ADR "Window" Changes Coming???

[Love That Duck]

Anyone heard rumors about upcoming changes ADR window? I just read a brief statement "...with the ADR window changes coming soon..." on a fan-related forum.

?????

[disneyfanatic101]

Here's what Mouse Extra says:

According to this morning’s Mouse Planet park update for Walt Disney World, it appears Disney may be making a change to their dining reservations system. Apparently they are going back to a 90 day window for advanced booking, from the 180 day window that currently exists. There will be three exceptions, Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Victoria and Alberts.

It’s about time. This is great news and a great decision should it come to pass. I always thought that having to book restaurants half a year before you go on vacation was absolutely absurd. For one thing, I don’t always plan my trips that far out and I know others don’t either. If you booked your trip any less than six months away you don’t get a fair shake at decent ressies. That seemed like an awful stiff price to pay for not knowing if you had the vacation time or funds to go on a trip that far in advance.

My extended family and I are scheduled to go to Walt Disney World in January, and it is amazing to me that we are trying to figure out where we are going to eat now. Let’s hope this change is made and in the future we can take our time a bit more.

[HauntedGabe]

And also from Mouse Planet:

As of October 5, the Garden Grill opens only for dinner, and will no longer be open for lunch.
As of January 5, 2009, the Liberty Tree Tavern is no longer offering character dining. Dinner will continue to be serverd without the characters.

The big change appears to foreshadow a major policy change. As of July 16, you will not be able to make any Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) for any dates past January 15, 2009. ADRs needed for January 16, 2009 or later will not be able to be booked until October 15, with the following three exceptions: Chef Mickey's, Cinderella's Royal Table, and Victoria and Albert's.
It looks like Disney is preparing to move the reservations window from 180 days back to 90 days, with the exception of the three most-in-demand dining locations. While the days of walk-up, same-day reservations everywhere are probably gone forever, it'll be nice not to have to worry about what you want to eat half a year in advance.

[Flanagan]

I really wish they had never changed it to 180 days. It really is a pain trying to figure out what date is 180 days from the day you check in, deciding 6 months in advance where you want to eat, then calling that morning to actually get ADRs for halfway decent times. I book for a group of 11, so it's really tough for me to get everyone on the same page.

It doesn't help that I'm convinced that there is abuse of the system. This year, I couldn't get ADRs at all for a number of restaurants during value season when I called a week into the 180 day window. How it's possible that restaurants are booked solid after a week is beyond me. Hopefully with the change back to 90 days they can also do something about the abuse.

[RBrooksC]

Still, to get into Chef Mickey's, CRT, or V&A, it would mean big planning. While I know the next we are going to go three years out, last year we did not know we were going until three months before the trip.

We were able to get Chef Mickey's but that was at 7 AM and it was because it was in September. I know we wouldn't have gotten it if it had been another time of the year.

All restaurants should be ninety days

[Spodie]

Wow. I must have just had insanely good beginners luck with the ADRs this time. I booked the Free Dining package on September 18 and I made my ADRs, no problems, for our December trip on that date and changed reservations around a week after that. Now, I know what you're saying: December is less crowded, but our trip is scheduled for the week before Christmas, and from what I understand it is not crowded persay, but it is certainly not dead. We were able to book restaurants like Boma, Ohana, Chef Mickey's, Garden Grill (with VIP Candelight Processional seating), Crystal Palace, etc. and usually had a few seating times to choose from.

But I do agree - 90 days is more than sufficient. Who knows where they want to eat 6 months out, much less if they're even going to Disney World.

[doconeill]

This is a fairly old thread, and the information is outdated.

FYI, right now at this moment you cannot make ADRs for later than February 22, 2009, except for CRT, V&A, and Chef Mickey (180 day rule still applies to them). There is no 90 day sliding window - Feb 22 is a hard date.

It is now expected that the new system will be ready for 180 day ressies on November 21st for all dining locations, so that is likely to be a very busy day for calls.