Dining questions

[J. Galt]

I'm getting ready to make my dining ressies (ADRs/PS... whatever it is called now) and I have a few questions....

What is the calling procedure (ie. phone number and then what buttons do I need to push to avoid listening to the prerecorded messages and getting through asap. Also what time does the Dining department open in CA)?

Is it 60 days out or 2 months out. If I am checking in on the 1st of Nov... is my call-in day Sept 1st or in Aug?

Does DL have a similar program to WDW where I can make all the ressies for my whole trip on the first legitimate call in day or do I have to call back for each day of my trip?

For the birthday party thing (the one with Pat E. Cake)... does anyone know what time of the day this is offered?

As you can see, I am a bit clueless about the DL procedures and am hoping someone will take some pity on me and answer my somewhat basic, tedious questions.

 

[CrazyDuck]

it's 2 months not 60 days, so if you want to eat on nov 1, call on sept 1. You'd have to call everyday to make your ps.

 

[CalvaryMike]

The number is (714) 781-DINE, or (714) 781-3463 and I'm almost sure it's option #4.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I'm getting ready to make my dining ressies (ADRs/PS... whatever it is called now) and I have a few questions....

What is the calling procedure (ie. phone number and then what buttons do I need to push to avoid listening to the prerecorded messages and getting through asap. Also what time does the Dining department open in CA)?

714-781-3463 ...then option 4 when you hear the male voice

Is it 60 days out or 2 months out. If I am checking in on the 1st of Nov... is my call-in day Sept 1st or in Aug?

60 days out...so whatever your last day that you need PS for, that should be the day you call to make them unless you want to call everyday...

Does DL have a similar program to WDW where I can make all the ressies for my whole trip on the first legitimate call in day or do I have to call back for each day of my trip?

example if I am going to need a variety of PSs for Oct. 22-26...I could either start calling everyday from the 22nd of Aug. or wait till the 26th and make all of them at the same time

For the birthday party thing (the one with Pat E. Cake)... does anyone know what time of the day this is offered?

not sure but I think they start doing it in the afternoon like around 3 or so

As you can see, I am a bit clueless about the DL procedures and am hoping someone will take some pity on me and answer my somewhat basic, tedious questions.

 

[CrazyDuck]

60 days out...so whatever your last day that you need PS for, that should be the day you call to make them unless you want to call everyday...

Wrong... It is 2 months! The recording on DLR's site says 60 days but they take reservations 2 months out. Yes there is a difference!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

I just made ressies today. I have a big party (13!!) and they had to check with the BB manager to give the big okay to the request. I left my phone # and they called me back about 4 hrs later and confirmed it ! So if you're a big party. Expect this & have your phone handy to answer when they call

All they said was the date and the times they had available for the time slot I gave them. They also let me know that they would give a gratuity charge of 18 %. I personally have NO problem with this because I'm a waitress and understand what it feels like to get stiffed by a large party when not doing gratuity.

I'm pretty stoked We're going on Oct. 11.

 

[J. Galt]

Thanks for the prompt responses!

So.... it looks like 2 months out (so I call on Sept. 1st (they aren't closed for Labor Day, are they?)).

What time do they open for ressies?

Pat E. Cake thing in afternoon. So they have multiple seatings? Anyone know from what time frame it runs (ex. 3 - 5 p.m.?). How long does the party run?

I shouldn't have to worry about the group dining (its just 4 of us!))

 

[bumbershoot]

FWIW, since i've been told by Dining CMs BOTH that it's 60 days, and also that it's 2 months, neither is wrong. It all depends on who you get.

I think they open at 7am pacific time.

For the pat e cake thing, have you really looked into that? Over $15 per person for a little cake that you decorate? I'd rather go to Safeway/Von's, buy a birthday cake for about the amount for ONE pat e cake, and celebrate that way.

Then again, we're biased against it b/c the frosting and things you put on it has ingredients DS and DH can't have, so it's absolutely useless to us. Not so fun when you can't eat your creation!

 

[J. Galt]

Thanks for the info.... I think I'll try this weekend and see if I can get anywhere. Otherwise, I'll just plan to call on Labor Day.

As for the Pat E. Cake thing... it isn't actually anybody's birthday while we are there. We were more looking into it as a special thing to do (we were going to celebrate all of our unbirthdays). We always like to do one "special" event thing on our WDW trips (a Fireworks cruise or something along those lines). There don't seem to be as many options at DL. Fantasmic won't be running (except maybe our last night there)... so I wasn't going to do the Fantasmic seating. The special seating for the Electrical Parade doesn't really sound worth the money. We are going to miss the Halloween party by a day. I thought about doing a movie at El Capitan... but the movie will most likely be HSM3 and unless you can actually have lunch with Zac Efron I think we will just see that at our local movie theater. By comparison, the Pat E. Cake party seemed a pretty cheap "special" event (espcially if a character actually makes an appearance... cheaper than a character meal).

Are there any other special event type things at DL that would be appropriate for little ones (6 and 2)?

 

[kylieh]

We're doing Pat-E-Cake for DD's birthday. The time is 2pm, at Plaza Inn. I can't remember the exact duration, but it is up to an hour because I have made a note about being avail at 3pm in my notes.

 

[kylieh]

Forgot to add - We're doing Pat E Cake on 1 Oct, and I rang 1 August for the booking, and so forth for the remainder that week.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

it's 2 months not 60 days,

same thing sheesh

 

[bumbershoot]

same thing sheesh

Well if Dining were as high demand as at WDW it would make a difference, but at DLR it doesn't really. For instance if we made a PS for October 1, going by 2 months that means August 1st. If we had to make it with 60 days, we wait a day to August 2 to make that PS. So if you absolutely desire first lunch seating at Blue Bayou, you'll want to call on the 1st, and hope you get a CM that follows the 2 months thing, rather than waiting to the next day (not that I've had a hard time getting that seating at BB but if you really really really want to make certain).

 

[J. Galt]

Good thing to know that DL dining ressies aren't as cutthroat as WDW's. I'll probably still call earlier in the weekend though. The adrenaline rush of the dining ressie process puts me in a festive Disney trip mood. Besides, the time differnce thing will totally work in my favor (no sitting on the phone redialing over and over at 5:55 a.m.).

I feel like I'm falling down on the job for this DL trip. My WDW planning takes months of excruciating second-guessing myself. The DL trip planning has been pretty easy-breezy by comparison. Not a bad thing, mind you... but it does make me a little uneasy...... sometimes I feel like I'm missing something BIG.

Cool that Pat E. Cake starts as early as 2.... that would be good timing for us!

 

[CrazyDuck]

And that's why it's "2 months" even though they say "60 days" because it is too confusing for the reservations people to figure out that there are 62 days between July 1 and Sept. 1. Imagine them trying to figure our a March reservation booked in January during a leap year!