Stroke of Genius or Just Plain Heat Stroke? August 2016 at the Poly!! Update 2/21 180 Days!

[ursalita]

ADR Day!!!!!!!!

180 Days til Disney!!



Before I get to my ADR choices I have some other trip related stuff to share. On the 18th Southwest released their flights for our travel dates and I was very surprised to see far fewer options for our departure flight than I expected. The choices we have right now for non-stops are 6:45 AM and 1:25 PM. In the past we've been able to get 7 AM or 9 AM flights but there are none available this year.

So our only option for the morning is to get up at the crack of dawn to make the 6:45. We can do it but I'd prefer later in the morning. 1:25 might actually work well for us because we'd save $$ on pet boarding since we wouldn't have to drop them off the day before we leave. Also, since we hadn't planned for a park that day getting there later wouldn't be an issue. But we planned dinner at Ohana for that night and I wouldn't want to chance missing the reservation and incurring a fee if we had any travel delays.

I was undecided so I put off booking the flights and the prices have already gone up considerably. It's early days yet so I'll keep checking on the prices but I hope I haven't cost myself a lot of money.

This morning was ADR day! I sat down at my laptop with my coffee, pulled up my spreadsheet, and got to work. The first reservation for Ohana at 6:55 went through without a hitch. If we end up with the afternoon flight it's scheduled to arrive at 4:20. I hope that it doesn't take us longer than 2 hours to get from MCO to the Poly. Does anyone think it will be a problem?

Then I clicked over to the next day, Saturday, and tried to make the reservation for Tokyo Dining. It gave me an error message. So I went forward to Sunday, tried to make our lunch reservation for LTT. That went through. Went back to Saturday. No luck. Checked my email and noticed that the LTT reservation was for Sunday, February 21st, not August 21st. Fun fact: for February and August of this year the days and numbers of the week match. So Feb. 21st and August 21st are both on Sundays so I didn't realize I was in the wrong month. For some reason I was clicking on the date in August in MDE but it was switching back to February in the ADR screen. I don't know if that makes sense. When I tried to change the date, it gave me another error message.



Finally I called Disney reservations because we obviously weren't going to make our reservation for this afternoon at LTT. Luckily they were able to waive the $40 fee! I tried MDE again but I was not able to make any ADRs except for the first one at Ohana.

So I called Disney again to make the ADRs over the phone. During that first call I got 2 more reserved and linked to MDE but I had to get off the phone when some friends dropped by. When I called back I was able make the final 6 and a bonus Be Our Guest dinner that I'll probably cancel. I didn't take down the reservation numbers because I was confident there wouldn't be a problem since the first call had gone so well. That was a mistake.

Later on I went back on MDE to make sure the ADRs were linked and I didn't see them. So I had to call Disney back again.



After speaking with 3 representatives I finally have all my ADRs linked on MDE. Apparently the rep I talked to for the final 6 reservations hadn't put in my email address but the last person I talked to was able to find them with my phone number. So I'm sure nobody reading this would be dumb like me and not write down the confirmation numbers but Disney can also find them by phone number or email which is good to know. Everyone I spoke to at Disney was extremely helpful and courteous, I just would have preferred doing it online than over the phone.



It didn't go exactly how I expected but I got everything I wanted plus bonus BOG so I'm happy again!



Here's my final list:

8/19: Ohana @6:55
8/20: Tokyo Dining @7:30 (Illuminations!!)
8/21: LTT @ 12:00, BOG @5:55
8/22: Raglan Road @6:00
8/23: Tusker House @8:15 (pre- park open!)
8/24: Kona @8:00 AM and Cali Grill @5:30
8/25: Sci Fi @5:15
8/26: The Plaza @12:00

I'm sure this won't be the final list. I'm thinking now of dropping Tusker House for lunch at Yak & Yeti instead. So many restaurants to try, not enough time.



​

 

[ursalita]

That's what dh and I had! It was yummy, and really seemed to be the obvious choice to go with the atmosphere. Of course, I'm not sure if I'd feel the same in the full heat and humidity of August!

I think that's why I'm drawn to the salads on the lunch menu.

on Monday, dd's tiny Cadette troop finished up their New Cuisines badge by making a 4 course French meal for the families. I ended up with a bunch of leftovers from both meals, and we had a work event last night, so I haven't had to cook since Monday!

4 course French meal? Sounds like heaven!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

This spreadsheet is great, much more efficient and organised than mine, so I hope you don't mind I'm stealing it now whenever I'm rearranging my plans I'll be thinking of you

ADR: Tokyo Dining. It was tough to pick one restaurant for dinner in Epcot. I considered Via Napoli but @pkondz convinced me that the pizza is not that great.

@pkondz is a crazy person, don't listen to a word he says!!!
But Tokyo Dining sounds good also

180 Days til Disney!!

perfect gif.

Then I clicked over to the next day, Saturday, and tried to make the reservation for Tokyo Dining. It gave me an error message. So I went forward to Sunday, tried to make our lunch reservation for LTT. That went through. Went back to Saturday. No luck. Checked my email and noticed that the LTT reservation was for Sunday, February 21st, not August 21st. Fun fact: for February and August of this year the days and numbers of the week match. So Feb. 21st and August 21st are both on Sundays so I didn't realize I was in the wrong month. For some reason I was clicking on the date in August in MDE but it was switching back to February in the ADR screen. I don't know if that makes sense. When I tried to change the date, it gave me another error message.

Ugh I've seen others complaining about this recently.. Why haven't they sorted this out yet?! It happened to me on for my trip back in 2014 my 180 days is March 4th (11 days!) so I hope it's working better, thanks for the heads up, at least I feel prepared now

So I called Disney again to make the ADRs over the phone. During that first call I got 2 more reserved and linked to MDE but I had to get off the phone when some friends dropped by. When I called back I was able make the final 6 and a bonus Be Our Guest dinner that I'll probably cancel.

Yay!

didn't take down the reservation numbers because I was confident there wouldn't be a problem since the first call had gone so well. That was a mistake.

Later on I went back on MDE to make sure the ADRs were linked and I didn't see them. So I had to call Disney back again.

Doh!

Glad you got everything sorted in the end! I bet that's a relief after all the trouble you had. The final list is looking good. LTT and Raglan Road always make it to my "maybe" list but I haven't got around to doing them yet, so I look forward to hearing what you think of them.

Now it's only 119 days until fastpass day!

 

[kpearl]

We're staying at Poly too! We arrive 9/12 and staying until 9/24 for our honeymoon. You made a good choice!

I love your ADRs. I've never done LTT for lunch, only dinner. We are doing it again this time around because it was so good.

Oh goodness, CP was bad for breakfast? We have that as a "maybe". But seeing a lot of negative reviews for it so maybe we'll pass and pick something else. We're doing Tusker House which I'm really looking forward to! We have a lot of the same ADR ideas (well mine are still ideas, can't book until March!) so I'm looking forward to seeing your take on them!

 

[irene_dsc]

I think that's why I'm drawn to the salads on the lunch menu.

Good plan, methinks.

4 course French meal? Sounds like heaven!

Lol. Remember, it was cooked by 6th grade girls, so the quality varied! We did attempt a cheese souffle, but I think the folding process made it not quite as fluffy as it should've been. But, the girls had a blast, and the families were quite impressed, so it's all good.

 

[SarahDisney]

Those flight times are ridiculous. I've actually seen a few people complain about the new Southwest schedule ... sounds like they've made a lot of changes to the scheduling this round, and the changes are not all popular.

ADR DAY!!! YAY!!
Isn't it just great when computers and websites don't work at all? I'm glad you were able to get all of your ADRs, but ... always write down the confirmation numbers!! I hope you've learned your lesson ... you can't trust Disney phone people to do their job properly sometimes.

You've got a great list at ADRs!!

 

[kastoney]

A week? Wow. I don't know how I would have handled that.

Thankfully I didn't. Between my parents and Jason helping out we were really only all home bound for 3 entire days.

I was undecided so I put off booking the flights and the prices have already gone up considerably. It's early days yet so I'll keep checking on the prices but I hope I haven't cost myself a lot of money.

I don't know what is up with airfares recently but with gas prices so low, somehow airfares seem to be sky high. We typically pay less than $200 each for our tickets, and right now everything is $400+. We're getting down to crunch time so hope something changes quick.

he first reservation for Ohana at 6:55 went through without a hitch. If we end up with the afternoon flight it's scheduled to arrive at 4:20. I hope that it doesn't take us longer than 2 hours to get from MCO to the Poly. Does anyone think it will be a problem?

As long as you land on time, you should be fine. We made it from landing to the Poly in a little over an hour last trip. It was the first stop on the Poly/GF/CR bus

hecked my email and noticed that the LTT reservation was for Sunday, February 21st, not August 21st. Fun fact: for February and August of this year the days and numbers of the week match. So Feb. 21st and August 21st are both on Sundays so I didn't realize I was in the wrong month.

Fun fact indeed. Now I know my bday is a Saturday this year ; )

Finally I called Disney reservations because we obviously weren't going to make our reservation for this afternoon at LTT. Luckily they were able to waive the $40 fee! I tried MDE again but I was not able to make any ADRs except for the first one at Ohana.

Thanks goodness they did. Crazy how bad MDE can be

Apparently the rep I talked to for the final 6 reservations hadn't put in my email address but the last person I talked to was able to find them with my phone number. So I'm sure nobody reading this would be dumb like me and not write down the confirmation numbers but Disney can also find them by phone number or email which is good to know. Everyone I spoke to at Disney was extremely helpful and courteous, I just would have preferred doing it online than over the phone.

Not dumb like you, dumb like then. In 2016 you should A. not have to call and talk to anyone and B. write down numbers when you do.

'm sure this won't be the final list. I'm thinking now of dropping Tusker House for lunch at Yak & Yeti instead. So many restaurants to try, not enough time.

Of course you are ; ) 180 days to go and 180 more changes to complicate ; )

8/26: The Plaza @12:00

Oh man, we are looking at August dates and think we will be coming down on the 27th!!! Was hoping we'd be crossing paths

 

[pkondz]

ADR Day!!!!!!!!

Woot!

Before I get to my ADR choices I have some other trip related stuff to share.

Okay... shoot.

The choices we have right now for non-stops are 6:45 AM and 1:25 PM.

Um.... that early one? Yuck!

So our only option for the morning is to get up at the crack of dawn to make the 6:45. We can do it but I'd prefer later in the morning. 1:25 might actually work well for us because we'd save $$ on pet boarding since we wouldn't have to drop them off the day before we leave.

Then again, you're going to Disney. You're not going to sleep anyway, so might as well get on a plane.

I was undecided so I put off booking the flights and the prices have already gone up considerably. It's early days yet so I'll keep checking on the prices but I hope I haven't cost myself a lot of money.

Oh... crap.
Fingers crossed.

I hope that it doesn't take us longer than 2 hours to get from MCO to the Poly. Does anyone think it will be a problem?

That sounds very doable to me.
Let's say you just miss the MDE bus. Should be another one in 20 minutes.
Let's also say it takes 40 minutes to get there. You still have plenty of time.

Checked my email and noticed that the LTT reservation was for Sunday, February 21st, not August 21st.

Whoopsie!

Finally I called Disney reservations because we obviously weren't going to make our reservation for this afternoon at LTT.

I tried MDE again but I was not able to make any ADRs except for the first one at Ohana.

I didn't take down the reservation numbers because I was confident there wouldn't be a problem since the first call had gone so well. That was a mistake.

Oy. "What could possibly go wrong?"
Final words of many, many people.

Later on I went back on MDE to make sure the ADRs were linked and I didn't see them. So I had to call Disney back again.

Sure. By now they expect your call, right?

Everyone I spoke to at Disney was extremely helpful and courteous, I just would have preferred doing it online than over the phone.

Or over the phone... X 3.

It didn't go exactly how I expected but I got everything I wanted plus bonus BOG so I'm happy again!

Well, that's the important thing anyway so it's all good.

8/19: Ohana @6:55
8/20: Tokyo Dining @7:30 (Illuminations!!)
8/21: LTT @ 12:00, BOG @5:55
8/22: Raglan Road @6:00
8/23: Tusker House @8:15 (pre- park open!)
8/24: Kona @8:00 AM and Cali Grill @5:30
8/25: Sci Fi @5:15
8/26: The Plaza @12:00

Not bad. Not bad at all.

So many restaurants to try, not enough time.

Oh, God. You're not kidding!

 

[cinderkelly]

Before I get to my ADR choices I have some other trip related stuff to share. On the 18th Southwest released their flights for our travel dates and I was very surprised to see far fewer options for our departure flight than I expected. The choices we have right now for non-stops are 6:45 AM and 1:25 PM. In the past we've been able to get 7 AM or 9 AM flights but there are none available this year.

We found the same kind of issues when we were looking for flights in Sept. On Southwest. Their new schedule was just weird. I wanted an early morning flight to get us there around noonish but they had like 6 non direct flights first . And pricey! We ended up finding something that worked a few days later.

I was undecided so I put off booking the flights and the prices have already gone up considerably. It's early days yet so I'll keep checking on the prices but I hope I haven't cost myself a lot of money.

I hate it when that happens. Just check every day and they might go back down again.

I hope that it doesn't take us longer than 2 hours to get from MCO to the Poly.

I think you'll be ok if you don't have any flight delays. When My husband and daughter went a couple of weeks ago they landed around noon and were at Pop by 1:30 ish.

Finally I called Disney reservations because we obviously weren't going to make our reservation for this afternoon at LTT. Luckily they were able to waive the $40 fee! I tried MDE again but I was not able to make any ADRs except for the first one at Ohana.

So frustrating! I had read on other threads that lots of people were having issues making ADR's on- line an out the same time as you were. I completely understand, I would much rather do anything on-line than talk to an an actual person. Glad you got it it all sorted out though

8/19: Ohana @6:55
8/20: Tokyo Dining @7:30 (Illuminations!!)
8/21: LTT @ 12:00, BOG @5:55
8/22: Raglan Road @6:00
8/23: Tusker House @8:15 (pre- park open!)
8/24: Kona @8:00 AM and Cali Grill @5:30
8/25: Sci Fi @5:15
8/26: The Plaza @12:00

Nice line up!

 

[ariane37]

I know I said this upthread before you made your ADR's, but Tokyo Dining was a surprise favorite of our last month so I'm glad it's on your list We did CG for the first time last month also. The view of Wishes is spectacular!

I hear you on flight times. We have like 4 airports we can choose to fly from but one is approx. 15 minutes from us so of course that's always our preference. We fly JetBlue and unfortunately, for most of the year they only have one flight to/from Orlando a day and the flight down usually doesn't leave until 5-6pm We're going down for Thanksgiving again; JetBlue has only released flights through 11/4 so we're anxiously waiting to see what they look like this year.

 

[Elevationist]

A month later and here I am, trying to get caught back up! It sounds like you had one heck of a time on your ADR day, girl! So glad to hear that it finally all worked out in the end, though!

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I just found this thread.
I have to go back and read the posts but I wanted to say "hi" and we'll be at the Polynesian August 14 - August 19. Cannot wait!

Last year was our first trip in August and yes it was H-O-T but we had a great trip. We got the 'magical' deal last year and got it again this year. So awesome!

As for flights --- we are using Southwest Rapid Reward Points. I got the CC last year when they were offering 50,000 points.

As for crowds ---- we were surprised that it wasn't as crowded as we thought it would be (mid-August). I also saw on the Touring Plan calendar that the crowds drop off later in August but we had to do our trip in mid-August because DD was starting college. We usually go to WDW in October and EPCOT was much less crowded in August .... because of no Food & Wine. It was nice to walk through World Showcase when it wasn't clogged with people!

 

[cinderkelly]

Just stopping by to say hi anything new going on with the trip planning?