Disney dining buddy...will it actually help me/be worth it?

[amandals2007]

incase anyone wanted to know, i signed up with disney dining scout about 5-7days ago for a california grill on sept 20 from 530-930 window. i got an email from them at 2am for a 905 time. (i have a time of 515 but we didnt wanna eat that early we wanted 730 to watch the fireworks which go off at 930) i booked the 905, though its still not what i want its better than the orginial time i have so thats good!! i didnt get a text since im doing the free version but i do check my email regularly and get alerts when i get emails so im happy with it for now. though my phone only fetches new emails every 20 min and not immediately to save on data, i just happen to be up at 2 at work and refreshed my inbox. im keeping the search window open hoping for a better time, but im happy i signed up for this and the paid version i think might be worth it if you really need a specific time so you get alerted right away but im okay with my 905 and if i get better time ill be happy but if not its okay. and im okay with just getting an email and not paying for a text. i didnt get an alert from the other sites i signed up for.....why is that??

 

[ninafeliz]

I'm looking for 'Ohana on Christmas Eve- We decided to take the trip at about 165 days so we just missed our 180. I was able to get everything but that. However, I was able to book Chef Mickey's at 7:05 as a backup. Now that I'm thinking of using DDB, I'm wondering if that Chef Mickey's is going to screw up my chances of getting 'Ohana. I know 'Ohana on Christmas eve might be a hard one, so I hate to cancel the CM, but I hate to miss the Ohana messing around canceling chef mickeys before I can book 'Ohana. Did I explain that well enough? Any thoughts or recommendations? WWYD?

 

[Kristi113]

If you find and Ohana reservation, the system should give you the option while booking it to cancel the Chef mickey ressie. You don't really have to take any extra steps/time......maybe 2 seconds. It shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ninafeliz]

If you find and Ohana reservation, the system should give you the option while booking it to cancel the Chef mickey ressie. You don't really have to take any extra steps/time......maybe 2 seconds. It shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for replying! I hope so. I skimmed through this thread pretty quickly, but I thought someone mentioned missing a few alerts due to having to cancel another ressie first. Sometimes it can be so slow to log in when i find something on the computer I want and didn't realize I wasn't logged in first, and sometimes after I log in instead of continuing with the ADR I wanted it takes me back to the dining page and I have to start over again looking for the ADR I had already started booking! However, I think they might have fixed that because I don't think it's happened as I booked for this Christmas trip, just previous trips. I hope it goes smoothly if I do find exactly what I want, which is an early ADR at 'Ohana on 12/24. Not only a very hard day to get, but I'm picky about time! My kids won't be able to eat late, plus I want to be back at the CR to relax for a while on Christmas Eve, not eat and run back to bed!

 

[Jaime4004]

I've been trying to get a character breakfast for the past 2 months for Nov, checking several times/day. I signed up for Dining Scout a few weeks ago and never got any alerts, figured it was a bust. This morning I was woken up at 3:45am to a text showing an opening for crystal palace at 8:45am on one of the days. Got right on and was able to snag it! I'd like an earlier time so i'll keep stalking, but it's good to know that it works!

 

[ninafeliz]

I'm looking for 'Ohana on Christmas Eve- We decided to take the trip at about 165 days so we just missed our 180. I was able to get everything but that. However, I was able to book Chef Mickey's at 7:05 as a backup. Now that I'm thinking of using DDB, I'm wondering if that Chef Mickey's is going to screw up my chances of getting 'Ohana. I know 'Ohana on Christmas eve might be a hard one, so I hate to cancel the CM, but I hate to miss the Ohana messing around canceling chef mickeys before I can book 'Ohana. Did I explain that well enough? Any thoughts or recommendations? WWYD?

I'm replying to my own post -- I thought I would give an update, because I'm thrilled and want to let you know how well this worked!! I signed up for disney dining buddy 2 days ago to watch for 'Ohana Christmas Eve at 6:00, knowing that would check from 4:00 (I know they don't open until 4:30) - 8:00. I really wanted an early dinner, so we cold be back at the CR to relax and do Christmas Eve "stuff" after we ate. I had been checking 'Ohana multiple times a day every since we decided to take our trip at somewhere around 170 days, and I never saw anything for 'Ohana on that day, let alone 4:30 - 5:30 like I preferred. Well, last night at about 10:15 I got a text that there was availability, went to the Disney app, and lo and behold 5:00 PM was available and i was able to snag it! I did have a small hitch canceling a BOG that I had made in the meantime for 4:30 (the app asked if I wanted to cancel it, then wouldn't let me do it and said I had to call. I was just getting OOB to go to the computer and do it that way, but tried x-ing out of that and just starting again by hitting the available 5:00 ADR and it went through that time without a problem). So it was $8 well spent, and it took less than 2 days for what I assume one of the harder to get ADRs! I'm tempted to try more often, but it is also kind of fun to keep checking for ones that I would like but aren't as important to me as that one was. Thanks for everyone's input!!

 

[Rivergirl2005]

Can they help you get special dining packages for fantasmic, or wishes desert party?

 

[22Tink]

Can they help you get special dining packages for fantasmic, or wishes desert party?

Yes they can!! They alert you when there's availability but you have to move quick!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I signed up for it last week to try and book a lunch at Be Our Guest for October 26. Received 2 alerts so far for 1:50 and 1:05. I want something around 11:30 but went ahead and booked the 1:05 using the Disney World website. Told the DDB to keep sending notifications so that I can hopefully get something earlier. Not sure I'll keep the 1:05 even if I don't get an earlier reservation but it does work.

 

[Lovewinnie]

Just got my CRT today by using dining buddy. Missed the first 2 alerts I received. They were few and far between. But booked today, perfect time for November trip

 

[JoJoGirl]

I just made my first request with Disney Dining Buddy! We have a 6:00 reservation at Narcoossee's for the Saturday night of our November trip, and I would love to move it back a couple of hours. Unfortunately Thee is no availability right now. If DDB comes through, it will be $8 well spent for two more park hours that day. Keeping my fingers crossed!