CRT ADRs, any hope??

[as143ks]

Hi all,
Okay so I am sort in a pickle. We are going in Jan and long story short, of the 8 of us ony 6 were made reservations at CRT. The whole plan was for our girls to get makeovers at BBB and then dinner. My travel agent wasn't too concerned, I told her that I had heard that they were doing away with those dining apps but she said not to worry that she had been able to get reservations with no problem and not to go into panic mode until about a week before. Well she has just informed me that they shut down her app and I should get into panic mode, NOW! I really don't know what to do? She suggested I go to the restaurant the day of and ask but what if they won't let us add the extra people on? The whole point was for our girls to have this magical dinner and I don't even know if it will even happen (the two that aren't on the reservation is my sister and niece.) Any suggestions? I will be checking all the time for cancelations but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions or hopeful stories. Thanks.

 

[Tonberry]

It was pretty unprofessional of your travel agent to rely on an app to do her job for her. Which is a shame because most travel agents that I know and have dealt with don't operate that way.
You need to sit down with her and find out what she can do to solve this. She should also be calling, logging-in, and checking multiple times every single day to get all of you in.
Unfortunately, with having a travel agent book everything for you, you have no control over your own reservations. Your only pre-trip option is to check yourself, and if you see something open up, give her a call asap (make sure you get a direct line to her like to her own personal cell phone!).

If no times open up and it's time for your trip, you should head over to your resorts concierge desk as soon as you check in. They may be able to help.
If that doesn't work, heading to CRT on the day of your ADR is your last resort. Sometimes they have an opening, or a no-show and can fit the extra people in. Other times, they will only honor your original ADR of 6 and turn the other 2 away. They've become very strict on this policy.

I wish I had better news for you. But don't think it's hopeless because it's not. On my last trip 2 years ago, CRT was fully booked and we were able to score an ADR for 5 at three days prior.

 

[as143ks]

Thank you for all the replies. She says she is cheking constantly and I will as well. I think I will call disney dining directly and do some praying
I know in the grand scheme of things this isn't a big deal, but we planned for this magical day and I don't want the kids to be disappointed

 

[as143ks]

So I called Disney Dining directly and of course, no extra seats to be found. I also inquired about the time of our BBB reservations because I couldn't recall and magically those reservations have disappeared. So it may have have not been in the stars anyhow as there are no reservations left at BBB that day. My TA says that she has a confirmation for BBB so we will see. I went ahead when I was on the phone and made a reservation for the Crystal Palace as a back up plan, any experience with that restaurant? Le sigh, it's a good thing we haven't told our kids yet (waiting to surprise them on Christmas. )

 

[hollannc]

Just keep checking. Lots of ADRs open when you get really close. Even while you're there. We had trouble getting reservations and by the time we got there last week we had everything.
Our CRT reservation was for 2 and I was able to add on when I got to the check in table. They were very kind about it. I couldn't get it done over the phone. Check when you get there! The CMs will do everything they can for you.

 

[CandiceF]

We couldn't get CRT and BBB on the same day but still loved both! For CRT my DD wore one of her princess dresses and we bought her elsa sparkly minnie mouse ears when we were there. The princesses made a big deal about her cute ears and kept telling her how she looked like a real princess in training. She LOVED it!! After her BBB at DS we got her free photo shoot and then went to Epcot. Everywhere we went people stopped her to ask if she was a real princess. I didn't tell her about the option of BBB and then CRT afterward and so I was the only one upset about not getting them together. That disappointment disapeared when I saw she didn't care she loved it anyway! Disney is magical (especially for kids) without everything being perfect!

 

[alopez926]

Lots of CRTs opened a few days before our trip. It won't be easy to get an 8 (I tried for almost 6 months with no luck), but you'll possibly be able to get a 2 at the same time as your 6. I was so pleasantly surprised by the choices that opened up within a few days of our trip. My brother and his family decided to leave a day earlier than planned and I had to swap our park days for MK and AK literally two days before we were due to go there. I STILL was able to get a BOG breakfast for 7 by booking 3 separate reservations within 5 minutes of each other. Don't give up hope! It can still happen for you! I was also able to get a CRT for 4 two days before our trip for half of our party. I was thrilled!

 

[pregnantw4thprincess]

This gives me hope! Booking our trip for December 28-January 6th the second week in December...I would like to at least book Crystal Palace, but if I could get CRT or BOG for my 7 year old, that would be amazing!

 

[marasmallworldfan]

This gives me hope! Booking our trip for December 28-January 6th the second week in December...I would like to at least book Crystal Palace, but if I could get CRT or BOG for my 7 year old, that would be amazing!

 

[marasmallworldfan]

We just returned from Disney and had to add on a guest several times. Some restaurants we friendly and kind others not so magical, but they all accommodated us. I suggest just showing up a little early. Reservations open up last minute but the downside is you have to be on your phone when you are with your family at Disney.
Good Luck

 

[DaisyNY]

Keep trying...we leave on Monday and I found that several MK restaurants that had no availability opened up some reservations last week!