Has anyone had success booking dining? I mean......for the love of churros!

[gpjacobs]

This thread has been therapeutic. I’ve been losing my mind. I used to be a fairly savvy Disneylander but haven’t been since 2019. Planning for the 2nd week of October has been a nightmare. I can’t find a BB, Olga, Lamplight, nothing. I finally got a Carthay Al Fresco (whatever that is) and the easily-available Cafe Orléans. That’s it. I’m starting to think it’s going to be a quick service trip (which I hear is its own special nightmare now thanks to mobile ordering). I feel like that meme where I’m walking with Disneyland but staring back longingly at Knotts and Universal.

We're planning for the same week. Woke up at 3 a.m. (yet again) last night ... not a single thing opened. Maddening ...

 

[Priory]

I definitely miss the days when everything was 7am, 60 days out, but you didn’t even have to worry about that cause most things had plenty of availability.

 

[swummyh20]

I wish Cafe Orleans was still easy to find

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I just wish they had an actual policy for making DL ADRs at this point! Basically, it's "less than 60 days out and check 12 times a day to see if you can get a reservation". If there is still this much uncertainty, make ADRs available 45 days out or 30 days out for the short term.

 

[sophy1996]

DTD restaurants available for first week of October now.

 

[riverbelle]

I did not find Napa Rose for last week of September. I wonder if times not released yet
Or if booked up.

 

[gpjacobs]

Yay! Forward momentum!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I did not find Napa Rose for last week of September. I wonder if times not released yet
Or if booked up.

Looking for the same time period, and as far as we have deduced, they have only allowed reservations at NR through 9/15. No idea why that is. But if the end of September opens, I'll put a note out here - hope others will do the same!

 

[Briarrose1306]

I did not find Napa Rose for last week of September. I wonder if times not released yet
Or if booked up.

Are you looking for a general reservation or the chef's counter?

 

[riverbelle]

Are you looking for a general reservation or the chef's counter?

General reservation

 

[GatorChris]

I guess it's a good thing that for the most part, the TS at DL are just meh. Ever since they took out Big Thunder BBQ, there hasn't been a "must do" dining experience for us in the parks. If this "glitch" was happening at WDW, there would be a rush on the CEO's office.

 

[Priory]

Hmm. I wonder if the October reservations have been so weird because they’re holding them for the just-announced Genie app…

 

[mrflibble]

Chef's Table is an amazing experience - if anyone is looking for a special celebration. DH and I did it for a date night several years ago and it was so worth it.
There was a family with very well behaved dressed up little girls doing the same - super cute.

Have you had any luck with BB for the 8/9 weekend? I'm so tired of getting up at 3am to check.

 

[AndrewC]

Just adding that Chef's Table has changed from what I was told when making the reservation. It's 7 course now (I think before it was 5), and it's a SINGLE seating each night. Before I think you could pick 5pm or 7:30pm, now you can pick your time anywhere between 5 and 7:30pm. The flip side is that reduces the capacity by 50% every night. I believe now only ~18 people a night can do it (is it three sections of six seats each?). ALSO ALSO, they're only doing it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I was told they might expand it back to nightly but as of now it's only those days. It just became even more exclusive. When I booked last week, almost all of October was booked up.

 

[dhorner233]

Looking for the same time period, and as far as we have deduced, they have only allowed reservations at NR through 9/15. No idea why that is. But if the end of September opens, I'll put a note out here - hope others will do the same!

Hmm. I wonder if the October reservations have been so weird because they’re holding them for the just-announced Genie app…

That may be a very good guess. They are saying they will release the Genie mid Sept and there are no reservations for my last 2; Trader Sam's and Goofy's Kitchen past 9/15.

 

[avalon451]

Just adding that Chef's Table has changed from what I was told when making the reservation. It's 7 course now (I think before it was 5), and it's a SINGLE seating each night. Before I think you could pick 5pm or 7:30pm, now you can pick your time anywhere between 5 and 7:30pm. The flip side is that reduces the capacity by 50% every night. I believe now only ~18 people a night can do it (is it three sections of six seats each?). ALSO ALSO, they're only doing it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I was told they might expand it back to nightly but as of now it's only those days. It just became even more exclusive. When I booked last week, almost all of October was booked up.

Last time we did it, Sept. '19, they seated our family of 6 on the dessert side. I attempted to book 60 days out for Sunday Sept. 12th-- granted, not at 7 a.m. sharp, but still called early in the day... was told that the only spot left was dessert side, and they would only accommodate a party of 4 at this time, due to "distancing restrictions." I took it in case those restrictions would loosen, but when I called at 30 days, was told "Nope, still only 4." Which seems ridiculous to me, since we're all one party and they seated 6 of us there last time. Don't mind telling you I wrote an actual snail-mail letter to the restaurant general manger, in hopes that he could override that (including a photo of our last dining party there). Crossed fingers!

 

[AndrewC]

Last time we did it, Sept. '19, they seated our family of 6 on the dessert side. I attempted to book 60 days out for Sunday Sept. 12th-- granted, not at 7 a.m. sharp, but still called early in the day... was told that the only spot left was dessert side, and they would only accommodate a party of 4 at this time, due to "distancing restrictions." I took it in case those restrictions would loosen, but when I called at 30 days, was told "Nope, still only 4." Which seems ridiculous to me, since we're all one party and they seated 6 of us there last time. Don't mind telling you I wrote an actual snail-mail letter to the restaurant general manger, in hopes that he could override that (including a photo of our last dining party there). Crossed fingers!

Ya, I could only get the dessert side to and I was just a couple days past the 60 day point... all the dates in late October were dessert side only. It's dang hard to get the main sections, lol. I picked 7:30pm so there might actually be more activity on the dessert side than anywhere else, lol

I could only get a reservation for 2 even though I tried for 3... I've been getting a little worried about COVID issues, but if they really only do have four seated in those sections now I feel a little better, I'll only have one other group to worry about, and again, being at 7:30pm I might actually not have another group at that section if they opted to start their meal at like 5:30 or something like normal humans

I also am still trying my best to find a friend or someone to join me on this trip... so if I'm solo I might just hold that second reservation and keep a seat empty between me and whoever. I hate being "that guy" but I'll gladly pay for two if that gives me a larger bubble to enjoy. I seriously don't want to cancel this trip, am vaccinated, and plan to mask all over the place, but dinner will be my one weakness and almost every day leading up to my late October trip I keep hearing about vaccinated people catching it. Seriously don't want to bring that home to my family which includes a 94 year old I spend a lot of time with!

 

[BriannaRuth]

Chef's Table reservations open up on the FIRST of the month for the ENTIRE month, two months out. Which means, for example, that reservations for the entire month of October opened up on August 1. Anyone who waited until August 15 to make reservations for October 15 was 15 days late.

 

[AndrewC]

Chef's Table reservations open up on the FIRST of the month for the ENTIRE month, two months out. Which means, for example, that reservations for the entire month of October opened up on August 1. Anyone who waited until August 15 to make reservations for October 15 was 15 days late.

That's true, I should say I wasn't a couple days past the 60 mark, that actually would be right around now. I think I got my bookings on Aug 8th (couldn't get through on the phone for three or four days in a row)

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I think things are about to happen. Dining reservations been completely down tonight on website and app.