Best strategy for booking for large groups?

[ajollyholidaywithjo]

I’ve asked this question on some other mediums, but everyone gives a different answer so I wanted to try here too!

I have a group of about 9 and I’m only booking two reservations, one at Whispering Canyon and one at Chef Mickey’s. I’ve heard calling is best, but then I’ve also heard that splitting the group and booking two separate reservations works too.

Can anyone here give their actual experience with it?

 

[Eastern]

Since online opens up an hour before phone lines, I would book the two groups first online and then call if there are any problems.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

A couple years ago, when I needed lots of reservations for a group of 8 (and 10), I relied on my Dreams Unlimited Travel Agent. In cases where she needed to, she split the group and got 2 reservations at about the same time. It all worked out. We were always seated together.
Ohana dinner for 8 on Easter Sunday.
Yak & Yeti for 10.
Hollywood & Vine dinner for 10.
Biergarten dinner for 8.
Cinderella's Royal Table dinner for 8.

 

[Chuck S]

If you're splitting the group, you may have to have two people with MDE online at the same time. I just went through this with a party of 11 for Thanksgiving week.

If you try to book two reservations at the same time, even for different people, the system wants to cancel the first reservation. This was my experience on Tuesday.

So I went to a friends house, who is also going on the trip, and he, his daughter and I, were all on computers booking dining in our respective MDE accounts. The Dining site crashed a couple of times, too. Anyway, everyone has a place to eat, we got some of them close to the same time, some not, but we took what we could get and will make do with that.

 

[Terrydactyl]

I've got 12 people going in two weeks and it is tricky making large group reservations. When I called in for general information the cast member advised that even if the restaurant does have large tables, many restaurants are currently only seating them once or twice per dining period. I asked about specific restaurants - Boma, Be Our Guest, Sci Fi, and she said it will always be easier to get two tables for six, or eight and four.

At any rate, as long as I made the first reservation for someone other than myself, I could make the second under me no problem. Note it doesn't work the other way... If you make it under your name first, it wants to cancel when you try to make the second. I made Boma for 8/4, Sci-Fi for 6/6, Ogas for 6/6.

 

[JakeAZ]

When are you going? I have 12 going Thanksgiving week and although we were able to get things, it was very difficult and I had to adjust on the fly when so many things we were considering had no availability.

So if you're going during a busy time, I'd recommend have a back up plan and then possibly a back up to that back up! Then start with the ones furthest away and work backwards.

 

[JakeAZ]

When are you going? I have 12 going Thanksgiving week and although we were able to get things, it was very difficult and I had to adjust on the fly when so many things we were considering had no availability.

So if you're going during a busy time, I'd recommend have a back up plan and then possibly a back up to that back up! Then start with the ones furthest away and work backwards.