Is Booking ADR Now for end of February Possible?

[Betzee]

We've made a fairly last minute decision to take a WDW trip the last week of February and have booked the POR.

I'm reading on the boards that most people book the restaurants 150 - 180 days out, obviously, I don't have that time now.

Am I still going to be able to book anything? I really want character meals for my DD5. Is it worth it for me to even try?

I booked my trip through AAA, should I try to have them make me reservations? Will they do better than if I call myself?

I'm wondering how they would react if I just called and asked them to find me times at a particular place during the week I'm there, or do I have to give them a specific time or ?

Obviously, I'm quite worried now, and don't know quite how to approach this.

Thanks much for any comments or help.....

 

[mickiecake]

I think you'll be able to get some reservations, no problem. Maybe not your number once place and time, but I'm sure there are still plenty of openings. I just called 2 weeks ago for the 1st week oif Feb, and I was able to get everything I wanted. Good luck!

 

[theparsons]

I would call and make the reservations yourself....it's really not any big complicated thing....you call, tell them you'd like reservations at such and such, they'll ask you what time you'd like, and then tell you the closest thing they have to that time. If you have AAA call and tell them you want reservations at 11:00am and they only have 1pm, then AAA would likely not book it for you and then you'd not have the opportunity to decide for example if you want to eat there enough to plan a large breakfast or a late morning snack to tide you over to a later lunch.

I'm here right now and made my ADR's at the 180 days mark and got everything I wanted at the time....since then we've made several changes, including changing date and time for Cinderella's Royal Table, the "Holy Grail" of reservations....with the change I was able to get a reservation for 20 minutes later than I requested. I was also able to add two reservations that we hadn't originally thought we'd want, and got the exact times I requested. Now...Chef Mickey....I'm still calling each day because somehow I left this off my list at the 180....still kicking myself for that, but I also don't want breakfast at the crack of dawn which is all they've had so far.

Keep in mind also that if there isn't any availability right now, just call again tomorrow and check again. Others cancel so then space becomes available and it's not unusual to get the hard-to-get reservations because of this...but you have to be willing to call back every day or so to see if it's available.

So...the moral of this story...if you do make a reservation and then change your mind....call and cancel it....some poor schmuck may be trying to get the exact time you won't be there! What comes around goes around.

 

[NMAmy]

I just made my reservations for the first week of March last Tuesday. Everything we wanted had several times available. When I told the CM I'd been worried about getting ANYTHING because this was sort of a last minute trip, she told me the only thing that was even close to busy was Ohana for breakfast. Even then I was able to get a 9:00 reservation which was what I wanted.

It's ALWAYS worth it to give it a try! I have the WDW Dining number listed in my cell phone for when we're in the parks and decide to make a change or make a new reservation.

 

[praline3001]

The best thing to do is to call
some places might be booked while others might not be. Make sure to look at available times as you might have to eat lunch at 2pm instead of noon.

 

[Ella's Mom]

I just made ADR's for the first week of March. I got what I wanted pretty much at the time I wanted - LTT, 50's Prime Time, and Kona Cafe.

I'd definitely keep calling up until the last minute. We had to change the dates for our trip so I just recently cancelled a weeks worth of ADR's for the first week in February. Plans are always changing.

 

[Thats_for_Shore]

I don't think it's too late. I just called last week and made my ADR's for the second week of February, and everything I wanted was available, even character breakfasts.

I was like you, a little concerned that I wouldn't get anything, but I was completely wrong!

Good luck, and come back to let us know how it worked out!!

 

[Betzee]

Well, I stayed up until 2:00am last night making the final decisions on where we should go and called this morning around 8:30am for ADR's.

And......I got just about everything I wanted, including character meals at 1900 Park Fare, Crystal Palace, Hollywood & Vine and Akershus!

For the most part, I had to adjust maybe 20 - 30 minutes a few times. The only one I had a bit of trouble with was Coral Reef and only had a choice of 4:40 or 8:00pm for dinner, but I took the 8:00pm and figure I'll give my DD5 a snack or two to tide her over.

This is really such a load off my mind, I was quite worried after reading various posts here, that we wouldn't get anything we wanted.

Now I just hope I picked the right places, LOL, the stress never ends...

 

[Brian Noble]

Things are much easier this year than in years past, no doubt.