Disney to launch online dining reservations

[JenSop]

I have so many thoughts on this....

I am very concerned about Disney's website. I just don't think it will be able to handle this change. I don't even go on their website because of how slow it is. Plus, like someone else before brought up, what if you click on that 6:30 Le Cellier spot, only to have it be gone by the time you have to click on "confirm" a few seconds later? This could be a nightmare for some of those really popular restaurants.

As for the person who suggested tiered time frames, giving preferential treatment to package bookers.... As a DVC member, we don't use packages. Our villa booking is always done completely separate from park tickets and dining plans. As someone who spent a HUGE chunk of change buying into Disney, I would expect DVC members to also have some kind of priority if they ever used a system like that.

And lastly....

I have never double-booked, but on our last trip we did do a last minute cancellation. (two hours before the ADR). After coming back to AKV in yet an other torrential downpour (we had one almost every afternoon/evening of our trip), the last thing we felt like doing was making our way to Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge for our dinner ADR. So we went to the concierge and had them book us into Jiko and cancel our Artist Point ADR. That way we didn't have to leave the resort and do all that bus transferring in a virtual monsoon. A cancellation fee would have sucked. We had already been practically drenched in our nice clothes the night before when we went to Narcoosee's in the torrential rain. I just didn't feel like dealing with that again.

 

[Disney8704]

I dont get why everyone keeps saying how slow the wdw website is. Its never slow for me. Maybe I have a faster connection?

But anyways...what if you click on that 6:30 Le Cellier spot, only to have it be gone by the time you have to click on "confirm" a few seconds later?..well same thing applies when you call. Just because its open when you make that phone call, by the time the CM takes all your info and clicks confirm, that ADR could be long gone as well. Trust me, it can and has happened...

I have so many thoughts on this....

I am very concerned about Disney's website. I just don't think it will be able to handle this change. I don't even go on their website because of how slow it is. Plus, like someone else before brought up, what if you click on that 6:30 Le Cellier spot, only to have it be gone by the time you have to click on "confirm" a few seconds later? This could be a nightmare for some of those really popular restaurants.

As for the person who suggested tiered time frames, giving preferential treatment to package bookers.... As a DVC member, we don't use packages. Our villa booking is always done completely separate from park tickets and dining plans. As someone who spent a HUGE chunk of change buying into Disney, I would expect DVC members to also have some kind of priority if they ever used a system like that.

And lastly....

I have never double-booked, but on our last trip we did do a last minute cancellation. (two hours before the ADR). After coming back to AKV in yet an other torrential downpour (we had one almost every afternoon/evening of our trip), the last thing we felt like doing was making our way to Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge for our dinner ADR. So we went to the concierge and had them book us into Jiko and cancel our Artist Point ADR. That way we didn't have to leave the resort and do all that bus transferring in a virtual monsoon. A cancellation fee would have sucked. We had already been practically drenched in our nice clothes the night before when we went to Narcoosee's in the torrential rain. I just didn't feel like dealing with that again.

 

[Jubilee]

I dont get why everyone keeps saying how slow the wdw website is. Its never slow for me. Maybe I have a faster connection?

But anyways...what if you click on that 6:30 Le Cellier spot, only to have it be gone by the time you have to click on "confirm" a few seconds later?..well same thing applies when you call. Just because its open when you make that phone call, by the time the CM takes all your info and clicks confirm, that ADR could be long gone as well. Trust me, it can and has happened...

All of my other websites load fast so I don't think it's my (high speed DSL) connection. I realize there are faster connections and lots of factors contribute, but I will literally go to Log-In on the Disney site and it will just be loading for a minute or two...or more! Also, after I make a payment, it instantly actually takes the payment, but it never redirects back to the site. It's just stuck on tinkerbell loading forever. If their payment software (3rd party secure connection) isn't darn near perfect, then I am worried about reservation software.

I think what the previous poster is saying is that when you click on a time slot, you would have to press another button and load to another page to see if that time was available. If there are, say 20, 6:30PM slots or something available, and maybe 50 people would've clicked on it, then 30 people would have to go back and choose a different time...and if there were 50 people trying to get each time slot, then now most of those other times are already taken as well. Now, that is IF it goes smoothly. What also tends to happen in a checkout system (say for instance when you are "stalking" an item that is about to go "online") the clock changes to 6:00PM at 6:00:01 a bunch of people click at the exact same time and then click "confirm" at the exact same time and that's how overselling an item happens. Double, triple, quadruple, etc bookings. That happens even with good, upgraded software! I am so curious to see how it will work!

 

[ms_missy66]

Hooray!!! I've been hoping for online ADRs forever! I'm thrilled!

 

[Disney8704]

Only if they set it up that way...they could very easily just have all the available times pop up, you click on the time you want and thats it. Instead of choosing say 6pm and then seeing if anything is available for 6pm. Why do all that when it can just automatically show you whats available instead of having to click on different times just to see if theres something available in that time frame.

All of my other websites load fast so I don't think it's my (high speed DSL) connection. I realize there are faster connections and lots of factors contribute, but I will literally go to Log-In on the Disney site and it will just be loading for a minute or two...or more! Also, after I make a payment, it instantly actually takes the payment, but it never redirects back to the site. It's just stuck on tinkerbell loading forever. If their payment software (3rd party secure connection) isn't darn near perfect, then I am worried about reservation software.

I think what the previous poster is saying is that when you click on a time slot, you would have to press another button and load to another page to see if that time was available. If there are, say 20, 6:30PM slots or something available, and maybe 50 people would've clicked on it, then 30 people would have to go back and choose a different time...and if there were 50 people trying to get each time slot, then now most of those other times are already taken as well. Now, that is IF it goes smoothly. What also tends to happen in a checkout system (say for instance when you are "stalking" an item that is about to go "online") the clock changes to 6:00PM at 6:00:01 a bunch of people click at the exact same time and then click "confirm" at the exact same time and that's how overselling an item happens. Double, triple, quadruple, etc bookings. That happens even with good, upgraded software! I am so curious to see how it will work!

 

[tfc3rid]

If the folks at Disney could have the folks at OpenTable run their online Dining Reservations area, it would be great.

As for double-booking, it's going to happen regardless of the system. Not that it's right...

 

[BigGreen73]

Just bumping. I haven't been on in a while and I was curious if there are any updates on the dining reservations.

 

[tzeitel]

I wonder...

If people already double book restaurants because they can't make up their mind now doing it over the phone, I wonder how bad it will get when you can do it yourself.

I am all for doing things online. I do everything online. But unless they have a way to control that I don't know.

JMO

That is exactly what I thought. When I started planning ADRs for our upcoming trip I wished they had online booking. But first thing I thought of when I read the OP was - and how many ppl will double/triple book.

 

[Goofy22]

I think this would be a great thing if they execute it correctly and have the kinks worked out! I much rather do it myself! Maybe then they will even show up when you log onto walt disney world .com that would be great!

 

[eeyoresnr]

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

wouldn't every day be somebody's 180 day mark?

 

[ScrappinGran]

Since the ADR system crashes NOW with people's CURRENT reservations, how in the world can we be confident in what they are planning to do to MAKE ADR's? ( If you were at Boma this past Monday night, you know what I mean. ) I, for one think this will be a nightmare. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[tkldisney]

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

I would think everyday would be someone's 180 day mark.

 

[Ctsplaysinrain]

I think this would be great especially for us West Coasters... It would make the time difference not an issue.

 

[Orlando313]

My opinion, I think they should make you put a CC down to hold your ressie, and if you don't show up and you fail to cancel within 24 hours, then you get charged like a $15 service fee or something. That would prevent double booking!

 

[imthatgirl]

My opinion, I think they should make you put a CC down to hold your ressie, and if you don't show up and you fail to cancel within 24 hours, then you get charged like a $15 service fee or something. That would prevent double booking!

agreed!! but it wont happen.

 

[LovinPooh]

It would be nice to go online to verify all reservations and get a print out of all ADRs.

 

[jaymesmommy2004]

My opinion, I think they should make you put a CC down to hold your ressie, and if you don't show up and you fail to cancel within 24 hours, then you get charged like a $15 service fee or something. That would prevent double booking!

I totally agree it would be nice but it would also help if people would just cancel their reservations ahead of time.

 

[shellybaxter]

My opinion, I think they should make you put a CC down to hold your ressie, and if you don't show up and you fail to cancel within 24 hours, then you get charged like a $15 service fee or something. That would prevent double booking!

Do you think a lot of people double book and then don't cancel at all? I guess I imagined that those who double book eventually cancel. I think a CC hold that is not charged unless someone is a no show would encourage, not discourage double booking. The person would feel as if they had a right to hold two reservations because they were "paying for" both until they canceled one.

Personally I don't think a theme park should have a CC hold on all restaurants. I think the CC hold would be more trouble than its worth with people who were late because of broken down rides or disney transportation options that didn't get the people to the restaurant on time.

 

[disneyin2008]

My opinion, I think they should make you put a CC down to hold your ressie, and if you don't show up and you fail to cancel within 24 hours, then you get charged like a $15 service fee or something. That would prevent double booking!

Nahhh, it wouldn't prevent double booking...most people have more than one credit card. BUT it would mean that there would be a lot more last minute cancellations and the day of being able to walk up and get a table might be a bit easier as all those double bookers cancel the night before!

But I agree with other posters, it's not likely to happen. Disney has a few restaurants that do require a credit card hold and there are always people complaining about that. Plus there are some people who don't have credit cards....so would that mean that they can't eat at any TS in Disney, since you pretty much now MUST have an ADR to get in. That would make those folks pretty mad....I've seen the anger in threads where they require it for things like CRT and such, and right now it's just a few select places, can you imagine if it was everywhere. Disney would never turn away those folks, small percentage as they may be.

We need to face reality, there is no way to stop someone who wants to double book from doing so. Can't make it email based, because free emails are everywhere.....can't make it phone number because almost everyone has at least a home and cell number, and probably a work number too....and if no cell there is always Grandma's phone number since Disney never calls you anyway! Can't make it based on resort reservations because more than half their guests don't stay on site. Can't make it based on your name, because there is you, your spouse, the kids, the dog, and the name you picked out of the newspaper.

What I personally would like to see is SOME availablity for walk up/last minute bookings.....maybe a couple dozen tables over the course of the night. So if I decide that I really feel like Coral Reef tonight I can go over there at 2pm and get a reservation that night, or walk up and maybe have to wait an hour. But I also don't see Disney doing that, why should they when the current system has their popular places overbooked and always full. Thankfully there are enough TS places in resorts and a few in the parks that aren't booked solid that no one is going to starve, they just may get their top choices. I'm sure there are times, like maybe free dining, when this is not the case, but it seems few and far between, as we did quite a few walk ups in resort TSs during our last stay with little to no wait. I didn't even try at most places in the park, but some, like Tony's was available for the asking...and on an EMH night too boot, lol.

Like everything else, it all boils down to some people will play the system any way they can....and there is little any of us can do about it except grumble.

Grumble grumble.....I have a number of very late ADRs that I would love to get earlier, but it's all booked up even though I call every couple days....I'm sure it's all because of those no-good rootin tooting dasterdly double bookers. Grumble grumble.

What I'm looking forward to if online reservations happens is being able to check more often with the long distance call, the incessant "push 1 for this and 2 for that", and then having to make small talk and wait for the CM to look for you. Being able to log on and check availability while I talk on the phone (instead of playing solitaire or pacman or surf DIS) would be cool.

Any new rumors of whether this is in fact happening....or still just rumors?

 

[disneyin2008]

It would be nice to go online to verify all reservations and get a print out of all ADRs.

Yeah THAT would the ultimate. Especially when I think of all the errors the CMs have made for my ADRs....including the wrong MONTH! Thank heavens I read DIS and knew to check the each time I call in, but gosh, that's such a time consuming thing. Checking them online would be excellent.....and I don't quite get why they can't do that now.....they email you your resort reservation, why NOT email you a confirmation of the ADR you made. I'd espeically like to get a CANCEL confirmation when I cancel ones with a credit card hold. I often worry about those and don't want the hassle of disputing it if the CM didn't do it properly. And yeah, it happened, but I caught it. I had called specifically to cancel one ADR with a credit hold and make another ADR elsewhere. Next time I called in to change the time of the new ADR, and she said it had been cancelled because I already had one....yep, at the aforementioned cancelled credit hold one. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR