Making ADR's

[talanjohn]

Have most people been getting what they want for reservations when they call 90 days in advance? I am worried with free dining how that is going to work. We are going the last week in August.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

I am worrying with you. We are going in Sept.

 

[RMulieri]

Just make sure you are on the phone at 7a on your 90 day mark. Regardless of how many days out adrs can be made, free dining makes it harder since everyone wants to dine to use their free credits.

 

[RMulieri]

Just make sure you are on the phone at 7a on your 90 day mark. Regardless of how many days out adrs can be made, free dining makes it harder since everyone wants to dine to use their free credits.Last year I called when it was still 180 days for free dining adrs. My week was the last week eligible. I had one choice for Le Cellier ( 4pm) for the entire week, I couldn't get Chef Mickeys, or Crystal Palace. Most of the others I had no problems with.

 

[luckytobeme88]

When you call on your 90+10 ADR day, have everything ready with pen and paper to write down the time and reservation number. DO NOT follow your list from the top down. That's a big mistake and BIG NO NO...
Book your TS base on the restaurant's popularity.. You should have a mind set of which restaurant is more likely to be sold out first. Sometime it doesn't hurt to have a back up restaurant plan and most importantly be flexible. The restaurants are going to be super busy between 6-8pm.
I know I will do the same when my September trip's ADR alarm sounds off.

 

[rodeo65]

I was prepared for the worst after reading the horror stories here. I called March 23 for my 90 day out, which was just as the new system had been rolled out and there were all kinds of problems happening. I had my selections made as well as several backups (changing dates as well as alternate choices), I dialed right before 7 and was connected and speaking with a CM by 7:04 - was I ever surprised!

I also had "ranked" the order I was asking based on what I read the difficulty in obtaining certain ressies to be here. I went for Le Cellier first, Mama Melrose / F! second and Tusker house breakfast third. The only Le Cellier I could get was at 8:20pm - too late for our kids. The CM suggested lunch, but I didn't want to break the day that way. Could not get Mama Melrose package at ALL, nor H&V with F!. No problem with Tusker House for 8:10 am. Everything else I got exactly what I wanted within 15 minutes of when I wanted it. I took Tutto Italia instead of Le Cellier and Sci Fi instead of MM, but I still really wanted a package for Fantasmic.

I called back later that morning and had my longest wait dealing with the reservation lines - 40 minutes. I had no trouble switching Sci Fi for 50'sPTC which also surprised me. It was a better time for us, still, I was on the hunt for F! I called back on exactly 90 days again just before 7am for the date I wanted Fantasmic...still no Mama but I did get H&V. I was connected after 6 minutes (and this time had a recording telling me my expected wait time - which was 6 minutes). Not at a great time (3:30pm for dinner) but still I was more interested in the package than the time. We'll work around that.

I had overall a great experience for my first time ever booking ADRs. The CM's I have dealt with have all been professional and two of the four had great "Disney" attitude - making the call enjoyable while we waited for pages to load - kind of a slow process. Good luck getting the ADRs you want and if it doesn't work out the first call, keep trying. I had intended to do that anyway, but the first CM said people change their ressies around all the time and openings come up regularly. You just have to hit it lucky.

 

[chimo2u]

I am seriously thinking of using the IPO's help with our ADR's this trip. There is no way I want to sit on a phone for hours on my dime (Calling from Alberta, Canada to Florida)....hoping I get the reservations I want. It might be best for me to actually use the services that I am paying for with Club Level

 

[Kimberle]

I am seriously thinking of using the IPO's help with our ADR's this trip. There is no way I want to sit on a phone for hours on my dime (Calling from Alberta, Canada to Florida)....hoping I get the reservations I want. It might be best for me to actually use the services that I am paying for with Club Level

When you stay Club Level, the IPO's can make your reservations BEFORE the 90 day mark. Use them!

 

[sleigh]

I was prepared for the worst, but was able to get it done yesterday morning. No wait when I called just after 7:00. We are going over July 4th and I was able to get everything I wanted, CRT, Chef Mickey's for breakfast and dinner, Le Cellier, etc. Everything was the time I wanted except Sci-Fi on July 4th, but was able to get it within an hour. I did book the more popular ones first, but for towards the end of the trip.

 

[1disneynutt]

Is that 7am Eastern time? I think the last time we went I had to call for Res. at 4am since I live on the West Coast.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you want Le Cellier, CRT, Chef Mickey's, a Fantasmic package, in-park character dining (during free dining that should probably include any in-park dining at all) or maybe Coral Reef or Ohana, call as soon as you possibly can and make sure you have backups if those are not available for your trip, or be prepared to accept very early or very late times. Peak mealtimes for these restaurants book up FAST. For others it might be OK to not call as soon as the dining line opens.

If you have a full list, ask for Le Cellier first, no matter which day you want it. Le Cellier is the single most difficult reservation to get in all of WDW.

Yes, it opens at 7 AM EST.