Newbie here....at least in the area of ADR's!

[Granny]

Okay, this is embarrassing, but we've never made an ADR (or PS) before we've gone to WDW before. And I've always ignored the posts about them since we don't need to know about that stuff, do we?

Well, we're heading during Christmas week (December 23 - 30) and I understand that ADR's are a must at that time of year. Okay, so we know that most of the restaurants take reservations 180 days out, right?

A couple of questions.

1. We can make ADR's through MS, right? I could have sworn they always ask me if I want some but I blanking out right now.

2. The same rules through MS as through the regular dining reservation phone number? I thought I read somewhere that I can call 180 days from my check-in date and make ADR's for my entire stay (thus making the ADR's more than 180 days out)?

3. Any special rules for booking a Candlelight Processional dinner package or Fantasmic Dinner package? Those can still be done through MS as well?

LIke I said, I feel like a rookie asking this, but we have never gone at any time other than the summer, and have never made a reservation before going. We just go to the guest services desk and make our PS once we arrive, and don't do many of those in the first place.

I was going to ask this on the DIS Dining board (for a little anonymity) but my questions about using MS make this more appropriate for this board.

For those who may be wondering, I did spend some time looking around this site, and did some searches and couldn't find these specific questions answered.

So....who wants to help me through the wonderful world of ADR's?

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Okay, this is embarrassing, but we've never made an ADR (or PS) before we've gone to WDW before.

And I'm just as embarrassed to answer

You can make ADR's through MS but if you want to beat the 9:00 A.M. rush you can join the 7:00 A.M. rush through Disney Dining. You can make everything for your whole trip in advance at the 180 day mark but you need to make sure you have your reservation number to do it (by going through MS this isn't as much of an issue).

The CP dinner packages are released all at once so you may be able to make one of those farther than 180 days in advance. But the last time I did that there was only a 60 day window for ADR's at the time so I'm not sure how or when they were released last year.

We have always used PS, ADR's or whatever they have been called. At that time of year they are esepcially important. We will be on the phone making them too.

HBC

 

[Granny]

HBC...thanks for the information. I knew you'd know the answer! Do you use the 7:00 a.m. calling through Disney Dining or MS? Is the 2 hours critical?

Also, I need to clarify. When you say "You can make everything for your whole trip in advance at the 180 day mark" when exactly is that? Is that the 180 day mark from my check-in date? So I can make ADR's through MS at that time for the whole trip? Following that logic, then anyone who checks in before me (Dec 23) and is staying through Christmas/New Years will have the opportunity to book ADR's before I (or the general public) can?

And just to get away from assuming anything, I'm thinking that 180 days means calendar days and if they fall on a weekend then I have to call the following Monday?

Thanks for getting over your embarrassment to help me out on this.

 

[TinkGirl]

If you're not going through MS, there is another Disney 800# you can use. I think it's (800)828-0228 without checking. You don't have to have your reservation #--just a phone number will suffice, but you will have to go through several prompts about your WDW travel history.

 

[LisaS]

The Disney Dining line is open from 7am until ?? 10pm?? Someone please correct me on this! It is open 7 days a week so you can make ADRs on the weekend. MS on the other hand is open 9am-5pm weekdays only, so sometimes it is more convenient to call the dining line.

I believe you can make ADRs starting 180 days from check-in for up to the first 10 days of your trip. So, yes you are correct that anyone checking in a day or more ahead of you gets a head start on their ADRs. But then again, you get a head start over anyone checking in a day or more after you.

 

[Granny]

Thanks, all, for your help. As it turns out, the 180 mark from my check in will be June 26 which is a Monday. I might just have to use the WDW-DINE number since Monday mornings are a challenge with MS anyway.

I appreciate everyone's help for a newbie.

 

[lisareniff]

I believe you can make ADRs starting 180 days from check-in for up to the first 10 days of your trip. So, yes you are correct that anyone checking in a day or more ahead of you gets a head start on their ADRs. But then again, you get a head start over anyone checking in a day or more after you.

To add to this... I believe I have read on the restaurant board that they do not open all the slots to reserve at 10 days before but only a percentage each day. So although that person checking in a day ahead does get a head start Disney trys to level the playing field. So if you don't what you want try again they may open up more slots (from our experience this may happen close to the date as well).

 

[LisaS]

To add to this... I believe I have read on the restaurant board that they do not open all the slots to reserve at 10 days before but only a percentage each day. So although that person checking in a day ahead does get a head start Disney trys to level the playing field. So if you don't what you want try again they may open up more slots (from our experience this may happen close to the date as well).

That's good to know and sounds like a fair way to do things.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Granny,

Have you ever used the Disney Reservation Calculator (Link)? It's here on the Dis-Boards and is really handy for figuring out when to make a reservation. Just plug in your check in day and calculate.

We usually use the regular Disney dining number for a variety of reasons.

HBC

 

[Granny]

HBC...thanks for the link! I did actually find that one while searching around the site, and I now have it bookmarked!

Now I have my biggest challenge....getting my family interested in talking about the trip in early June so we can make the ADR's! Everytime I bring up the Christmas trip, I get the eye roll and the whining about not going to WDW this summer!

And my daughters aren't too happy about it either!

Oh well, I'll just surprise them. I'm sure that will be well received.

 

[JimMIA]

To add to this... I believe I have read on the restaurant board that they do not open all the slots to reserve at 10 days before but only a percentage each day. So if you don't what you want try again they may open up more slots (from our experience this may happen close to the date as well).

LisaS and lisareniff are exactly right on this. We faced that bigtime last December trying to get CRT. Never were able to get it +10, but we did get it on the exact day. So, if at first you don't succeed...

 

[JimMIA]

3. Any special rules for booking a Candlelight Processional dinner package or Fantasmic Dinner package? Those can still be done through MS as well?

Not really special rules, but if you want to eat at Le Cellier, you'd better do it with a CP package. We tried at 180+10, 180 exactly day by day, and even tried walking up, and never did get into Le Cellier in December. As a matter of fact, we were so disappointed, we will not return in December unless we are doing a CP package on the Dining Plan.

We were unable to get any ADR, any time, any day, for Le Cellier -- and when we tried walkup, we were told they were so overbooked they were not even keeping a waitlist. The only explanation I can come up with is they dedicate every seat to the CP packages @ $46 or whatever they are.

If you're going to do some nice dining (and/or character meals), I'd take a serious look at the dining plan if you haven't already. For our May trip, I evaluated it only for what we would have really purchased for dinner only, and calculated that we saved $70...plus we had all those CS's and snacks. Here's the link to my ultra-conservative assessment of our experience with the dining plan...http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1116871

 

[byoung]

Granny,

Have you ever used the Disney Reservation Calculator (Link)? It's here on the Dis-Boards and is really handy for figuring out when to make a reservation. Just plug in your check in day and calculate.

We usually use the regular Disney dining number for a variety of reasons.

HBC

Thanks for this info.

 

[Granny]

JimMIA...thanks for the tips about Le Cellier and the Dining Plan. I am considering that, but we do some off site things such as Sea World and eat at a couple of places in Orlando (we drive to WDW so we have a vehicle). So I'll have to put a pencil to paper to see if it looks like the Dining Plan will work better for us, or possibly the DDE.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your insights. As always, they are the best!

 

[BCV23]

It is great to see you back on the boards and planning a trip, Granny.

I just wanted to say that with that for the most part, I wouldn't worry too much about calling at 7am or even right at the 180 mark. The exceptions would be for Christmas Eve and Day if you have special restaurants that you want and I imagine CRT is probably still harder to get.

Interesting about LeCellier, Jim. The 180 mark will be before the packages are normally released. I wonder what will happen. I think the change to 180 was last fall wasn't it?

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Thanks, all, for your help. As it turns out, the 180 mark from my check in will be June 26 which is a Monday. I might just have to use the WDW-DINE number since Monday mornings are a challenge with MS anyway.

I appreciate everyone's help for a newbie.

The toll free number to get to reservations and dining is 1-877-939-3732. You don't need your reservation number and since it is a DVC reservation anyway, I don't think it would work. You can just use your phone number.

Plus, if you decide on the dining plan later you can always call back and give them them your ADR numbers so they could add that info to your reservations.

I've used this free number numerous times with no issues whatsoever.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[BCV23]

I don't think it would be necessary to give your AR #s to MS in any case. We did the dining plan about a month ago. I made all my ARs through Disney Dining as I always do. Added the DDP through MS of course. I'm pretty certain that I made most of my ARs before I added the plan. At any rate, I'm positive that it was two seperate processes in my case.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

The toll free number to get to reservations and dining is 1-877-939-3732. You don't need your reservation number and since it is a DVC reservation anyway, I don't think it would work.

A week or so ago we made our 180 + 10 reservations for our Thanksgiving trip. To make them we needed to provide our reservation number. I gave the CM our DVC reservation number and it wasn't a problem at all. When we called back to later make a change, that CM didn't ask for the reservation number.

HBC

 

[Granny]

I'm so glad I posted this. Getting even more good advice than I hoped for!

CRSNDSNY...thanks for the phone number. I'm assuming that number has the same business hours as the WDW-DINE number?

BCV23....thanks for the kind words. We are very excited to say the least. We thought VWL at Christmas was something we wouldn't be doing for several years from now.

HBC...more good information...thanks!

We're looking at two dinner packages....CP and Fantasmic. I guess we can't book CP until they release the package information...we'll probably try for Le Cellier but will fall back to one of the other EPCOT restaurants if need be.

 

[NMW]

Thanks, all, for your help. As it turns out, the 180 mark from my check in will be June 26 which is a Monday. I might just have to use the WDW-DINE number since Monday mornings are a challenge with MS anyway.

I appreciate everyone's help for a newbie.

Use the dining number. Those 15 minutes you could be on hold with MS could cost you the ADR times you want, especially at the more popular places. Call dining about the CP packages today! They may have already been released. Last year they were released before the 90 window for ADR's. I'm not sure how it is working this year since it changed to 180 days. I tried to get Le Celliar at 90 days for regular dining OR the CP package exactly 90 days before my check-in last year (Dec 1) and could get NOTHING any night of our trip. We checked at the podium one early afternoon to see if anythig was available for that night and the CM sort of laughed that "yeah right" laugh. I'm not kidding!


The dining plan has made ADR's really, really important. I can't tell you how many people I saw every night get turned away from restaurants as walk-ins. 'Ohana, Kona, San Angel, Cape May Cafe...all told people no walk-ins at any time.


Just have your confirmation number available and you can book everything for every night of your trip. I have found most dining CM's to be really excellent and helpfull. They even make great suggestions sometimes for restaurants.

Good luck with all you ADR's!