Do people make double reservations?

[sersee05]

Do people make two reservations and hold on to them until they find a better one or make a decision?

I am one of the frustrated people trying to make reservations..Problem is we just booked this for the first week in November..so reservations for that time were being made a little ways back.

I am trying to be flexible..but since we do not have hopper passes it is difficult. We are not breakfast eaters..so it becomes kind of a waste to use our ts on breakfast..but I tried to be flexible and check for those times too. I need to try and do at least one character experience for my kids..

Is the online ADR updated to offer the cancellations? I have been basically on this thing all day.

 

[Tricia1972]

There are lots of different threads with speculations as to why there aren't reservations available. We've had posters who say that in talking to CMs at restaurants that Disney is only booking to about 30% of capacity due to glitches in the new online system, others claim that it's due to cutbacks in staffing (restaurants aren't full, but servers are still busy taking care of tables, this holds some credit in my eyes, because if a restaurant was half full, of no-shows, they'd seat walk ups, and most restaurants aren't taking walk ups right now) Also, there are definitely those who double book, either intentionally or unintentionally. (There are many reports of people who are double booked due to computer glitches)

The good news is that online tends to release random floods of reservation times. I read a report yesterday of someone who leaves in about a week, who suddenly was able to pick and choose their time for Chef Mickeys.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Do people make two reservations and hold on to them until they find a better one or make a decision?

I am one of the frustrated people trying to make reservations..Problem is we just booked this for the first week in November..so reservations for that time were being made a little ways back.

I am trying to be flexible..but since we do not have hopper passes it is difficult. We are not breakfast eaters..so it becomes kind of a waste to use our ts on breakfast..but I tried to be flexible and check for those times too. I need to try and do at least one character experience for my kids..

Is the online ADR updated to offer the cancellations? I have been basically on this thing all day.

Yes, unfortunately people do this all the time. This flaw in the system really needs to be addressed.

Once someone cancels an ADR it will show back up in the reservation system. Definitely keep trying back for ADRs you want but couldn't get.

 

[VegasMike21]

Yes, it happens, there's even people who have the nerve to post their adr's on this site, one person even made adr's for the same restaurant 5 times during their trip. And even admitted they made them but didn't intend to use all of them.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Unfortunately yes I'm one of the ones that wouldn't even dare think about double booking and if it turns out that we can't actually make an ADR I rush online and cancel or call Disney Dining right away. Hopefully Disney comes up with some way to weed through these ADRs and stop people from doing it!

 

[JeffGoldblum]

Do people make two reservations and hold on to them until they find a better one or make a decision?

Yep. It sucks. And then there are people who don't even cancel them, they just don't show up to them, so those poor people waiting for a spot to open won't get it. I wish Disney would put a credit card on file for every ADR, and if you don't cancel within 14 days, you get charged.

 

[rosie'smom]

Do people make two reservations and hold on to them until they find a better one or make a decision?

I am one of the frustrated people trying to make reservations..Problem is we just booked this for the first week in November..so reservations for that time were being made a little ways back.

I am trying to be flexible..but since we do not have hopper passes it is difficult. We are not breakfast eaters..so it becomes kind of a waste to use our ts on breakfast..but I tried to be flexible and check for those times too. I need to try and do at least one character experience for my kids..

Is the online ADR updated to offer the cancellations? I have been basically on this thing all day.

Yes absolutely people do ......

I made a reservation for 5 to get a table at O'Hana and there are only three of us...I feel so guilty about just doing that. I would never double book.

I plan to continue until the day we leave change the reservation to a party of three.

 

[bytheblood]

Yep. It sucks. And then there are people who don't even cancel them, they just don't show up to them, so those poor people waiting for a spot to open won't get it. I wish Disney would put a credit card on file for every ADR, and if you don't cancel within 14 days, you get charged.

Right on!! I think if you are a no-show for any reason that cannot be proven as medical, Disney should charge $15 for each member of the party.


I see a lot of people bragging about all of the reservations they make and have no intentions on canceling them. (bragging how they are covered so that they can eat when they want)

 

[bytheblood]

Yes absolutely people do ......

I made a reservation for 5 to get a table at O'Hana and there are only three of us...I feel so guilty about just doing that. I would never double book.

I plan to continue until the day we leave change the reservation to a party of three.

I understand what you did and why you did it, but you do realize there is the potential you will not be seated if all of your party is not there, correct?

 

[mchelle77]

I haven't double booked in the sense of booking two places at the same time, but I have booked a single restaurant for breakfast and lunch, until we decide which we want to do. That, I think, is OK to do (because you COULD use both of them if you chose to) but I'll be canceling when we make the decision, probably by the time we pay off the balance next week. I would NOT, however, book two or three places for breakfast on the same day, or anything like that.

I know one way people get around this is booking one, and then booking another with someone else's name in their party. When I was switching our PH res for one at 1900 Park Fare, I booked PH with my name and cell, then found a res available at 1900 a week later, so I put that in my husband's name with his cell # and then went and canceled the PH res, just to be sure the 1900 was still available and I wouldn't lose it.

 

[sersee05]

It is not right to hold all those res...and not even bother to cancel!!! I was trying to get CRT..but from what I understand if you don't cancel...you are charged with that one..

 

[MouseMomx2]

I understand what you did and why you did it, but you do realize there is the potential you will not be seated if all of your party is not there, correct?

That is only an issue if you are waiting for the rest of your party to join you. If she simply says that they are now a party of 3 instead of a party of 5 they will be seated when a table for their party size opens up. This has happened to us when one of our kids was not feeling well and decided to stay in the room. We simply told them at the podium that we were one less and it was no problem.

 

[Tricia1972]

That is only an issue if you are waiting for the rest of your party to join you. If she simply says that they are now a party of 3 instead of a party of 5 they will be seated when a table for their party size opens up. This has happened to us when one of our kids was not feeling well and decided to stay in the room. We simply told them at the podium that we were one less and it was no problem.

This is 100% correct.

 

[Soon2B4]

Yep. It sucks. And then there are people who don't even cancel them, they just don't show up to them, so those poor people waiting for a spot to open won't get it. I wish Disney would put a credit card on file for every ADR, and if you don't cancel within 14 days, you get charged.

I don't completely agree with this. I just went to Disney 2 weeks ago and we drove for a change. Both of my kids got sick on the trip and we decided to leave early. (We had a room only that allowed us to do this with no penalty.) I did call and cancel CM and CP, but they were for the next 2 days. I couldn't help my kids got sick and don't think I should have been charged for not going when I did cancel. Someone still had the opportunity to take my slots. I understand the point, but when kids are involved I don't think you can make it 14 days in advance or you get charged.

 

[Mysteria]

I don't agree with 14 days out to cancel. Too much can happen in 14 days. I do agree that even a small fee for just not showing up, without a reason, would get people to cancel even if it were a few hours out.

The reason I say without a reason is it happened to us once. We went to see Osborne lights at DHS and had a reservation at Chef Mickey's. We left in plenty of time to make that res. There ended up being a bad accident on the way out of DHS that caused total gridlock even in the parking lot. Had no cell. We were 90 minutes late. I wasn't even sure they'd be able to seat us and wouldn't have fussed if they couldn't. On the other hand in this case I would have requested a refund of any money charged for not showing at the right time.

eta: If I change dining plans I cancel my old res's immediately. Ihad to cancel a Le Cellier res for Nov and as soon as I knew plans had changed I cancelled it asap. Hope it made someone's day!

 

[lilys.mom]

this will be my first trip ever I booked our trip a while back and found out early enough about ADRS booked my ADRS on my ADR window day now as it has gotten closer I needed a few things tweaked because of our park schedules...etc.....I booked the new ones online and called in a few days later to cancel my old ones when I was for sure of which I wanted to keep. I called and spoke directly to CM to cancel. I asked her if I was abusing the system by going online to get something different I had already booked for different day/time and then cancelling whichever I didnt want to keep. She sounded stunned that I even asked and said No way are you abusing anything...that is what the system is for?????

Just sharing my experience

 

[ElizabethB]

Yes, of course people double book. So do the concierges on Club Levels.

 

[Kathy Z]

Other than my "back up plan in case of cold or wet weather" for a lunch TS ADR in AK, I plan to keep every ADR we have. If we wake to a nice clear day I will call to release that ADR for a walk up. I was just too afraid to plan on Flame Tree Barbeque and then have that turn out to be a cold, windy and possibly wet day in December. If it is, we would need a break from the weather for lunch.

 

[LD NURSE]

Well, I booked CM at 7:55 on an Epcot day. I decided that was too late, but
nothing else was available. I found Whispering Canyon that same night at 5:15--booked that. Talked to family to see which one they wanted, and ended up cancelling both. But I only did that once. Not the whole trip. And I'm not going until 12/6. So, I feel like that is okay. I would never double book everything. I always have an idea, which park I'll be in....

 

[Mysteria]

this will be my first trip ever I booked our trip a while back and found out early enough about ADRS booked my ADRS on my ADR window day now as it has gotten closer I needed a few things tweaked because of our park schedules...etc.....I booked the new ones online and called in a few days later to cancel my old ones when I was for sure of which I wanted to keep. I called and spoke directly to CM to cancel. I asked her if I was abusing the system by going online to get something different I had already booked for different day/time and then cancelling whichever I didnt want to keep. She sounded stunned that I even asked and said No way are you abusing anything...that is what the system is for?????

Just sharing my experience

What you did is fine and not at all what makes people upset. It's the people who double book and don't cancel when they know their plans have changed or don't cancel at all.