Beefs with Online ADR System

[dioxide45]

1) I am sorry.
2) But, people get upset at the silliest things.
3) You wanted on-line ressies, now you got them.
4) I think some people will just never be satisfied.

. . . they can't show all the open slots, as they fill up too fast
. . . even CM's get upset
. . . they can see all the holes and then they try to fill one
. . . presto, someone else grabbed it before they could
. . . can you imagine the complaints from the general public?
. . . "I wanted THAT ADR, and then it was gone!"
. . . "Now, give it to me, because the computer said it was available!"

. . . someone wanted 7:00pm
. . . the screen offered 6:35pm and 7:25PM
. . . duh, those were the times open
. . . besides, VERY FEW ADR's are right on the hour or half-hour

. . . no system is ever perfect
. . . especially when it has to serve a wide cross section of people
. . . be thankful you got on-line ADR's
. . . of course, you are always free to phone call
. . . the CM can see every time that is open

I am actually grateful for the innovation, even though I originally indicated that an on-line system would probably be a bad idea. The problem is that Disney appears to implement enhancements "on the cheap". Appears that they try to skimp on servers to actually support the new system. If Marriott, Hilton and the other big hotel chains can have an on-line system that actually works and in most cases works well for 3000 resorts and half a million rooms, what is Disney's problem?

I think what happened is that they probably had bigger and better things planned for the on-line ADR system and then the recession hit. The project team was then told to get something out, get it out fast, and make sure it is done with a low budget. I think their results show that. It may sound harsh, but Disney is number 60 on the Fortune 500 list, I would expect better.

 

[princessmom29]

Ya' know... I don't want to sound like a real jerk here, but if making ADRs are really that important, then you do have the option to pay a little extra and stay at any of the resorts that offer "Club Level" services. Please don't get furious at me for the comment; as it's being offered only as a suggestion, and not an admonishment ! I've been doing this for twenty-some-odd-years now, and over the years, things have changed dramatically. Computers, cell phones, blackberries, applications... we've all become quite "spoiled" by technology. And it's hard enough for us, as individual families, to "keep up"; so I can't imagine what it's like for WDW to manage a computer system server and database the likes of one that can keep track of all the dining options and reservations .... As I recall, there was actually a time when you had to call each restaurant - individually :chat- for reservations, and then hope that you still had it when you arrived.:. They really have come a long way... and I do hope that they keep moving foreward; but, for now, what they've got is a lot better then what they had, years ago....

It is certianly not "a little extra" for me either. Mabye one day when we win the lottery, but for now I would much rather have that money and deal with making my own ADR's. Money being no object , I really still don't think I would do it b/c what they offer is not worth what they charge.

 

[copperbrick]

I know it is still new and some quirks need to be ironed out, but I have some issues.

• You still have to keep track of all your confirmation numbers. There is no one place you can go and look up all of your ADRs. You have to enter them all in and look them all up. If you forget one or don't write one down then you may have a ADR hanging out there. There is a high probability you didn't get the e-mail they are supposed to send you. So now you have to pick up the phone and call. Why can't I just search for all ADRs associated with my phone number?
  
• You can't really search a range of time. You can pick a time and it returns the closest time. It only gives you one option.
  
• I can only search one restaurant at a time. It would be great if I could pick several restaurants and a time range. Then I pick the one that I think works best for me.

Overall it is an improvement to what they had, but it is clunky, slow and at times just doesn't work. I am not blown away by the system by any means.

YOU SAID IT! Agreed!

 

[copperbrick]

Ya' know... I don't want to sound like a real jerk here, but if making ADRs are really that important, then you do have the option to pay a little extra and stay at any of the resorts that offer "Club Level" services.

Hi, Bill: What is it about Club Level that gives a person an advantage with ADRs? Sorry, I guess I'm still new to all this.

 

[TillyMarigold]

1) I am sorry.
2) But, people get upset at the silliest things.
3) You wanted on-line ressies, now you got them.
4) I think some people will just never be satisfied.

. . . someone wanted 7:00pm
. . . the screen offered 6:35pm and 7:25PM
. . . duh, those were the times open
. . . besides, VERY FEW ADR's are right on the hour or half-hour

Excuse me, but that was NOT a complaint. It was a DEFENSE of the online system. The OP complained that the system does not give you options for different times but instead only shows you 1 option. I responded that when I searched for 7 pm, knowing that entering 7 pm searches for 6-8 pm, I was offered 2 times within half an hour of 7 pm. I accepted one of them happily and am looking forward to it.

My 90 day window opened the day before the online system opened, so I only made 2 reservations online (Akershus and Spoodles--now Kouzzina, a gamble that paid off) and was offered options for both of them.

 

[mechteach]

Excuse me, but that was NOT a complaint. It was a DEFENSE of the online system.

+1 That's how I read your original post as well.

FWIW, I love the online system as well. I hated going through the CMs to see what was available, winding my way through the "Great! And how many times have you visited since..." phone prompts, etc.

That said, I wish that they would have set up the on-line ADR system to be more like OpenTable. We are lucky enough to live in an area where we can use opentable for almost all of the restaurants we like, and they do restaurant reservations right:

1) You must set up an account using an e-mail address, and you can easily see all of your booked reservations when you log in using that account. (You can click to modify the time or cancel any reservation.) Additionally, this would not eliminate double-bookings, but it might cut down on them - opentable does not allow you to book multiple restaurants within an hour or so of each other.

2) You can search by location (ie, a city), and then a neighborhood and/or cuisine. WDW could have modified this model to, say, search by an area (Magic Kingdom or Epcot, for example), then a location (in the park, in a resort hotel) and/or a type (fine dining, character dining, American, international, etc.).

3) You can also search for a specific restaurant name.

4) When you search, OT will list a range of times that are available for your party size, or tell you that there are no tables available within 2 hours. It also has a link to list other nearby restaurants that are available (similar to the current WDW site). When it lists nearby restaurants, the names are "clickable," though, so that you can read about a restaurant before you book it (unlike the current WDW site).

5) Some restaurants require a credit card guarantee - that functionality is built into opentable, just like it is for the WDW site.

Just my 2c.

 

[maxiesmom]

My problem was finding my cart. I added a reservation and looked for another one. Didn't find it, so I went to 'check out' and couldn't figure out how to get to my cart. Ended up having to accept a bogus reservation to get there, then delete it. I'm sure there's a way to get there, but I sure didn't see it!

Tht is what I ended up doing too!

My issue is, I can't figure out how to cancel a reservation I made the other day. I'm sure it must be right there, but I can't figure it out. Would someone help me please?

 

[Puget Peach]

The online system is a bit awkward, but I NEVER made ADR's until this system came out. It's true, I confess. One time I tried to make a same day ADR at Guest Services in Epcot and just gave up. The only times I've eaten at TS was when Yak and Yeti first opened (no ADR's accepted yet) and a lucky walk-in at Mama Melrose's. For all y'all in the Eastern time zone, those early morning calls for ADR's would have been 4:00 AM for me. So not going to happen! We've visited twice during free dining, but always by exchange at DVC, so did not qualify for the promotion. For those trips we did exclusively CS, offsite, and the term I love... "self catering". I have compiled a list of restaurants I've wanted to try over the years and on my next trip I'm going to every one on my list! So, the bottom line for me is, I love it, warts and all!

 

[billfatora]

Hi, Bill: What is it about Club Level that gives a person an advantage with ADRs? Sorry, I guess I'm still new to all this.

In truth, "Club Level" really gives you NO benefit at all on making ADRs earlier then any one else. However, "Club Level" gives you the added service of "Concierge" and "Itinirary Planners". All the "Deluxe Resorts" offer "Club Level", and it will be indicated in each resort's "room profiles and options". For example: at The Contempory - some of the "room offerings" are - Wing, Tower, Tower with Magic Kingdom View, Tower with Lake View, Club Level, Suites, etc. Club Level, in this particular instance, gives you a private elevator to the "Club Level" floors (I believe), your own "check-in" area, "Personal Itinirary Planning" (they will plan your whole stay out for you if you'd like, but mostly, they are used for ADRs, special events, etc.), and little "in-room" things like bath robes, etc. And each resort has it's own "club" of sorts; where they will have "food and beverage offerings" for breakfast, lunch, afternoon, dinner and evening deserts and cordials. Now, truth be told, most people don't think it's worth the money. But if you can survive on a "continental breakfast", a very light lunch (at the resort) and an evening snack, then you would only be paying for one mean a day (dinner), and so many people will substitute the "Club Level" for a "Dining Plan". Of course, with "Free Dining" being so available right now - that option doesn't make any sense. I started booking this particular trip in November of 2008 - and "Free Dining" wasn't being offered at that time ! And sometimes the rooms can be bigger or nicer also - but that's not always the case. Finally, none of these "amenities", individually, may add up to making it worth your while; but all together - it's possible.... And then add into the equation that you get a "room discount" (similar to "free dining") and - all of a sudden - you say, why not ? For those that got upset at me because they can't afford $500.00 to $800.00 per night extra for a "Club Level" room... well, here's a news flash - neither can I... nor would I ! I hope this helps you with understanding "Club Level"... and sorry for the mispellings ! Have a great day !