Do people really do this? ADRs??

[LisaTN]

A girl I met at Disney told me the best way to get the ADRs for your trip was to book a 10-day trip even if you only planned on going 5 days and make your reservations 180 days before your 'trip' and then modify your trip to make it just five days getting a 5-day jump start to your reservations...

It sounds good in theory, but a little dishonest? I think I would feel bad doing this... but our last trip we weren't able to get BOG and I'd love to get BOG for our next trip. I don't know, not sure I could do this and not feel guilty about it the whole trip.

 

[newdeal]

I have never done it and likely never will but its smart and I wouldn't feel guilty for doing it, its just a reservation its not like you are stealing your meal

 

[Robo]

Silly

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

A girl I met at Disney told me the best way to get the ADRs for your trip was to book a 10-day trip even if you only planned on going 5 days and make your reservations 180 days before your 'trip' and then modify your trip to make it just five days getting a 5-day jump start to your reservations...

It sounds good in theory, but a little dishonest? I think I would feel bad doing this... but our last trip we weren't able to get BOG and I'd love to get BOG for our next trip. I don't know, not sure I could do this and not feel guilty about it the whole trip.

The girl should be ashamed of herself.

It is cheating and working the system unfairly like this that will cuase disney to sooner or later make restrictions on making ADR's that will effect all the rest of us.

AKK

 

[hiwaygal]

I don't understand the need...you can book 180+10 days out, right?

 

[LisaTN]

The girl should be ashamed of herself.

It is cheating and working the system unfairly like this that will cuase disney to sooner or later make restrictions on making ADR's that will effect all the rest of us.

AKK

Yeah, I feel the same way I guess. Not worth the bad Karma in my opinion


If we don't get BOG this time, we'll just get in line for the QS lunch. Or, if FPP is out maybe that's another option for the QS

 

[grimley1968]

I don't know that I'd feel "guilty" about it. People have to make changes to their plans all the time. But I think it's an awful lot of trouble to go through in order to get a 5-day jump in addition to the 180 days people already get to make ADRs. I don't know much about BOG, but knowing it's a counter service for lunch sure doesn't make me want to go through so many hoops just to get an ADR there for a table service dinner there. As much as I love some of the restaurants in WDW, there's just no way I'm making ADRs 6 months in advance. I just can't predict what I'll be in the mood for in August. Sorry, but I think the whole ADR system has gotten out of hand, and this example is a symptom of it. I think ADRs should be limited to 1 month out, with a credit card hold on all of them. A lot of this ADR madness would evaporate then, IMHO.

 

[minnie mum]

Well, I guess that if you could dream up something as convoluted as this, then you could do it, but why? I can't think of a single restaurant in WDW that is SO fabulous that it would warrant going to this extreme. Robo got it right.

 

[cmh314]

This just seems unnecessary to me. I was able to get everything I wanted for my entire trip by getting up and online first thing in the morning at my 180 day mark, including BOG, CRT, Ohana and an 8am BBB reservation for the day I wanted by calling right at 7am when the phones opened. I don't think its worth the effort and dishonesty nor do I think its needed.

 

[Spunky946]

It's not something I would ever think of doing. Very silly.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

No, there has never been a need to do that. The only possible exception could be the chef's table at V&A, but that's pretty limited demand. Even CRT has never been THAT hard to get. I often go to WDW with a group of 12. We've always been able to get what we wanted if I book near the 150 day mark...or even far less less. It's not so much immoral, IMO, as silly.

However, I have had cause to modify a resort booking I made.

There are plenty of valid reasons for adjusting one's vacation dates: airfare price fluctuations, getting time off from work- to name two that pop in my head.

I'm happy to report that most of my changes are adding days or extra guests.

 

[Thumper_Man]

I don't understand the need...you can book 180+10 days out, right?

Right. However, the idea behind booking 10 days then changing later is to give you an earlier booking window.

Here's an example:

Lets say you were planning a vacation for 9/1-9/5, and I'm also planning a vacation for the same time frame. We both want to go to CRT for breakfast on 9/2 and get an 8:05 ADR time.

You book your vacation with the specific dates. Now you can start making ADR's on 2/23 (180 days + 10).

I however book a vacation for 8/27-9/5. So my booking window for ADR's is 2/18 (180 + 10). I can now book CRT for 9/2, while you still have to wait. I have increased my odds of getting the time over you. By the time you book, there may or may not be any more ADR's for 8:05.

After I've secured my ADR's, I can call Disney about a month later and tell them I no longer am able to go the length of time I wanted to go. I need to alter my vacation days. My arrival day will now be 9/1 and I'll still be checking out on 9/5. My ADR's won't be affected because now I'll officially be within the 180 booking window, and my vacation is now the same time frame as yours.

While this is in a way is cheating the system, it's still perfectly legal.

 

[Raenstoirm]

Thats just sad. There is no place at Disney that I "have" to eat at. But to each his own, I guess.

 

[BEARCATS07]

This is a very sad therory if true. Unfortunately there are some people out there that will do this and makes it that much harder to get reservations. I have also heard of people having more than one log in to disney and booking more than one reservation at a time and then cancel later when they decide which ressie they really want.

 

[Crystal824]

I suppose you could do this. It just isn't worth it to me to have to go thorugh the process of changing reservations. I don't have that kind of time.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Booking reservations at 180, I've never had trouble getting a reservation I wanted. Doesn't seem necessary. However, I can't imagine spending only 5 days at Disney. 10 days seems better to relax and enjoy everything we want to do.... plus park tickets are less for days 5-10.... and I'm spending all that money on flying there... might as well stay for a while.

 

[gometros]

Same here. I've never had trouble with the 180 day window, even BOG. I haven't had a desire for what I guess are the real popular ADRs like CRT, so I don't know about those, but 180 days is enough for me.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

I don't understand why anyone would have to do that. I get the idea behind it, it isn't that hard of a concept, but I don't think it is necessary. I booked my trip about 80 days out from our arrival date, and I was able to get everything I needed. I even got BOG. I had to wait and be patient, but so far I have seen 2 BOG reservations available for the date I wanted to go. I snagged the earlier one. Granted, it is at 8:25, but it is an EMH night, so we will nap then go back to MK and be fine with eating that late.

I saw tons of LeCellier reservations. T-REX can be hard to get sometimes and I got that too. It seems pretty unnecessary to me. That's just my opinion and experience though.

 

[kymom99]

Another thing to consider is that this ties up a room for those days which means no one can reserve it until the days are cancelled.

 

[mcd2745]

I don't know that I'd feel "guilty" about it. People have to make changes to their plans all the time. But I think it's an awful lot of trouble to go through in order to get a 5-day jump in addition to the 180 days people already get to make ADRs. I don't know much about BOG, but knowing it's a counter service for lunch sure doesn't make me want to go through so many hoops just to get an ADR there for a table service dinner there. As much as I love some of the restaurants in WDW, there's just no way I'm making ADRs 6 months in advance. I just can't predict what I'll be in the mood for in August. Sorry, but I think the whole ADR system has gotten out of hand, and this example is a symptom of it. I think ADRs should be limited to 1 month out, with a credit card hold on all of them. A lot of this ADR madness would evaporate then, IMHO.

Completely agree. I've been in many an "arguement" on the restaurant boards about the ridiculousness of the 180 days for ADRs. I've always felt that the right number was 45 days to coincide with the pay-in-full date for packages and also been an advocate of CC holds. However, some DISers react to the mere thought of decreasing that 180 day window as if you were taking away their first-born. The whole ADR thing has gotten out of control, although there is no doubt that the CC holds they did institute - what was it, about 18 months ago? - helped tremendously. Overall availability seems to be better, and just look at the cancellation threads on the restauarant boards - they are a small fraction of what they used to be. However, even if they hadn't added the CC holds and the madness was still at its peak of a couple of years ago, I couldn't imagine going through all that effort to get a couple of days jump on others for ADRs. To each their own I guess.