It's not too late to schedule your call. You can select any time. I arranged for a call to be placed immediately so I could assure my daughter and I were both home, and the call came through in under 5 mins. She LOVED it! She talked about it all day long. There are several characters to choose from and many occassions to select for the message. You can preview the message, so you can hear what it says in advance. I wish there was one to announce to the child that they're going to Disneyland! Still, it's very cool and only $2.49.