Dining strategies

[campermom]

I was up at 6 am, had my whole trip linked so I could do the 180 plus 10...but still unable to get most of what we hoped for.

The app would keep making us refresh before the reservations would confirm so we went on a computer instead and had more luck.

How do we get into Snow White? I’m assuming it’s all booked up from people who booked their 180 plus 10 and had an earlier trip than ours?
Harambe at Night? I think it’s on a Wednesday so maybe I have to wait a few days. Today’s “180” is the Sunday of that week.

I was able to get:
Liberty Tavern
Hollywood and Vine one morning with Disney Jr, and dinner there one night w Minnie and friends for Halloween
Coral Reef
Sci Fi

[mccallister84]

How many people were you trying to book for? Some restaurants have table size limits which do not show up online and they just tell you there are no reservations - I tried to make a reservation for 10 at Cinderella and couldn’t get it so I made a reservation for 6 and for 4 and set up dining alerts. Nothing ever came through so as I got closer to the trip I called to see if they could combine the tables - since I had enough seats for everyone I thought this would be easy enough. The lady on the phone told me that they can’t do reservations larger than 8 at Cinderella, which would probably have been good info to put online.

[campermom]

Just 5. I do have hope for Circle of Flavors:Harambe at Night, bc when I look at “last weeks” booking (the week before we go in Oct) it is still available.

I just want Snow White so bad! We want something special non-park the first evening we check in.

For the most part I was able to get everything else, just not at great times.

I have H&V breakfast at 8:30 when Hollywood Studios opens at 9. But we need to get in line to get a reservation for ROTR after we eat, right? What time would I be able to enter the park that day?

[jaycee]

You could set up alerts on mousedining.com. If you've never done that before - you can select one or two reservations you want. It'll let you know via text/email as soon as something opens up within an hour of your selected time. It has worked out very well for us with the two times we went to Disney and we were eventually able to get everything we wanted.

[campermom]

Thank you jaycee! This is the kind of thing I was looking for!

[jaycee]

Apr 14, 2020 11:47:43 GMT -5 campermom said:

Thank you jaycee ! This is the kind of thing I was looking for!

Glad I could help.  Also, be patient with it.  My 180 day mark was about 6 weeks ago and I set an alert that day for something I didn't get and I just got a text three or four days ago.  I forgot that I even set a reminder and then got a text at 11pm one night.  Surprised me!  When you get the text, you'll have to log on immediately and grab it.  Good luck!

[georgeglass]

Also - just keep checking. Bookmark the page and make it your weirdo habit.

I have gotten ADRs that didn't show up on the text alerts that way.

[sent]

I've always gotten reservations to the "hard to get" places by checking under a week before the day we want to dine. Usually wind up booking anywhere between 1 - 3 days before the reservation. This past January, I booked Artist Point the same way. The only place I have not been able to get this way over the last 2 trips has been the Sunday brunch at the California Grill. It does help that I don't plan our days with super tight schedules so I can try to be flexible when I see a reservation pop up/ 

[wesleycrusher]

I use touring plans reservation finder which is probably the same as mouse dining. I was able use it to get reservations for snow white (artists pointe) last year. We really enjoyed the meal and rec'd it to another family who also loved it. We plan to go again next trip.

Anyway my advice is to change the text alert sound. I get an email and text when a reservation opens up and you have to be really quick to snag it. So if I heard my phone text at work I would never hurry to answer it, but with it having it's own ring I know to pick it up right away.

[TamiTaylor]

I would just keep checking. Sign up for the dining alerts. Play around with it. Check first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed.

[lessel]

I second mousedining.com. I was able to snag the breakfast reservation I wanted at 3am! (I was pregnant and happened to be getting up to go to the bathroom and saw it pop up on my phone!)