I just wanted to share an ADR trick I stumbled upon...

[Jlane5000]

I've been trying for ages to get a 2 person ADR for Brown Derby for an early lunch. I was hoping to get a booth so figured I needed to get the earliest reservation after they open for lunch, so 12:05. I been lurking on MDE every day for quite a while and checking numerous times per day. I finally had one for 12:30 but was hoping to get even earlier. There has been a table for 3 available for 12:05 every day I have checked, but never a 2. I just figured I had to hope I was lucky on the day in getting a booth, and try and go with the flow (something my obsessive disney planning is teaching me i'm not great at ). Anyway I was browsing my other favourite website (disney food blog) and found this recent article:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016/01/19/news-modify-your-disney-dining-reservations-online/

It states how you can try and amend reservations online, including altering the number of parties. So i decided to do an experiment, I booked the 3 person table at 12:05 (please believe me I was never going to keep it if this didn't work as its obviously not fair on an actual party of 3) and then went to 'change my reservation'. I selected 2 people and re-selected 12:05 and it amended it! so now I have a reservation for 2 people at 12:05

Forgive me if this is old news to people and i'm behind the times (or if this just happened to be a fluke), but i just wanted to share in case others didn't know

 

[ArielRae]

Yep this is trick you have to do to get a table sometimes with Disney's system. Being only a 1 or 2 diners sometimes you have to book for four people to get it. Just let them know when you check in how many will be dining.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I have been playing with ADR's for 6 for Tusker House today. I originally had it for 3 on July 25, breakfast. I found out my other DD was going to join us, added her no problem. I later find out a friend of mine and my sister wanted to come (locals). No tables for 6 till lunch. So I try a table of 2, but not touching my existing 4 already set. Doesn't show availability. I put in 3, bingo it has it, same time as my 4..hmmm but yet I cannot add to my existing. Ok, I try to book, but cannot because I cannot hold 2 in my name. One of them will have to do it.

 

[Jlane5000]

Yep this is trick you have to do to get a table sometimes with Disney's system. Being only a 1 or 2 diners sometimes you have to book for four people to get it. Just let them know when you check in how many will be dining.

but its now listed as a 2 person reservation on my MDE so i would have thought that's now what will be down on the restaurants reservation system? i wouldn't want to keep it if were for more people than the 2 of us as its a reservation taken from an actual party of 3

 

[ArielRae]

Worked out great for you. Let us know if it was still in Disney's system like that when you check in.

Sometimes it doesn't work out and you have to book more then your actual party. Even the creators of this site encourage this practice since Disney makes it such a pain to get a table for your party number when it is obviously tables available.

 

[ArielRae]

I have been playing with ADR's for 6 for Tusker House today. I originally had it for 3 on July 25, breakfast. I found out my other DD was going to join us, added her no problem. I later find out a friend of mine and my sister wanted to come (locals). No tables for 6 till lunch. So I try a table of 2, but not touching my existing 4 already set. Doesn't show availability. I put in 3, bingo it has it, same time as my 4..hmmm but yet I cannot add to my existing. Ok, I try to book, but cannot because I cannot hold 2 in my name. One of them will have to do it.

Might help calling and have the CM make two reservations for 4 at or close to the same time if available. You can have two separate reservations if one isn't linked to your account. Just have the CM use a phone number not associated with your MDE account for one of the reservations.

 

[Jlane5000]

Worked out great for you. Let us know if it was still in Disney's system like that when you check in.

Sometimes it doesn't work out and you have to book more then your actual party. Even the creators of this site encourage this practice since Disney makes it such a pain to get a table for your party number when it is obviously tables available.

it seems to have worked out fingers crossed. I agree, finding tables for 2 seems to be more difficult than for say tables of 4 which seems a bit backwards to me. Like I said I didn't know if what i did was a known thing or if it was a fluke so just thought I'd let people know about it in case they want to give it a shot.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Might help calling and have the CM make two reservations for 4 at or close to the same time if available. You can have two separate reservations if one isn't linked to your account. Just have the CM use a phone number not associated with your MDE account for one of the reservations.

Thanks

 

[purple figment]

I have been playing with ADR's for 6 for Tusker House today. I originally had it for 3 on July 25, breakfast. I found out my other DD was going to join us, added her no problem. I later find out a friend of mine and my sister wanted to come (locals). No tables for 6 till lunch. So I try a table of 2, but not touching my existing 4 already set. Doesn't show availability. I put in 3, bingo it has it, same time as my 4..hmmm but yet I cannot add to my existing. Ok, I try to book, but cannot because I cannot hold 2 in my name. One of them will have to do it.

Reservations are based on table size so you would have two reservations, each for a table that will fit up to 4. You weren't able to make one reservation for 7 because there wasn't a table available large enough to fit your whole group at the time you were checking.

If you want to make the second reservation for the additional three you can have someone else in the group make it or you can call and explain the situation to the castmember. If you end up with two separate reservations you can ask when you check in to be seated together. You may have to wait longer since you'll need a different size table or you might be seated separately depending on how busy the restaurant is at the time of your reservation.

but its now listed as a 2 person reservation on my MDE so i would have thought that's now what will be down on the restaurants reservation system? i wouldn't want to keep it if were for more people than the 2 of us as its a reservation taken from an actual party of 3

Glad it worked out. Most likely there was a cancellation for a two top so it was good that you kept checking. Overall most restaurants at DW have more 4 tops than 2 tops because there are more families and groups than couples.

 

[Jlane5000]

Reservations are based on table size so you would have two reservations, each for a table that will fit up to 4. You weren't able to make one reservation for 7 because there wasn't a table available large enough to fit your whole group at the time you were checking.

If you want to make the second reservation for the additional three you can have someone else in the group make it or you can call and explain the situation to the castmember. If you end up with two separate reservations you can ask when you check in to be seated together. You may have to wait longer since you'll need a different size table or you might be seated separately depending on how busy the restaurant is at the time of your reservation.


Glad it worked out. Most likely there was a cancellation for a two top so it was good that you kept checking. Overall most restaurants at DW have more 4 tops than 2 tops because there are more families and groups than couples.

so it isn't common to be able to edit your reservation on MDE for a smaller number and keep the same time slot/reservation? sounds like it was a fluke and i was very lucky then

 

[Wood Nymph]

so it isn't common to be able to edit your reservation on MDE for a smaller number and keep the same time slot/reservation? sounds like it was a fluke and i was very lucky then

We had originally booked some ADR's for 8 people and needed to change them to 7 people when one person decided not to go on the trip. I was able to change it for 'Ohana right away but I couldn't do it for Cape May. It showed available for different times only, times that I didn't want. So it isn't going to work in all cases.

 

[Jerseyprincess317]

so it isn't common to be able to edit your reservation on MDE for a smaller number and keep the same time slot/reservation? sounds like it was a fluke and i was very lucky then

Nope. I have a BOG reservation for 4 even though we will only be 3. I tried to change it but would have lost my reservation.

 

[Jlane5000]

Nope. I have a BOG reservation for 4 even though we will only be 3. I tried to change it but would have lost my reservation.

Wow sorry to hear that! and here I am thinking i'd found a new little get around. I don't think they would mind someone having a table for 4 but 3 showing up would they? You'd probably still be sat at a 4 person table as a party of 3 so makes no difference really and with BOG being so hard to get i can see why you'd hang onto it! Have a lovely meal i've got a ressie there to and can't wait

 

[purple figment]

so it isn't common to be able to edit your reservation on MDE for a smaller number and keep the same time slot/reservation? sounds like it was a fluke and i was very lucky then

There has to be a reservation available for the party size you are looking for which is why I am guessing that someone cancelled just when you were looking. The system could then make the change, but all the other times when you checked there wasn't a 2 top table available so you weren't able to change your reservation from 3 to 2.

 

[KT0191]

Love the modify feature! We needed an Ohana reservation for this September and I got one for 4 but needed 6. I checked for days for a reservation of 6, of 2..basically a ton of different ways. I then went to modify it and change it from 4 to 6 and it let me with no problem even though there was nothing showing up. So great

 

[Jlane5000]

Love the modify feature! We needed an Ohana reservation for this September and I got one for 4 but needed 6. I checked for days for a reservation of 6, of 2..basically a ton of different ways. I then went to modify it and change it from 4 to 6 and it let me with no problem even though there was nothing showing up. So great

That's exactly what happened to me! Definitely a neat trick that's worth a try

 

[MelissaBee]

I have been playing with ADR's for 6 for Tusker House today. I originally had it for 3 on July 25, breakfast. I found out my other DD was going to join us, added her no problem. I later find out a friend of mine and my sister wanted to come (locals). No tables for 6 till lunch. So I try a table of 2, but not touching my existing 4 already set. Doesn't show availability. I put in 3, bingo it has it, same time as my 4..hmmm but yet I cannot add to my existing. Ok, I try to book, but cannot because I cannot hold 2 in my name. One of them will have to do it.

I have this happening with some of mine. Party of eleven was unavailable at GG and Biergarten. So we split up the group and I booked the max number of guests I could get and then called and had the phone CM book a second ADR at close to the same time for the remaining number. Someone else said the second ADR won't be linked to your MDE, but all of mine are.

Also, I called back a few weeks after my 180+ and was able to get a new ADR at Biergarten for all 11 of us.

In essence, call. Don't use the website in this case.