Making ADR - online or on phone?

[jessicam40]

Our first day to make ADRs is October 26. Should I call first thing in the morning or do it online? Does it matter? If I do it online, can I do it midnight? :) THANKS!

[henry72]

I did mine online. You can start online at 6 am EST or you can call at 7 am EST. So yes, I got up at 5 am here to do my ADRs and had them done in about 15 mintues. (I had 5 to do.) If you are doing them online, you can open multiple tabs or windows and get more done in a short time. I am sure it would have taken longer on the phone.

[Billwedgie]

I did mine at 3:00 in the morning of my 90 day window. Took about 15 minutes and I was able to book all 4 of mine with no issues and got either the time I asked for or within 15 minutes.

[burgundybooks]

Well, today was the opening of my 90 window and I had no luck booking lunch at LTT through the online system.... However, when I called in it was super easy to get a slot.... So maybe if you have problems online, call in?

Good luck :thumbsup2

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We booked online for our most recent trip (back 10/3) and I just loved it! I had a list of our desired reservations / times/ date options. I got everything we wanted. It's a great system.

I agree with the PP if you have a problem call but IMO try online first it rocks!

[MaumeeMom]

Well, today was the opening of my 90 window and I had no luck booking lunch at LTT through the online system.... However, when I called in it was super easy to get a slot.... So maybe if you have problems online, call in?

Good luck :thumbsup2

Good to know - LTT is on my list for February.

OP - lucky you - you get to make your ADRs before the craziness that I expect on the 27th - you just squeaked in!

I'm planning on trying on line but if I can't get them then I may call. I still don't have my plans worked out. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

[Hoosier Mom]

Hey what a coincidence....we get to make ours on the 26th also. Our trip is Jan 24-30 at WL.

I'm a little confused about the times. So I'm assuming the folks that get online at 3:00am must be Pacific Time??? We are on Eastern daylight savings. So do I get online at 6:00am?

So what table services did you pick? Are you on the dining plan?

We are. We picked:
Sci-Fi Theater
Mama Melroses
50's Primetime
Rose & Crown
Chef de France
Le Cellier
and Whispering Canyon for breakfast.

Wanted to do Coral Reef again, but decided to try something new this time. Mama Melroses & Chef de France are both new for us this time.

Happy planning!! Have fun on your trip!

[jessicam40]

Thanks everyone!

Here's what we've got planned:
(we are dh, dd (2), dd(4), dfil, dmil, and me!) and we are on the dining plan. I used touringplans.com

Sunday –

Arrival, at hotel by noon, lunch at resort
Off to MK after nap?? Pool during nap??
MK Dinner, counter service

Monday –
EP – lunch counter service
DS - Sci-fi dine-in theater 5:30 pm

Tuesday –

MK –lunch counter service, Liberty Tree Tavern 5:15


Wednesday –

Stay at resort during day?
EP – Biergarten 5:15 pm

Thursday –

(MK – extra hours 8-9am, if up to it!!)
AK – lunch counter service
Evening open, stay at resort – Chef Mickey 5:45 pm.

Friday -

DS – Hollywood and Vine 11:30 am
MK – back in evening for last rides!

Saturday –

EP – Coral Reef 11:45 am

[Hoosier Mom]

Your plans sound great! Is this your girls first time to Disney?

We have a son 4 years old. We took him when he was 18 months old, but this time should be even more of a delight!! Can't wait.

Yes, try to do the early hours at MK. We did. There were characters there to ride the rides with the kids. It's just the rides in Fantasyland if I remember right.

Have fun!!!

[LisaPisa]

I'm a newbie and booked online at 6am EST this morning. It was VERY easy! I suggest you practice with the system first so you know what to expect. Also have a list of 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices, and time slots suitable for you.

You will have to call at 7am EST if you plan to do a dinner show or Fantasmic package.

[Disney grandma]

I'm not familiar with on line dining reservations. Do you go to Walt Disney World website first and go to dining or what is the procedure.

[Lizziejane]

I get to book tomorrow too - for our trip Jan. 24-Feb. 1! JessicaM40, sounds like the first few days, we'll be following each other around for a bit!

Our plans:

Sunday - Arrive at MCO at 5 pm. Perhaps eat at ESPN (staying at the BWV), or if up for it, head straight to MK instead for EMH and have CS somewhere.

Monday - Epcot - CS at England for lunch, dinner at Teppan Edo

Tuesday - MK day - breakfast at Liberty Tavern; CS lunch; dinner at Raglan Road

Wednesday - HS day - lunch at Sci-Fi; dinner at 50's PT

Thursday - loose kind of day - basically everyone do what they want. As my husband and two 20-something year old sons have never "allowed" me to see any of the AK shows, I'm going to head there by myself with the camera. Then I plan on having afternoon tea at the GF. If they want to join me, they're welcome. If they want to do something else - they're on their own! Dinner probably at Planet Hollywood

Friday - AK day - lunch will be CS, not sure where. We're usually out of AK by noon so we'll play it by ear. Dinner at Le Cellier

Sat - breakfast at Kona; lunch - cs in Epcot; dinner - Beaches & Cream

Sunday - "marathon day" - 3 parks in one day; lunch likely at Earl of Sandwich and dinner at Tony's in MK

Not sure yet whether to do regular DDP or the deluxe. Several of the above meals will be OOP and the boys usually like appetizers. I like the option of being able to eat wherever we feel like it on a whim. We've always gone in January and there's never been a problem walking in to many of the restaurants. sometimes CS just doesn't appeal to us! Please .... someone...tell me what to do!!!

[Hoosier Mom]

Did you all get online this morning? Got ours! Yippee!

Lizzie - I think I would just pay for the regular dining plan, and then pay OOP for the appitizers. I bet it would be cheaper than upgrading to deluxe. Although if you went deluxe, maybe you could add a character breakfast for every day?

Disney Grandma - yes, I went to Disney online, then I think I clicked on Parks, then Walt Disney World, then I think I clicked on Plan. You can do pretend reservations to get used to it. Then I think you Log in, and enter your reservation number, and start doing reservations for real. Hope I have that right. Anyway it worked this morning at 6:00am. You might be able to click on "My Disney Vacation" to do them also.

Yay!

Here's our schedule.

Sunday 01/24
arrive WL in the afternoon
supper either there or Downtown Disney (Wolfgang Puck Express - pizza!)

Monday 01/25
Cosmic Rays - lunch
Pinnochio - supper

Tues 01/26
Sci Fi - lunch
Mama Melroses - supper

Wed 01/27
Rose & Crown - lunch
Le Chef de France - supper

Thurs 01/28
Cosmic Rays - lunch
LeCellier - supper

Friday 01/29
Whispering Canyon - breakfast
lunch is probably snacks in Animal Kingdom
50's Primetime - supper

Saturday - fly home. Only staying 6 nights.

[Lizziejane]

I got everything we wanted - the only change was Le Cellier, the reservation is 30 minutes later than I wanted, but that's ok! I had to phone for Liberty Tree Tavern breakfast, but no problem getting an 8:05 reservation for the 26th.

Also, online, it told me that there was nothing available for 50's primetime at 7:30 pm. I almost wrote it off, then decided to enter 7:00 pm instead, and it came up 7:10. I thought the first try at 7:30 was supposed to search 60 minutes either way? Obviously it didn't, because 7:10 was available!

[spodie]

I think there are sometimes discrepancies between the two systems. When I called to get ADRs for our last trip, I was told that most places we wanted were completely booked up (we decided to add the dining plan about a month before our trip). Since trying to make reservations a month out is not the easiest thing to do in the world, I took what I could get. However, when I went online, I was able to find multiple reservations for a couple of places that I was originally told had no availablity.

When trying to "get into" places like Le Cellier, I prefer calling them because they can be more thorough and look through bigger chunks of time than what the online system lets you do. Any other time, I will just book online.

[jessicam40]

oops! I meant I have 2 dS! I have 2 sons NOT daughters, hee hee. Just noticed the typo! We are staying at BLT (did I already write that, can't remember).

Here's what I got:

Sunday –

Arrival, at hotel by noon, lunch at resort
Off to MK after nap?? Pool during nap??
MK Dinner, The Plaza 5:05 pm

Monday –

EP – lunch counter service (open 9 am)
DS - Sci-fi dine-in theater 5:10 pm

Tuesday –

MK –lunch counter service, dinner Liberty Tree Tavern 5:15 (park open 9 am – 8pm)


Wednesday –

Stay at resort during day?
EP – Biergarten 5:15 pm (open 9 am – 7pm)

Thursday –

(MK – extra hours 8-9am, if up to it!!)
AK – lunch counter service (park open 9 am – 5pm)
Evening open, stay at resort – Chef Mickey 5:45 pm.

Friday -

DS – Hollywood and Vine 11:45 am (park open 9 am – 7pm)
MK – back in evening for last rides! (park open 9am – 8pm)

Saturday – last day!

EP – Coral Reef 12:05 am (park open 9 am)

I had to phone for Liberty Tree Tavern, too. I got all my restaraunts, but had to change a few of the times, but not by much. I'm trying not to obsess about the decisions.....

Lizzie - that's tough. If you are going to get dinked for a lot of the table service meals, maybe upgrade? Since you are only paying for 2, right? We don't mind doing one counter service a day, but that's all I can handle a day. I just find it easier to do the buffets with the kids....everybody gets what they want. It's funny, though, we never eat buffets at home. Oh, and we never get charged for our kids at buffets when doing the dining plan....since they are so young.

Okay, now back to reading all your posts! Thanks for sharing!

[LisaPisa]

Spodie, I would imagine the reason so many open up is because, like me, many people double book, and then ditch one of the reservations when the time draws near. I've done that this year b/c some of my first choice restaurants aren't on the DP yet, so I've booked them and a backup choice in case they don't come through.

I've also heard many cancellations come at the 45 or 30 day marks, when the balance for people's vacation is due and people don't or can't pay.