I'm going to get flamed....

[MaeDaisy]

Mr. Brit, I don't think anyone here disagrees that people should not be allowed to book 2 ressies for the same time. Almost everyone agrees that this is unacceptable, including Disney.

But that is a completely different issue than suggesting that some tables be reserved for locals and walk-ins. Why should the rules be different for anyone? Right now, the rules are the same for EVERYONE. How is it more fair to allow some people the privilege of waltzing in on a whim while others have to make ADRs? That makes no sense.

 

[Lewisc]

Reverse it, ask what restaurants have availability. My guess is you'll normally (not a holiday) get at least 6 choices.

You can't get a reservation a day or two in advance at many restaurants in many parts of the country. Go to a chain restaurant where I live on a Saturday night and I can easily get a 2 hour wait. Try to get a pre-theater dinner reservation in NYC even one month in advance and you'll have a problem. Good chance your first 6 choices will be unavailable.

Consider the restaurants that aren't popular with dining plan customers. Signature restaurants like Citrous. Restaurants that don't participate such as the restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin.

i completely agree with you lewisc, but when one tries to make reservations for an evening and even offers the flexibility of 6 restaurents and still cant get a booking, its a pretty poor show.

I am sorry to offend the person before with my bad spelling because im in a hurry typing and i profusely appologise, still being English i guess it is my language and can do what i want with it, America has certainly butchered our language....y'all.....LOL THIS IS A JOKE AND SHOULD BE TAKEN AS SUCH< DONT GET OVER EXCITED AND WET YOURSELVES WITH RAGE, I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY
DOH

 

[raidermatt]

See, in THIS discussion, it's not. It's ORLANDO to NYC. Because in THIS discussion you're talking about locals, living in ORLANDO, not WDW guests, who are having the issue.

But the restaurants in question are all through NYC. Nobody is talking about the Red Lobster or Olive Garden in Orlando. Its specific to WDW. And as I said several pages ago, its not only a locals issue. Its anybody who finds the need to make ADRs with shorter notice.

One thing I have noticed and call it concidence or not, but us that like the DDP seem to have little problem getting our ADRs when we want them, even last minute.

A lot of it depends on when you are going, what time you want to eat, which restaurants you want, and the size of your party.

I booked most of our ADRs for our upcoming June trip at about the 100 day mark, and generally got what I wanted with a couple of exceptions. I generally consider anything within an hour of when I want it to basically be what I asked for. I was within that window for 12 out of 14 restaurants I believe, which I'm not going to complain about. (Though I should note that most of the requested dinner times were 5pm, which is not a peak time.)

But at the same time, that's still well over 3 months out. It doesn't get any easier from there. Not everybody understands how difficult it can be to get tables during busy periods, as is plainly obvious by listening to how many people get turned away at the podium, as well as how many now complain about not being able to get ADRs.

Its one thing to say you don't care about the problem becuase its not a big deal to you or doesn't impact you, but its another to try to suggest it doesn't really exist or isn't important BECAUSE it doesn't impact you.

 

[jezebella]

Is that your name or your screen name, if truly it is your name, then yes you might on the Disney, anti DISboards, hit list.

Just kidding of course, but they do read these forums.

No...not my name...just my handle. Luckily though I managed to squeeze a ressie out of Flying Fish...so I may be able to update the thread soon.

 

[sandym718]

Very interesting thread!!

"I agree that Disney should set aside some ressies for diners who don't know about planning far ahead of time and for those who choose not to plan 180 days out. DDP has changed Disney Dining in many ways, and one of them is that some people like yourself and anyone else not "in the know" are being left out" - quoted from above...

This might be nice, BUT the thing is Disney is a business, it's all about the profit. To me, this isn't REALLY about the DDP (though that has obviously affected this a lot) or tourists vs. locals, etc.

This is about Disney wanting to have tables full, totally, at all times, whenever possible, to maximize profit. They enacted DDP to do this, and they have 180 day reservations to do this. It might be nice (for tourists, locals, anyone not a Disney exec!) to have some tables saved for walk-ins, etc. but is that the BEST way for Disney to ensure that it's tables will be full and it will maximize its profit? No, better to have those reservations in advance! (Though there is the argument that they are hurting overall profits by alienating locals, last-minute planners, etc!) And the system really isn't unfair - it's first-come, first-served, a very "time honored" method.

I have made this analogy before - to me it's like buying concert tickets. Like it or not, for popular concerts, you often times MUST buy them the day they are released, often within the first hour. Do they hold tickets back to sell them the last day for people who don't "like" to plan that far in advance or who weren't aware of the concert or who hadn't decided what they want to do that day? No! They sell them out as quickly as possible! Now, sometimes tickets become available at the last minute due to staging configurations etc, and sometimes people get lucky. This also happens with Disney restaurants - people cancel, tables become available, sometimes people get lucky to get last-minute ressies!!

I do empathize with the OP concern, but I think it's all about making choices I guess, whether you're local or a tourist. You can choose to eat onsite or offsite, you can choose to book 180 or 90 or whatever days in advance to have the best chance of getting specific times, restaurants, etc, you can choose to not want to do that for whatever reason and take your chances. Just my opinion!!

Oh, and LOL at the OP's husband calling people idiots with multiple misspellings and saying we don't know how to organise (sic!!) Planning and committing to a ressie 180 days in advance isn't being organized??? LOL!!

FWIW, I made all my ADR's at 180 days (calling back at 180 exactly for WPC) and have not changed them at all. We'll be there 4/28!

 

[pilferk]

well, i must say, i have really rattled the saber havent i...lol

Ok even if you want to compare NYC to Orlando, how on earth can you do that, they are 2 different beasts, both in terms of population and density, thus i would hazzard a guess there are more restaurents in NYC than in Orlando. Many people seem to forget that Orlando is pretty much geared up to support Disney, and believe it or not Olive Garden isnt everyones cup of tea everytime one wantes to eat out.

Population and Density don't really pertain to this particular conversation. Just like the fact that Orlando has more personal transport (cars) per capita than NYC residents do has little to do with things. We're talking strictly about the similarities of their dining setup. As for restaurants, I'd say, "per capita", I'd bet it's pretty close. And FYI, NYC people feel much the same way about OG. And if you go to NYC, and walk around the "touristy areas", you'll see much the same sort of "foodie landscape" you see in Orlando. Might look a bit different (ground level high-rise vs urban sprawl mall), but very similar.

I am not suggesting that they change the playing field for Locals, but i am suggesting that they keep a limited number of bookings free, not only for locals but also for walk ins, these could be guests who have just decided, ooh i fancy eating at le cellier or some other restaurent.

The effect is still the same: The possibility of empty tables vs the LACK of possibility for empty tables.

And this foolish notion of booking 180 days in advance is ridiculous and you proved it yourself, you were booking new years eve or christmas eve. Hello its a holiday, of course you have to book in advance. We are talking about normal every day scenarios, not oh i want to eat in le Cellier at 7.30 on 4th July and damn these tourists for taking my time. That is not the case at all and you are turning it into that.

The law of supply and demand doesn't change. It's just different factors coming into play. MY factor is a date...YOUR factor is location. Frequency, likewise, has nothing to do with it. It is, absolutely, 100% about supply/demand and finding a fair way to distribute the supply amongst that demand. I'd argue your way is LESS fair.

And in terms of my comments regarding the dining experience this has been confirmed by numerous cast members that people mostly locals who utilise this service cannont get value for money because they struggle to get reservations because the DDP guests fully book the restaurents and one cast member told me the infuriating thing is tha when push comes to shove and the alloted time comes around they have on average 2 tables min empty because people make more than one booking.

I agree on the "multiple ADR" thing being an issue. But, again, the DDE card doesn't promise you a seat at any TS you want, any time you want. If you want value, play by the rules or don't buy the card. Simple enough.

Its not onl about people being idiots but it is also about them being selfish and having no thought forothers, it doesnt have to be locals, what about other dpp people who cant get reservations because those people have made double bookings, and to be honest the number of people who understand this and agree with our point of view only goes to confirm this and alot of them arnt even locals.

I agree...making more than 1 ADR, for the purposes of having "choice" at the time of eating, is an issue. I'm sure Disney thinks so, too. But your suggestion won't change that...it'll just hold back an artificial number of ressies for an unknown benefit that may or may not be used. From a business standpoint, it's not a compelling reason to implement it.

Perhaps the people who are so vehemently anti what we are trying to put forward are the same people who make these bookings( purely speculation of course).

Or not. I've never made an ADR that wasn't going to be used by me, or someone in my family. I just play by the rules, and make sure I book the popular spots early for our vacation. I play by the rules....it's inconvenient to try to plan THAT far in advance, but it's doable. And I realize that either I play by the rules, or I eat at the food court a lot.

 

[NancyIL]

I was a walk-in at Le Cellier on Saturday, Dec. 2nd for lunch (dining solo). Two of us also had no trouble being seated at Sci-Fi on March 22nd about 30 minutes earlier than our ADR at lunch time - and that was a far busier time than early December. Not only is dining less expensive at lunch time - but there seems to be more availability. Now - if everyone on the DDP wants to eat at a table service restaurant for dinner to get more bang for their dining dollars - they might find it more difficult to eat where they want.

 

[mrsltg]

Why has it come down to insuiating that I must be lying about my difficulty because your mom the CM can get them?

My mom is a CM, my dad is in Management at WDW and we all have problems with it.... Perhaps they just have my name on some master list at disney booking stating "Do not book Jezebella".

Not at all - I doubt you are lying. Just as I doubt other people have had different experiences. That's what makes the world go 'round... What I do think, and others do, too, is that you're complaining about something unfixable and of little relevance. You can't get into WDW on short notice for dining. Ok. (hold on, I'm waiting to see if the Earth is going to fall off its axis.... nope - gravity is still in effect) Oh well. Here's the solution, next year, don't buy an AP or DDE. Vote with your wallet. Right now Disney doesn't care nor do they need to. I don't mind planning my dinners 6 months in advance. It seems there are a lot of people like me. For now, WDW is more interested in courting my business.

 

[jezebella]

Oh...and just to clarify -- this was not a whim where I decided one night I wanted to eat at LeCellier -- I was calling to get an ADR for over a month in advance on a non-holiday time and my times to book were anywhere from noon - 8pm and on 2 seperate days. Plus it wasn't just one restaurant...I had those people looking at everything and my option was like Tony's at 2.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Considering there a lot of people post about seeing guests turned away from restaurants because they were full and because they did not have an ADR, if they set a side just a few tables at the popualr places I am sure they could fill them with walk-ins. So the guests without ADR's can fill up the empty tables right away if they arrive when the restaurants open for breafast, lunch or dinner.

 

[pilferk]

There are very, very, very few NYC restaurant experiences where I couldn't get a reservation within a reasonable time frame. VERY few. And for the most part, they're restaurants that are tourist traps or high end flavor-of-the-month restaurants. Even NYC greats are available. I've entertained and been entertained in NYC for years and have never had the problems currently occurring at WDW. Quite frankly, comparing the NYC scene to Orlando or WDW isn't accurate. Getting ANY sort of ADR at ANY WDW restaurant within a few weeks of dining has become problematic during busy season.

One more time, with feeling: ORLANDO TO NYC. Not WDW to NYC.

WDW is the equivalent of the touristy (you mention the tourist traps, yourself) areas of NYC. Take a gander around Broadway about 2 - 3 weeks prior to see if you can get a ressie at one of the more "upscale" places. That's the NYC equivalent to WDW.

 

[MaeDaisy]

Oh...and just to clarify -- this was not a whim where I decided one night I wanted to eat at LeCellier -- I was calling to get an ADR for over a month in advance on a non-holiday time and my times to book were anywhere from noon - 8pm and on 2 seperate days. Plus it wasn't just one restaurant...I had those people looking at everything and my option was like Tony's at 2.

And Mr & Mrs. Tourist from Peoria IL would have been offered that exact same Tony's reservation if they called a month out. Why would it be fair if you could call at a month out and get Le Cellier, but they couldn't?

 

[jezebella]

Oh goodness..this thread was not meant to get people so upset. We've come to that time in a thread where we are hurling insults and criticizing spelling. FYI -- in England, you spell organize with an "s". This should probably be locked.

 

[raidermatt]

One more time, with feeling: ORLANDO TO NYC. Not WDW to NYC.

You can say it as many times as you want, but its still apples and oranges. WDW is a controlled bubble that dominates the tourist business in it's region, with all profits and control rolling up to the same source (minus the ever increasing outsourcing of restaurants and hotels, but that's another issue).

NYC is a collection of separate attractions and restaurants, all run as separate entities.

Completely different dynamic.

 

[sandym718]

LOL, not upset here, but it's funny you mention insults when it was your husband....

Oh, and I could care less about spelling, really, but when calling others idiots... LOL!

 

[jezebella]

Oh I know --- it's the lawyer in him...he likes to argue...luckily not with me.

 

[pilferk]

But the restaurants in question are all through NYC. Nobody is talking about the Red Lobster or Olive Garden in Orlando. Its specific to WDW. And as I said several pages ago, its not only a locals issue. Its anybody who finds the need to make ADRs with shorter notice.

And the restaurants in question are only in a small part of Orlando. Orlando also has PLENTY of other upscale dining establishments, just like NYC....out of the way, not in touristy spots, easier to get into. The locals have every opportunity to choose THOSE places, just like the locals in NYC can choose NOT to dine in touristy areas. How geographically dispersed they are isn't really relevant. It's only specific to WDW in terms of limited availability, much like touristy areas in NYC are limited in availability.

My analogy, and conversation, have been strictly confined to the "locals" side of the argument. Hence, the analogy is apt, and appropriate.

 

[gina2000]

There's virtually nowhere midtown in the Broadway area that I can't get a reservation a week/2 weeks in advance especially if it's a weeknight. The OP isn't asking for same day reservations. She's asking for a normal lead time for a restaurant excluding the exceptions I posted a few pages back.

And midtown Broadway/theater district area restaurants is the ACCURATE comparison to WDW which is what the discussion is all about.

 

[auntie]

Exactly..I guess my main frustration is that...when you all are at home and want to go somewhere other than the staple, Olive Garden, Ale House, Red Lobster, etc....do you make reservations 4 months in advance? Suprisingly...in Orlando, being a Disney person is not the best thing.

I'm not from here...I vacationed here my whole life until about 5 years ago when I moved. It's just now that I'm getting that going on vacation, with regards to dining, is easier being an outsider. You know when you're going to be here and you can book it half a year in advance. That's it....this is my world, living in Orlando...and the DDP has taken away our ability to dine at their restaurants UNLESS you leave it to the last minute and just take what you can get.

At first..I didn't realize the point you were trying to make. I have to admit..these would be local restaurants for you...and it would be irritating to have to make a reservaton months in advance to eat some where locally to your home. I also do live in close proximity to NY..and believe me..and I'm sorry if this offends some..but there hasn't been a resaurant in Orlando that I have come across that I'd wait a year for a reservation in. I think that's comparing Apple's and Oranges..again..just my opinion. Of course it would be easier for those of us planning our vacations to endure the necessity of having to make advanced reservations. Something..that I personally hate having to do now because of the 180 day bookings. I feel that while many folks on this board and others say they do not abuse the system...meaning making reservations that they might or might not keep..just to have them. There are likely just as many that do just that. I don't know that I even blame them. It's hard as a tourist to know 6 months in advance your plans. Or even for those of us who don't know 6 mos. in advance when it is we will be vacationing. Even though it is an inconveniece..and certainly eliminates any spontaneity...it's only for the week or duration of my stay...not the same as it would be for a local person who has to deal with making ADR's everytime they want to eat out. I am an believer in the old days of Priority seating...when a certain amount of tables were still kept for same day..or walk up reservations. I'm quite sure this was probably better for the locals also. In any case..it does seem those days are gone. It has made me think twice about ever visiting during a "free dining" promotion. It is not something I would do while still paying full rack rate for a deluxe resort. I'm sorry that you are having such a problem...but by the same token you are supporting some restaurants (other than Disney owned) that I'm sure appreciate the local patronage as their livelihood mostly certainly depends on you and others like you.

 

[pilferk]

You can say it as many times as you want, but its still apples and oranges. WDW is a controlled bubble that dominates the tourist business in it's region, with all profits and control rolling up to the same source (minus the ever increasing outsourcing of restaurants and hotels, but that's another issues).

NYC is a collection of separate attractions and restaurants, all run as separate entities.

Completely different dynamic.

It's only apples to oranges because it defeats the argument of those in agreement. However, it's perfectly apt.

Sure, there are operational differences but that doesn't mean, for the sake of this PARICULAR discussion, the comparison, within the context provided, isn't apt. We're talking strictly about availability and reservations. Not about policy, not about business modeling, and not about quality.

WDW exists in Orlando, like TS exists in NYC. As a local, you have access to both places, and all the surrounding areas.