HELP! I totally dropped the ball on ADR's for our Dec 2016 trip

[speeb]

Nth-ing the TP ADR finder. My 180 was almost 2 months ago now and since my initial round, I've picked up a PPO BOG, Halloween dinner at Chef Mickey's, this morning woke to a text for Tusker House breakfast, and still have one more running. I might try to pick up an 'Ohana dinner with it too. But yeah, GREAT tool. Any time I think I might want to change plans at all, I just set up a search there and wait for a text.

 

[Imagineer5]

What did you miss? I noticed a few places did not open up fully for reservations (ie Fantasmic packages just opened up yesterday, EPCOT restaurants holding back availability due to CP etc). Keep checking and you should be able to get everything you're looking for.

 

[buzzrelly]

Last November I booked a last minute trip in December and I got lots of ADRs. They may not be the most popular ones, but I got Rose and Crown, The Plaza, Hollywood & Vine, etc. Everything worked out great, no worries

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We had to cancel a cruise over Christmas and add extra days at the resort due to yours truly being unwell and in hospital before we went. So we had days when we had no ADR bookings. I got some good ones by just being persistant also looking at the resorts. Tried Olivias at OKW loved it! Got a Prime Time. Loved it! Why we even enjoyed Tony's and right the week before I got a BOG dinner! A Beaches & Cream. Raglan Road. We also have a car and dined off world. Hey we are from the UK we adore your Cracker Barrel guys! Cute! A diner in Celebration that was top notch. They have snow in main street in that town over christmas...

Fortune favours the brave! People cancel thanks to the $10 fee.

 

[Nancyg56]

Don't panic. There will be a lot of ADR's dropped as people tweak their plans. I know that I book all of teh ADR's I think we may want and as I fine-tune I release those that do not work for us. Others do this as they learn park hours, Event schedules, etc.

 

[Mac30188]

Be flexible and opportunistic.

This is definitely a situation where perfection and "good enough" are enemies. Search for your ADRs often, but start with taking the best available ADRs. When you search for your ideal ADRs, if you see an option better than what you have now (But still not perfect), Take it. You never know when that option will present itself again. Even if you don't get everything you want, you will have your 2nd and 3rd choices lined up.

If you draw a line of exactly what you want or no ADR, there is a good chance that for at least one you will be scrambling to fill by vacation time.

 

[mcbutler23]

I have to go with the others that said to use Touring Plans website. I have to say the Reservation Finder definitely saved me time from prowling the Disney website continuously. I also am using their plans to construct my days. It's been worth the yearly fee that I paid so far. We will see how the itineraries play out in September!

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

I am going that same time and have just started to look at the hours for parks. i havent booked any adr's yet as I I don't know where we will be yet. I am not happy about the hours (mostly AK) not showing yet. I want to make sure we see the show there so that will effect things.

I never book right at 6 months and almost always get everything I want. I often find a good amount of availability to switch times and such around the week of or even a day or 2 ahead.

 

[Aliceacc]

Don't give any one ADR-- or any group of ADRs-- the power to make or break your vacation!!!

Your family will have a WONDERFUL time, no matter where you eat... as long as that's the mood you set.

RIght now, I would make an ADR for 1900 Park Fare for dinner. Your daughter can see Cinderella dancing with the Prince, while the Stepsisters bicker and the Stepmom looks on with disapproval. Bring along her princess Halloween costume, and she'll be called "Your Highness" by the CMs all night. She'll be in heaven.

As for the rest, choose from among what's available. And go in prepared to love what you find-- just as all the people who CHOOSE those particular ADRs.

Most of our most-favorite ADRs are ones that are easy to get, but that simply appeal to my family.
For what it's worth, here are our ADRs for next month's trip:
Chef Mickey's Dinner
Crystal Palace breakfast
Coral Reef Dinner
Le Cellier Dinner
BOG dinner
Cape May dinner (they also do a great Character breakfast!)
Tusker House (character breakfast)

 

[EasternShoreGal]

Persistence and patience is key. I have recently discovered that there are services who actually sell reservations...so they book up a bunch of the most popular ones and wait for someone to pay them for them. We hate to plan ahead. What we have found is that a few days out, the most popular restaurants at the most popular times free up as these services have to release the reservations or pay the cancellation fees. We were just in the world for 11 nights. Did not book anything ahead...ended up at CG, BOG, B&C, Ohana, none of which had been booked ahead and all which had prime times available.

Please please don't use these services. It is only because people use them that they exist in the first place and all they do is hog up the prime dinner times. Disney is working hard to try to figure out ways to stop this practice and just like everything else, they eventually will.

 

[monorailrabbit]

I also love TP!! I have been looking for over a week for a PPO at Crystal Palace - signed up for TP and within an HOUR they found me one!! Best of luck, OP! We are also going on our first December trip!

 

[notrub98]

I fully agree on TP Ressie Finder. The only downside is they just changed their system last week and now you can only have 2 searches running concurrently (used to be 10) so you have to prioritize!

 

[absolutmey]

don't stress too much. like others have said, just keep trying. Last trip, on the way down to WDW, I booked a 6pm BOG res - three days before we ate there. lots of things open up last minute when people finalize their plans closer to the date. I think that's going on even more so now because people are still unsure about schedules/park hours/shows/etc.

 

[speeb]

I fully agree on TP Ressie Finder. The only downside is they just changed their system last week and now you can only have 2 searches running concurrently (used to be 10) so you have to prioritize!

I just noticed that this morning!

 

[Spoiledraf]

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]LOSER?? Your not a loser. A loser is someone who's wife can't decide if she wants to go until 130 days out, a week after they announce free dining. now that's a loser! Hey, that's me!! And for a group of 11, it's a tough job getting anything!!! And ESPN takes reservations starting just recently. 96 days!
A lot of people book multiples and cancel the last couple days. I've got a couple myself. GOOD LUCK!

 

[monorailrabbit]

Incidentally, does anyone know when they will have the Fantasmic packages ready to go? (December 13th is the day I'm looking at, wanting Minnie Holiday meal with F!) I can't book online - says nothing available, and when I call they say nothing has been loaded to the system yet...

 

[margot31]

Don't give up. I was able to snag reservations days before our trip granted it was for 2 people. I even heard people were able to snag BOG the day of for one of their days.

Keep an eye on things and there are forums out there of people dropping reservations and trying to organize so someone can pick them up.

 

[nooneshome]

Last year I booked within the 180 days and at first couldn't get a BOG ADR for lunch. It took a while before I was able to get them. Naturally I am in the same boat again and I am currently in the process of trying to get the same ADR. I just check when I have a spare moment. The funny thing was last year when I finally got the BOG adr was the first time I used my son's ipad. I had never used one and absolutely freaked out when I realized a time was available. DS walked me through doing it.

 

[perkinsrose]

This doesn't help for Akershus or BOG, but you could directly call Landry's restaurants (and get a Landry's card) if you want to go to any of those.

Ooo--Tell me about a Landry's card. What are the perks? Does it only help if you visit Disney more than once per year? What if you use Dining plan?

Persistence and patience is key.

Yes! Keep trying. Usually it works out. "Just keep swimming, swimming."

 

[oceanmarina]

I did the same thing last October/ November...I booked my vacation and then realized I was already past the 180 day mark! I just checked whenever I had a few moments and I was able to get everything I wanted. I am not sure how much busier when you are going..but persistence definitely pays off. Also a couple of weeks before the vacation I find people start streamlining their plans and start getting rid of reservations. I am sure it will work out for you however if there is something you really want and fail to get it in advance the day before keep checking when you have free moments and something always comes up.

Just keep swimming ---errr, checking! Also I second calling. I could not get HDDR at the 180 day mark and was utterly depressed. Then I called. Of course there was availability for when I wanted, they assured me. Booked me no problems. Moving Tusker House to an earlier time -- sure, when did I want? Seriously, craziness. Just give a ring first and see if that doesn't help.

Yep to this. Keep trying. & don't feel bad, 2 years ago I totally forgot to make my fastpass selections till 1 month before the trip - and that was the first summer of anna & elsa and all that crazinesss. and of course DD wanted to meet them . But I kept trying and was able to get everything I wanted - including anna & elsa. Yes, remember lots of ressies open up a day or 2 before as people don't want to get hit with a cancellation fine. Keep trying, good luck and keep us posted!