Illuminations dessert party res for July 4th??

[Anal Annie]

So we have decided to go to Disney the week of July 4th. This will be our first time going during that week. I am a little worried about the crowds as we usually go during the summer but have no experience with this particular week. I already booked CRT for dinner at MK for July 3rd (we've never eaten there but my b-day is July 2nd so this will be my birthday dinner) now I want to book the Illuminations Dessert Party at EP for July 4th. We've never booked any of the dessert parties before but I thought it might be worth it for this night because of the crowds. It says on MDE that it's available at 180 days but so far they haven't released the dates that far out. Is this typical that they don't release them on time? Do I really have to call every day to find out if I've missed the booking window?? Is there anybody out there with some experience on a good approach to snagging this? How would I know this far in advance what TIME the fireworks will be so I can plan dinner etc.?? TIA!!