best way to secure credit card hold restaurant cancellations? day of or night before?

[collegejunkie]

i'm waiting for a few restaurant ressies to open up and i'm wondering about the ones that have a credit card guarantee. is it better to look/call the day before, when people would need to cancel to avoid the penalty, or to look the day of? will the cancellations be in the system the day before? is there a time that they need to be cancelled by?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

is it better to look/call the day before, when people would need to cancel to avoid the penalty,
. . . Like chicken soup - - - it couldn't hurt.

or to look the day of?
. . . ditto

will the cancellations be in the system the day before?
. . . when cancellations are made, they hit immediately

is there a time that they need to be cancelled by?
. . . just "the day before"
. . . which would be 10"00pm when dining closes

 

[nfggirl5454]

The day before or a few days before or even the day of can work. I make a fair amount of spontaneous trips since I only live a two-hour drive away, and recently I got a Le Cellier lunch the day before. I've seen Ohana and California Grill and other popular places open the day before too, and not at horrible times (I personally would call 10pm a horrible time, that's much too late for me), but normal times.

I decided last Saturday to go to Magic Kingdom the day of, and online there were openings for Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree, and one other place (not many openings, just one or two for each). When I got there, LTT was taking walk-ups, but the Plaza was completely booked (it was a pretty busy day).

So yeah, really it just varies. As long as you're diligent about checking, you should be able to find some decent meals.

 

[one2admire]

I used the Disney app during the week we were there and saw alot of the hard to get places available during our trip. I had the best results two days in advance but there were tons of ressies available while we were there.

 

[collegejunkie]

okay, i'll be diligent about checking. i have to cut my trip short to come home to take a winter class (booooo), which means i'm giving up some ressies i was looking forward to.

I used the Disney app during the week we were there and saw alot of the hard to get places available during our trip. I had the best results two days in advance but there were tons of ressies available while we were there.

what is the disney app? i have a samsung galaxy and i have at&t if that matters

 

[Candlelady]

I had tried for a few months to get a lunch reservation at LeCellier any day during our 8 day October stay and had no luck. For the heck of it, I checked Disney Dining online Thursday evening and snagged a 1pm lunch for Friday, the following day.

So I advise checking one and two days prior to what you would like. I think people are cancelling as late as possible. I know I did for one of our dinners.

 

[My2QTs]

You MUST cancel no less than 24 hours. believe me, i tried to cancel ohana 22 hours before our ressie and I couldnt without being charged. I was not happy.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

You MUST cancel no less than 24 hours. believe me, i tried to cancel ohana 22 hours before our ressie and I couldnt without being charged. I was not happy.

1) You should have called back.
2) You were told incorrect facts about the $10 penalty cancellation.

 

[one2admire]

I have an iPhone. There are two apps, My Disney Experience and Disney Parks. The My Disney Experience app allowed me to make reservations via the app too. It also gives wait times for the rides and was kind of like a virtual guide, it pinpoints your location on property and suggests things that are nearby.