How often to check for cancellations?

[Dragonfly_34]

I made our ADRs today and for the most part was very happy with what I was able to get. The only thing I'd like to change is for an earlier reservation at Akershus. I tried calling in but the agent said Akershus was booked, as well as 'Ohana on the day we arrive. He was surprised that they were both booked so early, and said I probably wouldn't have much luck with cancellations, although there was an opening for a party of 6 for today at 8:20am. That being said, how often do you/should I check the dining reservations site for an earlier time?

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Constantly. No better answer than that.

The reason is, that you cannot predict when someone will cancel an ADR, and when they do cancel it....it wont be long until someone grabs it.

What I do is use an alternate browser just for Disney. I use IE as my main browser, but I have FireFox installed. I leave one tab open to each restaurant I want to get an ADR for....already set on the date. AS often as possible I flip to each tab and click the "Find Table" button. ie, right when I get home from work, right after dinner, right before bed, right when I get up in the morning...sometimes on lunch break.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

There's also usually a cancellation thread for each month here. I'm not sure if there's one for your month if your time just opened up, but I know I'm subscribed to one for August already. I have it set to immediate e-mail notification. So anytime someone posts that they're cancelling something I get an e-mail right away. Last year, this allowed me to get a BOG and change times for a couple others that I wanted.

 

[Beida]

i cancel and change times so much, I'm sure I'm not the only one so don't give up.

 

[Dragonfly_34]

Thanks for the suggestions ~ I'll definitely keep trying!

 

[purple figment]

Cancellations go back into the system almost immediately so whether you snag one or not depends on whether you're online at that moment or not. The more you check, the better your chances are to get your desired reservation.

You can also subscribe to the cancellation thread for the month you'll be at DW. Here's the link:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1802381

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I check pretty regularly...especially right around the 180 mark and in the last month or so before travel. Here's my rationale...

1. The website is known to experience load issues around the 180 mark, so sometimes things may take a few days to a week to be loaded.
2. Many people who book at the 180 mark get that ADR booking and tweaking fever early- meaning things have the tendency to open up within a few hours to a few days...maybe even up to a week or two...after that 180 day mark. I've definitely been caught up by this.
3. While I'll still check for things a few times a day over the next few months, things start to heat up around the 45 day mark and then really pick up in the last week or 2 before travel.

I also think some of the recent availability issues(at least for things other than BOG and 'Ohana dinners) is the website being buggy.

Ultimately, I've checked over 100x per day for some meals. Sounds crazy, but it's never let me down!

 

[mickeynut1]

I made our ADRs today and for the most part was very happy with what I was able to get. The only thing I'd like to change is for an earlier reservation at Akershus. I tried calling in but the agent said Akershus was booked, as well as 'Ohana on the day we arrive. He was surprised that they were both booked so early, and said I probably wouldn't have much luck with cancellations, although there was an opening for a party of 6 for today at 8:20am. That being said, how often do you/should I check the dining reservations site for an earlier time?

Keep checking every day multiple times a day as people cancel all the time and you never know if/when something might become available.

 

[maryj11]

i cancel and change times so much, I'm sure I'm not the only one so don't give up.

Me too, it's a wonder I havent broken the Disney online reservations site