[3DisneyDivas]

Okay- since so many of us are taking advantage of Free Dining & everything I have read so far leads me to believe that getting the ressies I want is going to be next to impossible, I thought maybe we could pool our brainpower & share some tips on the best strategy for getting the meals we want! Suggesstions?!?!
Of course having the Disney Dining number on speed-dial is probably helpful...being flexible in my dates & meal choice (B/L or D)
So let's here it- how do I get what I want?

[bethishooked]

Honestly, just be open to try new things if you can't get what you want. I always have a list of choices, so if I don't get one, I move on to the next, and so forth.

[MerlinMatt]

With the exception of the really exclusive places like CRT, if you call 90 days out, there really shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Sooo, tell us which ones you're nervous about. There are "tricks" for calling for CRT and some of the other really special ones.

[MickeyEars]

Originally Posted by bethishooked

Honestly, just be open to try new things if you can't get what you want. I always have a list of choices, so if I don't get one, I move on to the next, and so forth.

Great philosophy Beth...it's mine too!

[Goodegirl2007]

They let you book 90 days from the first day of your reservation (and I think you can book for your entire stay). So I would think you may run into some issues with your first few days overlapping with others that were able to book earlier because there first day was earlier (does this make sense???), anyway....I would think it may be easier to get the harder places towards the end of your vacation, because it will actually be more than 90 days out, so less overlapping.....

Forget it, I don't think I'm making sense...maybe someone else can explain it better....

Good luck, and I'm sure you will find some great places to eat.

[zoomaster]

Yeah My DW takes care of the ADR'S I know she has a list and get what she can and moves on from there. I am more laid back and I don't like a over structered vacation..I like to take it easy and just go with the flow..there is a lot of good places to eat there to let it ruin a trip if you can't get them all..get the ones you can and go with the flow and enjoy..

[MissDisney]

Divas -- Be on the phone with Disney at 7 a.m. on the right morning. Call ahead and have them confirm the morning you are supposed to call.

Are you arriving on a Friday or Saturday? Most people seem to arrive on those days, so they tend to book up the full week. If you arrive after that, the good times at the good places are often gone.

By that I mean, lots of people arrive on Saturday morning and will stay all week. Since they can book the whole trip's worth of ressies, they grab a lot of them before you are eligible to call if you are arriving on the following Tuesday, for instance.

That said, if you arrive mid-week and are staying into the next week, you have the jump on ressies for the following week since you're calling before the weekend arrivals.

It's just a theory of mine, and I have no idea if I am explaining it correctly.

[MissDisney]

LOL -- Goodegirl, we have the same philosophy and posted at the same time, I see! We are GENIUSES!

[MerlinMatt]

Originally Posted by MissDisney

LOL -- Goodegirl, we have the same philosophy and posted at the same time, I see! We are GENIUSES!

Ummmm... my mother always said that I shouldn't say anything unless I could say something nice.


"Something nice."

[AprilandtheKids]

I agree with the be flexible part. If you want one certain place and want one certain time, you may run out of luck, especially in the coming months when the free dining part kicks in. Have a list of backups, or be flexible with times. If you don't mind breakfast at 10:30 am or dinner at 4:15 pm(or 9:30 pm), you may have better chances. That being said, this upcoming trip, I'm pretty picky and it's either the two things I have in mind or bust lol. And we have to have it on one certain day because the friends we're taking with us have a dd that will be starting school that Monday, so they won't be able to join us if it's on a weekeday. And we owe them a character meal because the last trip they picked up the Storybook Princess breakfast for us, so we owe them...

[Mickey Mom]

Eat at "off" times!! This has been a policy of ours for quite a while and it works great. You are seated and fed quickly, and then you can take advantage of shorter line-ups for rides/attractions during peak dining hours while everyone else is eating!!

[asp8tis]

Originally Posted by MerlinMatt

With the exception of the really exclusive places like CRT, if you call 90 days out, there really shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Sooo, tell us which ones you're nervous about. There are "tricks" for calling for CRT and some of the other really special ones.

I called 90 days out at exactly 7:00 am Monday, was on hold for an hour, and then held my breath as I asked for CRT. I was able to get it on the day I wanted and the exact time I wanted without any problem. I was slightly shocked! I had a tougher time getting LeCellier (had to rearrange days) and getting Fantasmic dinner (had to take H & V because MM was booked solid). I agree that putting the harder to get ADR's toward the end of your stay will increase your odds of getting it. I was able to get Le Cellier for dinner on our last full day there, but it was booked a couple of days earlier.

[b1wife]

Originally Posted by Mickey Mom

Eat at "off" times!! This has been a policy of ours for quite a while and it works great. You are seated and fed quickly, and then you can take advantage of shorter line-ups for rides/attractions during peak dining hours while everyone else is eating!!

This is a strategy that we have also used. It also works well to help spread out the food. For example, if you get a late breakfast/early lunch as a TS, we seem to be full all day, so a CS around dinner time works well. Along the same lines, if we have a late lunch/early dinner TS, we can have an earlier breakfast CS and not be hungry during the bulk of the day, allowing us to do rides, etc, while others are dining.

This strategy is very useful if not on the Dining Plan, since getting the last breakfast seating is cheaper than the first lunch seating 30-60 minutes later, late lunch seating cheaper than dinner seatings, etc; but we still use it when we are on the dining plan and price isn't a factor...it just seems to work with our family.

Also, keep calling back AND make sure they know you are staying at an on-property resort. For our trip last August (I had a conference in Orlando for 3 days, then 4 days in the parks with my DH who tagged along), I had tried & tried, called many times to get Teppan Edo for dinner in our Epcot day with no luck. A couple of days before that, my DH was "exploring" different resorts while I was in meetings, and called from inside the BW from a lobby phone. Originally, the CM told him the same "sorry, nothing's available", but then she said "Oh, I see you are calling from the Boardwalk...I can get you in a seating during EMH at 9 pm." So, keep trying, even after you arrive. Call from your resort room and they may be able to help you.

[3DisneyDivas]

Originally Posted by MerlinMatt

With the exception of the really exclusive places like CRT, if you call 90 days out, there really shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Sooo, tell us which ones you're nervous about. There are "tricks" for calling for CRT and some of the other really special ones.

My 2 "must-dos" this trip are CRT & Mickey's Backyard BBQ. We've done CRT & my tiniest Diva (3) has to do that but we've never been able to get the BBQ & realllllyyyy want to try that.

[cjtownman]

I will give you this advice, call them over and over, and then when you are done, call them over and over again. I have gotten almost every reservation we have ever wanted this way. Yes, it will take you hours of effort, but it is fully worth it.