Bottom Line: never give up when it comes to ADRs

[disneyholic family]

so as some of you know, i've been in charge of booking ADRs for DD and her husband who are at WDW right now.

Since DD only decided to go to WDW 90 days in advance of the trip, booking ADRs was a challenge.

When she first booked her room (at 90 days out) none of the "good" ADRs were available. Everything was gone.

So we didn't book anything. She only wanted to eat in the parks and nothing at all was available in the parks (except in Epcot).

at about 40 days out, i looked again and was able to book ADRs in AK (yak and yeti and tusker house), but still MK and DHS had nothing available. Nothing. None of the restaurants were available on the days they were scheduled to be there.

But i didn't give up.
I kept trying.
I figured i should try again at 30 days when the 30 day people make their FP+ choices. I thought that ADRs would come available and i was right.
i just kept checking kept checking kept checking - multiple times a day.

over the course of about 1 week of nearly non-stop checking, i was able to book them everything except for akershus.
So i booked them, BOG (dinner), Rose & Crown, Sci fi, Yak&Yeti, Tusker House, Plaza Restaurant, San Angel Inn, La Hacienda, Via Napoli, and the Liberty Tree Tavern.

DD was thrilled with the above and we left it at that.
I stopped looking for akershus. She figured she'd go to R&C again (which is what i booked).

Then yesterday, the weather turned horendous - very cold and torrential rain (how is THAT fair? it's supposed to be dry when it's that cold).
Because of the rain, they decided to bail out of DHS yesterday afternoon.
As a result, she rearranged her schedule -switching parks and FPs.
So she asked me to switch out her ADRs if i could.

So i booked her R&C for lunch on the new epcot day.
And then i went back to look again, to see if i could get her a better R&C time when what should pop up but Akershus.
Now in all the days, weeks and months of looking for ADRs, nothing EVER came up for Akershus - not even on the days i was looking at other parks. Nothing over the course of 15 days. Not one ADR for akershus.

and suddenly, 2 days before they'll be there - what should open up but one ADR for 2 people at akershus for lunch. Unbelievable!!
i snapped it up (cancelling R&C at the same time).
So now they have it. That elusive akershus ADR.
(and i know, they might not like it - they've never been there. but it's fun to try new places)

so the bottom line is - DON'T GIVE UP. if you can't get an ADR, keep trying. Even the day before your trip. Even when you're already at WDW!!
don't give up!!!!

and have a magical time!!!!

.

 

[stephensmum]

That's great. We enjoyed dinner there in 2012, choose from starter buffet(lovely bread rolls). I can' t remember what we had for main course but we all enjoyed it and want to go back next year. Hope they like it.

 

[disneyholic family]

That's great. We enjoyed dinner there in 2012, choose from starter buffet(lovely bread rolls). I can' t remember what we had for main course but we all enjoyed it and want to go back next year. Hope they like it.

i think the lunch and dinner have the same menu, so hopefully they'll enjoy the food at least...
and it looks like an interesting setting from the pictures...
and there are the princesses...always a good thing!!

 

[piccolopat]

We use to go to Akershus before it became a princess thing. We miss the restaurant and all of the good Skandinavian food but we just don't want to deal with the crowds and the character chaos. Same goes for Crystal Palace and CRT in MK. I really wish they would have one meal a day in these locations that is not a character meal. Not everyone travels with young kids (anymore).

 

[disneyholic family]

We use to go to Akershus before it became a princess thing. We miss the restaurant and all of the good Skandinavian food but we just don't want to deal with the crowds and the character chaos. Same goes for Crystal Palace and CRT in MK. I really wish they would have one meal a day in these locations that is not a character meal. Not everyone travels with young kids (anymore).

i agree, but i'm guessing they didn't sell out the way they do with the princesses..

by the way, DD is 30 and her husband is 27 ....not a wee one in sight....
but they're looking forward to it....not to all the munchkins there, to be sure, but to the place, the meal (they're planning on the salmon) and even the princesses...

 

[Pegasus928]

I am pleased your DD got what they wanted, but to me this is everything that is wrong with the system at WDW. Who wants to spend 3 months, numerous times a day, plus time when they should be enjoying their holiday, on PC's, smart phones and at guest relations? It takes so much effort now to secure a spot in a specific restaurant that I'm not entirely sure I can be arsed.
It's no wonder Universal is leapfrogging Disney in terms of everything that matters, and will keep on moving forward while Disney seems to be going backwards.

 

[disneyholic family]

I am pleased your DD got what they wanted, but to me this is everything that is wrong with the system at WDW. Who wants to spend 3 months, numerous times a day, plus time when they should be enjoying their holiday, on PC's, smart phones and at guest relations? It takes so much effort now to secure a spot in a specific restaurant that I'm not entirely sure I can be arsed.
It's no wonder Universal is leapfrogging Disney in terms of everything that matters, and will keep on moving forward while Disney seems to be going backwards.

i totally totally totally agree with you!!! absolutely. no question about it.

And i cursed a least a gazillion times as i searched for their ADRs..
and i cursed even more as people who'd done multiple bookings started releasing them right at the end...(i cursed them for having made all those multiple bookings that made it impossible for the rest of us)

i so agree with you about it making everything so difficult..
so much so, that i didn't even go now when i was offered a trip...

for DD's trip, she wasn't even going to make ADRs - in the past they've always done walk up without issues....but she said that right now, walk ups are impossible.
They were told that you have almost no chance at all to get a walk up in the parks right now..
But it so locks you in....not at all the kind of fun vacation i think of at disney!

however, the point of this thread was to encourage those people who are totally discouraged by the lack of ADRs when they try to book them.

in the end, if they persevere, they'll probably get most of them...
it's just an encouragement thread.....it does NOT mean that i agree with the system AT ALL!!!!

 

[scoobydooby]

^ it's not that bad! I booked my last trip at three months out and got all but one ADR I wanted in 10 minutes on the PC. Got the other one by checking daily on my phone. 30 seconds each time. No big deal really

 

[disneyholic family]

^ it's not that bad! I booked my last trip at three months out and got all but one ADR I wanted in 10 minutes on the PC. Got the other one by checking daily on my phone. 30 seconds each time. No big deal really

well then you had a very different experience from me and from all the posters on the dis disney dining reservations board (where they have a cancellation thread, which i actually used successfully once - to get the BOG dinner reservation)..

was your trip during US free dining? at 90 days there wasn't a single ADR to be had at MK or DHS....none...not even the bad restaurants...no ADRs at all....during the entire 15 days of DD's trip...
so i'm guessing that was a different experience from what you had..

 

[scoobydooby]

well then you had a very different experience from me and from all the posters on the dis disney dining reservations board (where they have a cancellation thread, which i actually used successfully once - to get the BOG dinner reservation).. was your trip during US free dining? at 90 days there wasn't a single ADR to be had at MK or DHS....none...not even the bad restaurants...no ADRs at all....during the entire 15 days of DD's trip... so i'm guessing that was a different experience from what you had..

My post was meant to point at the one above yours, we must have been typing at the same time.

 

[Kath2003]

We only want one ADR for our next trip (we stay and eat offsite). Tried to book at 180 days, only 2 times available?! Such a faff - in 10+ visits to Universal we have never ever needed a reservation for anything!

 

[disneyholic family]

My post was meant to point at the one above yours, we must have been typing at the same time.

 

[chmurf]

so the bottom line is - DON'T GIVE UP. if you can't get an ADR, keep trying. Even the day before your trip. Even when you're already at WDW!!
don't give up!!!!

Thanks for your testimony and this reminder

after all that's the place where magic happens ... just make a wish

 

[disneyholic family]

Thanks for your testimony and this reminder

after all that's the place where magic happens ... just make a wish

that's all i was trying to say...
i know how frustrated people get trying for these ADRs...
so just some encouragement..
also, there's a cancellation thread for each month on the dinsey dining reservation board..
it's worth looking there from about a month before your travel date, as people start dropping their ADRs and come in there to coordinate.
that's how i snagged the BOG reservation.

 

[cazzie]

I have been trying to get an ADR for BOG but nothing and to be honest I didn't really expect there to be one and then last night I was just messing around and thought I would just try and an availability popped up. It's a case of just keep trying.

 

[disneyholic family]

I have been trying to get an ADR for BOG but nothing and to be honest I didn't really expect there to be one and then last night I was just messing around and thought I would just try and an availability popped up. It's a case of just keep trying.

woo hoo!!!!! congrats!!!

i'm seeing a lot of very last minute hard to get ADRs coming up...
a day or two in advance..
i've seen BOG and akershus come up (for example, Akershus just came open for dinner tonight at 6:45)....
so if you still haven't gotten that really hard to get ADR that you really really wanted - don't give up even when you're at WDW...keep trying!!!

 

[saintrob]

Even at the busiest times and on the actual day sometimes it's worth asking at the actual restaurant. We managed to secure a walk up to BOG last Christmas as we were fortunate to arrive immediately after a party had cancelled!

 

[disneyholic family]

Even at the busiest times and on the actual day sometimes it's worth asking at the actual restaurant. We managed to secure a walk up to BOG last Christmas as we were fortunate to arrive immediately after a party had cancelled!

absolutely!! we got our BOG last year by walking up...i figured we had nothing to lose by asking!! and you could see on the CM's face that he knew he was dumping a whole shipload of pixie dust on us!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we walked up mid afternoon (maybe it was 3?) and asked....he gave us a 6 PM ADR....the perfect time!! that really was pixie dust!!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have been trying to get an ADR for BOG but nothing and to be honest I didn't really expect there to be one and then last night I was just messing around and thought I would just try and an availability popped up. It's a case of just keep trying.

I am glad you got it.

I tried fervently for months before our last trip - sometimes late at night, or in the middle of the night, early morning, mid day, you name it - and was never able to get a BOG reservation. Bummer, too, because it was one thing we really wanted to do. (16th birthday trip. ) So there are people out there, some who even really know what they're doing, trying their hardest, who still aren't being pixie dusted, lol. In that way I agree with Pegasus - it is a lot of work and angst surrounding something that's supposed to be fun and relaxing.

OP, thanks for the report. I have no doubt that most of us here could work that hard and be mostly successful. Good to know. I just feel badly for those people who may be new to the concept and process who are stuck with nothing. I work with someone that this happened to - they bought the deluxe dining plan and had one table service meal because they had no clue they were supposed to make reservations ahead of time. Granted, they'll know better next time, but they wasted a lot of money and nobody, even at their resort, helped them. In fact, the one TS meal they did get was AT their resort, and the manager there said he could do it for them one night, but one night only. This is the reality for some guests, unfortunately. (And before anyone asks, my coworker knew the deal but was part of a large party where one SIL was running the show and was NOT open to suggestions.)

 

[disneyholic family]

I am glad you got it.

I tried fervently for months before our last trip - sometimes late at night, or in the middle of the night, early morning, mid day, you name it - and was never able to get a BOG reservation. Bummer, too, because it was one thing we really wanted to do. (16th birthday trip. ) So there are people out there, some who even really know what they're doing, trying their hardest, who still aren't being pixie dusted, lol. In that way I agree with Pegasus - it is a lot of work and angst surrounding something that's supposed to be fun and relaxing.

OP, thanks for the report. I have no doubt that most of us here could work that hard and be mostly successful. Good to know. I just feel badly for those people who may be new to the concept and process who are stuck with nothing. I work with someone that this happened to - they bought the deluxe dining plan and had one table service meal because they had no clue they were supposed to make reservations ahead of time. Granted, they'll know better next time, but they wasted a lot of money and nobody, even at their resort, helped them. In fact, the one TS meal they did get was AT their resort, and the manager there said he could do it for them one night, but one night only. This is the reality for some guests, unfortunately. (And before anyone asks, my coworker knew the deal but was part of a large party where one SIL was running the show and was NOT open to suggestions.)

i wonder about all the newbies out there without a clue...
regarding ADRs, but also FPs...

DD is still at WDW and she just messaged me (as she's waiting to go in for lunch after she checked in) that the FP situation is very difficult...

before she left, people on the dis (I think on this board actually), made fun of her for "overthinking" her FPs...
they said "why are you 'overthinking it , you can change them when you get there"...
wrong....
she said it's completely impossible to change FPs the same day and even the day before....
all the good FPs are gone....

so we both were wondering what happens to newbies who show up at the park without a clue and haven't reserved anything?????
.