Advance Dining Reservations 180 days out, crazy!

[OrlandoMagic]

Am I alone in thinking that opening the window to book your ADR's 6 months out is ridiculous?!

We are onsite for 10 days this year and we can start booking our ADR's mid March, that's half a year before we go!

When we went in September 2009 I am sure it was 90 days out you could make reservations? Or did I dream that?

Any tips for making ADR's so far out? Should I book 2/3 restaurants a night and cancel the ones we don't need when we know what we are doing? I can imagine lots of people will do this and that's why I feel forced to make ADR's as soon as our window opens so we don't miss the ones we really want to eat at!

Any feedback & tips welcome!

 

[2Tiggies]

Am I alone in thinking that opening the window to book your ADR's 6 months out is ridiculous?!

No. Many others feel that way (I am not personally too bothered about it though, but you are certainly not the only one).

When we went in September 2009 I am sure it was 90 days out you could make reservations? Or did I dream that?

You are correct. While they rolled out the new ADR system the window was 90 days in 2009 and online wasn't in effect yet.

I have to say that was a nightmare - it was SOOOO much harder to get your reservations and to get through because phone lines were so much busier.

Any tips for making ADR's so far out? Should I book 2/3 restaurants a night and cancel the ones we don't need when we know what we are doing? I can imagine lots of people will do this and that's why I feel forced to make ADR's as soon as our window opens so we don't miss the ones we really want to eat at!

Any feedback & tips welcome!

Yes, the planners will be making their 180 day ADRs right on time, but not everyone makes them and some just don't know any better. You will be there during free dining (US and UK offer) so I would recommend that you at least book your must-do's.

You don't have to decide what you are going to eat - just where. Even if you could make ADRs 30 days out, it is going to be the same.

I use park hours to decide which parks on which days and then ensure that any ADRs are booked in or very close to the park for that day. In other words I choose my park days first and try fit the meals around it to suit.

 

[disney_princess_85]

By the time our ADR day rolls around (same day as yours ), I will have drawn up a plan of where we are eating and the times. On this day, I will book our ADRs for the first 10 days and do the rest on subsequent days. I already have the list of restaurants- I just need to slot them into days!

I know this method may not be suited to everyone but my advice is to plan it loosely at the very least- you can always make changes later.

 

[OrlandoMagic]

You are correct. While they rolled out the new ADR system the window was 90 days in 2009 and online wasn't in effect yet.

I have to say that was a nightmare - it was SOOOO much harder to get your reservations and to get through because phone lines were so much busier.

The online system must have been working because that's how we made our reservations!

You don't have to decide what you are going to eat - just where. Even if you could make ADRs 30 days out, it is going to be the same.

I use park hours to decide which parks on which days and then ensure that any ADRs are booked in or very close to the park for that day. In other words I choose my park days first and try fit the meals around it to suit.

I think the main problem is that I'm not sure what we will be doing each day yet. I go by Tour Guide Mikes least crowded parks chart and not sure they will be up before the ADR window opens!!

Are the park hours released 6 months in advance?

Thanks!

 

[OrlandoMagic]

By the time our ADR day rolls around (same day as yours ), I will have drawn up a plan of where we are eating and the times. On this day, I will book our ADRs for the first 10 days and do the rest on subsequent days. I already have the list of restaurants- I just need to slot them into days!

I know this method may not be suited to everyone but my advice is to plan it loosely at the very least- you can always make changes later.

Thanks for the reply Lauren, we will do the same, I have my brother and his GF round at the weekend and will draw up a list of places we would like to eat at.

I think mainly I'm just having a bit of a moan about the whole booking ADR's so far in advance thing!

I think it's just the one thing about staying onsite that we will never get on with as we are the sort who prefer to decide on the day where we would like to eat, not half a year before!

 

[torsie24]

Tour Guide Mike tends to have his guides up pretty close to the 180, he had them out in time for mine.

I think it is mad that it's so early. But I'm not going to be able to change it, and I'd rather get the ADRs I want and plan at 180, then not plan and have to go without the meals we really want.

 

[wayneg]

Online ADR system was available to TA's May 09, general public June 09

We struggled to get what we wanted the 1st year when it was 90 days, 180 days is far easier as many US travellers haven't even thought about booking so far out.
We don't plan in so much detail, we make a dinner res each evening about 7pm, work around those meals. When we see the park times and as we plan things nearer the time we then try and alter meals to fit. Even changed 2 or 3 once we had go there last August, easy enough to do for what we wanted before US free dining started, once their dining date came (around 19th Aug)it was almost impossible to change anything.

 

[wayneg]

I think it's just the one thing about staying onsite that we will never get on with as we are the sort who prefer to decide on the day where we would like to eat, not half a year before!

It was my main concern before trying it, our trips have always been very relaxed, often still trying to decide 15 mins before eating. While many dislike the ADR idea we have found we enjoy the whole process, last few weeks really enjoyed picking where we want to eat. We are now just about ready to book ours next month. Although next month will be glad to have a trip offsite and eat with no planning.

 

[OrlandoMagic]

Thanks for all the answers guys, seems like we have to like it or lump it!

Best get planning where we want to eat!

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks for all the answers guys, seems like we have to like it or lump it!

Best get planning where we want to eat!

Simon, despite the fact that free dining is on in September, it is not peak season. At least if you book the important one, you can still try and change them later on. You just don't want to end up with no good choice of where to eat. You might find the planning kind of fun

 

[disneyholic family]

i don't even know what our dates are, but i'm already trying to figure this out...
there will be six of us, which i assume will make it harder to get the ADRs i want...

last time i was at WDW was in June....when my mom and sister joined me, we were able to just do walkups....one evening at teppan edo we walked up after being told at the front of the park there was nothing available other than mexico and china.....so we walked to japan and managed to get the very last seats that night.......it was YUMMY by the way..

Boma - we walked up and they took us right away (even though when we phoned shortly before that, we were told there was nothing)....

Brown Derby - we walked up for lunch - the place was swarming with people waiting, but we got in after about a 15 minute wait..

50's prime time - we walked up for lunch...the place was bursting at the seams with people waiting, but they gave us a table after about a 15 minute wait...

that's all i remember.....but that was at the end of June, not free dining...

 

[Zeebs]

We have 4 months something to go until our May trip, I was able to get all my choices on line recently including Le Cellier for lunch.

Friends have said they might like to join us in Orlando so I looked at changing a couple of our places to accommodate them so upping the people from 5 to 9 and was able to get our same times for all of us.

I also checked and could get them into Cinderellas Royal Table. I think you have a little bit of swing room, but not much.

We are staying offsite so I only picked a few we really wanted to eat at and scheduled them in, they rest of the time we will be fly by the seat of our pants sort of people.

Kirsten

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Am I alone in thinking that opening the window to book your ADR's 6 months out is ridiculous?!

Any tips for making ADR's so far out? Should I book 2/3 restaurants a night and cancel the ones we don't need when we know what we are doing? I can imagine lots of people will do this and that's why I feel forced to make ADR's as soon as our window opens so we don't miss the ones we really want to eat at!

Any feedback & tips welcome!

I love booking my ADR's early! Its all part of the planning fun for me!! We can only book them 90 days out for DL this year which I'm really disappointed about!!

If you don't mind me saying its generally rather frowned upon on these boards to book more than one restaurant per night as its not really fair on other people trying to make ADR's. Apart from a couple of the very busiest restaurants (Cinderella's Table, Chef Mickey and Cali Grill) you will usually be able to change your ADR's around fairly easily up to about a month before you go without too many problems, and won't have blocked off extra tables in the meantime

 

[2Tiggies]

If you don't mind me saying its generally rather frowned upon on these boards to book more than one restaurant per night as its not really fair on other people trying to make ADR's.

That's a very valid point - not limited to how it is recieved on these boards, but there have been numerous reports of people's ADRs being cancelled when the system shows 2 different restaurants booked at the same time or within a similar time frame. Better to book what you think you want and tweak them later if you change your mind or your plans.