Tips for booking an odd number on ADR

senadler · Sep 27, 2016

Search for a reservation for an even number larger than your party!

After planning what my ADRs would be for the last month or so (okay maybe longer), I missed booking them first thing this morning. :headache:

I still can't believe it, I am a seriously crazy planner and knew they opened today!

Anyway, around 7 AM CT, when I realized they opened, I started booking the few hard to get ones before I left for work. I had planned two pre-park opening breakfasts, one at CP and one at GG. Checking for a party of 3 gave me after 8:30 for both. I was also only getting 11:25 AM or 2:00 PM for a LTT lunch for a day I wanted 12:30 PM.

Once I had a few minutes later in the morning I thought I would check again. I checked for a party of 4, and immediately found 8:05 CP, 8:10 GG, and 12:30 LTT. I booked them all and was able to go in tonight and change them to a party of 3 on the website.

I remember having the same problem on a past trip when I tried to book for a party of 1 at CG and ended up just booking for 2 and changing it later.

SleepyHollow · Sep 27, 2016

senadler said:
Search for a reservation for an even number larger than your party!

After planning what my ADRs would be for the last month or so (okay maybe longer), I missed booking them first thing this morning. I still can't believe it, I am a seriously crazy planner and knew they opened today!

Anyway, around 7 AM CT, when I realized they opened, I started booking the few hard to get ones before I left for work. I had planned two pre-park opening breakfasts, one at CP and one at GG. Checking for a party of 3 gave me after 8:30 for both. I was also only getting 11:25 AM or 2:00 PM for a LTT lunch for a day I wanted 12:30 PM.

Once I had a few minutes later in the morning I thought I would check again. I checked for a party of 4, and immediately found 8:05 CP, 8:10 GG, and 12:30 LTT. I booked them all and was able to go in tonight and change them to a party of 3 on the website.

I remember having the same problem on a past trip when I tried to book for a party of 1 at CG and ended up just booking for 2 and changing it later.

I had the exact same experience trying to book for an odd number of ppl. We changed our plans after I initially made our ADRs and I had to find new ADRs. I could not find the times I wanted when I searched for 3. I read a thread on here that mentioned something about MDE returning better results when searching for an even numbered party. As soon as I switched to searching for a party of 4 instead of a party of 3 I got all the remaining ADRs at times I wanted within a couple of days. The same ADRs did not show up when searching for an odd numbered party. This was a great tip I picked up here and worked very successfully for even hard to get ADRs and times.

jpeden · Sep 27, 2016

MDE is designed to optimize seat filling procedures in restaurants. Therefore, what might show up as a table for four in the system doesn't register when you request a table for three because that isn't the optimal number of guests for that empty table.

After you book, go to the "My Reservations" page of MDE and click your reservation. Select "modify" and follow the steps. It should let you change it to 3 people. I just did this with a California Grill reservation - bumped it down from 3 to 2 with this method (had to book for 3 because nothing was avaliable for 2).

MakiraMarlena · Sep 28, 2016

Always round up. Never round down. If you can't change it, then just show up with the lesser number, there won't be a penalty.

disneygirl1972 · Sep 28, 2016

Thank you for reminding me to do this!!! I just got the exact time @ Skipper Canteen that I wanted with 4 instead of 3 people!!

KrazeeK120 · Sep 28, 2016

Thanks for the tip. My family is a party of 3 and I never would have thought about this. I'll be making my ADRs in early November, so this is good info to have.

Chaoticsweetness · Sep 28, 2016

I had to do this a few times. We usually are able to find tables for party of 2 but searching for party of 3 doesn't work so well. I have booked a party of 4 for a hard to get reservation and let the host know that only 3 of us are eating, they did not have a problem with that.

Tips for booking an odd number on ADR

senadler

DIS Veteran

SleepyHollow

Earning My Ears

jpeden

DIS Veteran

MakiraMarlena

It's a big black fish to you

disneygirl1972

DIS Veteran

KrazeeK120

DIS Veteran

Chaoticsweetness

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

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