Is there a place which lists which ADRs are hardest to get at 180 days, 180+1, etc?
Put another way, is securing ADRs at 180 days as cutthroat as it is for getting FPs?
IMO, no except for a few places. California Grill and Storybook dining are the only ADRās Iāve had trouble getting and/or modifying once I got them. Maybe V&A and the new place in Japan, but no personal experience with those.
I go to CRT almost every trip. Getting the exact time I need can be really challenging if I donāt grab it right at 180 days.
Iāve also had issues getting Sci-Fi Diner
Not booking at 180+ days but booking a bit closer (maybe 150-120 days out), Iāve had trouble getting/modifying Sci Fi. Maybe b/c itās small, and HS dining is not all that great. Res finder worked for my second trip where I couldnāt originally get it at exact time I wanted.
V&A Chefās will not be available at 180, and the Victoria room will probably be fully booked as well. Not sure how far out you need to āplusā it, but I got it at +10, calling at 10:00 on the dot.
Itās like FP in that there are a few very difficult ones that are hard to get even at 180 days (eg CRT, Artist Point), some moderately difficult ones (eg Cali Grill, Chef Mickeyās) and some easy ones. Itās different from FP in that itās easier to find decent (though not perfect) substitutes for things you canāt get (eg Akershus instead of CRT; Tusker House instead of Chef Mickeyās). There really isnāt a decent substitute for FOP or SDD FP if you canāt get them. But itās also different in that you have less options for ADRs that you canāt book ā¦ eg, it doesnāt help to RD a restaurant or head there right before park close.
Also, res finder on TP is a great help for finding what you initially miss out on. There is not an equivalent tool for FP on TP.
Iām guessing the places we are choosing arenāt going to be the most difficult except, perhaps, Space 220. Iām going to try to get that one before anything else at possibly 180+7 or 180+8 days.
Since our December trip is more about relaxing, seeing the Christmas decor, trying Table Service places (which we never do) and basically just doing FPs and not worrying about much else, I can be quite flexible in the timing of most places. But, since I have no experience with doing ADRs, other than Rain Forest Cafe we did in 2016, Iām not sure how much preparation will be needed to get what we want.
I canāt find any dinner reservation for Disney Polynesian Ohana restaurant beginning of March. Any tricks to get one?
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Ohana has been one of the hardest for me to consistently get too. I usually have had to book at 180+4 or so. Try the reservation finder though. It really does work.
One thing I have found to be pretty predictable is that reservations open up the day before, as people start cancelling to avoid the 24 hour cancellation penalty. You just have to check constantly on the app til you find one. I know thatās kinda risky though.
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Did you sign up for TPās res finder?
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I have seen a lot of this too. Chef Mickeyās booked up well in advance of out last trip, but I saw many available res a day or two in advance.
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nope, will do right now. thank you
I think if you are looking for a PPO breakfast at BOG, CRT, or Akershus, those can be already taken at 180 days. Other difficult ones are breakfast at Trattoria al Forno, dinner at Artist Point or Victoria and Alberts, and Ohana. Fireworks times at California Grill or any WS eateries would also be a top priority grab for me. I agree about Space 220, too.
Overall though, donāt stress too much since the Reservation Finder has always come through for me, even if you have to wait until a week before. Itās the BEST. I always have a detailed list for booking at 180, then end up making major changes as the months pass, anyway.
Also, I highly recommend the FOLK tier 1 package based on your trip description. Great dining at Tiffins, easy front row seating at FOLK, and then youāre guided over to KS. Itās nice to have those things scheduled and still have 3 FP for the rest of the day.
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Ohana for dinner (havenāt tried breakfast) has often been a challenge. On our last trip, we could only get it before 5 pm or after 9 pm for about 180+5. The reservation finder turned up a 5:00 ADR twice but I wasnāt able to snag it in time.
However, for our trip in March, our travel agent got us a reservation for 6 people at 5:30 on our arrival day! So, anything can happen.
ETA: Of course we were booking ADRs at 180 days not 60. Just booked my fastpasses and have 60 days stuck in my brain!
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For some restaurants it can beāV&A and CG brunch are difficult. Oddly, I secured both of those (along with Storybook and āOhana) with no problem but couldnāt get Homecominā (and that was 185 days essentially).
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Biggest problems in the past were BOG and CRT, but I get the impression those arenāt so bad now (I didnāt go there last trip so I donāt know). The biggest problem I had on our recent trip was Snow White at AP. I got a late night slot then kept modifying it until I got a decent one several months later. I did also have trouble with Sci Fi, although I did manage to get it in 3 groups of 2 for our group of 6. Luckily they did manage to seat us together, but we knew it wasnāt guaranteed. I kept trying for a table for 6 for that all the way up until the day we dined and ever saw any availability for a large group. I assume of course b/c of SWGE.
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As people get closer to their travel dates and their plans firm up, they start dumping ADRs! Iām one of those. For our December trip, I was holding ADRs at two different times for CA Grill, Story Book Dining, and Homecomin each night I was considering those restaurants. I was also holding reservations for those restaurants on several different nights, too! So, you can see how reservations open up as people get closer to travel dates but we just donāt know at 180+ days!
And even up to the day before or day of, plans change. I had to cancel my final CA Grill reservation 24 hours before because we were going to the rocket launch at KSC and then spending the day at KSC. I was immediately able to snag another CA Grill reservation for 5 days later on my own.
Reservation Finder never worked for me. I was always too late to snag the opening but that didnāt stop me from activating the search continuously.
I was able to get a PPO at BOG for 8:10 AM at 180 days + 6 hours.
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I didnāt find it hard to get ADRs at 180 days. The problem I had was that I rearranged all fo the dining reservations once I got the FPs. I wasnāt able to get my preferred dates and times for the FPs so I had to move our park days around. I used Reservation Finder to change them since it was only 60 days out. Reservation Finder is great, but you need to watch your phone all the time. I missed a few Artist Point reservations by 5-10 minutes. Other times the dining time was too late for our kids. I eventually got it (when it texted me at 1:30 a.m. one night) at about 30 days before our trip. We got all the restaurants we wanted at our preferred times. A lot of modifying and constantly checking.
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Chiming in late
For first week of September 2019 I needed Snow White/Artist Point, Ohanas and Sci Fi Dine In at certain times on specific days. Never did get them - even with the reservation finder.
Skipped the first 2 altogether and made Sci Fi work another day/ time. I did see the day and time for Snow White at 180 days but hadnāt decided for sure so didnāt jump on it. Oops.
For first week of July 2018 never did get breakfast at Trattorio al Forno. Res finder was no help. Again, late choice.
In the last few years Iāve noticed other restaurants- like Sci Fi - becoming difficult. And while Iām looking for certain times, CRT is apt to show up. I wonder if itās not as popular as it used to be.
Definitely try to decide on your must do reservations prior to 180 days. And donāt sleep in.
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