Can we discuss how frustrating the new ADR system can be?

[Camping Griswalds]

I love that I can book 180 days out, but hate that now it seems you cannot get any good restaurants and its still 2 months until our trip. I love the Dining Plan, and Free Dining is fun, but I miss the days of being able to "wing it" for meals. Even when I went in January, not on free dining, it was like this. It's pretty sad. I know tons of people aren't like us on these boards and super planners, so what the heck do they do? Wander around going hungry and getting angry?

 

[Caren]

I love that I can book 180 days out, but hate that now it seems you cannot get any good restaurants and its still 2 months until our trip. I love the Dining Plan, and Free Dining is fun, but I miss the days of being able to "wing it" for meals. Even when I went in January, not on free dining, it was like this. It's pretty sad. I know tons of people aren't like us on these boards and super planners, so what the heck do they do? Wander around going hungry and getting angry?

Disney just plain needs more restaurants. But if it makes you feel better, they are apparently going back to 90-day reservations except for a few venues such as Cindy's place, Vicky and Al's, and Mickey's.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

Are they going to 90 days because of complaints, or because it's easier for them? Interresting!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I hear ya! I said before and I will say it again if they took a cc to hold your ress. And charged you if you didn't call to cancel. Even if you called 5 mins before to say you can't make it. That would be fine. It's called common courtesy. I gaurentee you there will be a lot more ress opened!
MY OPINION!

 

[englishrose47]

When does this 90 day rule go into effect and how will the change over go ??I just started hearing about the change and don't know if it's fact or rumor!!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

In January not sure if I heard th 9th or the 15th. Somewhere around there.

 

[_queenie_]

I love the Dining Plan, and Free Dining is fun, but I miss the days of being able to "wing it" for meals.

I miss those days dearly, too. For those who have not been in say, even 5 years, it's sad how big of a shock they'll be in. Even when we went back in fall 06, having not gone in 05, we naively made only dinner reservations. The first day, we got to Epcot and found ourselves needing to go back to YC to even get a TS meal! It really is pretty silly to even need to make all your lunch reservatons.

Disney just plain needs more restaurants.

Definately. The trouble is that they'd unfortunately rather less places and have them be packed to the max than have more places and have them be comortable with only a fair amount of diners (meaning normal for anywhere else, like how it used to be ).

 

[disnut8]

I hear ya! I said before and I will say it again if they took a cc to hold your ress. And charged you if you didn't call to cancel. Even if you called 5 mins before to say you can't make it. That would be fine. It's called common courtesy. I gaurentee you there will be a lot more ress opened!
MY OPINION!

You are so preaching to the choir. I want that too. No more of the "I'm not sure where I want to eat so I'll make four different reservations with four different phone numbers and then I'll decide the day we are there. After all, it doesn't cost me anything." And then they might not even cancel the other three because it will depend on what park they are in.

I'm even guilty of this. My in-laws and aunt will be there at the end of September. They say they don't want any dining reservations but I think Sci-Fi Dine Inn would be great for them. So I thought about making the reservation and if they don't show, they don't show. I wouldn't have that attitude if I had to put a credit card down on it.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

Even if they don't charge for the entire meal, but say 10 bucks per head for the cx. I bet a lot of people would not overbook!!! I do know I have been guilty of not showing up myself for an ADR or 2 in the past. If they charged me even a minimal amount, I know I'd do way better!!

 

[DisneySweetheart]

I didn't think that the 90 day rule was forever....I thought they were moving to a new computer system and after a while, they would go back to 180.

Did I hear wrong????

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Even if they don't charge for the entire meal, but say 10 bucks per head for the cx. I bet a lot of people would not overbook!!! I do know I have been guilty of not showing up myself for an ADR or 2 in the past. If they charged me even a minimal amount, I know I'd do way better!!

Your right even a $10.00 charge would stop and people would call and cancel. I have Disney Dinning on my Cell if need be. So so could everybody else. COMMOM COURTASY!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

The 90 days may only be temporary until they fix their system. It might go back to 180 days or even further out to where you can make your ADR's a year out which was a rumor I heard. Who knows?

They are adding more restaurants but it will take a while but I honestly don't think a few more restaurants will make a big deal. I think they will all still get booked right away and that it will still be difficult to get ADR's.

They really need to figure out a better way to do this. Hopefully, the new system will prevent people from double booking and it will open up some slots for others.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I don't think that the main problem is overbooking. People have always done that and that is one of the reasons why the restaurants have always had walkins ( because they know they get a percentage of no shows). The problem is the increased volume of people in the restaurants which is most likely due to the dining packages. I was there January 10th or so and Chef de France was telling everyone at 1:00 that they were taking no walkins for the entire day. CRAZY! I miss the old predining package days when you could get walkin seating or change a ressie for a restaurant while in the parks. I think this craziness only
contributes to people making multiple bookings.

Im not sure the 90 day rule will reduce the number of ressies that someone makes. If the recession isnt getting people to cut back then I'm not sure this will help at all. It will just make it harder to get a dining reservation as more people will be calling then ( the type B people now as well as all of us type A's

 

[Kae]

I hope they stick to the 90 day adr. You thnk it would be easier for their computers, less info to be stored. And I bet there would be less no shows. I miss the days where you just made adrs for your must do's. And could get some adr's while you were on vacation. I am a planner but 90 days is plenty.

Kae

 

[tiger4me2]

I didn't think that the 90 day rule was forever....I thought they were moving to a new computer system and after a while, they would go back to 180.

Did I hear wrong????

I heard that it was a test to see how well it works. Who really know until January.

 

[Tricia1972]

I hate the dining reservation system.

I think it's ludicrous to have to decide where you want to eat 6 months out. I am Suzy Super Planner, but even I may wake up on a certain day and just not be hungry for Italian. My choices then are to try to scramble to get something else or scrap my dinner plans. (One reason DDP doesn't work for me). You may also decide 6 months out to go to Epcot to coincide with your reservation for that night and you get to Epcot and it's packed or has a power failure and then what do you do?

I think that switching to 90 days will begin to help the problem. Hopefully people feel more confident about their plans three months out and don't feel the need to book a TS at every park 'just in case'.

I don't know if having a CC hold will help a whole lot. I had a Mama Melrose FDP that I had a hunch I wasn't going to use when I made it. I held it mostly for my sister. I canceled within the time frame, wasn't charged, and still held that reservation for about 5 1/2 months with an inkling I might not need it. I think a CC hold would mostly help with walk ups or those planning within the last few weeks. It won't do a lot for those planning at 90 days out.

 

[jenjersnap]

I predict that returning it to 90 days is going make hold times very, very long and lead to more frustration on the part of everyone, customers and CMs. The nice thing about 180 days is that it spaced out the calls between the planners and the more last minute types ... now every single one of them will be calling at the same time because most have their plans made by 90 days.

I hope that they go back to 180 days personally, as long as Disney keeps its end of the bargain by posting calendars in a timely fashion. Last-minute planners might not get into CM or Le Cellier but I have switched things around for our September vacation as recently as last week and there were at least 4 desirable restaurants that had good availability during prime dining times.

 

[Abharmagic]

Wander around going hungry and getting angry?

Yes, we saw quite a few people like this while on our last trip- getting very angry at the podium, yelling and screaming, etc. b/c there were no TS restaurants to eat at without ADRs. I am always a bit saddened for these people that they didn't research better- the info is out there on ADRs you don't have to look very hard.

I am a planner, so I enjoy the planning.... If it were up to my DH we'd wing it and eat CS every day every meal if need be- he's just mellower than I am, and more interested in rides/attractions.

Some people don't mind winging it- asking around at the restaurants if there is an opening, taking a late or early meal time, eating CS- I guess it's just different strokes for different folks. I happen to enjoy the ADR game

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

A lot of first timers really have no idea! Most of the people I know didn't know you had to make dining reservations so early and for so many meals. I always make mine early but it is ridiculous. I have never had to do this for any other vacation.

 

[ms_missy66]

I totally agree with being a bit sad that you can never wing it. The type of food rarely gets me down, it's the reservation times. I recently called for ADRs for a December trip on day 180 and still got earlier/later than desired seat times. And in our family, that dinner time dictates the whole day. If we've got an early reservation, then there's this whole adjustment of the time and size of lunch. If it's late, then we need to make different adjustements.

I don't mean to make it sound like it ruins the trip or anything. We always do the DDP and I think it's a good deal. But the next to do such detailed planning so far in advance gets me down. In fact *whine whine whine* sometimes I feel like a drill sargent on these vacations. I go into it with a two-page itinerary, like I'm sure loads of people do.

I think it's the popularity of the DDP that has jammed up the TS restaurants. I'm wondering if they jack the price up a bit if it'll attract as many travelers. And if it doesn't, I'm betting the TS restaurants will have a little more availability.

Oh well... I'm not complaining too loudly. We go time and time again, so it can't be that bad. LOL Yet, I can totally relate.