How bad will it be for me w/o 180d ADRs?

[Hot Lava]

So I still have no idea when exactly we might go. Even assuming my dad will be in good enough health (I am less sure now, but trying to be positive), trying to get my husband and my parents to decide on dates is like herding cats. I am pretty sure there is no way that I will have dates at the 180 day point for anytime in the fall.

Will we not be able to eat anywhere good? For example, will BoG be impossible?

It has been over 10 years since I have been to WDW, so I don't recall any of this that last time. We sort of just decided where to eat and went up the place at that time - or earlier that day - to get in.

So how bad will it be? And any tips, especially for once you are in the park?

Thanks!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

It really depends. Last year, I booked my Sept trip just less than 2 month in advance. I was able to get every restaurant I wanted ( I did have to make one a lunch reservation because dinner was booked up). BOG will most likely be booked solid for dinners however, always keep checking or go for lunch!

 

[Hot Lava]

I keep reading about all these ADRs and people getting them so early. In order not to stress myself out over this, I have been mostly trying to stay in denial about the whole thing.

Hopefully I can at least go to the Tambu Lounge and get some of these great drinks I have been hearing about (I don't think my dad would like dinner at Ohana ) .

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I keep reading about all these ADRs and people getting them so early. In order not to stress myself out over this, I have been mostly trying to stay in denial about the whole thing.

Hopefully I can at least go to the Tambu Lounge and get some of these great drinks I have been hearing about (I don't think my dad would like dinner at Ohana ) .

Always remember people cancel! And if you really want to eat somewhere swap dinners for lunches. Don't worry! Have a great trip!

 

[gregsanity]

If you can Dining reservations in advance or at the 180 are preferred especially for the top restaurants but that depends on the time you go. I was at WDW during Easter and had all my dining confirmed exactly 18p days prior to the trip which was back in October. I am going to WDW again in December with my wife's family and we will or shall I say I will be booking all the dining again 180 days prior to the trip. Even if you change your mind on something you have plenty of time to cancel and reserve something else. One of the great tools is the My Disney Experience App which can pull up all your reservations or you can even make reservations at the touch of the screen. I understand the conflicting circumstances you are in but even if you have an idea of when you are going it may be good to reserve anyway and always cancel if you change your dates or just see if you can move the reservation. Good luck!

 

[Stu bailey]

Master Yoda is 100% correct. I would book them 180 days out, try to "sell" the idea of the ressies to your fellow travelers and then cancel what you don't want.

 

[bubbles1812]

ADRs are still possible though availability will be somewhat contingent on the time of year you are going. I went in February with my mom, and we booked exactly one week out because I got some quite unexpected time off. So yes, booked just one week out. According to people on here, when it came to reservations, I was going to be up a creek without my paddles.

BUT! I still was able to make reservations at several Epcot restaurants and was honestly surprised at the amount there was available. I was able to book a character breakfast at Y&B no problem, Ohana, that restaurant inside Mexico (sorry blanking on its name), and even a wonderful dinner at the Rose and Crown during Illuminations. I will say you are probably looking at only doing the QS for BoG. Though depending on how far out you book, you might get lucky if you keep checking if someone drops a reservation. I don't think you'll have too many problems getting reservations though with the exception of maybe the absolute most popular restaurants. But hey, maybe that means you'll try some new places and that can be very fun.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

There are usually places that have dining. You most likely won't be stuck without a reservation. We've been down there before and have just randomly decided to change our reservation. You might not be able to get some of the more popular places (Teppan Edo for example) but you can always try. Be Our Guest you might not be able to get (actually, probably) as it runs out on the first day usually, but if you keep checking back, something may open up.

What you do NOT want to do is try to walk up. At least get on your computer, use your My Disney Experience app, or call dining to try to get a reservation. I've seen many people try to walk up and not be able to get in. You don't want to risk this. Just make sure you have something for every night and you should be fine.

BTW, this only applies for dinner. Breakfast and lunch are generally less crowded times (minus character dining) and you can usually get in. Even so, a reservation is a good idea.

Also, My Disney Experience is a great app, and if anyone in your group has a Smartphone, make sure you have it. You can make and cancel dining from it, check wait times, etc. And all of the parks have wifi, so you can tether your device to the wifi. iPod Touches also support the app.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

They are easier than prime time, but when it comes to the popular places is is kind of like having to shoot quarter vs a dime at 100 paces. The quarter will be easier, but still pretty hard.

exactly this ^^^, you can always do as @figmentfan423 suggested, as soon as your dates are finalized, call 407 WDW-DINE to see what's available. At the very least, you can always check with the Concierge Desk at your resort, to see what's available during your stay. You never know, there could be last minute cancellations. Best of luck and best wishes to your Dad

 

[gooftroop5]

We booked about 60 days out for our upcoming trip in June. I was able to get ADRs for almost all of the places we wanted. Of course BOG was booked. I have even been playing around with our ADRs for the past couple of days and there are still a lot of things open. I figured June would be booked solid, but it is not. You may have to be flexible with your time or even day, but book something and keep checking to see if something better opens up. Others could be doing the same thing as you and book something just to have it and change it later. Things open up all the time. I even make minor changes to our ADRs while at WDW. You never know what can happen. I just wouldn't stress over it.

 

[Hot Lava]

Master Yoda is 100% correct. I would book them 180 days out, try to "sell" the idea of the ressies to your fellow travelers and then cancel what you don't want.

HA! If you knew them, you would know that this will in no way incentivize them to get it together, planning wise.

Also, I am afraid my husband will want to wait until deals come out for out time period.

 

[rob0519]

So I still have no idea when exactly we might go. Even assuming my dad will be in good enough health (I am less sure now, but trying to be positive), trying to get my husband and my parents to decide on dates is like herding cats. I am pretty sure there is no way that I will have dates at the 180 day point for anytime in the fall.

Will we not be able to eat anywhere good? For example, will BoG be impossible?

It has been over 10 years since I have been to WDW, so I don't recall any of this that last time. We sort of just decided where to eat and went up the place at that time - or earlier that day - to get in.

So how bad will it be? And any tips, especially for once you are in the park?

Thanks!

Well, we booked last Tuesday for June 24-30. On the same call, I got ADRs at Ohana's for breakfast and Crystal Palace, Chef le France (or whatever it's called) and Liberty Tree Tavern.

BoG and Chef Mickey's were of course not available, but we'll keep trying and hope for a cancellation.

We've never made an ADR at the 180 day mark in over 20 trips and always were able to find something. Lately however, the increasing crowd level has made it more difficult.