How do you make your ADRs?

[HoltDisney07]

My 180 day is coming up soon and I was wondering how most people make their ADRs.

Do you make them online, call at 7am or both?

Do you make them by the day or by the restaurant that you really what to get into?

Lastly what are some of the restaurants that fill up the quickest and people should try to book first?

Thanks for the input!

 

[ajh88]

I have just made mine for our upcoming trip. I have been using the online system since they first introduced it and I've never had any problems. We've always gotten the reservations we want, at least close to the times we wanted them.

I think it depends on where you are planning to go. It used to be that CRT was difficult to get, but it doesn't seem like it is quite so hard anymore. When we booked Le Cellier in 2008, it was very hard to get and I called at 7 am of our 180 day window to book.

Honestly, at 180 days, unless you are trying for a really high-demand location, you should be able to get all of the ADR's your heart desires. At least that has been my experience.

I would book the ADRs in order of most critical to least critical. For example, if you want CRT for 9 am on a certain day because you have a BBB appointment - I'd go for that one first. As opposed to a meal somewhere that has no other time constraints around it, KWIM? We haven't tried anyplace new for awhile, so I'm not sure how quickly the places fill up these days - hopefully someone else can give you hints about that.

 

[honeybunches]

I make all of our ADR's online. I have called only when I can't find an opening because the reps can search 3 days at a time, instead of a specific date/time.

I make a spreadsheet with the days we'll be there & which parks we'll be at. Then I search for the restaurants we want in those areas. We have DxDP so I make an ADR for every meal. If we decide to cancel, we will call that day to open it up to someone else, but I like having an option of a table service if we need/want it.

I start with our first choices of place & time then work around those.

hope that helps!

 

[HoltDisney07]

Thanks guys! Great info. I guess I'll just get up at 6am to make the online ADRs and anything I can't get I'll try calling at 7am. Guess I am going to have to do this anyway as I still think Le Cellier can not take dinner ADRs online yet.

I just did some mock searches for the ADRs we want but within the current available 180 days and there were still openings that would work. I am sure that July is probably more busy then the last week in August so I feel we should do ok with our ADRs. I'm just glad my 180 day is on the weekend and I don't have to worry about getting my kids up for school and making ADRs.

 

[lblume91]

I have always called at 7 am (6 am, local time) to make our ADRs. I have two friends that are going the same week as my family but arriving on different days. I called at 7:00, sat on hold for about 45 minutes then was on the phone with the CM for another 20 min. Both of my friends called later on their 180th day (one mid-morning & the other late afternoon) and made theirs within 10 min without any hold time. I'm thinking I may start waiting until later in the day!!

 

[jcarwash]

Guess I am going to have to do this anyway as I still think Le Cellier can not take dinner ADRs online yet.

What makes you think Le Cellier cannot take online dinner ADRs? I took a quick look at a dinner time for August 10th, 2011, and it appears you can use the online system.

 

[dynamite100]

What makes you think Le Cellier cannot take online dinner ADRs? I took a quick look at a dinner time for August 10th, 2011, and it appears you can use the online system.

Le Cellier hasn't been been taking online reservations for a while now, you have to call to book it. It's to do with the switch to Signature status next month.

 

[disneymomto5]

I just wanted to say that I just made all my adrs at the 180 mark, I did not get up early, did them online at or around 10 am each day and got everything I wanted including CRT which surprised me to be honest. I had no problem and it was easy.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We always do them online - When you call, they are looking at the same info that you would be online anyway - easier and faster to cut out the middle man.

 

[HoltDisney07]

Thanks everyone. I think I will try online first as it seems the easiest. Now to have my final sit down with DH and go over the menus to get our finial choices lined up. My planner is in a 1.5" binder and probably has over 200 pages in it. I think I'm a little obsessed!

 

[jcarwash]

Le Cellier hasn't been been taking online reservations for a while now, you have to call to book it. It's to do with the switch to Signature status next month.

Well I just made an online ADR for Le Cellier for August 3rd at 5:25pm. If that's not a real ADR there's no indication to that effect on the confirm page or the confirm email. Perhaps other dates cannot be reserved online right now but for this test for August, sure looked like it worked.

 

[HoltDisney07]

Well I just made an online ADR for Le Cellier for August 3rd at 5:25pm. If that's not a real ADR there's no indication to that effect on the confirm page or the confirm email. Perhaps other dates cannot be reserved online right now but for this test for August, sure looked like it worked.

The day that I stated this thread I did a dry run for most of my ADR's online and Le Cellier was the only one I couldn't book for any dinner times. Maybe they just recently fixed/started taking ADR's for Le Cellier again. I too was able to find a mock ADR for August today. Good news! Thanks for pointing this out jcarwash!

 

[BridgetR3]

I like the convenience of doing it all online but then again I hate talking to people over the phone. It's a pretty painless process online. Either way, good luck getting all of the ADR's!!!

 

[sparmeland]

What time in the morning are the ADRs available online?

 

[dynamite100]

Well I just made an online ADR for Le Cellier for August 3rd at 5:25pm. If that's not a real ADR there's no indication to that effect on the confirm page or the confirm email. Perhaps other dates cannot be reserved online right now but for this test for August, sure looked like it worked.

Yeah, believe they've fixed the problem now. Dinner ADRs are now being reported as being available again online.

 

[trspann1]

I am getting ready in a couple weeks to set up my ADR for late August. I usually like to do everything online. However, I remember hearing (either on a podcast or reading some reviews) that a few locations when reserving online will want to charge your credit card. Normally I wouldn't care, except that I will be using the dining plan to pay for some of the reservations. Specifically, I am looking at the following to set up, but use the DDP for final payment:

LeCellier
50's Prime Time Cafe
Akershus (Princess Breakfast)
Crystal Palace
Chef Mickey's
Mama Melrose's (early dinner as part of Fantasmic! dinner package)
Cinderella's Royal Table (2 table service credits)

I'm also looking at reserving a spot for the Wishes' Fireworks Party (obviously not part of the DDP), and also the BBB.

Does anyone think there would be any of the above that would attempt to directly charge my credit card immediately?

Finally, can I set up some of the reservations for 3 people and others for only 2? My father is coming out for the first few days (so he can see "the magic" in my daughter's eyes on her first Disney vacation), but he will be leaving earlier than my daughter and I, so the balance of reservations would only be for the 2 of us. For those reservations for all 3, my father would be paying on his own, as he doesn't have the DDP.

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance!!