MDE- the E stands for Evil!

[luvpooh]

So, this morning I got a text from touring plans that an ADR that I have been trying to get became available for SciFi. I literally stopped what I was doing (dressing my son for camp) and grabbed my phone to go onto the mde app and book the reservation. There were a few technical glitches, including the app stopped working, then finally I get to the part where it goes to reserve your adr, and I get a message that my payment was declined! How is that even possible? The credit card info was already on file! I went back in, and of course the reservation was gone. Ugh!

I know it's been discussed 1000 times, but why can't Disney IT get it together?

 

[CallieS]

That totally sucks! Maybe it was declined because someone else was booking at the same time as you and they got through a few seconds before you? Just a thought. Especially since it was gone when you went back in.

I'm trying for a reservation at Ohana. I got the text from touring plans, dropped everything, went onto MDE from my ipad. Typed Ohana into the search box and the ipad kept auto correcting to Obama. That wasted precious seconds, and when I finally got to Ohana, the reservation was gone. It's that fast!

 

[steg]

I'm staying away from the MDE app for all reservation booking, it's been nothing but buggy and flaky, no payment declines like you experience but general errors when booking reservations.

It bit me a few weeks ago by dying at the last step of the process while booking Victoria and Albert's reservations, one at 5:30, another at 5:45, and another at 6:15 causing them to be in limbo until later that evening when they were kicked back into the system. Luckily the great folks at the Victoria and Albert's reservation line were watching and gave me a call when they saw the reservations become available to book.

It amazes me how flaky the main WDW website can be especially at peak booking times. You'd think it'd be adequately load tested and resourced accordingly for peak booking times especially for such fundamental functionality as reservation booking. I'm sick of seeing Donald and Stitch pop up when I'm in the middle of doing random things within the site. Perhaps instead of investing in clever error handling screen designs they could focus on the performance and stability of the site instead. I bet the problem is that HP is their "Official Technology Provider" nothing I've encountered from HP has been at a level of quality that a company/enterprise like Disney requires for what their standards for operational excellence in IT products and services should be.

One thing of mention is that the Shop Disney Parks App has worked great compared to the rest of their apps/websites. Then again I've used it very infrequently and I don't have to ship or bill to a P.O. Box (which still doesn't work)

I use the MDE logo as my avatar because of how awesome I think it is as an overall concept of MDE, magic bands and My Magic +, and online checkin, have worked together flawlessly for me while in the parks, even when I was in the testing phase when it first came out (also because I think it matches with the styling of this forum very well ). However, when the main interfaces to book reservations are unreliable the whole thing kind of falls apart.

End rant.

 

[luvpooh]

I'm trying for a reservation at Ohana. I got the text from touring plans, dropped everything, went onto MDE from my ipad. Typed Ohana into the search box and the ipad kept auto correcting to Obama. That wasted precious seconds, and when I finally got to Ohana, the reservation was gone. It's that fast!

Hee hee, Obama. Maybe the ipad thought they added a dining experience to the Hall of Presidents?

It bit me a few weeks ago with dying at the last step of the process while booking Victoria and Albert's reservations, one at 530, another at 545, and another at 6:15 causing them to be in limbo until later that evening when they were kicked back into the system.

I think this is what happened to me too, because I just got another notification that there was an ADR for the same exact time. So presumably, nobody booked it, it just 'glitched' out of availability and then reworked its way back in?

Funny thing between the app and the website - on the app it doesn't make you cancel an ADR first if it is in the same timeframe as one you are trying to book. It does make you cancel the existing one, however, on the website, if you are booking for the same period. Another glitch?

 

[Shanti]

So, this morning I got a text from touring plans that an ADR that I have been trying to get became available for SciFi. I literally stopped what I was doing (dressing my son for camp) and grabbed my phone to go onto the mde app and book the reservation. There were a few technical glitches, including the app stopped working, then finally I get to the part where it goes to reserve your adr, and I get a message that my payment was declined! How is that even possible? The credit card info was already on file! I went back in, and of course the reservation was gone. Ugh!

I know it's been discussed 1000 times, but why can't Disney IT get it together?

Someone else likely got to the ressie right before you, & that's why your payment was declined. The system couldn't process your payment because it had just processed someone else's.

You mentioned other technical glitches. You might try using a desktop rather than a phone when possible for ADRs. They're less glitchy with MDE.

Renew your ADR search with TP and keep trying. Cancellations will happen. I've just missed ADRs the way you've described, & know it's a bummer.

 

[bumbershoot]

Perhaps instead of investing in clever error handling screen designs they could focus on the performance and stability of the site instead.

I actually like that they have decent error messages now. I remember when all of this was starting that they felt "you have no reservations" was an appropriate error message for when they were doing database work and you simply couldn't access the reservations at that time. Ah, good times, good times ...

I use the MDE logo as my avatar because of how awesome I think it is as an overall concept

What do you feel is the overall concept? At heart it's simply a "My Account" section of a website. Which they had already.


For reservations I'd use the normal account not the app, and turn off autocorrect on your iPad. (Though doing that would have allowed me to type "axxiunt" a minute ago. As frustrating as autocorrect can be, for me it's better than seeing the alphabet soup my thumbs come up with sometimes!)

 

[steg]

I actually like that they have decent error messages now. I remember when all of this was starting that they felt "you have no reservations" was an appropriate error message for when they were doing database work and you simply couldn't access the reservations at that time. Ah, good times, good times ...



What do you feel is the overall concept? At heart it's simply a "My Account" section of a website. Which they had already.

To clarify I guess I mean the whole overaching My Magic +, MDE, Magic Band, Online Checkin, Band Room Key concept/strategy. To me the main interface where I interact with these is MDE, other than the bands themselves, so I lumped them all together. Edited my original post to clarify.

I don't mind good error handling scenarios its just when things like that are so polished in comparison to something as basic as general stability to the point where I can't consistently book reservations without getting an error page just seems backwards to me. I guess it wouldn't be such a problem if I could just make an itinerary and stick to it but I'm changing it around constantly, and will need to change it again when the full operating schedule comes out for the month I'm going in. So in that regard I'm probably experiencing it more than some, but I'm sure there are more who do this.

 

[wilkeliza]

Hee hee, Obama. Maybe the ipad thought they added a dining experience to the Hall of Presidents?



I think this is what happened to me too, because I just got another notification that there was an ADR for the same exact time. So presumably, nobody booked it, it just 'glitched' out of availability and then reworked its way back in?

Funny thing between the app and the website - on the app it doesn't make you cancel an ADR first if it is in the same timeframe as one you are trying to book. It does make you cancel the existing one, however, on the website, if you are booking for the same period. Another glitch?

The app should make you cancel the existing reservation. Now the website actually works better because it doesn't actually cancel your reservation until the new one is fully booked. If for whatever reason it doesn't book the new reservation the original stays yours.

 

[Betty_Baylor99]

Ugh, frustrating! We switched out HS and MK days next month so I was on the hunt for lunch ADRs for Sci Fi too. Touring plans texted me this morning and same thing happened to me- got all the way to the last step and then got the "sorry for the paws" notice and then nothing! I was on the website and not the app. I figured someone else snagged it at the same time. I later refreshed the search and got a notice for an earlier time and this time, I didn't bother to identify the guests in my party, note my daughter's peanut allergy, etc. I just pretty much zipped as quick as I could to nail down the ADR and figured I could modify and amend the ADR info afterwards!

 

[Tigger's ally]

I got on this morning (60 days out to my Food & BEER trip) and made all my fast passes. Other than not being able to get the chance to choose Frozen (not real interested anyway) I had a flawless time on MDE. Made all our dining ressies on there in the last month and it has worked great all the way around. Had to enter my CC every ressie as we eat signatures with the Deluxe plan, but that is fine by me.