Too late for charcter meals?

[pantherlj]

I just decided this weekend that we need to take the girls on their first trip to Disney (DD 7 yr old still thinks Ariel is real, I want to take her while she still believes in the magic!)

I was thinking late Jan or early Feb time frame and quick math told me that it is less than 180 days away. Will I be able to get any character meals? I am not willing to commit to a date yet so can't call yet.

What will my chances be? Do I have to pay for the reservation when I call in to reserve? Do I get a refund if I cancel?

Is Ariel ever at a character meal (Obviously dressed in a dress, not fins )

 

[Aimeedyan]

You shouldn't have a problem except maybe if you want breakfast at the castle - but Ariel is not there, I don't think.

I know you can see her usually at Princess Storybook meals at Akershus in her gown. Check out http://www.allearsnet.com/din/cb.htm for the breakdown of all meals and characters.

For PSB, yes you have a credit card deposit. You can cancel 48 hours in advance, I believe, for full refund. There is not usually a deposit on meals except for PSB and CRT (castle) and dinner shows.

 

[kandmwedding]

Here's some info about character meals. Since Disney doesn't charge for a reservation (with the exception of a meal at Cinderella's Royal Table) I'd book a couple meals now, then cancel the ones you don't want as you finalize your plans
.

 

[gbrogers]

You are picking a low crowd time of year to go. I don't think you will have too hard of time getting ADRs. In terms of character meals, CRT is the one that is hardest to get. PSB is a very viable substitute.

Unless you are on the DDP, they will charge your credit card upfront for CRT. There is a 24 hour cancelation policy so as long as you cancel 24 hours ahead of the ressie, you will get a full refund. If you are on the DDP, they ask for a cc to hold the ressie.

I think Ariel is pretty much confined to her grotto. I haven't seen a meal that claims that she might attend.

 

[PrincessAlways]

You might be able to get an ADR at Akershus in Norway. That's the only character meal where Ariel appears. We had a breakfast there last May & when you arrived, you could have your picture taken with Belle near the entrance. The other princesses went around to the tables. When we were leaving, Ariel (in her ball gown) had replaced Belle & my 3 nieces wanted to have a picture taken with her. The CM said she was there for the lunch reservations. He was nice enough to give us a sticker & said that we could come back after the lunch crowd (around 2PM), hand in the sticker & visit with Ariel. We went back, he wasn't there, nobody knew of that arrangement, & other people came back with stickers, but they DID let the girls have their pictures taken, etc.

Only warning about lunch would be not to do it if you have fussy eaters. Breakfast is a safe bet!

We did not have to pay when making the ADR. I think the only time you have to pay at that time is for CRT.

 

[Parkers_girl]

I live about 2 hours from the world, and we never plan our trips. We just wake up in the morning and decide, hey lets go! So we NEVER make adr's. We just show up and we almost always get seated within 20 minutes. We can be outside the restaurant, call disney dining and ask for adr in an hour, they'll say oh no sorry, all booked. We'll walk inside and get seated rather quickly. It may not be what you want to do, if you want to stick on the safe side. But it wouldn't hurt to just walk up to one of the restaurants you aren't able to book.