Mom and daughter on Expedition Everest; Animal Kingdom
  • On May 23, 2012
    Heather from GA Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    We're visiting DW 11/17/2012 & would like dinner reservation for the Hoop Dee Doo. The dinning reservations line is saying that they don't have dates available for the fall yet. Any way to know when these will be open for reservation. It is within 180

    Heather,

    I am in the same boat as you are, waiting to make reservations for a late October trip.

    While I don't know the exact specifics of what they are doing that causes them to not allow reservations for this time, my guess is that they have a scheduled refurbishment or other maintenance that is scheduled for the early fall.

    What is key here is that they don't want to take a bunch of reservations, hoping that they can get the work done by a specific date, and then disappoint people if the work runs longer than expected. So we should be grateful, as there is nothing worse than thinking you are going to get to have a certain experience, and then not have it happen.

    Here is what I recommend (and did for myself):
    1. Make a dining reservation for a meal at another restaurant at the time that you would have wanted to go to the Hoop Dee Doo Review. You don't want to not have a reservation for that time, in case they don't ever open it up for reservations. I would recommend Mickey's Backyard BBQ or the Whispering Canyon Cafe for similar themed experiences and location.
    2. Keep calling in to the reservation line, probably every other week. Call in the afternoon when lines might not be so clogged up. 
    3. If you DO get a reservation, you can just cancel the one at your backup restaurant.
    4. Even if they can't take your reservation yet, ask if they know when reservations might be available to be made in the future. Sometimes they get that information.

    Final Tip: Even if the worst happens, and it is not open when you visit, consider this an opportunity! There are so many great places to dine, maybe this will cause you to find a new favorite!

    Have a magical (and delicious) vacation!

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Meet the Panelist: Doug, Indiana

I am one of the Dads on the planDisney Panel, and I love to help parents plan their vacation, with a focus on showing them how it can be fun for them too. I am also here to help Dads plan some nice surprises for the Moms in their life (they deserve it!). Learn More About Doug

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