"Last minute" ADR's... frustrating

[DisCopper]

When did booking a trip 70 days in advance become "last minute???" Very frustrating to book the trip, and then not be able to get any requested ADR's.

And, gaaaaaa.... they REALLY need to do something to make Le Cellier bigger. Haven't been able to get in there for years now. There's got to be some place there where they can add another dining room (and kitchen, hopefully).

Fortunately, I was able to find something for us to eat.

This almost makes me want to go back to the old days of EPCOT when you ran to one of those ATM-like machines first thing in the morning and snagged your dinner reservations.

 

[vicki_c]

At 70 days out and if you couldn't get anything you wanted, you must really be picking all the popular places.

Keep checking back on the online system (or calling) and I bet more things will open up closer to your trip.

And just think - last year at this time, "last minute" could have been considered 150 days out when they were taking ADRs at 180 days!

 

[melc0305]

I agree. Even for us type A planners like me, it's hard to know where you are going to want to eat that far in advance. It makes it really hard for people who like to decide last minute to have a sit down dinner.

I was lucky to get a LeCellier ADR. I called first thing in the morning at my 90 day mark.

 

[kxs401]

When are you going? I have a Le Cellier lunch ADR on September 30 (1:55pm) that I can't keep. If that works for you, you can have it. (It's for three adults, but I don't know if that matters all that much.)

 

[Colleen27]

Ugh, I know. I was looking at making a few minor changes to our plans for 73 days from now, thinking about shortening the trip by a day or two to accomodate some budget curveballs, and the availability situation is just silly. It isn't even just the popular restaurants; I expect problems if I'm looking to book/change Le Cellier or a character meal even a few days into the booking window, but I didn't expect to look at availability at Epcot on a Tuesday and find nothing at Tutto or Rose & Crown or Le Chefs.

 

[bluejasmine]

This is my 4th or 5th yr doing free dining and the last two yrs getting ADRs have been difficult! I just keep checking several times a day online and I got what I wanted. Well except for Ohana but thats ok we will be trying Kona and are very excited about it. Maybe try to be more flexable with times and days? Or try a new place? We are trying two new places this yr..Good luck!

 

[RMulieri]

Free dining is the reason....Anytime free dining is offered it makes adrs a challenge since people that normally do not eat TS meals do to use the credits....this is why I am hoping Disney does not extend free dining till Dec 17 for the general public(rumor right now) ,I really wanted a year off from the free dining insanity

 

[maddiezoots]

I agree! Keep checking the online booking. I just went on this morning and got an ADR for a Halloween party night that I've been trying to get for a couple of weeks and today I finally got one!

 

[scard192]

as PP said, keep trying. I made my ADRs on 6/22 and have been trying to change the time for Akerhaus ever since. Checked daily and last night a much better time for us became available and I was able to call and change the reservation. Persistence does seem to pay off for some restaurants.

 

[DisCopper]

When are you going? I have a Le Cellier lunch ADR on September 30 (1:55pm) that I can't keep. If that works for you, you can have it. (It's for three adults, but I don't know if that matters all that much.)

Thank very, very much for offering, but once again, "Gaaaaaaaaa!" We'll be gone by then. Hopefully someone else on here can take it from you.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

[This almost makes me want to go back to the old days of EPCOT when you ran to one of those ATM-like machines first thing in the morning and snagged your dinner reservations.[/QUOTE]

AWWWWWWWW The good old days. Miss them.
Good luck keep trying.

 

[Ramsfan28]

Besides free dining another issue is that some guests double or even triple book restaraunts. It is frustrating that some people think it is OK to book two (or three) different restaraunts at the same time on the same day.

Sadly, that clogs up the reservation system for the rest of us.

 

[CraftyOtt]

Besides free dining another issue is that some guests double or even triple book restaraunts. It is frustrating that some people think it is OK to book two (or three) different restaraunts at the same time on the same day.

Sadly, that clogs up the reservation system for the rest of us.

Arrgghhh! My sister has done this for her upcoming trip (just on one day though!). I think I may have finally shamed her into picking one or the other. You would think with the online ADR system, it could "flag" you and remind you that you have another reservation made around that same time (she had 2 lunches planned at 2 different parks). Of course it won't help for those who book a breakfast, lunch and dinner and are knowingly only going to just choose one for the day when they get there!

On a side note, I'm helping a friend pick restaurants tomorrow for her upcoming free dining trip. Her 90 day mark was back in June.....send some pixie dust our way!!!

 

[DisCopper]

Arrgghhh! My sister has done this for her upcoming trip (just on one day though!). I think I may have finally shamed her into picking one or the other. You would think with the online ADR system, it could "flag" you and remind you that you have another reservation made around that same time (she had 2 lunches planned at 2 different parks). Of course it won't help for those who book a breakfast, lunch and dinner and are knowingly only going to just choose one for the day when they get there!

On a side note, I'm helping a friend pick restaurants tomorrow for her upcoming free dining trip. Her 90 day mark was back in June.....send some pixie dust our way!!!

Not only should the system "flag" you if you are double-booking, but it should not let you do it. AND it should tell you that you can't eat lunch at the Yak & Yeti at 2:40 and then make it to dinner at 4:00 at Le Cellier. Sorry. It's 2009. My stupid PC at work does all kinds of cool things. Disney can make Crush talk to you. They can figure out how to block double restaurant reservations.

 

[Stephanie84]

Disney can make Crush talk to you. They can figure out how to block double restaurant reservations.

lol that is wayyyy too logical!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Wow you guys must be going on a busy week. Yesterday DH said we could go for long weekend over Labor Day to get free dining and I got everything we wanted except Le Cellier, which I knew I wouldn't get. Also my Sis-In-Law and family (4 kids) + mother in law are coming down that week following and she just made ADR's early this week and was able to get desirable locations including Princess Breakfast, Ohana, etc.

Have you tried to alter your 'normal' lunch schedule by an hour or two? Like eat lunch at 11am or 130pm? Maybe those times would work better for you.

Just keep checking though u never know what will open and with online ressies now its much better than waiting on hold 5 times a day (i'm not kidding when I want an ADR I am persistent). I have been able to score at last minute Le Cellier and Cindy's (before the new crazy price structure) for breakfast DURING free dining.

 

[Colleen27]

Not only should the system "flag" you if you are double-booking, but it should not let you do it. AND it should tell you that you can't eat lunch at the Yak & Yeti at 2:40 and then make it to dinner at 4:00 at Le Cellier. Sorry. It's 2009. My stupid PC at work does all kinds of cool things. Disney can make Crush talk to you. They can figure out how to block double restaurant reservations.

I think the reason they don't is because it is 2009 and super easy to work around any block they put in place, so long as phone number is used as the primary reference for ADRs (and I don't see any other way to do it - name isn't unique enough and ressie # wouldn't accommodate off-site guests or locals). Who doesn't have a secondary phone number they could use for the second set of ADRs these days?

 

[ShannonMB]

Arrgghhh! My sister has done this for her upcoming trip (just on one day though!). I think I may have finally shamed her into picking one or the other. You would think with the online ADR system, it could "flag" you and remind you that you have another reservation made around that same time (she had 2 lunches planned at 2 different parks). Of course it won't help for those who book a breakfast, lunch and dinner and are knowingly only going to just choose one for the day when they get there!

On a side note, I'm helping a friend pick restaurants tomorrow for her upcoming free dining trip. Her 90 day mark was back in June.....send some pixie dust our way!!!

I definitely think the online reservation system helps with the madness. Yesterday I was making reservations for a friend of mine (I offered because I wanted to try out online ADRs before my 90 day mark! ) Anyway, I would book something, then check something else that looked better, then book that one. I am super-concientious about cancelling, so I did it as fast as I could once we decided. But I bet there are TONS of people like me making them, then second-guessing them and changing. Just SOOO much easier to do online! That's one reason it probably pays to keep checking!

I also noticed that if I had 2 conflicting ADRs in my shopping cart at checkout at the same time, they wouldn't let me book. But if it was a separate shopping session, it would let me book as many as I wanted for the same day/timeframe. They definitely need to add a link so that it recognizes ALL your ADRs for time conflicts.

RMulieri, I hope, hope the rumor about free dining till 12/17 turns out to be true!!! I'd suffer through ADR stress for that!!!

 

[daisypaisyduck]

A good friend of mine just booked for the same time your going 2 weeks ago. I told her she wouldn't be able to get anything.Well I was wrong. She didn't get Le Cellier or Cali Grill but she was able to book quite a few chacter meals and alot of places like Teppan Edo, Marakesh, HHDR and Chefs de France.
As long as your Flexible on time you should get some nice places.

There are alot of hidden gems at Disney!
Also , if you book a time your not happy with keep calling and you will probably get a cancellation. The system resets everynight so try early in the morning online.

Good Luck!!

 

[CharacterFan]

It's so hard to get into some places if you don't book 90 days out. I tend to check online everyday. I was finally able to get a Garden Grill 55 days before my trip (actually like 6 times had opened up) so it is doable you just have to keep checking.

I'm still waiting for Fantasmic Package to get online, I hate calling 3 times a day to see if one has opened up.

btw, my dad loved the ATM machine. When I took my dad in 2005 he kept asking about the machines and went to Guest Relations to ask where they were. He made an ADR there, and now I can't not go to Garden Grill.