One thing that I do when I'm wondering how easy it is to score a reservation less than 180 days out is look at what is available literally today, tomorrow, and the next few days in disney for the people who are there right now. It's amazing what opens up 24-72 hours in advance. It may give you an idea of what you may have a chance at getting closer to your actual dates - and possibly while you're actually in WDW. Last trip, we decided to add the dining plan about 45 days before our trip - and I was one table reservation short to spending all our credits. We decided to add Crystal Palace but the only thing I could get at the time was a 3pm lunch on the day I needed it. The day before, we happened to be in the hotel room while the kids napped and I found a 12:10 just randomly checking. I didn't know about touring plans or these boards at the time, so I kind of just stumbled upon the realization that people move stuff around all the time.