ADRs - Are we too accomodating to WDW

[Paging Tom Morrow]

From the Disney Dining Plan .pdf booklet:

"Reservations are strongly suggested and accepted at most Walt Disney World® Resort table service restaurants. Reservations may be arranged with Concierge at your Disney Resort Hotel by touching “55” on your in-room telephone, by touching *88 on any Walt Disney World® Resort pay telephone or by calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463). Please indicate any special dietary needs at the time of booking. We are happy to discuss with you and attempt to accommodate any dietary or special needs."

Yet all of us WDW veterans seem to accept that WDW ADRs are different from other reservations.

They changed from "Priority Seatings" to "Advanced Dining Reservations" over a year ago now. Is it too much to expect that tables are ready close to the time of your ADR?

 

[Bob P]

They changed the name from "Priority Seating" to "Advanced Dining Reservation" but it is still the same concept. Only the name has changed.

That quote you have used to say the same thing in the old days, except it said "Priority Seating!"

 

[Aimeedyan]

Actually they now just refer to it as Reservations - note the wording above and the CMs were told to just call it a reservation.

I haven't been there since they switched from ADR to just R (lol) to see if wait time as improved. However, I may not see a difference anyways because we've always been seated right at our reservation or shortly thereafter and we've had to wait a few minutes at local restaurants even with a reservation as well so it's no biggie to me.

 

[bleeps]

We feel WDW has always done right by us with the PS/ADR/R system -- which I'm all the more amazed by, considering the number of folks on this board who willing admit that they "abuse" the system (making multiple ADRs for the same time slot and not cancelling the one they know they won't use, etc.). Any restaurant manager anywhere who has to deal with crowds and reservations will tell you what a thankless and impossible task it has gotten to be -- people don't show up on time, or at all, etc. etc. I also think it's true, anywhere, that the more "prime time" your "reservation," the more challenging for it to be honored on the dot.

 

[Micca]

By and large, we've never had to wait very long. Seems like the longest waits have been at Le Cellier and at Ohana.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

A ressie at your average run of the mill restaurant isn't any more of a guarantee of a table at the time than it is at Disney. The only difference is Disney restaurants can fill up on ressies alone. Hence if 5 are ahead of you at Disney, they likely had ressies and are thus ahead of you. If 5 are ahead of you at Outback, they likely didn't have ressies and are behind you. But the ressie itself is a courtesy only and with few exceptions, isn't a guarantee of a spot at a certain time.