Why is it so hard to get ADR's

[daisypaisyduck]

This is my first post. I went to Disney last September for free dining. It was my first trip and I really had no clue about the urgency for making reservations. I went the first week of September after labour day.

I picked restaurants a few at a time and would call back to change or add ressies right up til about a week before we went. I just want this trip for my family to be perfect.
I'm going again from Sept 10-20 and I'm getting nervous about getting everything I want. Was it always this crazy? Maybe I was just lucky to get exactly what I wanted last year.

Is it because August is a very busy month for Disney? I'm worried!

 

[soupy11]

This is my first post. I went to Disney last September for free dining. It was my first trip and I really had no clue about the urgency for making reservations. I went the first week of September after labour day.

I picked restaurants a few at a time and would call back to change or add ressies right up til about a week before we went. I just want this trip for my family to be perfect.
I'm going again from Sept 10-20 and I'm getting nervous about getting everything I want. Was it always this crazy? Maybe I was just lucky to get exactly what I wanted last year.

Is it because August is a very busy month for Disney? I'm worried!

I would make a prediction that September would be less busy than August and you should be able to make out pretty well. I think the perfect storm analogy holds up to the weight and explains what is happening here. The computer system is wonky, free dining is causing an influx of vacationers, and the 180 day window has been shortened to 90 days. This has lead to a sense of panic on the internet!

 

[mdelano4]

I had the same experience when I first started doing ADRs. We almost always go in late August. Last year went spring break and chalked problems getting ressies to the busy time.

Made my ressies two days ago and had to do it in 3 different sessions because of problems with their computer system and a cast member who wasn't too knowledgable.

It seems to me the 90 day time (as opposed to the previous 180 days) and their new computer system is gumming up the works. From what I recall, the system crashed the first day it went into use and it hasn't gotten much better.

All that being said, you should be ok going in September, it's much less crowded than summer.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

It has more to do with what you want. I never have any problems getting what I want, but I don't want princesses or Cali grill or Chef Mickey and I'm happy with lunch at Le Cel. PTC is my fave, and sometimes I don't get the time I want, but I can deal. I always book Donald's breakfast first, but never gotten after 8:20 and that was because I changed the number 45 days out. WCC, CMCB, LTT, and Biergarten are easy gets. Unless you want to eat with Cindy you should be fine.

 

[Planogirl]

Free dining is the major culprit in my opinion. September should be better hopefully.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I was able to get the restaurants and times (plus or minus twenty minutes) we wanted this year. I was also able to call and add two more ADR's on to our list, a couple of days later. Even two days later, I had a choice of locations at the time I was asking for. However, we did not have our hearts set on Le Cellier, Ohanas or a Fantasmic Package. If we really, really wanted one or all of those, I am not sure if we would have felt as successful.

The biggest issue I see is actually that many of the CM's are having problems with the new system. It seems that people are being told restaurants are full when they are not, or times are not available when they are. If something does not seem right, ask for more specific times to be looked up, or if need be hang up and call again.

If you have no luck that day, call the next. I know that I was told that the earliest ADR at CP was at 8:20am for the day I wanted. I took that and am fine with it. I do know that other people got it for 8:10am after I was told 8:20am was the earliest, days after I booked my ADR's. So either they released more tables days later, or it's a quirk in the system when the CM's check for availabliltiy. I have no idea what it is, but it does go to show that even though you may not get what you are looking for the first time, you may be able to get it eventually.

Good luck!

 

[aubriee]

Free dining is the major culprit in my opinion. September should be better hopefully.

Free dining is during the entire month of Sept also.

This will be the fifth year I've gone in Sept for free dining. It seems like every year it's getting more and more crowded. The parks will still have the lowest attendance of the year, but the TS restaurants are more and more packed. Granted we do want some of the more popular ADRs like Le Cellier and the Fantasmic pkg, so that makes it worse.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's the thing...Disney offers free dining at times when the crowds are down. They want guests in those rooms. But...when they offer free dining in mid-August, you will find there to be a 'feeding frenzy' for those first two weeks. Why? Because there are families trying to squeeze in a last trip before school starts. I was there for Labor Day weekend last year, as well as the last weekend in Sept...free dining times. I had no issues at all with making my ADRs...either time.
But, with the number of people heading down for the start of free dining on Aug 16...well, that made for a huge number of people calling last week. And the second week of free dining ADR planning starts this week. You will see a real drop in the craziness in a week or so.
Stop worrying about Sept ADRs....shouldn't be an issue.

 

[daisypaisyduck]

Thanks for all your input guys,

I feel alot more calm now.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I have had luck calling in the evening around 7:00pm. Got through in 2 minutes and made a ressie for June 24th at EPCOT for dinner and one for August 23rd for breakfast. There are still ADRs to me made just if you want the most popular CRT, LeCellar, CM it will be tougher and you must call at the 90 day mark. For the less popular ones you will be fine. Heck I was less than 30 days from my June vacation and just decided to add the meal plan and still got ressies.

Everyboday relax.

 

[disneygirlsanddrew]

Me too! We are also going in September and I was getting worried after reading everyone's experiences on here!

 

[MomofCKJ]

My 90 Window opened yesterday and I got all I wanted for our August trip during Free Dining (1900 PF, Crystal Palace, Kona, Sci Fi) except we can't get Cali Grill for dinner the night we wanted. I tried again today, they say it is all booked. I'll keep trying. It is where my dd wanted to go for her bday dinner and we really don't want to move a million things around to try for a different night. We really want it to be that night. Might just need to find a different signature restaurant this time around.

Allyson

 

[rogattdm]

You made mefeel a lot better about my upcoming ADR's. Traveling Sept 19-26. I was pretty confident until reading this board and seeing all those people going in August having a terrible time. I have been stressing, but after reading your post, I have calmed down a bit. Still nervous about calling; any suggestions about how to ask for different times and restaurants? Do I ask for a specfic time or just say "any time for dinner or any time for lunch"? What other information do I need when calling besides my itinerary/restaurant wish list? Confirmation number? Adults, children? Thanks! Very new at this - 1st Disney vacation in over 15 years!

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

if at first you dont succeed try and try again lol

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

I went for the free dining back in 2005 and it was one of the best decisions I made. It was not really crowded in the parks...and we really enjoyed all of our free dining! Because free dining is just that..free...there is more urgency to take advantage of that and I think that is why i is so difficult to get a ressie. Now, my family and I planned a last minute trip over 4th of July weekend coming up and we didnt make our reservations until late...and we still got everything we wanted.