamous Friday releaser.

As for me, it won't make me a bit of difference. I usually plan lunches and breakfasts. I don't worry about morning hours because trying to get my family at a park opening is impossible. I would have an easier time taking the monorail hostage.

And as for where I want to or feel like eating. Well at Disney I never find that I don't want to eat where I make an ADR so we just make it and plan on what day we will be at what park based on our ADR, mostly because hours haven't been released and just go with the flow.

 

[safetymom]

No it wouldn't be the end of the world with this new system. But it does change how I would plan dinners with family and friends.

If I can't get a reservation at WDW because they are all taken then I don't have much of a choice but to go offsite.

I can't imagine what I am going to be doing 2 weeks from now let alone 180 days. I am sure it is that way for most people in their hometowns.