Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<^^^ Even when @ WDW during the free dining last fall, I was able to change plans at the drop of a hat and book restaurants the same day in every case we wanted to change our sit-down meal for the evening.>> That was our experience too, though obviously mid-January is not prime time at WDW. There seemed to be plenty of empty tables when we dined at Spoodles, Kona Cafe, and the Biergarten. We were able to make same-day reservations at Alfredo's... probably the most popular Showcase restaurant. We were also able to make same-day reservations at the Rose and Crown for a seating during Illuminations, which is undoubtedly the most sought-after time at that restaurant. The only restaurant we dined at that was totally booked was the Sci-Fi Dine-In at the Studios on Saturday during the MLK day 3-day weekend. I'm not a fan of the Dining Plan... I think it has resulted in shrinking menu options and I don't like that one bit. But I would think that at most times of the year you would be able to get a reservation a week in advance if you show some flexibility on time. If you are willing to take a 3:00 PM lunch seating or a 4:00 PM dinner seating I bet you could get in almost anywhere.
Originally Posted By danyoung Well, you're right about that, Trippy. I can get the California Grill on fairly short notice if I want to dine at 9:55pm. But the point is that in the past I've been able to get a good dining time within about 6 weeks. That's no longer the case. I know some people like Labuda have lucked out, and good for her! But there are so many people both here and in other forums that are having a problem with this that I think it's a legitimate issue.
Originally Posted By MPierce Same experience as danyoung. We go every year the end of January departing on Superbowl Sunday. In 2005 we would make priority seating the day before we wanted to eat always at 7:00. In 2006 it was harder to do, sometimes you couldn't get in the times you wanted. Fast forward to this year, no ADRs available for Le Cellier for anything but lunch. the only places we could get in close to 7:00 were the Nine Dragons, and the Rose and Crown. This was 3 weeks prior to our departure. To say I am not a big fan of the Dining Plan would be an understatement. I really believe the choices of food, and the quality of food have gone down overall. Anyway that was my experience.
