ADRs-Book yourself or let TA do it (given the problems lately)???

[jana616]

My ADR date is 6/9 for our September trip. I have been reading (and worrying) about all the problems people have had booking this week for free dining, and I'm not sure what to do.

I e-mailed my TA (Small World Vacations) today to get the number I would need to reserve them, and found out her first day back from vacation will be 6/9-my ADR day. I was telling her the ADR craziness I've heard this week, and she offered to book mine for me. She said she's done a few this week and gotten everything people wanted.

I'm not sure what to do. I am a control freak. It will stress me out no end not knowing whether she's doing them online at the exact moment she can, and it will be difficult to give her back-up plans (change this place to this day, then replace that with this, etc.). I don't know if I'll be her main priority then, which I know I'll be if I do my own. However, I've never booked ADRs before, ever, so I don't know what I'm doing. It will still stress me out if I'm doing them myself, just in a different control-freak way! I have two small kids, so staying on hold for hours will be difficult (and expensive). And she says that with the online system she's been able to look at multiple days at a time, making it really easy to get ressies at good times.

I had always planned to book my own, but given all the problems people are having lately, I don't know what to do. If the online booking is open to everyone, I think I will do them myself. I'm hoping Labor Day week will be quieter than August and maybe that will help, but what would you do if you were me? Book yourself on the phone or let the TA do it on-line?

 

[ga9497]

How about giving her a list of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices so that she knows what you want instead of going back and forth. Also if her day back is June 9 it doesn't mean that she isn't back from her vacation prior to that just that she isn't back in the office until the 9th. You can always email her the day before just to reconfirm that she will be up and early the next making them for you so that it will ease your mind.

You have to go with whatever you are comfortable with

 

[w-family]

Other posts have been saying that TAs have been able to book at 100 days, 10 days earlier then is you call. (Read some of those threads) Given that info, I would let the TA try, you can always call at 90 for chagnes.

 

[jana616]

Other posts have been saying that TAs have been able to book at 100 days, 10 days earlier then is you call. (Read some of those threads) Given that info, I would let the TA try, you can always call at 90 for chagnes.

That's actually one of the main reasons I e-mailed her today. She said that she can't figure out how that could happen and she hasn't had any luck doing that. So that didn't seem like an option, and she won't be here at 100 days (I had asked in the e-mail if someone else would be able to check for me at 100 days, but since she hasn't been able to do that at all, I don't think she'll get someone else to try, kwim?)

So if we're both trying at 90 days out, who should do it?

 

[jana616]

How about giving her a list of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices so that she knows what you want instead of going back and forth. Also if her day back is June 9 it doesn't mean that she isn't back from her vacation prior to that just that she isn't back in the office until the 9th. You can always email her the day before just to reconfirm that she will be up and early the next making them for you so that it will ease your mind.

You have to go with whatever you are comfortable with

You're right, she comes back the day before. She's been very good and quick about everything else so far (adding FD to our existing ressie as soon as it came out, since we wanted to stay at POP). I could give her back-up places, but there's some like Ohanas, that I'd take day 6, 7, or 2, and depending on which day I get it, that will mean rearranging some other meals other days, you know? Just not sure how to arrange all of that. If I could be on the phone with her as she was doing it online, that would be perfect. Not sure if asking for that is too much??

 

[ga9497]

If I could be on the phone with her as she was doing it online, that would be perfect.

This is only something your TA will be able to answer and the only way to know is to just ask her.

 

[jana616]

This is only something your TA will be able to answer and the only way to know is to just ask her.

You're right, of course, so I just e-mailed her. Pretty sure she's going to think I'm insane, but it wouldn't be the first time someone's thought that!

 

[fripouns]

My TA was able to get everything I wanted, including LeCellier for dinner. She said she was able to get on around midnight last night to get a head start. Also, I wasn't picky about the day of the reservations for specific restaurants with the exception of one so that might have made a difference. I will admit I was nervous not doing it myself but it worked out great!

 

[05MM08MM]

My TA hasn't mentioned anything about this 100 days thing, she actually confirmed for me the 90 day point that my ADR's can be made.

The thing I have learned about FD is you have to be flexible with your ADR's. If you want dinner at 1900 PF w/Cinderella you may just have to go at 8:15 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. Also you have to have other options as well. If there are no times available for 1900 PF then perhaps you are willing to try dinner at Ohana's instead.

This is pretty much what I emailed my TA:

Date
1st: location, preferred time
2nd: location, preferred time
3rd: location, preferred time

 

[jana616]

Thanks for the replies! I e-mailed her and she e-mailed right back and said it would be no problem to be on the phone with her while she did them! I'm sure she thinks I'm a freak, but oh well! However, she didn't asy anything about doing them right at 7 am, and I definitely don't want to wait until mid-morning. So now I have to decide if I want to confirm her hunch that I am crazy by asking her when she'll make them. Seriously, giving myself ulcers.

Oh, and being flexible is great, and I definitely plan to be, but I have two little (4 and 2) kids. I can't do dinner at 8:30. So for me, the times are as important as the days. I have some back-ups in mind, and will just hope for the best!

 

[Colleen27]

Right now, it looks like TAs have a couple of advantages - the glitch that is apparently letting TAs book more than 90 out and the fact that the online system is available for at least a few hours before the dining lines open - so if I were booked through a TA, I'd let him/her make my ADRs.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

Also, if getting one ressie means moving something else around, you may want to tell her which days you plan to be in each park, so she can help with that.