ADRs with travel agent

[jhyman]

I've gotten conflicting info, so I'm turning to the board for what I hope is a definitive answer.

If you have booked your package via a travel agent, are you able to make ADRs on your own, or do you have to go through the travel agent?

My concern with having the agent make the ADRs for us is that if she is making ADRs for multiple customers on the same day, we might be the 2nd, 3rd, etc. she gets to and we will get shut out of our choices. I'd like to just call myself at 7 am on the appointed day, but do not want to make a blunder if I can't actually make the ADRs.

Has anyone who has booked with a travel agent made ADRs on their own? Has anyone used their travel agent to book ADRs, and with what degree of success?

 

[Happy99]

You can make them yourself or not - it doesn't matter how you booked.

I have had my TA make all my ADR's for a while now and have been happy with the results. The first time I was a little nervous but it was a day that I wasn't able to be on the phone at 7am and really didn't have a choice but to let her make them. I was happy that she was able to get me everything that I wanted and since then I have no worries at all. I do give her my 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices just in case there are any issues she will know what we prefer.

I would suggest you speak with your TA and ask some pointed questions that are important to you, like will they be calling or going online right when Disney opens, and see what his/ her reply will be and if you are satisfied with the answer then I wouldn't worry about it. If not you know you will be better off making them yourself.

Also ask your TA if they are using the new online system as mine said it was quicker then calling in, no hold times.
My TA's hours are 9-5 but is always available to make ADR's at 7am for anyone that needs them or when discounts come out. Once I asked if I could call her at 7:30am, before the online dining, and she said that I could and leave a message because that early in the morning she only works on ADR's and when discounts are out applying them, and then starts her regular day at 9am. These are some of the questions that I had asked the first time I used this particular agency.

 

[Avonlady1001]

You can make them on your own or use your agent. The choice is yours.

 

[Haley]

ADRS and your hotel reservation are seperate entities-- so yes you can book ADRS on your own whether you booked through a TA, Expedia, Disneyworld.com, or even if you are staying off site- doesn't matter at all.

A travel agent will do their best, but you are right- they could have 5 clients they are calling for that morning. Or right before they call, another client calls with an emergency and they are stuck on the phone, etc.

So if you want them made at exactly 7am I would recommend calling yourself.

 

[dcherry]

You'll need your reservation number to book 90 +10

 

[jhyman]

Thanks everyone for the info.

 

[jana616]

I just wanted to share my experience as another source of info. We booked our 1st family trip for this September through a travel agent. She's been nice so far, but other than booking the trip and adding free dining when it came out, I haven't asked for much. I had e-mailed her for our ressie # in preparation to make ADRs on 6/9, and she offered to make them online for me. I was nervous for all the same reasons you are: not her only clients, what time would she do them, how to prepare back-up list, etc.

Finally, I decided to ask if I could be on the phone with her while she was making them, to help if changes needed to be made on the fly. She was totally fine with that. We've e-mailed back and forth a bit, and she now offered to get up at 6:30 on my ADR day, call me, and make the ADRS-she's awesome. We're actually going to try the afternoon before, because she said sometimes she's had luck then. Whether I get the ADRs I want or not, I do feel like I will have done everything I could to try, in large part due to using the TA.

The point to this whole story is that I think many TAs are very willing to help you out, but they need to know what you want from them. Mine didn't offer to do them early until I let her know how nervous I was about it, and kind of subtly asked if she was having luck (She had told me she was) doing them early in the morning or waiting. I think any Disney specialist TA truly understands the craziness of ADRs and wants to help. Just my two cents!