Disney to launch online dining reservations

[darlak]

I would love this plan....IF Disney upgrades their web page. Honestly it's so slow loading now that I rarely even visit it anymore.

 

[chamonix]

I should clarify, I think it could be a great thing too. I am just letting the pessimist win out right now. Disney has done things without thinking them through entirely before (the DDE Disaster of last year pops into my mind)
I just hope they realize the enormity of what they are taking on right now.

What was the "DDE disaster of last year"? I have used my DDE card for years and never had any disasters, so was just wondering what I missed......

 

[Tricia1972]

Tying reservations to home phone numbers would have been great 15 years ago, when most people had just a home phone number. I think it's misguided now since most couples each have a phone number. We at our address have four phone numbers. My business, our home, my husbands cell and my cell.

Tying reservations to resort numbers is great, if you're honest that you're staying onsite. You could make a reservation tied to your resort number, one tied to your cell, one to your home number, one to your husbands cell and so on.

I thought of DL number earlier as a possible way, and that would limit it. I could make one under my name with my DL number, one with my husbands DL number and in my personal case one with my mom's DL number, one with my dad's DL number and one with my sister's DL number.

SS# would be the same as DL number, but I would flat out refuse to give my SS# online OR on the phone! Can you imagine the identity theft risk?

I guess my point (and line of reasoning is) that if people want to double book they will find a way. I think Disney needs to make it completely unnecessary to double book. Personally I think shorter dining reservation windows would assist towards that end.

 

[Tricia1972]

What was the "DDE disaster of last year"? I have used my DDE card for years and never had any disasters, so was just wondering what I missed......

When the initially contacted customers about the auto 18% gratuity the letter was worded so poorly that it sounded like everyone who went to Disney would be charged an 18% gratuity. They fixed that wording so it 'only' sounded like whenever you used your card anywhere you'd be charged an 18% gratuity. Then they finally got it straight, but it was over a months worth of mess and speculation on the board about it. (I even got into -and won- a bet with paulh about it )

 

[shyjade]

I'm wondering if Disney will start requiring a CC number for all ADR's? Or "charge" a deposit to your reservation? No clue, but I would bet Disney will start implementing some sort of financial penalty or at least accountability for their reservation system. Right now it's chaos and filled with SO many fake ressies, while so many others can't possibly get legitimate reservations when they try.

That would sure cut down on a lot ressies being made that people never show up for. Sure, you could use multiple cards to make ressies, but if you forget to cancel, your cards will be cancelled. But at least then the ressie system would be more streamlined and not have so much clutter in the system (ressies people have no intentions of using).

Personally, I love the idea of being able to book ADR's online, especially since the current verbal system doesn't allow me any "proof" until check-in of my ressies I make 180 days out!

Just thinking aloud...

 

[Tricia1972]

I like thinking out loud and i have done a lot of it on this subject too.

I agree, cc's will help. It won't stop a hard core double booker, but it certainly would discourage.

I like the fee idea EXCEPT sometimes you legitimately change your reservation. I'd HATE to have a 180 day window and then no flexibility to move things because I changed my mind. Though if there was a fee, you can bet that there'd be NO more double bookings (just lots of annoyed guests)

It's intriguing to try to think of a way to create a system that won't get abused.

 

[sarhenty]

ok, just a thought, so don't shoot me, please

What if they treated the dining reservations like regular hotel reservations. You have until a week or two weeks before your dining date to make any changes or cancelations before you are incurred a small penalty fee to your credit card IF you don't show up. Nothing horrible, of course, but enough to keep someone from thinking twice before double booking like maybe $5???

So what do you think? There is a lot of room for ideas around this one...

 

[sarhenty]

I like thinking out loud and i have done a lot of it on this subject too.

I agree, cc's will help. It won't stop a hard core double booker, but it certainly would discourage.

I like the fee idea EXCEPT sometimes you legitimately change your reservation. I'd HATE to have a 180 day window and then no flexibility to move things because I changed my mind. Though if there was a fee, you can bet that there'd be NO more double bookings (just lots of annoyed guests)

It's intriguing to try to think of a way to create a system that won't get abused.

gosh you guys are fassssssssst

 

[Ms.Tom-Morrow25]

Hmmm. . .I don't know about this. . .change makes me nervous!!

 

[Moonpie]

I hope that once this new system is up, that they continue the phone service as well. I would prefer to talk to a real person to varify my ADRs, and just think of all the jobs that could be lost.

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

This is what I've been wanting forever! I hate talking to people on the phone and would much rather be able to look up availability myself and book online! This is great news!

 

[suzimar57]

really looking forward to this new ADR system, online at home booking!

 

[LadyOmega]

Looking forward to seeing how this all turns out. Was just reading the Mom's Panel on the WDW site, and this was confirmed in 2 separate answers. I really hope they've thought this through, and there won't be too big of a problem with the switch.

 

[slug]

Great. I hope Disney plans to upgrade their servers to handle the slamming they're going to get on 180 day marks.

And since EVERY day is a 180 day mark, they're going to get slammed every day.

 

[daisy112878]

Oh lord if this is true I hope WDW is smart enough to get a company better then whoever did the Disney Cruiseline reservation system. That website goes down all the time and is extremely slow. I would think more people will be trying to access a WDW dining website then the cruiseline website which could mean disaster.

 

[ChefaStepha]

I don't know about this... the Disney reservation system online never turns out right and it is and it's been up for how long?

 

[anthony2k7]

I don't think double booking is ever going away. I'm sitting here now and if I made a dining reservation on this machine in my name, I can immediately go over to the other side of the table and make another one on my husband's machine with a password and user ID I made up. I can then have my husband make yet another reservation from work with a password and user ID he made up. We have three credit cards, each imprinted with our names. Use one credit card for each reservation. We'd just have to keep track of which card was used for which reservation.

Changes could be done the way wyndhamrewards does it. You have to have that credit card you used to book (or the confirmation number) in order to make any changes. But, I could still that in the above example. All three cards reside in my wallet.

I have four email accounts I use daily. One junk one, one for fantasy football, one for family, and one for job stuff.

There has to be one finite thing that identifies the person making the reservation to their actual reservation. I just showed how it couldn't be a credit card or active email address.

I don't think biometrics work via internet ties.

preventing multiple CC# is simple, dont use the actual number, use the card holders address instead. if your party wants to split and eat separately then ok you can have one ADR and the other party will have to hope on a walk up.

Any other number like american SS# and DL# wont work because how do you verify the user hasnt made the number up - especially for non-americans?

 

[oybolshoi]

Oh lord if this is true I hope WDW is smart enough to get a company better then whoever did the Disney Cruiseline reservation system. That website goes down all the time and is extremely slow. I would think more people will be trying to access a WDW dining website then the cruiseline website which could mean disaster.

That's exactly what I was thinking. The DCL on-line reservation system is a disaster ... can you imagine what a similar system for dining at WDW would be like?

I'll reserve judgement, but Disney hasn't done much with their on-line systems to give me much confidence in this new and brilliant idea.

 

[jenjersnap]

I hope that once this new system is up, that they continue the phone service as well. I would prefer to talk to a real person to varify my ADRs, and just think of all the jobs that could be lost.

I think the upper reaches of Disney is rubbing its collective hands in glee at the workers they can pink slip with this move.

I am with Tricia's pessimism - I predict it will be a disaster, initially. None of their system roll outs have gone well, why would this be any different? But, in the long run, it will be a positive thing, except for CMs mentioned above.

 

[zoie101]

HOPE THEY HAVE THE BUG WORKED OUT NOW...
IF NOT THEY HAD BETTER READ THIS THREAD