Best strategies to get a dining reservation--online or over the phone booking?

[mdcpr]

In 14 days I need to make my dining reservations--the 180 day window is almost here. What is the best way to do this? Through the online tool or calling in?

For example, I would like to get a reservation to Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Table. I'm totally flexible with dates and times. Is it easier to call in and ask for anything available? It seems that with the tool I need to play around with the dates and times and looks like an lengthier process.

Thank you!

 

[Tuvalu]

You can book your ADRs on the website or app at 6 am EST on Day 180.
If you call you need to wait until 7 am EST and might have a long wait to speak to a CM.

I find the website easier when booking my entire stay, and use the app to change/modify or add a new reservation.

 

[ppet]

I prefer the website with the exception of party size. If you have a large party (8+) then you will sometimes have to call the restaurant directly. I just did this for Yak and yeti. We had a party of 8 and had to call them directly. We were also having trouble booking a party of 8 at Chef's De France, but my wife called WDW-dine and they were able to work it out quickly.

 

[Hockey89]

I always use the website and you can do it easier than the phone... It is pretty easy.

 

[zeebs758]

I find the website easiest to use on the day of your booking. I usually only call when I'm on my trip and I am looking for something spontaneously.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I use the website (simply because my computer is faster than my phone at processing; the app works well though, if that's your preference) and am making ADRs at the dot of 7am EST, at the 180-day mark. I start with the ones that are tougher to get, and then move down the list. I also try to schedule the potentially hard-to-get ADRs toward the end of the trip, as those dates will naturally have more availability.

If I am absolutely unable to get an ADR for the date/time/party size I need, I call when the phone lines open and see if something can be done.

So far, the only times I haven't been able to get an ADR via the website at 180 days, here's what happened (just to encourage you that it usually does work out in the end - YMMV):

- Arrival date was fully booked at Raglan Road. Since it's an independently-owned Disney Springs restaurant that only reserves part of its space for Disney ADRs, I just visited the restaurant's external website and made a reservation there. (This is an available workaround at a number of restaurants especially at Disney Springs. Also, at the Landry's restaurants, which are Yak & Yeti, Rainforest Cafe and T-REX, you can join their rewards club ahead of time, which entitles you to priority seating without any need for an ADR.)

- There was a website glitch one day that wouldn't allow me to make ADRs past my arrival date, even though we were staying onsite. Although at 7am there was availability at CRT for my party of 6 on my daughter's birthday, the website wouldn't let me book it, so by the time 8am rolled around, the website was showing no availability for a table of 6. I called the WDW Dining line to confirm that was the case (it was - I cried - not my finest moment) but the CM explained that she could make a reservation for our party at "split" tables (one for 2 and one for 4) instead, with the hope that we could at least be seated at adjacent tables. On arrival, they were able to seat us together at one table anyway. Crisis averted.

- Hoop-Dee-Doo was totally booked on our desired day, and the only available dinnertime at 'Ohana on our desired date was 2 hours earlier than we wanted. I set up requests using the touringplans.com "Reservation Finder" tool, and eventually -- weeks later, after missing a few opportunities by not clicking fast enough when the tool notified me of an opening -- was able to book Hoop-Dee-Doo, as well as get a more attractive dinnertime at 'Ohana.

 

[mdcpr]

I use the website (simply because my computer is faster than my phone at processing; the app works well though, if that's your preference) and am making ADRs at the dot of 7am EST, at the 180-day mark. I start with the ones that are tougher to get, and then move down the list. I also try to schedule the potentially hard-to-get ADRs toward the end of the trip, as those dates will naturally have more availability.

If I am absolutely unable to get an ADR for the date/time/party size I need, I call when the phone lines open and see if something can be done.

So far, the only times I haven't been able to get an ADR via the website at 180 days, here's what happened (just to encourage you that it usually does work out in the end - YMMV):

- Arrival date was fully booked at Raglan Road. Since it's an independently-owned Disney Springs restaurant that only reserves part of its space for Disney ADRs, I just visited the restaurant's external website and made a reservation there. (This is an available workaround at a number of restaurants especially at Disney Springs. Also, at the Landry's restaurants, which are Yak & Yeti, Rainforest Cafe and T-REX, you can join their rewards club ahead of time, which entitles you to priority seating without any need for an ADR.)

- There was a website glitch one day that wouldn't allow me to make ADRs past my arrival date, even though we were staying onsite. Although at 7am there was availability at CRT for my party of 6 on my daughter's birthday, the website wouldn't let me book it, so by the time 8am rolled around, the website was showing no availability for a table of 6. I called the WDW Dining line and made a reservation for our party at "split" tables (one for 2 and one for 4) instead. On arrival, they were able to seat us together anyway. Crisis averted.

- Hoop-Dee-Doo was totally booked on our desired day, and the only available dinnertime at 'Ohana on our desired date was 2 hours earlier than we wanted. I set up requests using the touringplans.com "Reservation Finder" tool, and eventually -- weeks later, after missing a few opportunities by not clicking fast enough when the tool notified me of an opening -- was able to book Hoop-Dee-Doo, as well as get a more attractive dinnertime at 'Ohana.

You always give the BEST advice. Thank you.

 

[Weather_Lady]

You always give the BEST advice. Thank you.

LOL - except when I'm wrong - which happens a lot. Thankfully, people here are pretty gentle in their corrections.

 

[gobstoper27]

I did a mix of 3 methods this morning. My computer for My Dis Experience, the App, and Calling the restaurant directly. It's weird how some restaurants don't let you make reservations that far in advance. We tried to book for ESPN club in November, But the date we need was not showing up. I prefer to use the website, I find it easier to search..except for this morning when I'd get to the last step in the process it kept failing on me. I go to call disney dining @ 7AM sharp and the whole 15 minutes I was on hold I was able to figure it out myself. I tried to reserve the Boathouse for Nov 16 but they had no available after 4:30. Then I tried opentable.com but Boathouse doesn't reserve that far in advance via online....BUMMER!! I was able to call the Boathouse directly and to my surprise they got me in!! For 8 people!! It really depends I guess I learned of a quirk this morning to. If you make a reservation for half of your planing party and try to make a reservation for the other half at the same time, they will conflict. I tried to do this as the paddlefish was not allowing me to reserve for 8.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Website definitely is the way to go. But I suggest you go on a few days before and play around to get yourself comfortable with going through the routine. Being familiar with the process will allow you to be faster and smoother on the keyboard when you are competing with everyone else thats gotten up and logs on at the stroke of 6am trying to beat you out for the best sites and times.

 

[DisAl]

1 - Go online with MDE as soon as the reservation system opens on day 180. (Can't remember if that is 6:00 or 7:00 EST....)

2 - Book the most important to you / hardest to get FIRST even if it is not the earliest calendar date. We decide which day for which park after we make our reservations since that gives us more flexibility for dining reservations.

3 - If you don't get what you need online then try calling either the WDW dining reservations line or the restaurant directly.

4 - Use the Theme Park Tourist reservation finder. It will keep checking but you have to respond quickly because a lot of people may be watching for the same thing.

5 - Keep checking every day, several times a day if you can.

6 - If you have the flexibility keep checking AND calling the restaurant every day when you get to WDW. There are often day before or day of cancellations. We were able to pick up a reservation at a signature in Epcot just 3 hours before our desired time.

7 - And last, don't hesitate to walk up to the restaurant and ask if they possibly have any cancellations.