Newbie ADR Trouble

[Raising Disney Kids]

I am planning a last-minute trip to the World. I understand that the Free DP makes it more difficult to get ADRs. I called yesterday and spent over an hour to plan my ADRs with 12 restaurants--and lots of flexibility for B, L, or D. I was only able to get 1--the HDDR!!!!! I am traveling with young kids and can't eat at 9:30 at night!!! I could not get ANYTHING at Chef Mickey's for B,L, or D at all over the 6 day period that we will be there . I plan to call back and check for cancellations, but right now the "free" dining plan is not getting me anywhere! Any help out there???? Suggestions?? Has anyone experienced similar??

 

[Hoopfamily]

Disney's system does not update cancellations and such until the following morning, so your best bet is to call at exactly 7 am. Do a few dry runs before hand so you get used to the prompts and can get through quickly. Also don't be afraid to just say to the reservationist what you want without pleasantries, they know at that hour it's reserve or get lost.
If all else fails, try doing a walk up but be prepared to either wait a while or possibly get turned away.
We tried for a table @ Rose & Crown last October at 4 pm and were told they were solid for the night and they were not taking anyone without ADR. Live & Learn.

Have a great trip.

 

[vicki_c]

I'm confused, but I really haven't been following free dining stuff.

You say "last minute" but you also say free dining - is there free dining going on right now or in the near future? I thought it wasn't starting until August?

If it's August - it's not even time to make your ADRs yet, so I assume you really mean "last minute" as in you're going very soon?

If that's the case, I don't think it's about free dining, it's just about if you're close to your trip dates, it's going to be harder to get certain reservations since a lot of people book at the 90 day window. You say you were flexible with times, but the popular places are just that -- popular. You might try picking a different group of restaurants. Or calling back and asking the CM what IS available in the place you plan on being, on the day you plan on being there and seeing what they say.

Chef Mickey's is one of the most popular restaurants on property. ALSO, Chef Mickey's has been accepting reservations for dates up through June 18th (I think) ever since December. Same with Cinderella's Royal Table & Victoria & Albert's. Those are regular 90 day ADR restaurants now, but they had a longer booking window up through mid-March, so a lot of people could have booked those ahead of you.

Good luck - people do cancel all the time, so I would keep trying for the ones you really want as well as calling back to see what is open.

 

[Raising Disney Kids]

By last minute, I mean end of June....I am usually a "way ahead scheduler." Forogt about the idea that restaurants were doing 180 days...ah ha good point!!!

 

[MPHARJ]

There is no free dining at the end of June, only the 4/3 deal that I know of. I just called last week to add 2 more TS to our upcomoing June trip and had no problems at all even a choice of times. We even got Sci-Fi that apparently others have been having a hard time getting. What places are you trying for? I guess the end of June will be busier than early June! You might want to try for other places or keep calling as you stated!

 

[food4me]

Did you try asking what was available during your vacation window? In my experience they have been quite friendly with regards to making suggestions if my original choices weren't available.

It surprises me that there was absolutely nothing left, since you're not going for 2 months. After all, I'm sure plenty of people wait until there is less time than that. But then again, I know that a lot of people call on the morning they begin accepting reservations, and it sounds like you were trying for popular restaurants like Chef Mickey's.

Good luck! I hope you can find something.

 

[dogodisney]

I am planning a last-minute trip to the World. I understand that the Free DP makes it more difficult to get ADRs. I called yesterday and spent over an hour to plan my ADRs with 12 restaurants--and lots of flexibility for B, L, or D. I was only able to get 1--the HDDR!!!!! I am traveling with young kids and can't eat at 9:30 at night!!! I could not get ANYTHING at Chef Mickey's for B,L, or D at all over the 6 day period that we will be there . I plan to call back and check for cancellations, but right now the "free" dining plan is not getting me anywhere! Any help out there???? Suggestions?? Has anyone experienced similar??

Since you are going with the deals that are for kids, you are going to have a hard time getting ADRs for restaurants that are geared towards kids.
Resort restaurants are often over looked. We have eaten at Grand Floridian Cafe and The Captain's Grille for dinner and we liked both. We had breakfast at Kona Cafe and it was really good. (During our last trip we also did Chef Mickeys, Whispering Canyon, and Narcoossee's). It was nice to be able to see the other resorts.

 

[redheadedsydney]

I've faced the same challenge and found it extremely frustrating. I've been going to Disney twice a year for the last 20 years, and I've never run into as many difficulties with ADRs as I have the last two trips. I will acknowledge upfront that because we live in NC, we can (and do) take trips on the spur of the moment (ex: booking ressies within 4-6 weeks or arrival), but we've ALWAYS done it that way. And, while I do have my favorite restaurants, as does everyone, I always call with flexibility in mind. Flexibility hasn't been able to offer much lately, with most places completely booked up -- well, unless you want to eat dinner at 9:30 pm, which seems to be what's available these days! Unfortunately, the Dining Plan has pushed a lot more guests into the ADR system, and that makes it tough on those of us who don't plan in time to call at 90 days out.

 

[G's mommy]

I called yesterday for ADR's for the first week of June and was able to get pretty much what I wanted. I was not trying for character dining or the very most popular restaurants though. Keep trying and maybe expand your choices. You can always change it if you are able to luck into the ADR's you really want.