My window opened yesterday. Online is *definitely* the way to go!

[PirateFrank]

Hey folks,

So for the past few months, I've been mortified that booking ADRs was going to be a nightmare. Especially in light of the free dining and 90 day window (I was used to the 180 day window in the past).

So yesterday morning, my 90+10 window opened up. Without getting into too much detail, I simply couldn't sleep the night before. By 5:30am, my wife snapped at me to stop tossing and turning.

So I crawled out of bed, went downstairs, made a cup of coffee to prepare myself both mentally and emotionally for what I thought was going to be a very demoralizing fight with the online ADR system.



As 6am nears, I associate my resort confirmation number with the system and get ready to start furiously clicking.





6:00am rolls on by and I'm off. I click into Cindy's Royal Table and plug in the date and time, 2 adults, 2 children, age 6 and age 3.....then I hit submit and start praying.

BOOM. I get it!


So I quickly click into Hoop Dee Doo and plug in the date, time, and category I want. BOOM. I get it!!


At this point, I figure it's not going to get any better, and I was better off completing what was in the cart, lest my web session time out. So I click checkout. Uh Oh, I need a credit card!!!

So I run upstairs, blast through the bedroom door as the wife snaps her head up and shoots me a glare that would scare the devils horns off.

Ignoring her...I find the previous night's shorts, yank my wallet out from the pocket and fly downstairs, 2-3 steps at a time.

2 minutes later, I've got the confirmation numbers in my email inbox!!!


So I start clicking into all the other various restaurants I want:

Ohana....got it!
Le Cellier....got it!
Chef Mickeys....got it!
Crystal Palace....got it!

At this point my wife is wide awake, comes bolting down the stairs and goes "what do we have so far!!??"


So anyway, within about 30 minutes, we got all of our desired ADRs, all within 10 minutes of the desired time....and we still had 20 minutes to wait until calling Disney to book Bibbidi for the DD and the Pirate Cruise for the DS. We ended up making a handful of changes later last night...



but the end result is that we got 100% of the restaurants we wanted...even with making some changes last night.


Wow....the online system rules!

 

[momtobrynncess]

Pirate Frank!! Your morning sounds exactly like mine (minus the angry wife)...Here's mine:

Set the alarm for 5:30 am (coffee maker set for 5:15 am), kept hitting the snooze bar until dh kicked me out of bed...

Gulp down half a cup, log onto the computer, open up 9 tabs, get all the restaurants set up on each page. Watch the minutes ticking away on the atomic clock.......getting closer to 6:00......stressing over CRT......Finally I make my first adr for CP, then go to another tab to get CRT........it won't open up my 10 day window......

Realize I haven't entered my resort reservation number yet. And after all the prepping and planning the night before, do you think I would have had that little number handy??? Nah........

Run downstairs, scroll through 400 emails in my inbox trying to find the reservation email......Find it.......run back upstairs, go to the page that requests you to enter it, go back to the tab with CRT, BAM!!!! the 10 day window opens up! Click on check availability........"Please be there, Please be there, Please be there,Please be there,......BAM!!!! got what I wanted within 10 minutes of my requested time.....all the rest, the same story......

My body was literally trembling as I was typing in the different restaurants when I was opening the tabs.......and in the end, all was well.....

 

[PirateFrank]

Great to hear that!! I'm actually a complete 100% believer in the online system now. It has enabled me to blast through an entire ADR plan within 20 minutes.

It would have taken me an hour to do this with someone on the phone. In addition, I would have likely waited 30 minutes or more to get said person on the phone.

In fact, after we were done with our ADRs prior to 7, we realized that we had to make a few more resies like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, the Pirate Cruise, Fantasmic Dinner Pkg, etc....

So we started dialing at 7am. We finally got through to a Cast Member at 7:39am...and got off the phone at around 8am.

Think of the ADRs you lose out on if you're waiting on the phone system for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, you're literally plugging in all of you ADRs online all before 6:15am.

I'm so glad Disney made this change to the online system!

 

[disney queen]

piratefrank, thanks for the encouraging words!!

 

[momtobrynncess]

Great to hear that!! I'm actually a complete 100% believer in the online system now. It has enabled me to blast through an entire ADR plan within 20 minutes.

It would have taken me an hour to do this with someone on the phone. In addition, I would have likely waited 30 minutes or more to get said person on the phone.

In fact, after we were done with our ADRs prior to 7, we realized that we had to make a few more resies like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, the Pirate Cruise, Fantasmic Dinner Pkg, etc....

So we started dialing at 7am. We finally got through to a Cast Member at 7:39am...and got off the phone at around 8am.

Think of the ADRs you lose out on if you're waiting on the phone system for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, you're literally plugging in all of you ADRs online all before 6:15am.

I'm so glad Disney made this change to the online system!

I agree 100%

And I did the same thing regarding BBB as well. However, I called the first time at 6:59 am, and got the "our dining center is now closed" recording. Waited one minute, called again, and got through, with a hold time of 4 minutes!! Not too bad.....When someone answered, she hooked me right up with BBB for 8:15 am, the exact time I wanted, and was done by 7:20 ish....

Love the online system!!!

 

[honeydiane1953]

I went through a travel agency and she booked all the restaurants I wanted. Then had to cancel trip. Rescheduled trip, lol, and went online and booked all but two of what I wanted. Jiko, Flying Fish, The Wave, Teppan Edo, Citricos and Woofgang Puck Cafe. California Grill and Le Cellier were not to be had. After exhausting amounts of time over months STILL can't get them but by now I don't want to even go to them anymore. So I agree with you online dining booking rocks.

 

[Micca]

Over the weekend I was on hold with Disney dining and after a minute or so I thought "hey, why not give the on-line ADRs a shot?" I finished making my ADRs on-line at the same time the CM picked up. I told her "thanks" and "have a magical day"

 

[disneygirlinnj]

congrats! I feel the same way about the online system! When I had to book my ADRs, the online system was only about 2 or 3 weeks old and I was VERY skeptical. I had ALL 19 of my ADRs by 6:23AM (or around there) and then just had to call for the GF Tea. It was FABULOUS!

 

[MarinaAndCharlie]

We've never made ADR's before. So you can make reservations for your entire trip 90+10 days away from your arrival date? Or would it be like that Tuesday I can make reservations for 90+10 days away, then Wednesday I can make them for the next day in the trip, etc?

Thanks! And excited to join the Disney TS Diners!!

 

[jenscottvert]

That's pretty much how my yesterday morning went as well . Zero problems whatsoever and got everything I wanted!

 

[ragtopday]

We've never made ADR's before. So you can make reservations for your entire trip 90+10 days away from your arrival date? Or would it be like that Tuesday I can make reservations for 90+10 days away, then Wednesday I can make them for the next day in the trip, etc?

Thanks! And excited to join the Disney TS Diners!!

Making ADR's is so much fun!

You can start making ADR's 90 days from your arrival date, for up to 10 days of your vacation. That eliminates the need to login/call every day, but it doesn't mean you get 100 days before the start of your trip.

Hope that helped!

 

[lustergirl]

Congrats. I also used the online system and it went very smoothly.

 

[LMO429]

I hope I have as good luck as all of you!

 

[wdwfan1]

Hey folks,

So for the past few months, I've been mortified that booking ADRs was going to be a nightmare. Especially in light of the free dining and 90 day window (I was used to the 180 day window in the past).

So yesterday morning, my 90+10 window opened up. Without getting into too much detail, I simply couldn't sleep the night before. By 5:30am, my wife snapped at me to stop tossing and turning.

So I crawled out of bed, went downstairs, made a cup of coffee to prepare myself both mentally and emotionally for what I thought was going to be a very demoralizing fight with the online ADR system.


As 6am nears, I associate my resort confirmation number with the system and get ready to start furiously clicking.





6:00am rolls on by and I'm off. I click into Cindy's Royal Table and plug in the date and time, 2 adults, 2 children, age 6 and age 3.....then I hit submit and start praying.

BOOM. I get it!


So I quickly click into Hoop Dee Doo and plug in the date, time, and category I want. BOOM. I get it!!


At this point, I figure it's not going to get any better, and I was better off completing what was in the cart, lest my web session time out. So I click checkout. Uh Oh, I need a credit card!!!

So I run upstairs, blast through the bedroom door as the wife snaps her head up and shoots me a glare that would scare the devils horns off.

Ignoring her...I find the previous night's shorts, yank my wallet out from the pocket and fly downstairs, 2-3 steps at a time.

2 minutes later, I've got the confirmation numbers in my email inbox!!!


So I start clicking into all the other various restaurants I want:

Ohana....got it!
Le Cellier....got it!
Chef Mickeys....got it!
Crystal Palace....got it!

At this point my wife is wide awake, comes bolting down the stairs and goes "what do we have so far!!??"


So anyway, within about 30 minutes, we got all of our desired ADRs, all within 10 minutes of the desired time....and we still had 20 minutes to wait until calling Disney to book Bibbidi for the DD and the Pirate Cruise for the DS. We ended up making a handful of changes later last night...



but the end result is that we got 100% of the restaurants we wanted...even with making some changes last night.


Wow....the online system rules!

I am very jealous. No LeCellier for me. Could not get LeCellier Candlelight package either. I am working around this, but I am not a happy camper!!!

Congrats to everyone who got all their ressies!

 

[andysgirl360]

Me too! Last time I booked ADR's was in 2006 when it was still 180 days (but I had no idea then, called at 90 days because I didn't know it had changed - before I found the DIS!).

I was terrified that I wouldn't get anything, that the computer would crash...you name it. My parents are coming with us for the first time, and I wanted everything to be perfect. I barely slept the night before....was up right at 6:00am.

Well, we got everything we wanted, not the exact times but pretty close. The only one I find too early is Le Cellier at 4:10 pm...and its not the original night I wanted....but seeing how lots of people didn't get it at all...I'm willing to suffer! will keep trying though, as lots of people seem to have luck with cancellations.

I highly recommend the online system....don't be afraid, its great!

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

Hey folks,

So for the past few months, I've been mortified that booking ADRs was going to be a nightmare. Especially in light of the free dining and 90 day window (I was used to the 180 day window in the past).

So yesterday morning, my 90+10 window opened up. Without getting into too much detail, I simply couldn't sleep the night before. By 5:30am, my wife snapped at me to stop tossing and turning.

So I crawled out of bed, went downstairs, made a cup of coffee to prepare myself both mentally and emotionally for what I thought was going to be a very demoralizing fight with the online ADR system.



As 6am nears, I associate my resort confirmation number with the system and get ready to start furiously clicking.





6:00am rolls on by and I'm off. I click into Cindy's Royal Table and plug in the date and time, 2 adults, 2 children, age 6 and age 3.....then I hit submit and start praying.

BOOM. I get it!


So I quickly click into Hoop Dee Doo and plug in the date, time, and category I want. BOOM. I get it!!


At this point, I figure it's not going to get any better, and I was better off completing what was in the cart, lest my web session time out. So I click checkout. Uh Oh, I need a credit card!!!

So I run upstairs, blast through the bedroom door as the wife snaps her head up and shoots me a glare that would scare the devils horns off.

Ignoring her...I find the previous night's shorts, yank my wallet out from the pocket and fly downstairs, 2-3 steps at a time.

2 minutes later, I've got the confirmation numbers in my email inbox!!!


So I start clicking into all the other various restaurants I want:

Ohana....got it!
Le Cellier....got it!
Chef Mickeys....got it!
Crystal Palace....got it!

At this point my wife is wide awake, comes bolting down the stairs and goes "what do we have so far!!??"


So anyway, within about 30 minutes, we got all of our desired ADRs, all within 10 minutes of the desired time....and we still had 20 minutes to wait until calling Disney to book Bibbidi for the DD and the Pirate Cruise for the DS. We ended up making a handful of changes later last night...



but the end result is that we got 100% of the restaurants we wanted...even with making some changes last night.


Wow....the online system rules!

Thank you for that entertaining review . It was almost like reading "Twas' the Night Before Christmas" . Glad you got what you wanted and I can't wait to use the system in about 5 mos. Thanks again!

 

[Darcy03231]

Mine opened this morning and I got everything on-line at the approximate times I wanted except for Le Cellier. I'll keep trying. I did get O'Hana, Chef Mickey's, Dinner at 1900 Park Fare and Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.

 

[tigger_ttfn]

So encouraging...I still have over two weeks, but I'm excited to try the online system.

 

[MarinaAndCharlie]

Making ADR's is so much fun!

You can start making ADR's 90 days from your arrival date, for up to 10 days of your vacation. That eliminates the need to login/call every day, but it doesn't mean you get 100 days before the start of your trip.

Hope that helped!

So the 10 stands for up to 10 days of vacation? So my ADR window will still open 90 days from my arrival date?

Thank goodness for the DIS!

 

[PirateFrank]

You know, for those of you that have had trouble, a strategy would be to back load the more desirable ADRs. Push the Le Cellier's and CRTs to the back of your game plan, i.e. closer to the end of your stay. This way, when you log on to do your 90+10, there's a greater chance of getting an ADR for those stays.

With the exception of the CRT I booked 4 days in, I made sure most of our big ones were towards the end of the stay....