How early to make reservations?

[whatisgoofy?]

We've been warned things have changed a lot since 2000 (our last visit)...but we're curious about the warning to make reservations 6 months out. We don't plan on any character dining/special shows...heck, we might not even have our travel plans booked 6 months out...do we really need to lock in mealtimes THAT early? If it's that rough, we might just stick to counter service. Boy, on our last visit we just asked for the Fantasmic Package at the Hollywood Brown Derby the morning we arrived...that was sweet. Thanks for your help!

 

[Three cats]

I would say if you are at all interested in eating at 'Ohana or Le Cellier you would want to book at the 180 day mark. Otherwise, I'd just go with the flow.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

There's almost always SOME availability. You just won't be able to be as choosey.

 

[LilyWDW]

If you are flexible, you should be able to find SOMETHING. It might not be where or when you want and you might have a wait, but something will be open. You will not get a Fantasmic! Package the day of and no seats are held for walk ups at any locations.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

It depends on where you want to eat and when you want to eat.

While character meals book up fast, as others have noted Le Cellier (especially lunch) and 'Ohana dinner are 180 day MUSTS if you want them. Things like Cali Grill timed with Wishes, Narcoosee's timed with Wishes, and Rose & Crown timed with Illuminations can book up super fast as well.

There are some other factors that come into play...

- if free dining is offered...things will book up fast
- if you're in a park that is offering evening EMH and you want to eat in there, it's going to be a lot harder b/c of the increased crowd levels
- the adrs timed so people can get out for evening parades, shows and fireworks are also snapped up pretty quickly
- best bangs for the buck on DDP like Tutto Italia book up quickly
- while I've had better luck the last couple of trips, when we went in 2010- all of the Fantasmic pkgs were gone for our date in a couple of days...this was also back when it was only being show twice a week or so
- some novelty dining or dining with an interesting atmosphere will also go more quickly...Coral Reef, 50s, Sci FI and Teppan Edo are coming to mind
- places that are just rumored to be good can also be harder to get...Via Napoli and Boma are coming to mind

Still, even if all of these factors are in play...there are places you will be able to eat a TS meal if you're flexible. Just in the MK area alone...places like the Wave, Kona, and GF Cafe are usually fairly easy to get a walk up for a meal. There are examples like this all over WDW.

Also, things tend to open up as you get closer to your travel dates... especially when CC guars are involved. So, if you find something you want but it's all booked- if you're willing to stalk the website daily many times per day- it's likely you'll get a spot.

All in all- I don't think you need to limit yourself to CS meals. And if possible, if you have a potential travel date...you can even try booking some ADRs around day 180 if you have any hard to get spots in mind.

 

[whatisgoofy?]

Thanks everyone...aside from the hottest games in town, 180 days for everything seemed a little far-fetched.