BOG Dinner - No 180

[Doofenschmirz Evil]

We're planning to get an AP for the first time.

We booked our first trip for October. Obviously we weren't 180 days out, so I wasn't surprised there were no BOG dinner reservations. But then I thought we would book it for a quick December trip. We would go down for a long weekend and by planning ahead, we could have the reservation.

So for four straight days I logged on at 6am. And bam, no reservations any day. The first two days were Saturday and Sunday, so I thought maybe it was a coincidence. But when they didn't have a reservation today on Tuesday, I got very suspicious. Somewhat foolishly, I didn't start researching until today. Apparently you can book over 180 days in advance if you have a hotel reservation. OK, thanks. Boy, I wish I knew that before all the days of our planned trip were over.

But now that I read more about it, I'm wondering if anyone can get a reservation with an AP.

I mean, they usually don't release the AP room discounts 180 days in advance.

So is Disney really saying the only way to get a BOG reservation is to book a room without the AP, then ask for the discount or cancel with the room discounts are released. That seems rather counterintuitive.

But I'm also worried when I read that people are booking 10 or 7 day trips so they can book 189 or 186 days out. We're not planning on doing long trips. Part of the idea of getting an AP is that we would take a few 5 day trips over the year instead of one long trip, so at most I could book 184 days out.

But since I couldn't get a single BOG reservation at 180 days out, is the only way for me to really get one of these reservations to make a fake long resort reservation, then book BOG, then cancel and make the real short reservation when I get closer to my date. That can't possibly be what they want me to do. But I don't get it. How else do I get the BOG dinner reservation?

In some sense, it isn't a huge deal. We've eaten lunch at BOG before. But I was hoping to have dinner there one time, and after failing four mornings in a row (for mid-Dec this year) I'm starting to feel like this is impossible.

 

[kmb584]

We're a family of AP holders and I've never been able to get one at 180 days (if we're off-site) or 180 + 10 (if we're on-site) on my first attempt to do so. I do however check the website diligently over the course of the next 1-2 weeks and have always been able to get a dinner ADR. Disney also seems to release the reservations in spurts; I spent a week checking numerous times per day with no luck then one morning there were numerous times available for every day of our trip (this was about 2 weeks after my window opened) and I encountered the same burst of available ADRs back in November when booking for our May trip.

 

[jm106]

Not sure about the AP part but I was unable to get BOG at 180 days for October. I have checked regularly and no luck. I gave up, made my plans and will eat someplace else. We wont get back for a few years so I guess I will try it one day.

 

[georgina]

I don't think you have to book a very long trip, but book some sort of trip so you can look for more than one day at a time. BOG is always popular, but I wonder if the free dining promotion that begins Dec 12 made it harder. My bounceback offer starts Dec 11, and I was able to get a BOG dinner for 2 people on the last night of our 4 night trip (I didn't try any of the other nights.) There are the Christmas parties in Dec which means there are fewer spaces available for dinner those nights too.

 

[Doofenschmirz Evil]

Thanks. I'm not happy, but somehow it makes it a little better to know I'm not the only one who has failed at the 180 day mark.

But I also think Georgina may be right. It can't help that the weekend I wanted to book was smack dab in the middle of a free dining promotion. Not only did that encourage longer stays, it encouraged people to book a lot of ADRs too. Not ideal.

I'll keep checking for cancellations, but perhaps I should just take it as a sign that we are supposed to try something new and try a meal at the Contemporary or Grand Floridian.

 

[poooh]

Try calling instead. No reservations for BOG dinner were available online 180 days out from our last trip but we called and ended up getting a 9pm reservation. Obviously not the best time but we took it and it was worth it.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

It sounds repetitious, but keep trying. I attempted for 34 consecutive days at least 3, but closer to 10 times per day to get a res at Chef Mickey for dinner on the day we landed. Figured it would be an amazing way to kick off our vacation. I simply opened the page, entered my desired date/time and clicked Find a Table. Then I minimized it on my cpu. every time I had a free second, I would pull up the minimized window and click "Find a Table" On Day 35 I attempted as always when I woke up at 6, and nada. Checked again at 10:30 and all of a sudden, BAM! 5:35PM was open and available.

 

[minnie mum]

But I'm also worried when I read that people are booking 10 or 7 day trips so they can book 189 or 186 days out. We're not planning on doing long trips. Part of the idea of getting an AP is that we would take a few 5 day trips over the year instead of one long trip, so at most I could book 184 days out.

Its really not some big conspiracy by Disney to keep AP holders from getting a BOG ADR. Really. Its a simple matter of demand outweighing supply. If a person has a Disney resort reservation, they are permitted to make ADRs beginning 180 days from their check in date for up to 10 days from that date. So if they are staying 10 days they will have a statistically better chance of getting an ADR by the end of their stay than someone who is only staying for only 4 days. But do you seriously think people book longer stays JUST so they can get an ADR???? I don't think so.

Many people make their resort reservations months before discounts are released for their dates. And then modify their reservations at a later date. There is nothing preventing you as an AP holder from doing this. But that in itself is not going to help you get that coveted BOG ADR. Only persistence and patience will. Stalking the Disney dining website for cancellations (or calling) will usually result in success eventually.

 

[Doofenschmirz Evil]

Minnie mum, I certainly don't think it is a conspiracy against AP holders.

But I also don't think Disney wants us making and changing reservations a million times either. That's got to be time-consuming and costly for their staff. Perhaps we'll do that.

It just strikes me as odd that unless I want to plan a long trip, my odds of logging on at 6am and getting a reservation are apparently very low.

Let me put it another way. With our annual pass, we're probably going to spend 4 times as much at Disney as we did in any previous year when we took one long trip. And yet we get worse odds of getting a reservation. That strikes me as an unintended consequence of their method for rationing a very scarce resource.

 

[Ametista]

I got us a BOG res for Saturday at 6 pm just a week out, and this was in June of this year. You just have to be diligent and keep trying.

BTW the ratatouille was amazing!

 

[Minniekins]

Hmmm, I guess I don't get that comment that they are rationing it, or that it's odd that a guests odds of getting a ressie are lower if they have a shorter stay. They only have so many tables and ressies per night, same as any other table service restaurant on site. If a person has a 5 night trip, they only have five nights to choose from to try for ressies, and if a person has a 10 day trip, they obviously have 10 nights to try to get a ressie for. That's nothing that Disney is doing, you can only try for the nights you'll be there. And, it's not unfair, it's just the way it is, if you book a shorter trip, you have less nights to try for and if you book a longer trip, you have more nights to try to find a ressie for one of them. And, one of the perks of staying onsite is getting to book the 180 + 10, so book a trip for x amt of nights, and that's how many different days you can try to find an ADR for. I guess I'm not seeing how that is Disney rationing anything at all or Disney trying to force guests into some convoluted way of booked. Not trying to be rude or contrary, it just seems that you get to try to for a ressie for whatever nights you'll be there for, and that number of tries/nights depends on how long the guest makes their trip for, period. And I don't think that just because someone has an AP has anything to do anything. Just because a guest may spend more over several shorter trips over the year,(and many don't, they may easily eat elsewhere, buy less souvies, etc.), and use an AP, shouldn't mean that they should get more chances to try for a coveted ressie, that would be unfair imo.

 

[abbydancer]

I understand your frustration. We were able to get one at 180+8. Interestingly, there were two times available very early and late.

While making 180+ reservations I had to call dining and one of the calls I asked about BOG availability going forward. Her estimation is that in about a year it will become no harder than anything else.

That said, for our trip, most of or ressies are not at the time I wanted, but within 1/2 hour or so.

I just was able to move our Jikko out 15 minutes because we'll be coming from Fantasmic at the studio, and time was tight. I was impressed with the web experience because I had to first cancel the old one, but it was held til I confirmed the new one.

Incidently, before our window opened, I was playing around with times, and I did see a few BOGs available about a week and a half out. Also, my dance coach took her mother there in late January, and was able to get a ressie about 2 weeks out. Her suggestion was "be flexible".

 

[Disneyliscious]

Though this wouldnt solve the situation for everyone, it would help imo.

I would like to see Disney give a 1 day ADR preference to people who havent already had an ADR in the past year (at least for the hot topic restaurants). The ADR's are done online, its not like they cant track this.

181 days out - you can book ADR's if you have not had an ADR in 1 year or more. (or even a 1 day preference over AP holders).

180 days out - same as normal.

There are people who go multiple times a year and make ADR's. Then there are people who go once every so many years or once in a lifetime. If Disney really wanted to make a trip "magical" folks who have never been or haven't been in a few years would have the opportunity to experience more of the parks and restaurants, thus likely resulting in them returning as future guests sooner rather than later.

The people who go 4 or 5 times a year are going to return anyway.

 

[FlipHipster]

We're a family of AP holders and I've never been able to get one at 180 days (if we're off-site) or 180 + 10 (if we're on-site) on my first attempt to do so. I do however check the website diligently over the course of the next 1-2 weeks and have always been able to get a dinner ADR. Disney also seems to release the reservations in spurts; I spent a week checking numerous times per day with no luck then one morning there were numerous times available for every day of our trip (this was about 2 weeks after my window opened) and I encountered the same burst of available ADRs back in November when booking for our May trip.

I agree. They definitely release ADR times in batches or at least they have in the past. I spent a fair amount of time testing it during our 180 day window last year. Also, it used to be that the website would give you different options if you picked a specific time instead of "Dinner". You might pick "Dinner" and see nothing before 8:30 but pick 6:30 specifically and get several options like 5:45, 6:15 etc. for the same day.

I would keep trying. We sometimes have our best luck a week or 2 out or even a day or 2 out. Good luck!!

 

[Doofenschmirz Evil]

Hmmm, I guess I don't get that comment that they are rationing it, or that it's odd that a guests odds of getting a ressie are lower if they have a shorter stay.

If you make a 10 day reservation you can book the last day or your trip 189 days ahead. To my knowledge this is the earlierst you can ever make a reservation, so your odds of gettnig a table are the highest.

If you make a 9 day reservation you can book the last day or your trip 188 days ahead. A few people have already made reservations at the 189 day mark, so your odds of getting a seat are lower.

If you make an 8 day reservation...

If I make a 5 day reservaton I can book the last day of my trip 184 days ahead.

I know that by the time I try to book at 180, they seem to be out. So it must be that at some point, this cuts off. People with the longest reservations got them, and people with shorter reservations don't.

I wasn't trying to say this is unfair, I was just frustrated. I was trying to say, "Geez, what do I have to do make a fake long reservation to get a table!" I'm not really willing to do that, but it is annoying.

But like Disneylicious said, I really feel bad for the people for whom this is a once in a lifetime trip. I'll be back.

That said, I do feel like these things can matter for repeat visitors more. If it's your first trip, (and my first trip was just 2008), you'll be overwhelmed by all the fun stuff you get to do the first time. But for us, planning these unique activities can make or break our decision to go an extra time with the AP.

I do think BOG will eventually calm down, but this December will be the two year mark, I think, and it doesn't show any signs yet.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

It sounds repetitious, but keep trying. I attempted for 34 consecutive days at least 3, but closer to 10 times per day to get a res at Chef Mickey for dinner on the day we landed. Figured it would be an amazing way to kick off our vacation. I simply opened the page, entered my desired date/time and clicked Find a Table. Then I minimized it on my cpu. every time I had a free second, I would pull up the minimized window and click "Find a Table" On Day 35 I attempted as always when I woke up at 6, and nada. Checked again at 10:30 and all of a sudden, BAM! 5:35PM was open and available.

Oh this gives me hope. I'm trying to get 'Ohana for our arrival day dinner. There is one for 9:45PM but that isn't going to work since we have to be up for an 8:15AM ressie at CC the next morning for breakfast. I can't imagine eating that late but I guess with folks coming in from different time zones that might work. I'm also trying to move a tusker house and akershus up a few mins. I have one of the last bfast ressie and am afraid they will turn it over to lunch...especially TH since it's a buffet. Nothing available tho but I'll keep trying.

 

[MeanestMomEver]

We've gone to BOG for dinner three times and each time I got the reservation by checking MDE 1-3 days beforehand. I've also gotten early breakfast times at CP and CRT just checking the morning before at 7 am. Just think like a reservation-cancel-er! Good luck.

 

[Winnowill]

I started trying to get a BOG ADR in January for our trip in April. I tried for MONTHS, several times a day. Two weeks before we left, I got one. There's always hope!

 

[kaylasmom07]

I don't think your really missing much. Wasn't impressed with dinner the last year.

 

[Karbase8]

Keep trying that is my advice! I notice sometimes they open up reservations 1-2 weeks in advance, good luck!