September dining reservations...I need help understanding the process.

[Mark48]

I have back to back DVC rental reservations ( 3 days then 7 days ) starting September 15. Under the new 60 day policy will I be able to make Adr's for the length of my combined stay starting at the 60 day mark of my arrival date? Also, any advice on the success rate doing this online vs calling would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[Tuvalu]

It depends. I have not been able to book all my ADRs at Day 60 on a split stay, along with many others who post here. However I have read of a few who did have success.

I book online since it opens at 6 am vs. 7 am for calling Disney Dining. Wait times to speak with CMs are currently lengthy due to short staffing.

I have booked for parties of 2 through 7 several times since the parks reopened and have always gotten the ADRs I want. YMMV.

 

[ilovelabs2021]

I have back to back DVC rental reservations ( 3 days then 7 days ) starting September 15. Under the new 60 day policy will I be able to make Adr's for the length of my combined stay starting at the 60 day mark of my arrival date? Also, any advice on the success rate doing this online vs calling would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

I would not call. The phone lines open up at 7 am EST, and you can start making reservations at 6 am EST online, so that is the way to go as many places could be booked by 7. Also the wait times for people to get to talk to a CM have been nuts. Since you are doing a split stay, you will have two 60 day marks and will be able to book for your length of stay for each reservation at the 60 day mark for each.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I have had several split stays. At one point (maybe about 8-10 years ago), it would just open 180+10, regardless of dates I had booked. Some point, when they changed the website, that +10 was reprogrammed to length of stay. Since then, I have only to book for length of stay. I tested it after the 60 day change, because I wasn't sure if we might extend our last trip and was contemplating a couple of ADRs just in case. Nope...I couldn't access anything beyond my checkout date when I hit that 60 day mark. I know some people have had luck booking beyond their length of stay, but that hasn't been my experience.

As for phone vs. online...always online. You give yourself a 1 hour edge on people waiting on the phones if you do it online. I also think it's significantly faster to do it online. I only look to the phone if there's a problem with the website or a specific ADR, but most times, if there's really a problem...they're also experiencing that problem.

 

[Mark48]

It depends. I have not been able to book all my ADRs at Day 60 on a split stay, along with many others who post here. However I have read of a few who did have success.

I book online since it opens at 6 am vs. 7 am for calling Disney Dining. Wait times to speak with CMs are currently lengthy due to short staffing.

I have booked for parties of 2 through 7 several times since the parks reopened and have always gotten the ADRs I want. YMMV.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[crawale]

I have back to back DVC rental reservations ( 3 days then 7 days ) starting September 15. Under the new 60 day policy will I be able to make Adr's for the length of my combined stay starting at the 60 day mark of my arrival date? Also, any advice on the success rate doing this online vs calling would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

I have a 12 day stay at one resort and then a 3 day stay at a different resort. On day 60 I could book 10 of the 12 days and then had to book each extra day one a day until I had the 12. However I had to wait until it was day 60 for the 3 days before I could book any of them. I believe since each reservation has a different number this would be your case. On the up side I can get a length of stay mug valid for the entire stay even though it is split between different resorts.

 

[Mark48]

I have had several split stays. At one point (maybe about 8-10 years ago), it would just open 180+10, regardless of dates I had booked. Some point, when they changed the website, that +10 was reprogrammed to length of stay. Since then, I have only to book for length of stay. I tested it after the 60 day change, because I wasn't sure if we might extend our last trip and was contemplating a couple of ADRs just in case. Nope...I couldn't access anything beyond my checkout date when I hit that 60 day mark. I know some people have had luck booking beyond their length of stay, but that hasn't been my experience.

As for phone vs. online...always online. You give yourself a 1 hour edge on people waiting on the phones if you do it online. I also think it's significantly faster to do it online. I only look to the phone if there's a problem with the website or a specific ADR, but most times, if there's really a problem...they're also experiencing that problem.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[MickeyCB]

Prior to Covid if you were a DVC member with a split stay you could book your first stays dining reservations (however many days that was up to 10 I think), at the 180 day mark. Then you could get on the phone same day when the lines opened and the CM could manually help you book the rest of your days.
I think due to how short handed they are they aren't offering this any longer but if you are able to speak to a DVC CM they might be able to help you.
Also, I am not certain if you are a renter vs an owner if they can or will be willing to help you. It doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[disneyfanmom]

Thanks for posting! We also check in on Sept. 15th for split stay (7 nights/3 nights) DVC rentals, and I came here wondering the same thing! In the old days, we could book +10 regardless of checkout, but I know things had changed by our last visit. ADRs are snatched up MUCH faster these days, so this makes the last few ADRs (and the first!) super tricky. I'm hoping more restaurants open before then which might lead to cancelations and more slots opening up. Have a magical stay!

 

[Mark48]

Quick note for all who helped me by posting here......Thank You !!!!!

 

[Weather_Lady]

Definitely go online rather than through the phone, but be prepared for some glitching!

Today was my ADR day and I was poised and ready at 6am on the home desktop, with the app opened on my phone for backup. The only difficult ADR we wanted was lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater on day 4 of our trip. Right at 6am, I saw an 11:30am opening there and clicked on it. It took no less than 3 or 4 whole minutes to make that one ADR -- first, the website was crashing repeatedly and taking me back to the beginning. I switched to the phone, and found that the app was equally glitchy, and was repeatedly signing me out, etc.

I finally got it done -- meaning the glitches must have been universal, otherwise someone else would have grabbed that ADR in the meantime -- but it was way harder than it needed to be! Also, the fact that it was so hard to find a time for an ADR 4 days into our trip suggests to me that restaurant capacity hasn't been increased much, if at all, from COVID-restricted lows.