HELP ME!! ADR disaster.

[disneynarula]

Is the fact that I am on the Dining Plan affecting my availablitly to get an ADR?

I made most of them 180 days in advance but now I wanted to make some changes. My husbands stepmother decided to join us. While she is a welcome addition to our trip it is proving to be problematic to our dining.

She is a vegetarian who is allergic to milk and I wanted to find some places that she would prefer. I know that no matter where she eats the chef can fix her something. I just thought it might be fun to go somewhere where she could eat off the menu.

I also realized that almost all my dinner ADR's are at Epcot and if we want to spend an evening at another park it is going to be a huge issue.

I made a mess of this and it isn't anyone's fault but my own. I just have not been to WDW since this whole dining craze. I am used to days of just wandering into most table service places and getting a table.

Any hints? His stepmother is staying in a seperate room and is not on free dining. Would that make it any easiet to get an ADR?

Should I just keep calling and calling? It is killing my long distance bill.

[snifflesmcg]

This is a tough one!! Disney does provide places with Vegan (cause basically that is what she is due to the milk allergy) menus but only very limited ones. What I would do is go under the info central here on Intercot and view all of the menus. Find the places that offer the most qualified meals. Try to get your ADR's for these places. Then call each of the restaurants and tell them your situation. I have heard that the Chef's really make an effort to accomodate everyone from diabetics and allergies to picky children.

You didn't tell us when you were going (at least I didn't think so). If you are planning to go within the next month or so during the free dining, you are going to have a tremendously hard time switching ADR's as they are almost solidly booked (I know, I've been calling and calling myself).

[snifflesmcg]

PS-no, it will not matter or not if you are on the dining plan. They are no easier or harder to get.

[disneynarula]

We are headed down in 48 days. That is the real problem. I can not find anything anywhere. I really wanted to take her to Boma.

[Strmchsr]

First off, no need to keep driving up your long distance bill. Try 1-800-828-0228 or 1-877-206-0215 instead.

As for your situation, going during a regular season is bad enough since the DDP came out, but going during the free dining promotion is just insane in terms of switching ADRs. You're pretty much stuck with whatever you got. You can certainly keep trying even the day of, but you'll need to be extremely flexible on time and days to move things around. Call the CM, explain your situation, and ask what, if anything, is still available during your vacation time. They can let you know what is still open and you can go from there. You're more likely to find something that way than trying specific restaurants. Also, have you already added your MIL to your own reservations? Because of the extreme crowds during the free dining promotions Disney is being very specific on the number of guests. If you haven't added her, you need to call ASAP and do so. A final option is to let her make a couple of ADRs solo for places she'd really enjoy. You're much more likely to get a solo ADR than a family.

[kakn7294]

Actually, the next week might be a really good time to keep trying since those people who booked packages need to pay for them now at their 45 day mark and some might end up cancelling. However, this doesn't mean that they will be kind enough to cancel their ADR's or that slots will open up for the number of people in your party for the restaurants that you want. Being on the dining plan won't affect your ability to get ADR's but the fact that many others who are there at that time are on free dining does affect you. Good luck - don't give up hope as sometimes people do make changes. And like you said, if you can't get those changes, you can always request that the chef prepare something allergy-free for her.

[Marker]

I'm guessing the reason you made your original reservations 180 days out, was because it can be difficult to get what you want if you don't.

Sounds like that's the situation you're in now. It would be nice if we could call and get what we wanted on short notice, but that's just not the case.

Yes, keep calling and checking. Perhaps adjust dining times. Or, just go with what you already have knowing they'll be able to do something to accomodate you special need.

But to ask if the reason you can't get what you want is because you are on the meal plan just doesn't seem to make sense to me. I really wouldn't even think to believe that people who are not on the dining plan would have any better results. Yes, the dining plan has made the restaurants busier, but from a business standpoint that's a good thing. And I really don't see how it would make any good business sense to make the reservation process more difficult for DDP users.

Good Luck.

[LauraF]

While I was asked if I was on the DDP when I changed reservations last week, the CM I talked to said it was only so she could recommend restaurants (i.e. not Jiko if I was on the regular plan).

It's hard to make ADRs right now because so many people are there for the plan, but it really depends on your party size. Because it's just me and my BF, we have less options (surprisingly) than if we were a larger group. The CM on the phone told me if I'd been booking as a party of 4 instead of two, I could have had a lot more choices, because Disney holds more spaces for larger groups.

[wendy*darling]

The DDP has made all WDW restaurants much busier (that was the goal!).
And the FREE dining period has made getting an ADR an Olympic sport.

However, whether you are on the DDP or not does not affect your ability to get ADRs in any way.

You knew you needed to make your plans at 180 days- and you did. But at 48 days, it will be next to impossible to make new ADRs (which is what you are trying to do).

2 good suggestions have been made
1) Try at 45 or 44 days out. Perhaps you will be lucky to catch a cancellation here or there.
2) Just call (using the toll free number above) and ask what IS available for the days and time ranges you have. Then, work from there.

And remember, your mother-in-law will be able to eat just about anywhere. Take advantage of the fact that the chefs really do enjoy coming out and learning what a guest likes and then preparing something special for them. I have seen and heard about some absolutely wonderful meals prepared for people who were vegans, had food allergies or physical conditions that limited what they could eat.

Best of luck! :mickey:

[snifflesmcg]

While I was asked if I was on the DDP when I changed reservations last week, the CM I talked to said it was only so she could recommend restaurants (i.e. not Jiko if I was on the regular plan).

It's hard to make ADRs right now because so many people are there for the plan, but it really depends on your party size. Because it's just me and my BF, we have less options (surprisingly) than if we were a larger group. The CM on the phone told me if I'd been booking as a party of 4 instead of two, I could have had a lot more choices, because Disney holds more spaces for larger groups.

:offtopic:
I've had this same problem TWICE!! Last year I tried to book the Spirit of Aloha show and was told they only have seating for a party of 5. This year, I've been mercilessly trying to get an ADR for Chef Mickeys and....you guessed it, no seating for a party of 2. If we were a larger party, we would have gotten them. What is worse, I called two weeks apart and was told the same thing for the same place. How fair is this??? I say, first come first serve. Unfortuately, I can't make people magically appear in my party. :giveup:

[LauraF]

:offtopic:
I've had this same problem TWICE!! Last year I tried to book the Spirit of Aloha show and was told they only have seating for a party of 5. This year, I've been mercilessly trying to get an ADR for Chef Mickeys and....you guessed it, no seating for a party of 2. If we were a larger party, we would have gotten them. What is worse, I called two weeks apart and was told the same thing for the same place. How fair is this??? I say, first come first serve. Unfortuately, I can't make people magically appear in my party. :giveup:
I agree!
I've hooked up before with friends traveling in the parks to get around this restriction, but that's not easy to do if your friends are not on the same schedule as yourself. (Or you're traveling alone!)

It would be nice if WDW had a deadline - perhaps 'two weeks before a ADR, all tables open' or something like that. Because honestly, I think it's common knowledge for most visitors that you make reservations at restaurants as early as possible.

Good luck getting the CM ADR!