My experience calling today for reservations

[TomLovesBecky]

After reading this, I just called...It is June 15th...Not today, June 14th....I got so excited/scared for a moment...Good for you that you got lucky...

I am so nervous that we are not going to get what we want after the Chef Mickey experience.

Wait so she was a day off, not me??? I don't know whether to be happy I got to go one day early or upset because she put me in a panic!!! I guess I will go with glad because we pretty much got everything we wanted but it's not fair to other people, sorry to the rest of you Dec. 12 people, she didn't seem to have trouble with anything except Chef Mickey's though and for Crystal Palace she got one right away but 25 mins. after my requested time, no big deal and I'm not complaining but there were some available still. So all I can tell you is ask for your Chef Mickey's table FIRST!!!!!!!!! Well I'm glad to hear I'm not losing my mind and had the date right all along but I wonder what she was checking then, she asked for my reservation number for the dining package and I gave it to her, she checked something and said yes you are good to go, what is your first meal??

 

[TomLovesBecky]

One point of perspective....
My dear Corey went to WDW about 100 times before she and I met. She grew up in FL. She never knew about park tours, character meals, free movies at FW, carriage rides, fireworks cruises or 90% of the rest of the stuff that is offered to WDW guests. She knew about the park rides. She knew about Grad Nites, MNSSHP, and MVMCP. Her family ususally packed lunches from home and therefore she rarely had a meal on property.

Kids know what their parents tell them about. If you tell your kids about the character meals and sell it to them as the coolest thing ever, then yeah, they are going to be disappointed when you can't book it. But, if you let information get to them on a need to know basis of what you are capable of delivering, then they only know the magic that they are presented with from the basic experience and are not hurt and disappointed when the other stuff never happens for them.

This is not to say that I don't know that that hurt feels like. When I was 4 years old, I went to MK for the first time. It was "sold" to me by my parents as Mickey's Home. I fully expected to meet Mickey. I didn't. I carried around a hurt feeling for 30 years. Yes, it took me 30 years to actually go on my own and be able to meet and hug Mickey Mouse. It was the most awesome feeling ever to make my sad little inner 4 year old happy.

Ramble over, but I just don't see why parents tell their kids about stuff that they may not be able to deliver on.

I understand your point but from my perspective here's why my kids would have been disappointed...
I wouldn't have built it up huge or anything BUT as a parent I would have been TOTALLY CLUELESS that 6 months in advance isn't enough notice to get a table at a character meal!!!!!!!! If it's something I know will or could be booked up then of course I would not say anything beforehand but most restaurants or even kids' events (shows, etc.) won't TAKE reservations this early, so it would never have crossed my mind that I wouldn't get something, maybe not at the 100% exact time I wanted but SOMETHING. Does that make sense? It's like saying kids we are going to Disney in 6 months and when you call everything is booked, you would never expect that to happen (well maybe YOU would but I wouldn't, lol).

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Yep, I just called, too. They told me what I already thought - it's really tomorrow. You must have been veeerrrrrrryyyy lucky! We should have had you call in all of ours, too!

 

[crzy4mk]

Wait so she was a day off, not me??? I don't know whether to be happy I got to go one day early or upset because she put me in a panic!!! I guess I will go with glad because we pretty much got everything we wanted but it's not fair to other people, sorry to the rest of you Dec. 12 people, she didn't seem to have trouble with anything except Chef Mickey's though and for Crystal Palace she got one right away but 25 mins. after my requested time, no big deal and I'm not complaining but there were some available still. So all I can tell you is ask for your Chef Mickey's table FIRST!!!!!!!!! Well I'm glad to hear I'm not losing my mind and had the date right all along but I wonder what she was checking then, she asked for my reservation number for the dining package and I gave it to her, she checked something and said yes you are good to go, what is your first meal??

Not to freak you out, but are you sure she gave you ADRs for the right date? I know you said you're going December 12th, but if she gave you the 180 day date, it's December 11th. Not saying that's what she did, but I'd sure check it out if I were you.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Not to freak you out, but are you sure she gave you ADRs for the right date? I know you said you're going December 12th, but if she gave you the 180 day date, it's December 11th. Not saying that's what she did, but I'd sure check it out if I were you.

OH CRAP, good point...she seemed very knowledgeable so I didn't double-check at the end but I should have, DUH!! I will call back right now and make sure, thanks for the tip!!

 

[VanessasMom]

Don't panic everyone! I booked our september trip one month ago...yes a month after it was opened up for free dining. I got one of the last value rooms for the free dining promotion and got some ok ADRs. Nothing fantastic. I called back a couple times and visited the swap/trade/cancel thread and now my ADRS are stacked! I have everything from Crystal Palace before MK opens to LeCellier--none of which I got on that first phone call. Good luck and you can get what you want eventually if you just put a little effort into it even if you don't get it on the first try.

Oh, and my 4 year old daughter went for the first time last year. We had a villa at the BoardWalk. Never had one meal in the parks. She has no idea there even is such a thing as a character meal. I have one planned for everyday of our upcoming trip. Boy will she be surprised! Oh, and we plan on waking her up and getting her on the plane and then telling her where she's going. She has no clue yet. Can't wait to get that one on video!!

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Okay so I just got off the phone with a very nice man from Disney Dining and he reviewed all of my reservations, all were correct!!!! WHEW!!!!!!!!

 

[crzy4mk]

 

[catne]

Keep trying if you did not get what you really want...lots of people cancel, for many reasons including they cancelled the whole vacation.

When I booked in Feb 2008 for May 2008 (yes, only 3 months out) I was told I was lucky because I was getting "one of the last" or "the last" table for the restaurants I wanted. The CM said there must have been cancellations because my choices were all popular restaurants on popular nights. Yet, at only 90 days out, I was able to book CRT on a night with evening EMH at MK, and Le Cellier on an Epcot evening EMH...which is supposed to be nearly impossible to do except at 180 days out.

When we actually got to those places in May, every single place, including CRT & Le Cellier, was taking walk-ins because the tables were not full. So obviously they either had cancellatons or no-shows.

Granted, May is not as crowded as high summer & holiday times, but still, the CM told me people cancel all the time...

 

[2BusyPlanning]

After we all book in the next couple of days, we should all meet back here and post where we're going. Maybe some of us will run into each other! Or is there a December ADR thread yet?

 

[CandleontheWater]

Gosh, I really hope that they don't go to 9 months out! That would really get my goat! As a FL resident who decides to go sometimes just a few hours before I get in the car, its hard enough to get a dining reservation, please, please, don't make it any harder!

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Gosh, I really hope that they don't go to 9 months out! That would really get my goat! As a FL resident who decides to go sometimes just a few hours before I get in the car, its hard enough to get a dining reservation, please, please, don't make it any harder!

Yes it just seems outrageous. Even though I should have thought of this before, even people arriving a day or two before me had the jump on me as far as making reservations for pretty much the same days, it's like everyone gets earlier and earlier chances to make reservations, soon people will be making reservations a year in advance not even knowing which parks will be open at what times or if they will even be able to afford a vacation NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!! It's totally crazy!!!!!!!

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

In all honesty, if they move the bookings out to 9 months from the current 6 months, it's for one reason only.

MONEY​

That's right, think about it. If they have your deposit on your room the additional 3 months, they are making interest off of that money, not you. The 9 month window would be about lining their pockets, not making the guests experience better.

 

[cameron'smom]

I am a newbie to all of this. My family is staying off site in Oct. Can you make ADR's if you stay offsite or are they only for Disney guests? Sorry for my ignorance!

 

[wdwhereicome]

She managed to get me everything I wanted within a half hour, which apparently took quite some effort, we were on the phone for 45 minutes or so! She knew a lot about the special things that could be done too, she suggested the candlelight processional and told me what day to call back for that. I was really happy with how helpful she was! At the end of the call she told me the dining plan has exploded the past couple of years and now they are thinking of going to 9 months in advance for reservations, WOW!!! She said she even tells people to book meals for vacations they aren't even 100% sure of yet because they can always cancel later, but that just made me think it's part of the reason why it took her 10 minutes to find a single chef mickey's for christmas time, what the heck???? Well anyway, that's my report. Good luck everyone calling and I hope you get someone as nice and smart as I did!

What a blood pressure rising moment?! Well 45 minutes I guess! Glad you were able to get everything you wanted (and a day earlier because she had the days mixed up!) Sounds like she was very calm and helpful! Nice to hear there are still great cms working magic!

9 months out That makes it difficult for those of us who like to make last minute and numerous trips! The 6 months has been hard!

Did you say she mentioned the Candlelight date? Care to share?

Another good thing - you can sleep in tomorrow (legistically today)!

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

Yes, offsite guests can make ADR's. However, they are not eligible for the "perk" of being able to book 180 days from the first night of stay plus 10 days beyond that date. If you are staying offsite, you can book dining exactly 180 days out one day at a time, which means having to make multiple calls to cover all of your WDW park day ADR needs.

For future use, http://pscalculator.net/allearsnet/pscalcae.php is the website URL that you would need in order to determine your ADR dates. You are already inside the 180 day window for all of your potential ADR regular restaurant ADR dates. Good luck!

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Well, I did it! Made 'em, they're done. Took me a total of 13 minutes on the phone. The hardest was Le Cellier, wanted 5:45pm but got 7:45pm. Not bad, I guess. Good luck to everyone!

 

[TomLovesBecky]

Congrats!!!!! Thankfully I remembered to unset my first alarm that was for 6:45 this morning, lol. I had set it as soon as I woke up yesterday to make sure I'd be up in time to call! Then I still had a moment of panic when I woke up at 8 this morning, thinking OMG I need to call!!!!! Then I was like oh wait I already did that yesterday. Duh. I hope all you other Dec. 12 people will update! Oh and here is what I got by the way, tell me what you guys think. My husband (loves food!!!!!!) spent a lot of time making me read menus to him that I found on All Ears thanks to you guys!
Chef Mickey's breakfast (to start off our vacation, yay!)
Sci Fi Drive In Theater (from what I read we should order the burgers!!!!!!!! but it looked cool for the theme of a drive in)
Crystal Palace (we are watching Tigger and Pooh as I type this so we are fans, lol)
Teppanedo (my first thread ever I learned to beware the grill, lol)
Coral Reef (gonna try for the diver that I read about on here, we have a birthday that day!)
Boma (the menu looked great!)
Princess Storybook dinner (who doesn't love a princess, much less 4!!!)
What does everyone think of these?? I read a ton of threads here and read mostly good things about these places.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

What a blood pressure rising moment?! Well 45 minutes I guess! Glad you were able to get everything you wanted (and a day earlier because she had the days mixed up!) Sounds like she was very calm and helpful! Nice to hear there are still great cms working magic!

9 months out That makes it difficult for those of us who like to make last minute and numerous trips! The 6 months has been hard!

Did you say she mentioned the Candlelight date? Care to share?

Another good thing - you can sleep in tomorrow (legistically today)!

She said the candlelight package would be available on June 28!!!

 

[mamalle]

keep trying is my advice.. I called at what I thought was 180 days out but I guess I gave her the following day for my reservation and wasnt thinking I was checking in the day prior. she wouldnt let me. so I called back the next day in the afternoon since I forgot to call 1st thing and I was able to get my reservations. granted we arent doing anything princess related but are there over thanksgiving.. I even called back the next day to get a breakfast at Ohana's for our last morning there.