ADRs: 180 days in advance of reservation date or arrival date?

[gypsymac4721]

Tomorrow is 6 months in advance of our arrival (12/17/11) and we're looking to make our reservations. Is the 180-day rule

• 180 days in advance of reservation date
• 180 days in advance of arrival date
• 6 months in advance of reservation date, or
• 6 months in advance of arrival date?

Or does it depends on which representative you get?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[JimmyV]

If you are staying at a WDW Resort, the clock starts 180 days from your check-in date. Once that window opens, you can make reservations for 180 days out from there, plus 10 additional days. So if you are staying for a week, you get to start making reservations 180 days from check in, and can book the whole week rather than having to make reservations each successive day that is 180 days from the date you want to dine. Make sense?

Example. If your check-in date is 12/13/2011, you could start making ADRs today (6/16). In addition, you could make ADRs for your entire stay through 12/23.

If you are staying off property, you could only make your ADR for 12/13. Then, tomorrow, you would call (or go online) again and make an ADR for 12/14. And so on until all your days were accounted for.

 

[MHSweb79]

Right. Maybe this will simplify:

If you are staying on-site, that is, a Disney resort, then on 180 days before your arrival date you can make reservations for your first 10 days there (which covers most people's entire trip.)

Now, if you are staying off-site, you will have to call every day at 180 days before your ADR date.

The 180 +10 is just another perk of staying on-site. If you are not going during free dining, it probably won't be an issue. You could even (gasp ) wait to call on day 170 and make all your ADR's at once.

 

[vicki_c]

What is the difference between arrival date and reservation date? They would be the same.

And as others have posted, it's not 6 months, it's 180 days.

 

[JimmyV]

For "reservation date", I assume that the OP meant the date that the person wanted to eat at the particular restaurant. So your arrival, or check in date could be October 1. But your "reservation date" could be October 3, if October 3 is the day that you are trying to dine, hence, the date that you are trying to get a "reservation" at the restaurant.

 

[MHSweb79]

That's how I understood it: the "reservation" date meant the date you were trying to reserve the restaurant for. Arrival date is when you actually start your vacation.

 

[vicki_c]

Got it - didn't read it that way, but now it makes sense.

 

[dkbayne]

We check in on Dec 24th. I looked this morning and the 24th is the last day open to make a dining reservation. But I have to enter my reservation number and checkin day. The last check in day is now at the 14th. The last time our family went I was able to book 10 days before the 180 mark. I did have to do it every day for the next 10 days. I couldn't do the entire stay. I take it that Disnesy has done away with this practice??
This is all from the online dining reservation system.

My account is stating that I can start making dining reservations on June 27th. So I guess I can't do it any earlier? We are a party of 9 so I am nervous about getting what we want.

Thanks for any clarification.

 

[Cafeen]

We check in on Dec 24th. I looked this morning and the 24th is the last day open to make a dining reservation. But I have to enter my reservation number and checkin day. The last check in day is now at the 14th. The last time our family went I was able to book 10 days before the 180 mark. I did have to do it every day for the next 10 days. I couldn't do the entire stay. I take it that Disnesy has done away with this practice??
This is all from the online dining reservation system.

My account is stating that I can start making dining reservations on June 27th. So I guess I can't do it any earlier? We are a party of 9 so I am nervous about getting what we want.

Thanks for any clarification.

If you made the previous trip's dining reservations last year, sometime around this time of year (maybe a month or two earlier), then there was a bug in the online system that allowed 190 day reservation instead of just 180+10. It was not intended. They have since fixed this bug.

To limit confusion, I use the terms date of check-in and date of dining when talking about the 180 day vs 180+10. It helps keep it a bit straighter in my head at least .

Ex:
With a confirmed Walt Disney World resort reservation, you may book dining reservations for up to 10 days at 180 days before date of check-in. Without a confirmed Walt Disney World resort reservation, you may book dining reservations at 180 days before date of dining.

 

[dkbayne]

Thanks for the clarification. I think the light bulb has come on now so to speak.

 

[smdisney]

I'm staying at the Dolphin... since it isn't owned by Disney, do I get the extra window?

 

[aubriee]

I'm staying at the Dolphin... since it isn't owned by Disney, do I get the extra window?

No, you must be staying at a Disney owned resort. The Swan/Dolphin and Shades of Green are on Disney property, but not Disney owned, so they don't get the perk. The resorts that are in the DTD area don't get it either.

OT: but people staying at any of the above resorts are also not eligible to use DME either and must find their own way from and to the airport.