Dining at restaurants without ADR

[Darleen2]

Yesterday was my 180 day mark for our December trip and EVERYTHING was booked up. Woke up at the crack of dawn for nothing. Everything was full even those I didn't think would be full. I was wondering if anyone was able to still eat at certain restaurants with an ADR even if you had to wait.... I really want to take my daughter to the bon voyage breakfast, she will be 4 and LOVES Rapunzel and Ryder. She had their dolls and sleeps with them every night for almost 2 years. She's met rapunzel but wants to meet Ryder so bad. I don't mind waiting to get in, but I don't know if they are open to that. Does anyone know?? Has anyone tried this with popular restaurants like Ohana, trattoria al forno, crystal palace, etc.

I have be able to do this at via Napoli but I know it's less in demand then the ones I listed above.

I have been and will continue to check everyday to see if anything opens up but I do want to know just incase nothing opens up.

Thank you in advance!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If things are booked up, you are unlikely to be able to walk up. You will not be able to walk up to Bon Voyage, 'Ohana or Crystal Palace.

 

[aristocatz]

We have had success walking up, by showing up right before the restaurant opens. or during a very off time of day. We've only done it with Cape May dinner, Tusker House lunch, & Kona breakfast. I'm unaware if any of these restaurants were completely booked up at the time.

 

[Pawpsicle]

People tend to hoard ADRs at popular places before they finalize their plans. The good news is you still have 6 months for something to open up! Sign up for the touringplans reservation finder. It's available with the free basic membership. It will check every hour and send you a text if something is available. There should also be a thread on here for people to coordinate with other DISers when they are going to drop an ADR.

 

[aristocatz]

People tend to hoard ADRs at popular places before they finalize their plans. The good news is you still have 6 months for something to open up! Sign up for the touringplans reservation finder. It's available with the free basic membership. It will check every hour and send you a text if something is available. There should also be a thread on here for people to coordinate with other DISers when they are going to drop an ADR.

How do they hoard the reservations nowadays? I thought the system no longer allows you to book restaurants within the same time frame as other restaurants?

 

[Pawpsicle]

I think they have to be an hour or more apart. So I believe you could have a 5:00 BOG, 6:05 'Ohana, and 7:10 CRT

 

[Darleen2]

People tend to hoard ADRs at popular places before they finalize their plans. The good news is you still have 6 months for something to open up! Sign up for the touringplans reservation finder. It's available with the free basic membership. It will check every hour and send you a text if something is available. There should also be a thread on here for people to coordinate with other DISers when they are going to drop an ADR.

Thank you I will definitely do this!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

we are also seeing where places have not released their tables yet. Keep checking!

 

[Katie L]

People tend to hoard ADRs at popular places before they finalize their plans. The good news is you still have 6 months for something to open up! Sign up for the touringplans reservation finder. It's available with the free basic membership. It will check every hour and send you a text if something is available. There should also be a thread on here for people to coordinate with other DISers when they are going to drop an ADR.

I find this *so* obnoxious. Sorta sucks the joy right out of it. It's a vicious circle.

 

[Darleen2]

I find this *so* obnoxious. Sorta sucks the joy right out of it. It's a vicious circle.

I agree!!! It leaves everyone else having to feel like they have a parttime job just trying to get an ADR's

 

[earfulofmagic]

The rule is 2 hours apart (unless this changed in the last couple of weeks...), so 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM etc. for multiple bookings

The more insidious thing is that people will create second MDE accounts and book to avoid that 2 hour rule. So, a 5 PM at BOG on account 1 and 5 PM CRT on account 2.

It is awful. A lot of these people release them in the 24 hours before their meal time to avoid the $10/person charge for missing one of their ADRs, and that's why you hear stories of people having no luck at all checking and rechecking 180 days out, all the way up until vacation... then the night before, they snag a BOG at 5:30 for the very next day. It's not a great option, but keep your eye on the app if you're still looking for a hard-to-book ADR while there!

 

[Felicis]

Also some people would be booking them mutiple nights or days, until they firm up plans - with ADRs 180 days out, and park hours so much closer to trip day, it is hard for people to plan exactly. I think if there was better continuity between all the ducks you need to get into those rows it would possibly reduce it a bit. Personally, I couldn't be bothered booking multiple days, I just got one of each, fortunately managed that!

 

[kmv]

180 days is a long way away, some restaurants do not open up their ADRs this far in advance. I made my Disney plans in February for next week's trip. Starting as soon as I made the reservations until now I have checked Disney.com when I can and used touring plans reservations finder.
I have gotten:
BOG lunch
BOG diner
Bon Voyage breakfast
CRT breakfast
Akershus lunch (still may cancel)

So, don't stress, you have a TON of time to find your reservations. AS it gets closer leave Disney.com open on your computer and hit refresh when you can, they will show up!
Good luck

 

[loves to dive]

Just keep checking every once in awhile. We never made ADRs in advance and eat at TS restaurants just about every day. We don't walk up, we just hop on MDE during the day and find what's available. Now we don't do character meals so that makes it easier but don't despair, things will open up.

 

[Darleen2]

Thank you everyone!

 

[njg2017]

It is so frustrating! I even considered postponing my trip after not being able to find ANY of the reservations we wanted. But I think we will wait it out and hope that we get lucky sometime in the next 6 months!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

In all seriousness, while you will get DISers saying they walk up "all the time!" and no problem, I would not recommend doing it with a child. Going out of your way to try to do it and getting turned away is not a great experience, and you're better off trying to move them to other experiences that will be positive in that same time period.

 

[FSU Girl]

The rule is 2 hours apart (unless this changed in the last couple of weeks...), so 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM etc. for multiple bookings

The more insidious thing is that people will create second MDE accounts and book to avoid that 2 hour rule. So, a 5 PM at BOG on account 1 and 5 PM CRT on account 2.

It is awful. A lot of these people release them in the 24 hours before their meal time to avoid the $10/person charge for missing one of their ADRs, and that's why you hear stories of people having no luck at all checking and rechecking 180 days out, all the way up until vacation... then the night before, they snag a BOG at 5:30 for the very next day. It's not a great option, but keep your eye on the app if you're still looking for a hard-to-book ADR while there!

It's an hour and five minutes.

It is so frustrating! I even considered postponing my trip after not being able to find ANY of the reservations we wanted. But I think we will wait it out and hope that we get lucky sometime in the next 6 months!

I find 2am on a week night to be the best time to get hard reservations. Also look day before or day of when people have cancelled to avoid the no show fee.

 

[Darleen2]

People tend to hoard ADRs at popular places before they finalize their plans. The good news is you still have 6 months for something to open up! Sign up for the touringplans reservation finder. It's available with the free basic membership. It will check every hour and send you a text if something is available. There should also be a thread on here for people to coordinate with other DISers when they are going to drop an ADR.

OMG THANK YOU so much for recommending touring plans reservation finder! I just got a trattoria al forno Bonvage breakfast for one of my day!!! That's the one that I really wanted for my daughter! Thank you again. Putting two of the other reservation I am interested in and fingers crossed!

 

[Vintage princess]

I had trouble finding the ADRs I wanted for our trip in Sept. I have been checking (obsessively I have to say) several times a day every day and I have been able to get us into all but one. (I am still obsessing over trying to get a BOG) Slowly but surely ones opened up at random times. Hopefully the same will happen for you!! I am definitely going to check out touring plans!