Hello from Australia! Ok so my first trip to WDD isn’t until October but I’m in full planning mode now! I was hoping to get a few things clarified:
I’ve read ADR’s can be made 180days in advanced, 7am Orlando time via phone or 6am online. Does this 6am window also include booking through the Disney Experience phone app?
Also when are magic hours released and the days for the Halloween party?
TIA for any help!!
I can help with one aspect of that.
I, too, am going in October. My last trip the phone app was WAY too unstable for me to try to make ADRs on it.
Halloween party days won’t be released until sometime this summer BUT when I look at my TP Dashboard, the crowd calendar lists theoretical Party days. There is a definite pattern and @len and the folks project those days on the calendar.
EMH are also on there but I have found that those things get so wibbly-wobbly around holiday seasons/events like Food and Wine that I wait until August/September to start planning on those.
In summary, don’t know about the app. I stick with the website and the phone. MNSSHP and EMH are projected on the crowd calendar for October but don’t become more firm until later this year.
Hope that helps!!
Thanks for the reply!
I’d really like to have breakfast at MK before the park opens so my understaning is I need to choose a day that hasn’t got the early Magic hours. But they don’t release that information til after the 180 day mark? I’m so confused how people perfectly plan their park days, ADRs, fp+ ect!? Is it just by luck or a “cross your fingers and hope it all works out” strategy??
There are some ADR masters here but I have always just had to close my eyes and pray. The official calendar should be out about the same time that ADRs open up but EMH won’t be firm for quite a while. And, depending on the crowds and when in October I’ve gone, I’ve seen them shift EMH around the week before i.e. the week of October 1st the schedule adds EMH on October 10th, 12 and 14th.
What you can try is make, say, Crystal Palace reservations for all of your MK days and then immediately cancel the ones you don’t want when EMH are released. Not my favorite option. Seems like I’m cheating other Liners out of their shot. But it is do-able.
I’ve used the App to book ADR’s, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it/not sure if you can do it for more than one at a time. (It’s easier for me to refresh/refresh/refresh on-the-go via the App… 
) For your 180-day booking, definitely use the PC with browser.
They usually release the operating hours before the 180 days. Worst (I think) is if you’re travelling at the beginning of a month, because they release an entire month at a time. The travel agent site is:
http://media.disneywebcontent.com/staticfiles/parkhours/wdwtravelagent_july.pdf
Latest updated one is July, and I’d expect they’ll release the august one next week. You just change the month name in the URL to get another one (e.g. http://media.disneywebcontent.com/staticfiles/parkhours/wdwtravelagent_august.pdf)
They leave the 2014 calendar up until the 2015 one is loaded (which is what I’m tentatively using for my September trip… hopefully it’s close enough fingers crossed!)
Thanks guys! Appreciate the info 
Hi Aussie! Another Aussie here! 
I’ve just made my adrs not long ago and still in process of changing and switching
I’d say use the website dashboard at 6am and phone through any others you have trouble with when the phones open.
The phone app didn’t like my Australian phone number whereas the Dashboard lets you put the + in for international.
Also it didn’t open up my full 10 days at 180 so I did have to phone and I did them all that way with a CM.
Do you have Skype? Best way to call without it costing dollars.
Hope you get what you want!!
Edit. Times above refer to their eastern time. Obviously our time will be diff. For me atm it’s 10pm to reserve. Also you can practice now just enter any date with 180 from today.
Thanks for the advice fellow Aussie!!
I’ve just realised Unfortunately my 180 day window opens on Easter and we will be camping!! Hopefully there’ll be some times left when we get back but I’ll be happy with whatever we can get!
Enjoy the rest of your planning and of course the trip itself, the planning seems like half the fun for me so far!!