Tip Tuesday: How to get the most out of your ADR's

Anyone planning a Disney trip probably knows this bit already: book your ADR's ASAP. (Translation for those who have no idea what an ADR is: ADR stands for Advance Dining Reservation).

In most cases, ADR's can be booked up to 180 days in advance. This most especially applies for those very popular restaurants, such as the California Grill and Cinderella's Royal Table. If you're planning to dine at one of these (and other signature) restaurants, you need to be ready to call 407-WDW-DINE right at 7 a.m. exactly 180 days in advance of when you want to dine.

That is, if you're staying OFF property. For guests staying at a Disney resort, you get a bit of a perk. Your 180 window is based on the FIRST day of your visit. I believe there is a ten-day maximum window here - check with your travel agent on this, sometimes the rules do change.

Here's an example of how this works:

Two families are going to Walt Disney World for the Fourth of July. They will arrive on July 2nd and will stay for 4 days. Each wants to book breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT) for the morning of July 4th. One is staying on property, the other is staying off-property.

The off-property family can book for CRT around January 5 (exactly 180 days out from the date of the CRT dining).
The on-property family can book for CRT around January 3 (180 days out from the first day of their visit).

So guests staying at a Disney resort book several days in advance of non-Disney resort guests.

So how can this advantage help you get a booking for those hard-to-get places? Plan to go to those special dining events a few days into your trip, not right at the beginning -- to allow that advance window to work for you. Perhaps make that special event for the final day of the trip, so that you conclude your visit with a big moment.

Not sure when your 180 day window opens? Call Disney at 407-WDW-DINE and they'll tell you. Also, there are some events that have a shorter booking window. WDWinfo.com has a booking calendar that also can help you determine when to book, although it sometimes isn't precisely accurate -- it told me my 180 window started two days earlier than Disney would allow - so keep that in mind. Also, some special events aren't subject to the early window -- so it really is a good idea to call Disney ahead of time so you know when you can book what.

This is especially useful if you're on one of the Disney Dining Plans. I'll have more on the DDP in a future post.

Happy booking!