Disney's online ADR system being upgraded?

4pm UPDATE: The online system is up and running again.

In my apparent never ending attempt to book some ADR's for an upcoming WDW trip, I happened to check to see if the online ADR system up and running again. What I found was something a little surprising. I got the following message:

"We are currently rolling out a *NEW* online dining application to make your reservation process even easier. Please come back and try our new system when it is available. To make a dining reservation at this time, please call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463."

Hmm... I have to wonder if the timing of this new announcement is a coincidence, was intentionally planned or a reaction to yesterday's onslaught of bookings that apparently shut down the online system and totally overwhelmed Disney's ADR phone lines.

Unfortunately, the message didn't give any indication as to when the online ADR system would be live again. As more information becomes available, I'll pass it along.

On your mark, get set, BOOK!

If you're planning a Walt Disney World trip in the next 180 days, you need to get on the phone or online right away. Today, Disney extended the ADR booking window back to 180 days. The ADR reservation system is going to be quite busy today, so be patient. In fact, I was trying to get some ADR's at 6 a.m. this morning and the online system was overloaded.

If you're unable to get into the online system, call 407-WDW-DINE.

Good luck!

UPDATE (5pm):

Disney apparently has experiences such a high volume of requests that the online system has shut down. I've been checking all day and it's appears to have been down since around 6 a.m. and still isn't up (as of 5 p.m.). Likewise, the phone lines have been overwhelmed all day. I've tried calling dozens of times throughout the day and can't get through.

Disney probably should have considered some staggered system for switching to a 180-day ADR window. Having 90 days worth of bookings all become available on the same day has been an apparent recipe for disaster.

What have your experiences been like? Have you been able to book ADR's today? Post a comment!

Tip Tuesday: When to eat

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

In previous posts, I've talked about the need to make Advanced Dining Reservations (or ADR's) as part of your planning when taking a trip to Walt Disney World.

One part of the ADR process I haven't discussed as much is what time you should make your ADRs for.

The time of your reservation can have a significant impact on not only what you eat, but how much it might cost.

To start off, let's review a bit of background knowledge when it comes to table-service restaurants at Walt Disney World.

• Breakfast generally is cheaper than lunch.
• Lunch generally is cheaper than dinner.
• For buffets, lunch usually starts around 11 a.m.
• Lunch and dinner usually have similar (if not the same) menus.

With these basic thoughts in mind, let's examine how the time of your ADR can affect your dining experience.

If you happen to be an early riser, an early (pre-park opening) ADR at an in-park restaurant offers you a wonderful opportunity to have a few moments to stroll into a park before the rest of the crowd. I've done this at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It's a nice, relaxing stroll. No attractions are open, but it does make a great opportunity for unobstructed photos. If you happen to get a very early ADR (like 7:30 a.m. or so), you might be the first at the buffet, meaning the entrees will be fresh.

If you're a brunch kind of person, then you want to think about a 10:30 or 10:45 a.m. ADR at a buffet restaurant like Crystal Palace or Chef Mickeys. There are two benefits. First, you are paying the breakfast rate. Second, you stand a good chance of having "breakfast" choices for your first trip and "lunch" choices for your second (or third, or fourth...) trip.

If you're a late night person, but don't want to pay those dinner prices, then try to get an ADR at the very end of the lunch period. Restaurants vary a bit on the lunch to dinner switch, so it's a good idea to check some online menus, or check the restaurant page on the Disneyworld.com Web site. If you plan it right, you will get an early dinner at the cheaper lunch price, even though the lunch and dinner menus are similar or the same. This works very well when taking advantage of those late Extra Magic Hours or during special party nights (MNSSHP or MVMCP). Why waste "party" time eating? Get a late lunch and then enjoy a snack later that night.

A quick note -- Disney Dining Plan members are still charged a table-service credit, no matter whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, so there really isn't any cost savings by choosing breakfast over lunch or lunch over dinner. I still recommend thinking about your ADR times, though.

So before you start making those ADRs, give a little thought to when you want to eat. Depending on what time you choose, you may be giving yourself a little extra treat!

Disney to return to 180-day ADR window in October

If you have an upcoming Disney trip and are considering making Advanced Dining Reservations (or ADR's), listen up! Currently ADR's can be made 90 days in advance. However, starting October 27, Disney has decided to again extend that booking window to 180 days. Disney made the switch from 180-days down to 90 days last year and now apparently has decided to switch back.

So far, there's no official word as to why Disney decided to return to the 180-day window.

What this means for anyone with travel dates this winter and spring is that October 27 will become a very busy day. An entire 90 days worth of bookings will open up on a single day. Be prepared for the WDW Dining line (407-WDW-DINE) to be very busy and for the new online booking pages to be overwhelmed, especially with Disney's latest offer to extend free dining until December.

It will be more important than ever to be ready at 7 a.m. on October 27th. If, by chance, the 90-day window for your upcoming trip opens up BEFORE October 27, I highly recommend making your ADR's before the hoard starts booking on the 27th.

As more information comes in about this topic, I'll let you know.

Disney Dining update: ADR window shortened to 90 days

A few weeks ago, Disney officially shortened the ADR, or Advanced Dining Reservation, window to 90 days from 180 days. This means that if you're thinking of booking those hard-to-get dining reservations, such as Cinderella's Royal Table, you need to only book 90 days in advance instead of 180 days.

Anyone with questions can contact their travel agent, or call Disney Dining at 404-WDW-DINE.

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!