I'm going to have to disagree with you yet again. I live here. I go to Disney quite often this time of year. I suspect a lot of people are making multiple reservations and then either not showing up or cancelling them the day of or close to it.
i hear what you're saying (as a former orlando resident, current homeowner, former WDW employee who worked heavily with the dining system, and still frequent traveler/ DVC member)...
but the other thing that always makes me answer no to this kinda question is that i just don't trust the employees at the restaurants to do the right thing and seat more people if their system says they're full
1. That would mean more work...and they are low paid...which tends to kill the "extra effort"
2. The managers are also low paid...and my experiences are that they are not very competent. I can't fully trust that they would even choose to seat more people...there's really nothing in it for them.
3. The standards have fallen so that i see CMs dealing with people in much shorter, rougher manner than would have ever been permitted in the past. they feel like chattle so they treat the customer that way...more and more each day it seems. And i won't take the chance of having someone being impatient/ disrespectful/ or combative with my wife or children. we are not that way and i don't tolerate it from someone else...especially not there where it is completely unacceptable.
Me...i don't mind...I had a CM cut me off about two years ago from asking a simple question that wasn't reallly related to reservations outside of Liberty Tree two years ago.
I unleashed hell...because nobody in a nametag should ever be permitted to be disrespectful.
so that's kinda where i'm coming from.
this i know: the dining plans have taken alot of fun out of dining and changed the fundamental experience at WDW...and i'm not likely to forget or forgive that anytime soon.