Anxiety about getting ADRs

[2littleprincesses]

I don't call til Sunday, but after hearing people having to change their schedules around and getting late dinners I am feeling a little anxious. I am also worried because people who are booking now are booking for dates I will be there too. Will there be any left at decent times? Should I just stay away from here til I book?

I am already looking at how I can change my days to different ones. And what our priorities should be. Anyone have a good sheet that they use when on the phone to schedule ADRs?

Deep breaths, deep breaths. It is not a crisis, just ADRs during free dining!

 

[phyllis1966]

I don't have a spreadsheet for you, but my advice is to first, have some backup times in mind for each ADR, and second, have a backup restaurant in mind. If you have these things written down when you call, you'll be less nervous and won't have to take just anything if your first choice doesn't work out. I know that if I'm not prepared with things in writing, for lots of kinds of phone calls, I get very flustered trying to think of things on the fly!

You'll have a great time no matter where you eat!

 

[tjknitz]

I have no advice, just wanted to tell you that I am right there with you! I don't make my ADR's until June 13th - and I can't wait because then I will be done and I won't have to worry about it any longer. I can't stand the anxiety!

What I am doing is just what pp suggested - having a back up restaurant and different times!

Good luck! You'll have to post on Sunday to let us know if you got what you wanted!

 

[WldChrry]

I have to wait until June 5th to make my ADR's. I am hoping that everything works out in my favor. I want an ADR at Tony's Town Square on a specific day because that will be the anniversary dinner for DB and I, and I thought that Tony's would be a nice place to celebrate. Would be even better if EMH were there that night too.

 

[dvcdisney]

The only thing I can suggest is what I do. I usually have 2 or 3 restaurant options for each day. But to be honest, I have only had to go to my 2nd choice once in the past. However, this is the first year I have been quite anxious about the ADRs. As a DVC member, I have always booked our resort 11 mnths in advance and our ADRs 180 days in advance which is before free dining is announce. Unfortunately, now that they changed the ADR to 90 days, I am caught in the free dining "frenzy".

 

[harpinjean]

Don't stress it will be fine. Have in mind 2 or 3 restaurants for each day and be flexible about moving the dates. If you have two restaurants you want to eat at in EPCOt and your first choice is not available, try switching the days. Also be flexible about times. I only got one exact time that I wanted, but only had to move one more than an hour away. As others have posted if there is a place you want to eat and it is totally booked, reserve a different place but call back every week or two (esp. 45 days out) and see if there have been any cancellations for your first choice. I like trying new places so if I have to pick a different place, I just look at it as a way to try something new.

 

[momfor2kids]

I agree that I too am getting anxious about this whole making advance reservations. This is our first trip to Disney with my husband and two kids ages 13 and 11 and I never expected it to be this much planning. I have 2 choices for each day for sit down restaurants but if neither is available I am in big trouble. Also we are early dinner eaters (say 5:30 - 6:00) and eating at 9:00 at night is not something I would be happy about nor would the rest of the family. So I guess I am just hoping that things work out and I get the restaurant I want at the time I want and if not then ????????????? Also I think I will stay away from the message boards until then because they are not helping with what people are saying about all the problems they are having with reservations. And let's just pray that the system is up and running with no more glitches soon.

 

[PrincessPixie]

I am right there with you! I am making our ADRs on Sunday as well. Reading the boards here has made me super nervous about getting anything we want!

All we can do is be flexible with times and have back up choices! I am stressed about having to stay on hold for 1-2 hours!

Does anyone have a tip as to when to dial...exactly at 7 am or a minute before hand?

I will keep my fingers crossesd for both of us on Sunday trying to get our ADRs!

 

[dawnandnala]

I agree that I too am getting anxious about this whole making advance reservations. This is our first trip to Disney with my husband and two kids ages 13 and 11 and I never expected it to be this much planning. I have 2 choices for each day for sit down restaurants but if neither is available I am in big trouble. Also we are early dinner eaters (say 5:30 - 6:00) and eating at 9:00 at night is not something I would be happy about nor would the rest of the family. So I guess I am just hoping that things work out and I get the restaurant I want at the time I want and if not then ????????????? Also I think I will stay away from the message boards until then because they are not helping with what people are saying about all the problems they are having with reservations. And let's just pray that the system is up and running with no more glitches soon.

Mine went smoothly this morning and I didn't call first thing either. I only had two "problems" - I couldn't get Le Cellier any day any time but I kind of expected that. And I couldn't get anything for dinner at hollywood studios on a fantasmic day. We got Sci-Fi for lunch and I guess we'll do CS for dinner!
Just have your plan in front of you and be ready to try different options and switch things up.

 

[dawnandnala]

I am right there with you! I am making our ADRs on Sunday as well. Reading the boards here has made me super nervous about getting anything we want!

All we can do is be flexible with times and have back up choices! I am stressed about having to stay on hold for 1-2 hours!

Does anyone have a tip as to when to dial...exactly at 7 am or a minute before hand?

I will keep my fingers crossesd for both of us on Sunday trying to get our ADRs!

I don't know if I just got lucky but I called at almost 10am ET today and was only on hold 5minutes or less - I didn't even hear all of Grim Grinning Ghosts!

 

[momfor2kids]

Mine went smoothly this morning and I didn't call first thing either. I only had two "problems" - I couldn't get Le Cellier any day any time but I kind of expected that. And I couldn't get anything for dinner at hollywood studios on a fantasmic day. We got Sci-Fi for lunch and I guess we'll do CS for dinner!
Just have your plan in front of you and be ready to try different options and switch things up.

What days are you going? We are going 8/19-8/25 so I have to call on Thursday. I was hoping to get Mama Melroses's for the Fantasmic show on Sunday, 8/23rd. Is that the day you were looking at also?

 

[dancemomnj]

I am with you. I make my ADR's on Monday. Had a TA my last 3 times and this time doing it for the first time myself. I have back ups and am open to times. I wonder too if we it's easier to get ADR's for the end of the stay instead of towards the start because less people have made them? Any thoughts? I also wonder if we should start calling a little before 7?
Good luck to you and let us know how you make out!

 

[dawnandnala]

What days are you going? We are going 8/19-8/25 so I have to call on Thursday. I was hoping to get Mama Melroses's for the Fantasmic show on Sunday, 8/23rd. Is that the day you were looking at also?

We are 8/17 to 8/24 - I couldn't get fantasmic dinners for any of the three days T/TH/Sun nor could I get any other dinner on Thurs (Brown Derby was available but didn't want to use 2TS for it)

The other hard one was Tusker House Breakfast - I had to try several days for it.

 

[momfor2kids]

We are 8/17 to 8/24 - I couldn't get fantasmic dinners for any of the three days T/TH/Sun nor could I get any other dinner on Thurs (Brown Derby was available but didn't want to use 2TS for it)

The other hard one was Tusker House Breakfast - I had to try several days for it.

Great - I guess I better have a back-up plan. I suppose then we will be standing in the line for fantasmic like everyone else. I am not doing Tusker House for breakfast I was going to try for dinner there on Sat. 8/22. This seems to be getting more and more complicated. Now I know why my husband left it all up to me and he and the kids just want to "show up" and have all the fun.

 

[dawnandnala]

Great - Now I know why my husband left it all up to me and he and the kids just want to "show up" and have all the fun.

 

[CrabbyPatty]

I'm worried about the ADRs as well since this is my first trip to WDW since the mid-1980s and the first time to make ADRs.

I just get the impression that there is absolutely NOTHING left, i.e. lots of posts here about "tragedies" and "disappointments" about not getting the right date or time. so I don't know if I should be worried about not even being able to get all the credits in the DDP or what. Also, and at this point I don't know what the whole ADR process is like.

My call-in date is May 28th, but how do I go about starting with ADRs? Can I ask for a specific restaurant for a specific meal, and if it's not available on the date I want, will the CM check a few days around that date to check availability, or are they just checking for the specific dates/times I give them?

Or should I say that I want to have the Princess Breakfast around 8:30 a.m. - and which of the dates in my stay has that availability? I hope that makes sense - do I go with date/time or restaurant? Thanks!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I am stressed right now and I can't even call until June 21st. I am hoping that since we are going in Sept, maybe it wont be so bad. Someone said that getting ADR's for August was harder than Sept because of last minute travelers. IDK? I am about to get a back up plan in place, just in case.

 

[sgable]

I just got off the phone with a cm who said that they have saved 1/2 of the tables at all restaurants to be released on the 90th day. I know it means more than one call but at least there is a chance to get what you want. Coral Reef wasn't available for the 18th but she told me to call back tomorrow because the other half of the tables will be released.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I just got off the phone with a cm who said that they have saved 1/2 of the tables at all restaurants to be released on the 90th day. I know it means more than one call but at least there is a chance to get what you want. Coral Reef wasn't available for the 18th but she told me to call back tomorrow because the other half of the tables will be released.

This makes more since. Thank you for the information.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I am not sure how accurate it is that a CM indicates that 1/2 tables are left open for the exact 90 day mark, it is not a good business decision and especially now, more than ever, I do not see that as likely, but one never knows.

Putting that aside though. I had a VERY VERY difficult time yesterday, with ADR's, very long waits, then disconnected not once but twice, loss of our reservations because of a computer glitch, then being told I could not make reservations on a split reservation, then being told people WERE getting the reservations, goodness, frustration is putting it mildly.
BUT
I did not give up and you should not either!

So late in the afternoon, another call was made, another wait, but shorter and guess what, we got amazing restaurants and amazing times for our group, we had anywhere from 4 to 10 for our reservations, so that in itself was an "issue" that turned out to be a NON issue!
I am not sure if many people lost their reservations in the glitches but we got the following restaurants, all for dinner and all from 5:05 to 6:35pm, we are THRILLED and I want to wish every single person out there PIXIE DUST.....I was given BETTER times after I had to change some OUT because we figured we'd try, 2!! ....
so CALL and CALL AGAIN, each day and TRY and do not give up!!
DISNEY MAGIC to all...
oh, here are the picks we got: Ohanas, Kona, LTT, LeCellier 2 times, Whispering, Teppan Edo, Sci FI, Trails. I actually have to call again tomorrow for a final pick, so again, my fingers will be crossed...but feeling VERY good about it.................
So again everyone, DON'T stress...pick your favorites, THEN have a back up restaurant, earlier and later always seem to work best (for us that works as we follow our regular family eating time)
GOOD LUCK and let us know how you did...in the meantime, there is already an AUGUST trade thread, so that is also another option!!!:YUMMY free dine cheer2: