Wow! Things have Changed!

[Leota]

This weekend, I made ADR's for our early Dec trip. I was 79 days out & had trouble making several of our dining arrangements! I have been going to WDW on the average of every year since 1993 & never had so much difficulty in making dining reservations.In fact, several times we have gone with no PS/ARs & still been able to dine wherever we wanted. Not anymore.

I know Cindy's is a must at 90 days, but it looks like any of the character meals are now a must for a 90 day reservation if you want your pick of times.

Just a word of warning.......

 

[Lives4Disney]

I hear you!!

We just booked a spontaneous trip over Thanksgiving for 5 nights and boy did I have a hassle booking some ADRs. I know it is a busier time, but last year I booked this SAME trip in the middle of October and didn't really have a problem getting what I wanted, when I wanted it!! Maybe I was just lucky last year!

I guess it looks like you really have to hit that 90 day mark and be ready with your plans.

Happy Planning!

Lives4Disney

 

[abacobaby]

A lot of it probably has to do with the number of people adding on the dining plan to their package. Most people on the dining plan want to make certain they have all of their ADR's at restaurants they want to eat at, especially when paying all that money for the dining plan up front. I don't blame them. I for one don't want to pay all that money and then not be able to eat at any sit down restaurants because I didn't make any ADR's. I have read a lot of posts lately too about restaurants not even accepting walk ups. I'm sure there are quite a few people that will be disappointed. I surely don't want to be one of them

 

[Tinkaroo]

I think the new dining plan (free or not) has a lot to do with it!

 

[erinz]

I had the same experience! I called to book an ADR for dinner at The Sci Fi on Dec 5th. About the only thing they had left, and the latest they had, was at 4:45pm.

 

[Hopefully]

I believe the Dining Plan is having an impact on ADR's this year. Even at $35/adult/day it is a good deal for many families. I believe more folks are planning more TS meals, and for places they may never have tried without the dining plan.
I feel sorry for all of those folks who do not frequent the DIS!!! I have visions of legions of visitors who have purchased the plan and don't know about ADR's, being very disappointed and even angry perhaps.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

I feel your pain. I've never had as much trouble getting ADR's as I have for our upcoming trip. I thought the same thing about the dining plan being one of the main reasons.

 

[Densgirl]

OMG. This is so true. This has been my nightmare for years-that everyone would find out about ADR's. There is just no more tweaking your days at the last second if eating is an important part of your experience. Like Lives4Disney I planned a trip last October with 3 weeks notice and got every ADR I wanted. Oh well.

 

[lucincia]

Blame this on DISBoards People like me come here for the secrets I never knew!

 

[mickeysaver]

I had no problems, but then again, we didn't want anything that was that terribly hard to get. We booked mostly breakfasts and a few lunches. We did book one dinner, but it was at The Plaza before MVMCP. No one seems to talk about going there much, but I have several friends that raved about the food there. I think that the dining plan and the DISboards are doing a number on the "low seasons". Maggie

 

[shellybaxter]

I had the same experience! I called to book an ADR for dinner at The Sci Fi on Dec 5th. About the only thing they had left, and the latest they had, was at 4:45pm.

Try again about a month to 3 weeks before your trip. For some reason the MGM restuarants don't open later times until about a month before.

Shelly

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We had this happen back in Dec '01 when we went to WDW. We eat TS for everything and when we called a couple of weeks before we left we could hardly get anything. When we got there we decided to call the morning before we left for the parks and were able to get almost any seating we wanted at almost any place we wanted to eat that afternoon/evening. I think A LOT of people load up on ADR's for places they might eat and don't want to not be able to get a table if they choose to eat there and cancel them at the last minute if they choose not to, opening a lot of spaces for people that call the day of. But that's just my ADR conspiracy theory.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I agree that this has to do with the "free" dining program. Personally, I hope this program stops soon. I don't like the idea that people are shut out of restaurants unless you book 90 days out (although I ususally book important dinners early). We have been traveling to Disney for many years now and I have never had a problem making ADR's( PS's). If I had a difficult time making ADR's on a regular basis I probably would travel to Disney less often. I think the program has a place in Disney such as during a very slow travel time like Sept. but this should be the exception not the rule. We also are not counter service people at all so that portion of the dining plan does not appeal to me. I know it has been a great bargain for some people but hope this will not be in effect in December JMO

 

[honeymo78]

boardwalk tigger - the problems the OP and many others are experiencing have nothing to do with "free" dining. The impact of that offer will be gone by mid october. The real "problem" is with the dining plan itself and since various incarnations of it have been around for years, I doubt it will be gone anytime soon.

 

[Paul_Pearce]

Must be the time of year, I booked 7 ADRs for late Oct / early Nov and got exactly the times I wanted for 6 out of 7 and the other (Le Cellier) was 1 hour earlier.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

honeymo...I know that the dining plan hasn't affected the ADR's in December as there is no "free" dining at this point but I do believe the program has made booking ADR's for dinner more difficult. So many people were booking dinners in the evening and perhaps staying a little longer to eat all that food Not sure what other problems with the dining plan you are referring to although I can think of a few problems myself.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

I hear you too! I made all our ADRs for our December trip on the 90 day mark, which was just last week. Got everything I wanted, times, etc. Tried to make some changes today and can't get anything!! Not even tables for 4. Everything is booked that I want. Are they just releasing some and not all?? This is ridiculous! We are going the second week of December.

 

[dizplanner]

OK I have a theory about ADR's. Note this is just my speculation and is only based on observation - I have no inside knowledge.

Assume they have a pool of tables. I think they release a small percentage for early booking with 90+10. Then on 90 days out, they release another larger percentage - the majority of the tables. Then on a much closer date, like a week or less, they release some more tables. This would be done so that the people who didn't know to get ADR's ahead of time have a small chance to get a table. And finally, they probably reserve a small percentage for walkups, table adjustments, lost ADR's, etc.

I think they also adjust the number of tables in the pool based on the time of year. Based on past history, if they didn't fill the restaurants during the slow season, they would put less tables in the pool and plan on less staff. When they realize that the ADR's are all taken and it looks like they need more tables, they can add more in and plan on more staff. This reduction of staffing and ADR's can lead to no ADR available, but lots of empty tables - yes there are tables available, but no one to serve or cook for you.

Also for park restaurants you have the hours issue. They don't know what hours they will be open at MGM or MK (those are the two where the hours vary the most). So they don't want to book an ADR at 7pm and find out they are closing at 6pm. So they start with their core hours that would be safe no matter what. Then when they have more confidence in the hours, they extend the time slots, adding more tables available for ADR's. And this can be on either end - if things are slow, they wait to open for lunch. i.e. they would rather serve 1000 people in five hours than 1100 people in seven hours even though some of those 1000 people would rather eat during the outlying hours.

As for the ADR's going quicker, I do think it is the dining plan. Many people have said that by purchasing the dining plan, they are doing table service restaurants that they would never have done without it. The difference between this plan and the old dining plans is the cost - people will pay $35 /person/night, but not $60 (I don't remember the exact cost, but it was in this neighborhood I think) even though it gave you two table service per day. Most people didn't want two table service per day, every day. So many more people are buying the new plan versus the old plans. And by buying the plan, they are realizing they need to make ADR, because either their travel agent or Disney or guide books or DIS or whereever has told them to do so. By buying the plan, they are thinking of their dining plans now rather than waiting until they are there or even until they are hungry.

They are raising the price for 2006 by $2.99/adult and $0.99/child (8.5% and 9.9% respectively) which will cause some people to not purchase it as the value is a bit less (assuming all restaurant do not raise their prices the same amount or more). Plus it might push it out of some people budget reach. So things might stablize next year, but I still expect many people to purchase the plan and the restaurant to remain full.

 

[crisi]

Its a good theory, but according to dining cast members who have posted, it doesn't really work that way.

With the 90+10 they are opening up reservations for that 10 day period a few at a time. And when they set hours, they open up the later reservations (always a problem at MGM, but also a problem at MK - Epcot has firm hours, so it isn't an issue there, and AK only has one sit down restaurant accessible from the outside, so park hours don't make a difference).

But several CMs have said that they don't open up additional reservations as time gets closer for meals where they know the operating hours in advance. So there won't be any more seats released for CRT past 90 days when they all get released, or Le Cellier, or Ohana. Now dinner reservations at MGM and MK you have a chance after park hours are released.

They also - according to these CMs - don't hold tables for walk ups. They figure how many tables the restaurant is anticipated to turn over, add a no show factor and actually overbook the restaurant each night anticipating no shows.

Now this could have changed or the CMs themselves might have been misinformed, but that's the best information I've seen.

I do think reservations have an ebb and tide - people are considerate enough to cancel, so they tend to open up more reservations as payment date for travel packages or "well, we booked, but its 60 days out and we can't get decent airfare" happens. And there is the hours jostling and changes in plans that keeps it fluid. So you can get lucky.

 

[SB in KY]

I made all of our ADR's at the 90 day mark for our early Nov trip....got everything I wanted, exactly when I asked and we are doing quite a few very popular places....then Nov park hours finally came out and I got busy at work and did not get around to rebooking ADR's until yesterday....still got everything I asked for at the time I requested (Boma's, Chef Mickeys, Kona's, Spoodles, Le Cellier, Concourse, CRT dinner, and Tepanyaki)...all at pretty much peak dining hours during Jersey week and the week before...I was happily suprised to say the least!!