What the chances

[ariel68]

We will get a reservation for CRT during our upcoming trip to MK.

We are staying offsite for 10 days from Aug 27th to Sept 6, 2014 so have a 10 day window in which to book as we don't have any specific dates planned for park visits as of yet. We were to be going on a Dream Cruise, but have opted to cancel our cruise this time around and spend the extra time in Orlando instead. So as a surprise for my DGD (then 5) I am wanting to book at CRT (to make up for her missing out on her trip on "Mickey Mouse's Boat")

Any tips from anyone who has stayed offsite, yet has had success in booking at the 180 day mark would be appreciated. This experience would make my DGD's trip, so thank you in advance

 

[purple figment]

It's true that you will have to wait until 180 days before the day you want to dine at a Disney restaurant because you are offsite. Whether you'll be able to get a reservation on exactly the 180th day there's no way of knowing. If you can't get the res on that day, you'll have from then until your trip to keep checking online to see if a cancellation comes up. Since CRT is a fully prepaid meal people will cancel when their plans change because they'll want their money back. It will be a matter of being online checking at the same time a cancellation goes back into the reservation system. Just be persistent.

 

[mickeynut1]

We will get a reservation for CRT during our upcoming trip to MK.

We are staying offsite for 10 days from Aug 27th to Sept 6, 2014 so have a 10 day window in which to book as we don't have any specific dates planned for park visits as of yet. We were to be going on a Dream Cruise, but have opted to cancel our cruise this time around and spend the extra time in Orlando instead. So as a surprise for my DGD (then 5) I am wanting to book at CRT (to make up for her missing out on her trip on "Mickey Mouse's Boat")

Any tips from anyone who has stayed offsite, yet has had success in booking at the 180 day mark would be appreciated. This experience would make my DGD's trip, so thank you in advance

I agree with the pp that if you aren't able to get CRT at the 180 day mark, keep checking every day multiple times a day as people cancel all the time and you never know if/when something might become available. Good luck.

 

[ariel68]

I signed onto Disney site last night to make sure I was all ready to book our CRT reservation this morning, only to have our internet crash. Very relieved to see it come back on after a couple of hours, so off I went to bed, alarm set to be up and at it bright and early to book as soon as the window opened. Alarm goes off at 4:45, walk over to the computer only to discover it was down again

Sheer panic immediately set in as I realized that I didn't have the number to call for phone reservations written down anywhere (duh not that I don't have the 407-W-Disney number emblazoned in my brain, but in my panic my entire mind went completely blank )

Then it came to me...where was our Disney Planning Video? We have watched it with my GD only a 1000 times or so, since first booking our vacation over a yr ago...it has to be somewhere, but where.... After a frantic search I found it just before the phone lines were set to open, and with a sigh of relief, I dialed the number anticipating an excruciatingly long wait (and expected disappointment of not being able to secure a reservation at all). Much to my surprise, my call was answered immediately by someone I can only say has become my new hero (Thank you Nicole ). She was able to get us booked into CRT at the exact time and date we requested, as well provided us with the info we need to add the Princess pkg. to our reservation.

Although my DGD turns 5 (a month earlier) at the end of July, we are planning to celebrate while at WDW, and I can guarantee, our date with Cinderella will be the highlight of her entire vacation. She is absolutely obsessed with just seeing Cinderella's Castle, and I can't wait to see how excited she will be once we surprise her with Breakfast with her favorite Princesses