If You are Trying to book V&A, and can't...

[Dean Marino]

A little data for you....

We are APs & DVC members. Wanted to book V&A for November 16, 2015 and got the infamous "no tables available" junk on MDE. For every date past July 25, 2015 .

There is an explanation.... we CALLED WDW DINE - and amazingly, got right PAST the CMS, and directly to V&A.

What we were told: V&A is doing something special for Food & Wine. They are working on the menu, and have not yet fixed their dinning times. HOWEVER - they are maintaining a private reservation list. They will be calling us back around the end of July to let us know our dinning times - and we HAVE a reservation.

So - if MDE comes up with "no tables available".... CALL CALL CALL. My private suspicion is that V&A is simply opting out of the whole "computer booking" process of MDE after July 25, 2015. If you have been to V&A? This actually makes sense. They are VERY "one on one", and in the past when we have used MDE? V&A still had to CALL us to arrange details. If they are bailing out of the MDE reservation system, it's because the system just doesn't WORK for such a fine restaurant.

 

[POOHsie]

A little data for you....

We are APs & DVC members. Wanted to book V&A for November 16, 2015 and got the infamous "no tables available" junk on MDE. For every date past July 25, 2015 .

There is an explanation.... we CALLED WDW DINE - and amazingly, got right PAST the CMS, and directly to V&A.

What we were told: V&A is doing something special for Food & Wine. They are working on the menu, and have not yet fixed their dinning times. HOWEVER - they are maintaining a private reservation list. They will be calling us back around the end of July to let us know our dinning times - and we HAVE a reservation.

So - if MDE comes up with "no tables available".... CALL CALL CALL. My private suspicion is that V&A is simply opting out of the whole "computer booking" process of MDE after July 25, 2015. If you have been to V&A? This actually makes sense. They are VERY "one on one", and in the past when we have used MDE? V&A still had to CALL us to arrange details. If they are bailing out of the MDE reservation system, it's because the system just doesn't WORK for such a fine restaurant.

I made my ADRs in early April. For V&A, it went as OP described. I was put through to the restaurant and spoke with a CM there. I was booking for end of Sept--early Oct. I was also told about the special Food & Wine menu starting October 1st with an increased price to $185. The difference between my call and OP's call is, the CM told me the announcement would be mid-to-late April, and she would call me back then to give me details of the menu and book my dinner. OP's CM told her she would call with this info at the end of July.

I gather from OP's post that I, too, will be waiting until end of July to hear anything, same as OP. My promised call date has come and gone. I wish the CM had called back with the update about the F&W menu announcement date. Right now I have V&A dinner booked for Sept 30th, but I'd be greatly interested in the special F&W menu. So I hope they haven't forgotten me.

 

[Dean Marino]

Well, we have concurrence . Really - as I haven't been called? July may slip as well. But the KEY ELEMENT remains:

V&A is not bookable thru MDE - at least until further notice (I suspect PERMANANTLY). CALL, get through to V&A directly - and be sure to give Israel your best wishes . (I LOVE this guy - both for creating a STELLER Restaurant, and telling Disney that he is, by damn, going to run it HIS way ).

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I thought the only time it wasn't available yet was during F&W because of the special menu? I was able to book a reservation via MDE for the Queen Victoria Room for September 13th at 180. Perhaps this is a new development as you say, OP.

 

[POOHsie]

I was told V&A wasn't taking bookings beginning October 1st. That's why I booked Sept 30th (for now). As far as the end of the special F&W menu period, I was told they would be evaluating diner reaction, and decide later on keeping or amending changes after the F&W period.

 

[Dean Marino]

Checked today - and a correction. Probing the MDE system, I could get V&A ressies up to Sept 8, 2015. After that? The classic "no tables available". Now, I didn't try any dates past our Nov trip....

Really, if you want these... I would CALL. V&A is going to be calling you anyway .

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Do they have a different cancellation policy? We would like to go but there's a chance our trip might have to be canceled. So I hate to make a reservation if I can't cancel it

 

[Dean Marino]

You know - I don't know . We've never cancelled I'm guessing - but willing to bet, worst case, that you might have to phone to cancel. I couldn't imagine a serious problem - these are the NICEST folks you would ever want to meet .

 

[saintstickets]

I called this week to ask questions about the new pricing and tips for getting the Chef's Table for our trip in December. The CM told me to use MDE but to call them if I was not able to find anything. I guess I'll find out tonight at midnight.

 

[kiford]

Thanks for this info. I stopped trying to book online and called for an early December reservation and was told that they were making changes. They said that they would call me back in late July for a credit card for booking confirmation and would then be able to give me a confirmation number but that I was booked for my selected time.

 

[Dean Marino]

...and was told that they were making changes. They said that they would call me back in late July for a credit card for booking confirmation and would then be able to give me a confirmation number but that I was booked for my selected time.

GREAT news. And it's significant.... booking in DEC puts you well past Food & Wine .

Just a guess on my part.... I believe Israel is just giving up on MDE, and is going to handle the V&A bookings in house - old school, with a reservation list. Really, given the amount of personal communication that V&A believes in? It just makes sense.

 

[Lehuaann]

I called this past week and was told that everything is still in planning mode, but the way it looks now - the special F&W menu will start with the opening date of the F&W Festival on Sep 25. I mentioned that I thought the F&W menu started Oct 1. She then puts me on hold to ask somebody and comes back to say that it will start when the festival begins, Sep 25, and that Oct 1 is the date they decided to start taking phone reservations (more like a holding list). Maybe she or whoever she talked to is mistaken?

Anyways, she said they will offer an enhanced menu with the prices for main dining room at $185 for 7 course, and if they decide to open the main dining room to a 10 course, it would be $225. I didn't ask about prices for the QV Room or Chef's Table. She also said that all reservations past Nov are being booked via phone as well... and regardless of whether or not they proceed with the F&W menu, they will call and update those put on the holding list.

I'm just wondering if the price will come back down closer to $150 once the festival is over?

 

[mommyrosa2]

We too are anxiously awaiting a call-back. I called the 3rd week in April to make our reservation for the 3rd week in October and while they assured me we do have a reservation they did say it would be a couple of months before we heard back from them because of the menu change for F&W. This will be our first time dining at V&A's and are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary...we cannot wait!!

 

[Dean Marino]

All - Really? If those GREAT folks at V&A have personally said they will call you back? It's gonna happen That, or Israel will have them killed .

This is NOT BOG .

 

[saintstickets]

My day 180 was June 8th. I was online at midnight trying to book V&A but I kept getting the message that nothing was available for any day during our trip from 12/05-12/13. Not only could I not book V&A, I could not book any other ADRs. I finally gave up after about an hour and set my alarm to try again at 7:00am. The system was up and running for everything but V&A and Ragland Road (I'm still unable to book anything at RR). I booked our other ADRs and then waited for 9:00 when V&A's phone line opened. I called and got the recording to leave a message and I did. I continued to hit redial for the next 2 1/2 hours and never talked to a live person. I counted and I hit redial 63 times! I finally gave up and was resolved to wait for a return call or not visit V&A this trip. About 5 minutes after the last time I hit redial, I get a phone call. It says BLT on my caller ID but it was V&A returning my 1st call when I left a message! I was told that they were not taking reservations online because they were trying to decide if they could set up multiple seatings on the same night at V&A so all ressies would be done by phone for the near future. I'm not sure how they are going to do 2 seatings in one night for QVR or CT but that is what I was told. Nevertheless, we were able to get the Chef's Table for Saturday, 12/12/15! Woohoo! This will be our first time for CT so we are really looking forward to it.

 

[pinksand]

We too are anxiously awaiting a call-back. I called the 3rd week in April to make our reservation for the 3rd week in October and while they assured me we do have a reservation they did say it would be a couple of months before we heard back from them because of the menu change for F&W.

Same here. I called on the 180 day and they said they'd contact me in 6 weeks or so; I called them again at the 6-week mark (last week, I think) and they assured me that I had a reservation but it would probably be in late July that I'd get a call with confirmation and details.

I'm just nervous because V&A has been on my Disney Bucket List for a while and I'm hesitant to book my airfare for our trip until I get the confirmation from the restaurant!

 

[Dean Marino]

You know, there is only ONE THING that irritates me about all this. And it really has nothing to do with V&A....

Would you not think that WDW could just post some SIMPLE TEXT on the V&A Dining Reservation Web Site to inform people to CALL V&A? This can be a pretty good metric of how CRIPPLED a web site is - so complex that, as events change, it's very owners are TERRIFIED to make a simple Text Addition.