Making dining reservations

[Katzateer]

Seems like booking dining at your first choice is getting harder. Do you normally call or try to book online at the 180 day out point. What time do the phone lines open? Midnight or 6am? What about online?

How do the agents get everything booked for clients? Do they have to call for each person or can they book a block of reservations and then Givethe party size and name later?

I will be glad to get this done.

[wilcat]

I just booked for our trip in September within the last couple of weeks. I had no problem getting on line to do the ressies but you do need to be flexible with the times and locations. I was not able to get some of the signature meals but was able to get Via Napoli, Crystal Palace, Rain Forest Cafe at AK, Rose and Crown, Whispering Canyon and Tony's Town Square. Most days are for dinner between 4:30 and 6 pm two are for lunch. I was even able to change two of them this week. My advice is to look to see what is available and choose from those. If you try to get certain locations you maybe dissapointed.

[VAdizneefan]

As a TA, we still have to book for each guest individually; there's no way to book a block of anything. Sometimes the system challenges (and free dining) make dining quite difficult but in general, making dining reservations for my guests isn't a huge problem.

:mickey:

[VacationDisney]

When making our reservations we are flexible with the time. We don't have to eat at 5:00 every night. We are happy that our TS dining reservations fall between 5:00 - 7:00pm. We have been lucky that we've gotten all the restaurants that we have wanted, but we do have a backup plan to use in case we don't get our first choices.

We also call at the 180 day mark and have never had issues!


Happy planning:thumbsup:

[SurferStitch]

We made our December ADR's at the 180 day mark right at 6am, and still weren't able to get one (lunch at the Boathouse on 12/3). We also had to take a later time for Teppan Edo on the last night of our trip (12/9) - about 80 minutes later than we wanted.

The online system was pretty glitchy for the first time in a very long time. We've had very easy and smooth ADR experiences for the past few years with the online system, but this year was a bit painful. We got through it relatively unscathed, but several times it would kick us out of the reservation at various stages of it (sometimes while picking the date/time, another time at confirmation).

It's interesting that the first time we've ever had issues was after the turnover of IT to a bunch of outsourced workers.... hmmmmmm. In fact, I'm trying to add an ADR right now, and the dining site is down. It can't complete the search at this time.

We know people going at a busier time than we are, and they said they were able to get all of their ADR's (BOG, 'Ohana, etc) when they called in at 7am. If we couldn't get a couple of LUNCH ressies at 6am, I don't know how they got BOG at 7am.

[Basket Mommy]

We have a trip starting Nov. 20. I made our ADRs right at the 180-day mark and found very little available for Magic Kingdom. The only thing left for dinner on our first night was The Plaza. We like The Plaza, but were hoping for availability at Liberty Tree (our fave dinner in MK!) We also wanted to eat at Garden Grill on one of our days at Epcot and maybe Be Our Guest for one of our other MK days. Those were the only 3 restaurants I really wanted, but none were originally available. I'm not complaining; I knew given the season (Thanksgiving) and our family size (6) that it would be difficult to get what I wanted. I took what I could get, and have faithfully been checking online or on the app for openings once or twice a day. So far a table for 6 for Wishes Dessert Party has popped up (not really looking for that, but we've never done it, so I was happy to book it!) I found an 8 pm dinner at Garden Grill and grabbed it, and just today a 6:45 pm opened up, so I took that and cancelled the 8 pm. Still hoping for a lunch spot to open there, but dinner is fine if that's all I can get. A lunch spot for BOG was open a few days after our 180-day mark, so we can now eat there (I prefer lunch at BOG anyway). I didn't have any trouble booking other things we wanted: Hoop Dee Doo (never done that & looking forward to it!), Boma, Tusker House, etc. I did want a dinner at Sanaa since we're staying at Kidani, and just this week I got a table for 4 there for the night that our oldest 2 kids are going to Universal.

My point is that if you are persistent, things might become available as people tweak their plans. And be open to trying things you've never done. We've pretty much eaten everywhere at Disney, but not at Hoop Dee Doo. We're trying that this time since other dinner options weren't available. Keep trying even when you get to WDW. On a trip last month I was able to get a 12 pm lunch ADR for Be Our Guest, when for months nothing was open. It happens!

[EeyoresBestFriend]

I find that using the online ressies easier.

Choose a date, then a meal time ~ so if you like to eat around 5 pm that's what I'd put in. The system will give you options before, on and after that time frame if available. What I like to do is leave all restaurant options on and then I scroll through and see what is available for that day at that time. I have never had any difficulty getting any of the TS places we like and I've gotten BOG dinners in our time slot easily.

On the last trip, during spring break, it was funny because I had BOG dinners show up for every night (5:30pm) I was looking for dinner places. Go figure! :D

[JanetMegan]

Another thing I found helpful when I made mine a few weeks ago (huddled in the bathroom at 6am trying not to wake anyone.) Is not to make them in order of your trip but in order of either popularity or importance. So even if Ohana is your last night, try for that one right at 6am. We didn't have any trouble at all getting what we wanted but we also like to eat late-sometimes 8pm or after so that might have helped.

[AndrewJackson]

I have not had problems getting the reservations I want at the 180 day mark, and we typically go during the busy Spring Break season.

I can tell you that I have the least amount of glitches using a desktop or laptop. I seem to have the most problems with my iPad on their website. I have also found that the app on my iPhone or iPad doesn't always show available times even though the website is.

[SurferStitch]

Another thing I found helpful when I made mine a few weeks ago (huddled in the bathroom at 6am trying not to wake anyone.) Is not to make them in order of your trip but in order of either popularity or importance. So even if Ohana is your last night, try for that one right at 6am. We didn't have any trouble at all getting what we wanted but we also like to eat late-sometimes 8pm or after so that might have helped.

We do the exact same thing... I list all of our choices by popularity, and book them first. It does work like a charm (except for Boathouse).

[Katzateer]

It is making me do it one day at a time. :( i tryed first from ipad at 6am got the first dsy, called Disney at 7 am and was told I had to book one day at a time.

[SurferStitch]

It is making me do it one day at a time. :( i tryed first from ipad at 6am got the first dsy, called Disney at 7 am and was told I had to book one day at a time.

Are you staying offsite? If you have an onsite ressie (even room only), you definitely get 180+10. If you are staying offsite, then yes, it's one day at a time.

[Katzateer]

First and last night at POP- 7 nights in between at SOG

[NJGIRL]

I make my dining at exactly 180 days out. Since we rarely stay on site anymore that means calling each day separately, which is a pain. We like to eat on the early side and usually make our lunches anytime between 11:30 to 12:30. Dinners are from 5:00 to 6:00. I have never had a problem with the places we like to eat booking that far in advance.....

Oh and I had always called but the last few trips I booked them online.

[firefan43]

Called as soon as they opened on my 180 day out mark, only wanting Ohana and BoG. All booked. I was able to make some other ADR's but it really is a bummer that I cant get in to the only two places I really wanted to go to. I tried every day, any time, didnt matter.

I hate to say this, but i actually MISS the old method...the priority seating list. :(

[SurferStitch]

First and last night at POP- 7 nights in between at SOG

Yeah, that first night at Pop won't get you the 180+10. I just went through the same thing. First night for us is ASM, and the next 9 nights are YC. Could only do the 180+10 for the YC ressier.

I'm not familiar with any of the rules and regs with SOG. Do they not participate in the 180+10?

[Katzateer]

SOG is considered off site for everything except EMH. :(