Capacity at Restaurants

[lizard1]

I haven't been to Disney since before Covid and was wondering if the restaurants are using the same seating capacity as prior to Covid, since it seems more difficult to get a reservation for anything. Could be that we are planning now at 60 days versus 6 months, but just wondering if this could be a reason as well.

 

[Her Dotness]

They were as packed as before covid when we were there in the fall.

Expect sketchy service some places. Most TS seemed shortstaffed, we thought.

 

[mom2rtk]

There are still a few restaurants not open so that might be part of the issue.

Also if you are used to booking at 6 months, the change to 60 days really changes things.

 

[MulanMom]

I think the demand is higher. For this upcoming trip (next week), I haven't been able to move my reservations around like I've been able to in the past. A few times I went in looking for options for a Monday night in Epcot...and not seeing any. The closer we get, the more openings I see but it does seem a bit tighter than in the past. I remember booking a Christmas trip 45 days out back when ADRs could be booked at 6 months, and being able to find openings for hard to get places just by checking frequently.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Couple reasons for less availability - not all restaurants have reopened, they are short on staffing, and crowds are high with rescheduled trips. Any reduction in capacity is due to lack of staff, not Covid. They haven't been distancing in restaurants for awhile now.

 

[sponica]

I think shifting from 180 to 60 changed how many people were booking when the window opened. In the before times, regulars who booked trips once a year, would know they could book dining but last minute travelers may not have realized it.

More people have plans firmed up within 60 days, so you have more people booking.

Add in that restaurants are still short staffed, so I'm not certain they're loading all their tables into the system. You definitely don't want to load all your sections when you're not sure you'll have enough staff for them all.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

High demand, some restaurants are still closed, some have reopened but not every day, some are understaffed so not open to full capacity, at least not right away, it's possible they could add capacity later. 60 day booking doesn't help, the popular stuff is gone in minutes.

 

[Belle5]

I agree that it is so much more difficult to move reservations around than it used to be! We went from a party of four to a party of six just a few weeks out from our trip. I have had a really hard time finding what I consider more desirable ADRs for six! It seems many restaurants like to book their parties of six past 8:30 at night! For years we were a party of eight to ten and easily found tables for eight, for sure!