In the good old days....

[Alicefan]

You used to be able to get up early and get on your computer at 180 days out and at 6am you'd refresh your page and score those hard to get Ohana ressies because the early bird got the worm! Those days are long gone for anyone not staying on Disney property. Two days in a row now I have dragged out of bed and had two different tabs open. One with Storybook dining and one with Ohana. Both days there have been no reservations to be had all day long. Just another reason for me to consider other options for my vacations. Disney is just getting too crowded and too hard to navigate around these days. The most fun part about a Disney trip was the planning for me, and being veteran savvy. I typically stay off property just so I can afford to go more often, but I never had any trouble getting the ressies I wanted because I was willing to go the extra mile and get up early. I've noticed that for the last couple of years, the best you can do is just keep going back to the Disney page and checking every so often for an unlikely cancellation. WDW is really losing it's luster for me with all of the sky high prices and no way to really do any of the things you want to do.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Don't forget you can always sleep in and set up a reservation search at sites like touring plan.
Wish someone would set up a similar program for rides.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

All reasons why we're sticking to mostly QS on our December trip. I did cave in and booked a couple ADRs for BOG and Sci Fi, but those were not easy to get even staying on property. My theory is that a lot of people booked December trips thinking that's when SWGE would be open. When the August opening was announced, they already had their trips planned for December and didn't or couldn't change their dates. I checked out the availability at all the restaurants for the duration of my trip when my window opened up on the 2nd, and there was virtually nothing available at the popular restaurants through the 6th. Now you're getting into Pop Warner week, so...

 

[SaintsManiac]

You don't need to get up early at 180 days. I never do and I get what we want.

Use the Touring Plans alert finder. Check randomly. Check at the 60 day and 30 day mark when people book FPs and cancel trips.

Good luck!

 

[bdcp]

We're staying at SOG and we can now do 180+10 I had issues getting that to work on MDE so I didn't get to book our last couple of days til later, but still before 180 and all I could get for 'ohana was 850 pm. We used to eat there every trip, but last time, I couldn't get it at all. I have the reservation finder set up on Touring Plans, but so far all it's found for the two dinner reservations I want to change are 4 pm and 10:15 pm. So, as we get closer, even if it's a day or two before, maybe I'll get what I want. Homecomin is the other reservation. Last trip two years ago I had no issue getting Homecomin, but it's gotten too popular.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Also remember that people hoard ADRs. Once they start dropping them it opens up.

 

[Alicefan]

All reasons why we're sticking to mostly QS on our December trip. I did cave in and booked a couple ADRs for BOG and Sci Fi, but those were not easy to get even staying on property. My theory is that a lot of people booked December trips thinking that's when SWGE would be open. When the August opening was announced, they already had their trips planned for December and didn't or couldn't change their dates. I checked out the availability at all the restaurants for the duration of my trip when my window opened up on the 2nd, and there was virtually nothing available at the popular restaurants through the 6th. Now you're getting into Pop Warner week, so...

I've stopped coming up with theories as to why it's so crowded these days because no matter what time of year I go anymore, it's insanely crowded and I always think there must be something special going on, but the fact of the matter is, there is no slow season anymore. I've always been one to make sure I travel in Winter, with no school holidays near my vacation and January provided it wasn't MLK weekend or the marathon weekend was usual the best time ever, even WITH Pop Warner. In fact it seemed I was always there during that and it never even affected the crowds. Rides were walk ons to the point of now I'm spoiled and if a line is longer than 20 minutes I skip it. The first couple of weeks of December were perfect as well. You got all of the Christmas vibe and none of the crowd. Now I'm finding those weeks to be slam packed! It's been at least 6 or 7 years since I've had a vacation that didn't leave me sitting there thinking, "what the heck is happening this weekend?" I've done a MVMCP where it literally felt like we rented out the park. That is what started me going to the parties because the cost was around $68 for 8 hours in the parks and you had it to yourself! I used the party as my MK day because I got everything in that I wanted to do. Perfect! Now the parties cost as much as a day ticket and they are packed! It felt like the whole world caught on at the very same time that I found out about the secret! grrrrrr!!!! I guess I should say that I'm grateful that I got to experience Disney at it's best. I just miss those days so much!

 

[Alicefan]

Also remember that people hoard ADRs. Once they start dropping them it opens up.

I'll admit, I do the exact same thing. I get several and then drop them as my plans start to solidify. Unfortunately, you have to do that because who in the heck has a clue where they want to be 6 months in advance to a vacation? I have to try to figure out when extra magic hours are and all that jazz so I can avoid that park like the plague. There's so much that goes into the planning that Disney is NO vacation. It's a high impact J.O.B.

 

[Allison]

It sounds like you don't enjoy it anymore. There are so many other beautiful places to vacation. Close this chapter and try something else.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'll admit, I do the exact same thing. I get several and then drop them as my plans start to solidify. Unfortunately, you have to do that because who in the heck has a clue where they want to be 6 months in advance to a vacation? I have to try to figure out when extra magic hours are and all that jazz so I can avoid that park like the plague. There's so much that goes into the planning that Disney is NO vacation. It's a high impact J.O.B.

But you really don't have to plan that far in advance. It's only as much planning as you want to put in.

In the past couple of weeks I added a PPO Garden Grill AND Beaches and Cream for our trip next month. I don't want to decide what to eat 6 months in advance, so I don't. I have a couple of ADRs for November, but only because I wanted to secure something for Thanksgiving Day and for HS due to the Star Wars madness.

When I was there in March I looked at the app one night and there were a ton of "hard to get" ADRs for the next day.

 

[chicagodisfan]

If it makes you feel any better, we are staying on property and I couldn’t get O’hana breakfast at 180+1 and +2 for any time and for any number of my party of 5. It’s extremely disappointing because it’s a birthday trip and a special request of the birthday boy who loves Stitch and Stitch waffles. I have a reservation finder set but I’m the type that likes to have it all done at 180 so I don’t have to think about it until FP day comes along. I’ve never in all our trips had the trouble I’ve had for our early December this year so I think it might be that some things just haven’t been released yet. While I know SW and the holidays are big draws, we recently added a day onto the front of our trip and I found wide availability at the resorts for a very reasonable price, so I don’t think that is necessarily it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess I don't get complaining you can't get a specific ADR while you admit to hoarding ADRs yourself. That is exactly why you can't get what you want right now. You are not the only one doing that.

 

[Allison]

I guess I don't get complaining you can't get a specific ADR while you admit to hoarding ADRs yourself. That is exactly why you can't get what you want right now. You are not the only one doing that.

I agree. Odd to complain about a problem you contribute to.

 

[leiaorgana]

Unfortunately, you have to do that because who in the heck has a clue where they want to be 6 months in advance to a vacation?

That’s not true at all. In the 25+ years I’ve been going to Disney I’ve never once hoarded or made any extra ADRs in advance than I’ve needed. A couple of days before it’s time to make ADRs I make a plan of which parks I want to go to on what days and where I want to eat on those days and then I stick with it. It’s not hard to do. I look at historical Magic Hours/EMM/DAH dates and then plan around them.

I don’t think it’s fair to hoard ADRs you know you’re not going to use and make other people spend weeks/months looking for them for their trip just because you can’t make a decision about which parks you want to go to on what days.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

That’s not true at all. In the 25+ years I’ve been going to Disney I’ve never once hoarded or made any extra ADRs in advance than I’ve needed. A couple of days before it’s time to make ADRs I make a plan of which parks I want to go to on what days and where I want to eat on those days and then I stick with it. It’s not hard to do. I look at historical Magic Hours/EMM/DAH dates and then plan around them.

I don’t think it’s fair to hoard ADRs you know you’re not going to use and make other people spend weeks/months looking for them for their trip just because you can’t make a decision about which parks you want to go to on what days.

I rarely call for ADRs, but the site was being kind of glitchy. I decided to drop a BOG breakfast and asked the CM to do that for me, and she thanked me for freeing up the reservation for other guests. I don't know if this normal, because like I said, I never call, but it surprised me. I know people hoard ADRs, but maybe it really has gotten even worse? I recall one member here several years ago listing several days worth of BOG ADRs on the cancelled board, with multiple times made on each day.

 

[Timhags]

Booked ohana for my mother neice and nephew earlier today. 36 days out

 

[chicagodisfan]

I rarely call for ADRs, but the site was being kind of glitchy. I decided to drop a BOG breakfast and asked the CM to do that for me, and she thanked me for freeing up the reservation for other guests. I don't know if this normal, because like I said, I never call, but it surprised me. I know people hoard ADRs, but maybe it really has gotten even worse? I recall one member here several years ago listing several days worth of BOG ADRs on the cancelled board, with multiple times made on each day.

I don’t hoard ADR’s either but I’ve noticed lately when making ADR’s that the system prompt that used to come on when you made a new ADR within 2 hours of an existing ADR hasn’t been coming up. I was booking something to fill in for one of the restaurants we couldn’t get and then had a different idea I wanted to run by DH. I grabbed a second ADR and I thought it would prompt me to cancel the first which was within the 2 hours but it let me book the second without cancelling the first. I know that people get around this by booking under two different MDE accounts, but if the system is letting them overlap again that contributes to the problem.

 

[Alicefan]

That’s not true at all. In the 25+ years I’ve been going to Disney I’ve never once hoarded or made any extra ADRs in advance than I’ve needed. A couple of days before it’s time to make ADRs I make a plan of which parks I want to go to on what days and where I want to eat on those days and then I stick with it. It’s not hard to do. I look at historical Magic Hours/EMM/DAH dates and then plan around them.

I don’t think it’s fair to hoard ADRs you know you’re not going to use and make other people spend weeks/months looking for them for their trip just because you can’t make a decision about which parks you want to go to on what days.

Well that's great that you don't have to do that but that's not the case for everyone. I applaud you if you manage to get every ADR you want just a few days in advance but until Disney comes up with a better way, I'll continue to make plans and cancel them as needed. Sorry not sorry.

 

[Alicefan]

I rarely call for ADRs, but the site was being kind of glitchy. I decided to drop a BOG breakfast and asked the CM to do that for me, and she thanked me for freeing up the reservation for other guests. I don't know if this normal, because like I said, I never call, but it surprised me. I know people hoard ADRs, but maybe it really has gotten even worse? I recall one member here several years ago listing several days worth of BOG ADRs on the cancelled board, with multiple times made on each day.

How did they even get all of them? What you all are calling hoarding, I call making an ADR so I'll at least have somewhere to eat unless I get the one I really want. I've never heard about making several at the same place but I will definitely make say a ressie at Ale and Compass for dinner but if Ohana opens up I'm cancelling and taking the new reservation for sure. I'm not just going to wait around and potentially have to do counter service because I didn't want to tie up a reservation. Other folks can get up early and scour around for months the same as me.

 

[Alicefan]

I guess I don't get complaining you can't get a specific ADR while you admit to hoarding ADRs yourself. That is exactly why you can't get what you want right now. You are not the only one doing that.

You don't EVER book a place in hopes of finding a better reservation later on down the road? You just risk having to eat at what's left when you get there? I'm calling BS on that. I at least book my second choice so that I have something, but I'll cancel in a heartbeat if something opens up that I've been looking for. If that's hoarding ADR's then so be it, but I definitely don't believe that there are a ton of bleeding hearts out there that are sooo concerned for somebody elses chances of having their ADR that they don't at least secure SOMEWHERE to eat even if it's not their first choice. I've never had 3 or 4 at the same place just to decide what time I want. I don't even know how you would do that because they don't allow you to overlap by a couple of hours.