Hi Scott,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel 'ohana where our
family is happy to greet you with the spirit of Aloha! My husband and girls adore 'Ohana - it is a must do
advanced dining reservation for dinner on EVERY trip. This is one of the reservations I make 180 days prior to our visit. Although there is not an official waiting list, there are a few strategies I have used to secure a reservation.
First, and this may sound silly, but keep checking. We have always been able to secure hard-to-get reservations if I missed the 180-day reservation window and/or we tried to change plans closer to the dates of our trip. I literally will pick a few hours while we are watching a movie at home and just check online repeatedly during that time. The week before our trip, I have often been able to secure reservations as guests cancel to avoid no-show penalties. Be sure that you are checking for an entire meal period - i.e. breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Second, if you have a larger party, try making two separate reservations for around the same time. As long as our reservations have been within 15 minutes of each other, when we arrived at the restaurant, we asked the Cast Members if we could be seated together. Although not guaranteed, they have been able to accommodate us. If you try this method, I suggest that you have a different person listed as the lead person on each reservation. Make sure everyone is listed in your Friends & Family List in
My Disney Experience.
Third, I have used a third-party dining reservation finder that automatically checked advanced dining reservation availability on the Walt Disney World website. Since I am FRUGAL, I only use the free versions of third-party planning tools. In one case, I found the reservation sooner than the reservation finder but in another instance, the reservation finder alerted me to an open reservation before I found one, so I would say it is worth a try!
Finally, I will say that we have started booking a later dinner reservation at 'Ohana so that we can watch the
Happily Ever After fireworks while dining. Just check the
fireworks times for the date of your reservation and make your advanced dining reservation for 30-45 minutes prior to the show. If you are staying at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, also consider ordering from
Disney Resorts Private Dining. Check out this
great answer from my fellow Disney Parks Moms Panelist Nancy about the Twilight Feast from 'Ohana!
Scott, I am sending you a little extra wayfinding pixie dust as you search for a reservation!
Magic and memories,
Donyell