Can there really be no availability!??

[BraveMom3]

I know I have relaxed my planning a lot, but this is rediculous! I am having a hard time getting the couple of restaurants I want. We'll be there 12/17-12/22 and I can't get Ohana or Sci-Fi when I wanted them.

 

[LegoMom3]

Are you calling or just using the on-line system? If the latter, I'd try calling. Otherwise yes, it's entirely possible that those are filled up. O'Hana is notoriously hard to get at any time, and this is approaching the Christmas holiday period so crowds will be up. All I can suggest is be flexible with your times and be willing to eat at "off" hours.

.

 

[BraveMom3]

I am trying online, but I think I will take your advice and call. I know it is a busy time, but I don't remember having this much trouble 2 months out.

 

[vicki_c]

2 months out for 'Ohana - super highly unlikely. 'Ohana seems to be the #1 restaurant these days.

In any case, pickings 2 months out are going to be very slim.

 

[LegoMom3]

From what I've read, this is the result of the Dining Plan, and more and more often now, the Free Dining Promotion (if I recall there were some Dec. dates included this year, so that may be a big factor). I know people who live in FL who used to take a weekend trip up there and be able to walk into almost any TS restaurant and get a table......Not so much any more!

.

 

[cajunbaby1]

I feel your pain. I'll be there dec 11-19th and some of the ones i want are MIA. One day I checked for the MK rest. with availibity and NOT ONE restaurant came up?!?! really.. that annoying. But you have faith. One time I could not get LeCellier on the phone..but found it online. Course I found it about 3am
Hey maybe thats the magic key to get what you want in adrs

 

[BraveMom3]

Awww, Ohana or Sci-Fi not available at all! Guess we'll just save money

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I know I have relaxed my planning a lot, but this is rediculous! I am having a hard time getting the couple of restaurants I want. We'll be there 12/17-12/22 and I can't get Ohana or Sci-Fi when I wanted them.

Ohana was most likely booked full at 150 days outs, so you are really late for that reservation. As for Sci-Fi, I would keep looking for a cancellation. You could also try a walk up but I wouldn't be heart set on it if you are doing that.

We are going the same time as you are. I was making my reservations in June and July. It is a very busy week and with free dining being offered through 12/15, those arriving on 12/15 will be doing free dining during your stay making the restaurants busy.


You may want to use this trip to try some new places. I would put in your date/time in the online system and see what is available. I would then choose resort dining. You get to see the decorations at different resorts and more choices in restaurants and times.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[TDC Nala]

Noted four things about this post: 1) close to Christmas, 2) two popular restaurants, 3) the OP has a time preference, possibly a peak dining hour and 4) well within the 180 day reservation opening - no, it's not really surprising that you can't get these, especially 'Ohana. That restaurant, for anything but late reservations, books up within days of the opening of reservations.

Keep checking, you might be lucky enough to get a cancellation.

 

[Pugrpooh]

I agree with others - just keep trying, someone may cancel. I booked our vacation just two weeks ago and we're going the same time as the OP Dec.15-21. We got ADR's at Crystal Palace, Sci Fi, Coral Reef, Boma for dinner and breakfast, and then several days after we booked, I was able to get Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch!

I'm still trying for 'Ohana, but if we don't get it, no big deal, we're already using more TS credits than what we get with FD. Two years ago we ate at 'Ohana and I know I didn't book that more than two months out.

 

[mcd2745]

From what I've read, this is the result of the Dining Plan, and more and more often now, the Free Dining Promotion (if I recall there were some Dec. dates included this year, so that may be a big factor). I know people who live in FL who used to take a weekend trip up there and be able to walk into almost any TS restaurant and get a table......Not so much any more!

.

I think this is a very flawed opinion that many people share - that the lack of availability for ADRs is solely because of the Dining Plan. Is the Dining Plan ("free" or not) a contributing factor? Absolutely. But it is just merely one out of a number of factors. Disney has been very successful in their attempts to keep their resort guests on-property for the entire length of their stays. They accomplished this through not just the Dining Plan, but moreso with Magical Express and the Magic Your Way tickets pricing strucure. Also, with a system that opens up reservations six months in advance, you get a lot of people who hoard many ADRs at the 180-day mark that they'll likely never use because they know the difficulty involved in successfully changing a reservation at a later date if they decided to switch up their plans a little. Put it all together and you have a very challenging situation where 1) the demand for ADRs is a lot greater than the actual demand for tables, and 2) it has become this vicious circle that fuels itself in spiraling out of control.

 

[babyrich]

I know I have relaxed my planning a lot, but this is rediculous! I am having a hard time getting the couple of restaurants I want. We'll be there 12/17-12/22 and I can't get Ohana or Sci-Fi when I wanted them.

Keep an eye on the December cancellation thread too. I got an ADR I wanted by keeping up with the thread.

 

[collegejunkie]

i have an ohana to cancel on 12/17. PM me and maybe it will work out

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Check with Guest Relations the day before or day of. If anything, you may be able to wait for a table. Try the early times. What happens is they wait for everyone to show up for their scheduled time. IF one doesn't show up, you get the table. We have done that a couple times and it wasn't a long wait at all. Granted, the bigger your party the more issues you may have. I hope you get in!!

 

[lovin'fl]

We're going to WDW Dec 20-26 and booked our ADRs a long time ago...June I think. I meant to book right at the 180 day mark, but forgot and was 2 days late and still had difficulty getting Ohana. Wanted the 21st at about 6-7ish and got the 23rd at 8:00. That was the earliest all week. I also had trouble with Biergarten.

 

[txketch]

Don't give up and watch the Dec cancellations thread. I just started booking reservations 2 weeks ago when we thought we would be going 12/15-12/25. I was able to pick up 2 Ohana (one is even xmas eve) within just a couple days of checking (checked several times per day, best time seemed to be early morning and early afternoon). When we changed the dates (just 3 days ago) I was also so worried I wouldn't get what we wanted, but after just 3 days of checking I now have everything lined up!

BTW, unless something happens causing us to change trip dates, I will be cancelling all of ours that are for 12/15-12/24, including Ohana on 12/20 and 12/24 (dd8's favorite!). I don't want to cancel though until after our trip since I would hate to lose them if something happens and we have to change dates back to Christmas time.

 

[mdcousins]

I have been trying to get an ADR for Ohana during that week since Aug, and they have been booked...

 

[Frankiemack]

I have an ADR for 3 people at Ohana on 12/18 at 8:55 that I'll be cancelling within the next few days. Wife and I decided it was too late for our 3 year old to eat and Akershus for the same night.

 

[Skyw]

awww shucks. I was looking on this page for tips to get Ohana's and I see that I am too late also. We are booked for 14 to 21 of Dec. Unofficial Guide says crowds will be low the beginning of our vacation and getting busy by the time we leave. We are not on the dining plan but love to try new places. The thing is...we don't plan trips 6 months out. We just wing it a few weeks or month ahead of time. We did get Hoop De Do and Whispering Canyon. But would love Ohana's. Been trying to go there for 6 years.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

We are going to be there December 15th to 20th. I was able to book Si Fi a few weeks ago for a late lunch (3:45pm), but haven not been luck enough to land Ohana even when someone here on the disboards coordinated with me and canceled.....it never showed up on the website for me to book