People with multiple reservations

[vet1999]

I don't want to have to decide 180 (really 190) days before I am going to eat dinner where I am going to eat. I don't do it an home, and I certainly don't want do it on vacation (Disney or not). Perhaps I might have to plan for a WDW park, but I only have 4 choices (or more if you include DTD, waterparks, etc.). For the restaurants you have the parks and the resorts, and multiple TS restaurants per resort/park. And ease of access if you are staying on-site and at a monorail or Epcot resort, and have park hoppers.

So because WDW is making me to decide so far in advance when there are so many choices, and we don't plan far in advance, I will double-book a few nights. But I will cancel ahead of time.

IMHO:
I agree, and years ago in the beginning DH and I had multiple arguements as I had to decide what I wanted before the 180 days so he could be ready (I can't even tell you what I want for dinner tonight). After the 1st year I couldn't be placed on a wait list at a restaurant, we plan everything now. Ugg. I still hate it, but love the restaurants I love!

I think that if people want to go to a restaurant every day of their trip (for us it is several days each trip at Via Napoli for pizza), then it is their vacation and should be allowed to make the reservations that they want. If they are holding the space and don't cancel with-in a certain time frame, that is rude!

Last year, I didn't have a reservation one night and decided that instead of a CS, we would have a sit down meal, I was told by Disney that they do not make the reservations available online and I was unable to make a reservation on the internet within 2 hours of a dinner, even though it was showing open reservations and then the restaurant said that even though they may be open, they would not fill them with walk-ins.

This practice of multiple reservations/short cancelling has all led to the extra charge. I got hit with it last year when my DS8 got sick during the day and I cancelled our reservation to eat in the hotel room. Not nice!

 

[bdklein]

IMHO:
II got hit with it last year when my DS8 got sick during the day and I cancelled our reservation to eat in the hotel room. Not nice!

And if you were on the Dining Plan, it is possible you would have unused credits or credits not used to their full value. One drawback of the Dining Plans.

 

[Nancyg56]

Eventually those additional reservations are going to get cancelled, because if they're not it will cost the reserver a bunch of money, and someone else who has been looking for a cancellation will snap them up. but there are some who believe that even though someone will get these reservations eventually, it isn't fair for them to be withheld from those who were booking at around the same time as the reserver.

I am one of those folks who thinks that just because you can does not mean that you should. I know that the folks who do this don't care who ends up with the ADR, but I know that when I am planning, I try to remember those folks who are planning ahead for their family as well. I am not going to hang on to one of those special places so that I can pick and choose later. For me, it doesn't feel right.

So because WDW is making me to decide so far in advance when there are so many choices, and we don't plan far in advance, I will double-book a few nights. But I will cancel ahead of time.

Disney is not making you do anything. You do not like the system so you circumvent it, and double book. It is your choice, you found a way so you do not need to commit in advance, and so you do it. But no one is making you double book.

 

[JimmyV]

How is choice #1 logical? If you successfully make your ADR for Cali Grill, why do you need a second?

Easy. 180 days out, you don't know if you are going to be in the MK Resort area or somewhere else at 7:00 p.m. Maybe you will learn that there is a "Paul Revere and the Raiders" Flower Power concert on the day that you had originally planned to go to CG. So you book CG for two nights knowing that if something comes up on one of those nights, you can cancel one and keep the second.

The bottom line here is that WDW makes reservations available to the whole world eons before it finalizes other very important aspects of the vacation experience, such as park hours, EMHs, special events, parades, fireworks, etc. Once all of those things coalesce, dining reservations can be locked in. But if you wait until then, you will end up eating every night at Tony's and Marrakesh. This is not a unique or revolutionary strategy.

 

[bdklein]

. But if you wait until then, you will end up eating every night at Tony's and Marrakesh.

Or a lot of Counter Service.

 

[mskayjay]

Last year, I didn't have a reservation one night and decided that instead of a CS, we would have a sit down meal, I was told by Disney that they do not make the reservations available online and I was unable to make a reservation on the internet within 2 hours of a dinner, even though it was showing open reservations and then the restaurant said that even though they may be open, they would not fill them with walk-ins.

I'm sorry but I have to think there was some kind of misunderstanding here. There is no way they are going to have staff at the restaurants, guests waiting to dine, open seats available and not let you do a walk up. The only place I can remotely imagine this happening would be V&A. I can see being unable to do the online reservation but not the no service on a walk up.

 

[maxiesmom]

So because WDW is making me to decide so far in advance when there are so many choices, and we don't plan far in advance, I will double-book a few nights. But I will cancel ahead of time.

Not too awful long ago Disney tested a shorter reservation window. Apparently with not so good results as nothing ever came of it.

I have found that now that Disney takes credit cards for many restaurants it is much easier to get an ADR during your trip. Last year we had luck getting in someplace right when we wanted to eat, and that was as a family of 8! We even had many restaurants to choose from!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

This thread is proof WDW would have to do something drastic to prevent overbooking. We can rationalize anything to make it work in our best interest. There's proof of that in this thread also.

 

[kethry70]

Sorry- I don't think multiple ADRs are selfish unless they aren't cancelled properly and preferably in a timely manner.

I am not a trip planner normally. I make an exception for Disney. But, both of our trips (1 past, 1 future) were booked about 120 days out and both involved multiple ressies for the same places on different days until I nailed down which park we were going to on each day. Right now, I have a ressie for Tusker before opening at Animal Kingdom but found out friends who will also be there are going a different day. So, I am trying to snag TH for that day instead but am sacrificing neither my CP for that day nor my TH for the other day until I have some luck. Meanwhile I snagged a CP ressie for a different, third day as backup in case I really do flip one of the first 2 days. Clear as mud?

Another scenario? I snagged Ohana for Weds night at 8:30ish. I figured worst case is that I could send my DH with my kids to the beach while waiting for our table or whatever. But, realized later that wishes is an hour earlier that night. So, I am thinking we will end up cancelling it. Certainly, I am trying to get a different time or night. But, we never made it to Ohana and I have heard that it is great even without seeing wishes so I'm not cancelling it yet.

All that being said, my dupes and questionables will be eliminated long before the trip actually happens. I just happen to keep tweaking decisions about which park which day based on new information as I discover it - esp since we booked the trip less than 2 weeks ago with zero thought, research, or planning ahead of time

P.S. I agree that the vast majority of Disney goers have no clue about the 180 day business. I was shocked when I read about it last trip, floored by how hard it was to get ressies, and more surprised when I realized that very few of my friends had a clue when I mentioned it.

 

[gorjus121]

With the technology we have today, it's surprising that the reservation system does not limit reservations to the most popular and hard-to-get restaurants like BOG to 2 reservations max during a short time period.

I never realized how many people book several reservations to the same restaurant until I followed a cancellation thread. I've read elsewhere on this board and I have to agree that the dining plans likely support the increased advanced reservations.

 

[maxiesmom]

Another scenario? I snagged Ohana for Weds night at 8:30ish. I figured worst case is that I could send my DH with my kids to the beach while waiting for our table or whatever. But, realized later that wishes is an hour earlier that night. So, I am thinking we will end up cancelling it. Certainly, I am trying to get a different time or night. But, we never made it to Ohana and I have heard that it is great even without seeing wishes so I'm not cancelling it yet.

As an FYI when you check in to wait for your table they will ask you to make sure everyone is there, so they can seat you right when your table is available. If they go to the beach and take too long getting back you may lose your spot.

 

[vet1999]

This thread is proof WDW would have to do something drastic to prevent overbooking. We can rationalize anything to make it work in our best interest. There's proof of that in this thread also.

I agree which is why I think they wouldn't take us as walk ups. I think the system already takes into account some overbooking. but that is just IMHO...

I'm sorry but I have to think there was some kind of misunderstanding here. There is no way they are going to have staff at the restaurants, guests waiting to dine, open seats available and not let you do a walk up. The only place I can remotely imagine this happening would be V&A. I can see being unable to do the online reservation but not the no service on a walk up.

It was La Hacienda in Epcot, not V&A. The restaurant was packed when we arrived. They weren't hurting to fill the tables. So it doesn't surprise me. If they were slow, they would have taken us...I am sure of that. I just meant that there is a disconnect within 2 hours of a reservation online.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

I want to know the DIS boards honest opinion about people who book multiple reservations for the "top" or hard to get restaurants? Example: If you are staying say the week of June 10th and you have BOG booked everyday as well as Ohana and Crystal Palace Breakfast(pre-park open). With all of the available park crowd calendar's and times it make no sense to not have your park attendance planned out each day prior to making your reservations.It all comes down to GREED!

I'm pretty sure you are referring to my cancellations (based on the dates and restaurants) and if so, you couldn't be more off base. As I stated in the cancellation thread, these reservations were for our GROUP, not my individual family. Several military families had planned to go down together, then some of our husbands got called up on a TDY the week we were planning to be at Disney

Being a DISer, I thought it would be nice to let others know because these
are popular reservations. I try to be nice and get called out as being selfish and greedy, wow.

 

[vet1999]

I'm pretty sure you are referring to my cancellations (based on the dates and restaurants) and if so, you couldn't be more off base. As I stated in the cancellation thread, these reservations were for our GROUP, not my individual family. Several military families had planned to go down together, then some of our husbands got called up on a TDY the week we were planning to be at Disney

Being a DISer, I thought it would be nice to let others know because these
are popular reservations. I try to be nice and get called out as being selfish and greedy, wow.

Thank you to you, your husband and family, friends and their families for serving our country! Thanks to you, we are able to have a Disney, go, and the freedom of speech to debate about it (well and everything else too )!

 

[Stinkerbe11]

Thank you to you, your husband and family, friends and their families for serving our country! Thanks to you, we are able to have a Disney, go, and the freedom of speech to debate about it (well and everything else too )!

Thank you. It's funny, because as I was listing the cancellations, I knew someone would get in a tizzy because there were multiple reservations on the same night (we weren't all going to be in the same parks) but I didn't feel like explaining...and now there's a thread because of it

Personally, I am just ecstatic that my DH made it home from a recent deployment alive and if all people have to complain about is someone double booking ADRs, consider yourselves blessed.

 

[Davis2902]

Thank you. It's funny, because as I was listing the cancellations, I knew someone would get in a tizzy because there were multiple reservations on the same night (we weren't all going to be in the same parks) but I didn't feel like explaining...and now there's a thread because of it

Personally, I am just ecstatic that my DH made it home from a recent deployment alive and if all people have to complain about is someone double booking ADRs, consider yourselves blessed.

Well the guilty party always tells on themselves and will always justify it.

 

[mskayjay]

It was La Hacienda in Epcot, not V&A. The restaurant was packed when we arrived. They weren't hurting to fill the tables. So it doesn't surprise me. If they were slow, they would have taken us...I am sure of that. I just meant that there is a disconnect within 2 hours of a reservation online.

Okay that is a bit different than your initial posting ( "even though it was showing open reservations and then the restaurant said that even though they may be open, they would not fill them with walk-ins." ) and makes more sense. Thank you for clarifying it.

 

[mskayjay]

It really stinks for those of us that don't necessarily plan our trips more than 6 months in advance. We officially booked our June trip in March as we weren't certain about vacation time being approved through work. At 90 days out I was unable to book many of the restaurants we wanted...couldn't get Chef Mickeys for any meal any time of the day-stalked the site and was finally able to snag a 9 pm for Ohana which I wound up canceling due to the late hour. Now maybe these restaurants are legitimately booked since they are popular choices but there's also the possibility that people have hoarded ADRs thus preventing us from eating there. It's not going to ruin our vacation by any means but I won't say that I wasn't disappointed.

This.....

We are also going to be booking late as we are stuck waiting for shift reassignment at work and then approval for time off for a special trip to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Our entire trip is going to cost us quite a bit more than planned, we may not get the resorts we want or room choices, etc and pretty sure we're going to have a really tough time getting in some places we'd like to go to but what can you do. We've missed 'Ohana's the last few years because it was booked solid, did the lounge area at Cali Grill because dining too was booked, problems with a couple other places....we just make the best of it and go to other places but it really does get frustrating sometimes.

I remember when we used to just call and make our reservations for the day each morning when we got up. It was a bit of a hassle but at least as an onsite guest you had more of a chance of getting in where you wanted to go and you knew what park you were going to for sure at that point. Bottom line is there really is no perfect answers for every guest and no matter what Disney does or what we do as guests, someone isn't going to be happy.

 

[benji2012]

No, I don't think it's selfish at all. We are going on a 32 day trip to WDW in October/November and we have booked BOG, Tusker House, Chef Mickey, O'Hana and CRT twice each during our trip. They are our favourite meals and we are there a long time. If anything happened when we got there that we couldn't make them, we would cancel them as soon as possible. However when we made them, we were and are intending to use them.

As much as I like helping out other people, I wouldn't not go to BOG twice just so someone else could have the reservation.

Isn't the last line the definition of selfish?

"Adjective
(of a person, action, or motive) Lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure."

(Though in 32 days, I can understand it! You almost have to eat at restaurants twice, and honestly it s just my personal thing...I don't expect others to agree. Hope you have an amazing trip!)

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Isn't the last line the definition of selfish?

"Adjective
(of a person, action, or motive) Lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure."

(Though in 32 days, I can understand it! You almost have to eat at restaurants twice, and honestly it s just my personal thing...I don't expect others to agree. Hope you have an amazing trip!)

I don't think it's selfish as such. I do plenty of things for other people, both at home and in the parks. But I'm not going to not go to CRT when we want to go just so a stranger can go. Would you honestly not go to a reservation just so a stranger could go instead? By that logic, none of us should be making reservations so that someone else can have those spots?

Thanks for the trip wishes. We can't wait! Getting a little more excited since we have made reservations now so it feels more "real"