No luck securing a better reservation time at 45 day mark...next best strategy?

[Maisey13]

My family's first trip to Disney is late April. I didn't know about the 180 day rule (rookie mistake!) and tried to get better reservation times at the 45 day mark but didn't have any luck. We have late dinner reservations (after 8:00pm) for 1900 Park Fare and Akershus which are really late for our DD who is 5. I have a few questions about strategy...

1) Are these restaurants like CRT (not many cancellations) or is it reasonable to assume we could get a 5:00 or 6:00 time a couple days before the actual trip?

2) Do I need to keep calling while I'm in the park to change reservations, is it best to try online, or will the concierge at the hotel be more helpful? (I really don't want to spend my whole trip trying to adjust reservation times)

3) Are certain days of the week easier to secure a reservations then others (M,T,W,Th?)

4) For BOG (no ADR possible for dinner) are the lines typically shorter for early lunch or late lunch.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[meg8017]

I would just keep checking back every day. We are going in May and I waited too long and couldn't get a decent time for dinner at Chef Mickeys (and there were several days I was checking). Only 9 pm was coming up. Then 2 weeks ago I was able to score a 5:05 for one day that wasn't our first choice but we could make it work. Today I was able to get a 5:30 dinner on the best day for us. So really, just be persistent! Good luck!!

 

[purple figment]

Keep checking online multiple times a day starting now because you never know when a cancelled reservation will come up. Since the ones you are interested in require a credit card guarantee people will cancel to avoid the penalty. You can continue checking online even after you've arrived at DW.

A lot of families like to eat around 5:00-6:30 so I don't think they would be "easier" to get. It really is a matter of luck and persistence.

As far as lunch at BOG - the line seems to be about the same at any given time.

 

[gorjus121]

My family's first trip to Disney is late April. I didn't know about the 180 day rule (rookie mistake!) and tried to get better reservation times at the 45 day mark but didn't have any luck. We have late dinner reservations (after 8:00pm) for 1900 Park Fare and Akershus which are really late for our DD who is 5. I have a few questions about strategy...

1) Are these restaurants like CRT (not many cancellations) or is it reasonable to assume we could get a 5:00 or 6:00 time a couple days before the actual trip?

2) Do I need to keep calling while I'm in the park to change reservations, is it best to try online, or will the concierge at the hotel be more helpful? (I really don't want to spend my whole trip trying to adjust reservation times)

3) Are certain days of the week easier to secure a reservations then others (M,T,W,Th?)

4) For BOG (no ADR possible for dinner) are the lines typically shorter for early lunch or late lunch.

Thanks for any advice!

We decided to book our trip to Disney in early January, so I didn't start making my ADR's till about 110 days out. I would keep checking when you have a chance or even while you on your vacation. Definitely ask the concierge! People cancel, especially the day before.

I found it easier to make my ressie's online. I was able to get a BOG reservation right away but it wasn't a great time for my young boys...8:50 pm on 4/30. I found out that there was no Electrical Parade and Wishes would start at 9:00 that night, right through our dinner reservation. About 3 weeks ago, while getting ready for work, I checked online at 5:45-6am EST and found ressies for BOG at much better times. I now have a 5:00 pm and had a choice of times to choose from. I do feel I got lucky, but I wanted to share that I found reservations online, in the early am on TWO separate mornings. Before I checked in the early am, I would check several times a day with no luck. I would have given up if it wasn't for these threads. Good luck!

 

[CarrieR]

I was just telling my friend that I swear I have the possibility to will any ADR into existance by checking enough times.

Seriously, though, I was just able to find an ADR for 3 for a month from now - at a dining event that only seats 10 people, 3x a week. ANY ADR may pop up - check, check, check again. I would do it online (it's easier) including on your smartphone while at WDW, if you have one. 45 days to go? I think you'll be surprised how much you can get.