Multiple Dinner Reservations

[MaryKatesMom]

Why is it wrong to cancel an ADR the day it's scheduled for? I thought when people do that it's a good thing because someone might be able to make a last minute ADR at that location or other guests can go there as a walk-in. A few years ago after returning from Boma I got sick and thought it was from something I had there, so the next morning I cancelled my families second ADR for dinner which was scheduled for the day after that. Now I am not sure if someone was able to take our ADR by making their own or going as a walk-in, however we did our part by cancelling it and it's not our responsibility to make sure someone else gets the ADR that we cancelled.

Cancelling an ADR is much better than a no show.

What I don't think is appropriate is a weeks worth of double bookings and then deciding in the morning which one of the two you won't be using.

An ADR isn't much different than a FP. It is an imaginary place in line. If your holding two ADR's right up until that morning by that time I've already gotten an ADR at my third choice. Not everyone will call every morning looking for their first choice restaurant to be open. Keeping YOUR options open only limits mine.

Opening an ADR that day is great for a walk-in but for the majority of people here on the dis are planners and don't "plan" on walking in.

 

[ilovepooh]

I won't book more than one dinner reservation because I don't want to take away from someone else having the chance to eat at the one we decide to cancel.

We make a decision, book the ADR, and live with our choice. If you can't decide where or when you want to eat....then don't make ADR's until you do or just take your chances when you get there. I think double-booking ADR's is one reason the reservation system was changed to 90-days and also to link your ADR's with your room, etc.

 

[amjt660]

I was on another site on a similar thread
A person (I use the term loosely) was bragging about how they made two ADRs per day of their trip and then just decided on the day of which one to go to. (ie did not bother to cancel)

My response to the poster was :

"So I guess you are the guy who always takes up two parking spots at the mall??"

He was not impressed (and I did not care)

 

[SonicGuy]

I too would never make 2 ADR's at the same time - but cannot help but wonder how these folks seem to be able to GET 2 ADR's when often I cannot even get one!

 

[pavil]

I book what I can intially, and then keep calling back to improve. Once I have gotten my prime choice I always open up my previous reservation. I don't see why you would have to wait till you get there to cancel that second reservation.

I have kept 2 ADRs for one night for a day or so till I clear it with the family, then I cancel one of them. Disney has never said "So I see you already have a dinner reservation for tongiht" I don't think you should be able to hold onto multiple ADRs for one night more than a couple days.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But it sounds like you do what I do, pavil - make reservations, call back to amend them when possible, and cancel the conflicting reservation during the same phone call?

 

[maxiesmom]

I wish people wouldn't do this. If it becomes more prevalent, you'll have more restaurants making a CC and cancellation fee mandatory.

I wish Disney would make a credit card deposti mandatory at all restaurants. Then maybe some of these ADR hogs would change their ways.

I've made ADRs for a group of 8, 3 of who were children, and we've had no problem making our meals. We simply plan our days around them, it is not rocket science. If you have an early ADR for the Castle one morning, than get to bed early the day before so that everyone is well rested. If you have a big lunch at Le Ceiller scheduled, than have a small breakfast.

Making multiple ADRs for one meal is incredibly selfish, and people should be ashamed of themselves if they do that.

 

[pavil]

But it sounds like you do what I do, pavil - make reservations, call back to amend them when possible, and cancel the conflicting reservation during the same phone call?

If I don't get my primary choice I try to at least book my backups. Then I try to keep getting my primary choice, canceling the previous one's once I have got what I really want.

Yes, if I get my primary selection on a followup call, I will release the other reservation right then and there. I snagged a Boma Reservation once but had to clear it with my less than adventurous eating family, so I held on to my other ADR for a day.

I don't think that is wrong, holding two for the same day till your vacation is wrong IMO.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Cancelling an ADR is much better than a no show.

What I don't think is appropriate is a weeks worth of double bookings and then deciding in the morning which one of the two you won't be using.

An ADR isn't much different than a FP. It is an imaginary place in line. If your holding two ADR's right up until that morning by that time I've already gotten an ADR at my third choice. Not everyone will call every morning looking for their first choice restaurant to be open. Keeping YOUR options open only limits mine.

Opening an ADR that day is great for a walk-in but for the majority of people here on the dis are planners and don't "plan" on walking in.

I agree that double booking ADR's is not fair. However when I used my story about us cancelling our 2nd ADR for Boma, it was the only other ADR we had scheduled because we had planned to eat there on two different nights. We had already returned from the 1st ADR we had there and because I got sick after that I felt it was best to cancel our 2nd ADR, so anyone had 24 hours to call WDW Dining to take our ADR because I cancelled the day before it was scheduled. So there are some people like me who have cancelled ADR's for legitimate reasons and not because we had two of them scheduled at different locations for the same time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah, Jason, sometimes things happen. Your experience is a perfect example of that. In fact, if you don't mind - and given how frequently you post - I'd like to use your family to support the reasonable practice

Sure, one time (or on rare occasions), you found yourself unable or unwilling to keep a reservation, and so, relatively close to the actual reservation time but still with as much advance notice as possible, you considerately cancelled the reservation. However, your family's normal practice is to make ONE reservation per meal, far in advance.

If you find your plans change, you call Disney and make a different reservation and cancel the original/conflicting/duplicate one, correct? That's what most of us feel is reasonable, fair, and considerate - especially to (a) other DISers and people like us who plan very thoroughly in advance and (b) any Disney Guest who is advised by DRC to make their table service reservations early for the best chance of getting everything they want.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Yeah, Jason, sometimes things happen. Your experience is a perfect example of that. In fact, if you don't mind - and given how frequently you post - I'd like to use your family to support the reasonable practice

Sure, one time (or on rare occasions), you found yourself unable or unwilling to keep a reservation, and so, relatively close to the actual reservation time but still with as much advance notice as possible, you considerately cancelled the reservation. However, your family's normal practice is to make ONE reservation per meal, far in advance.

If you find your plans change, you call Disney and make a different reservation and cancel the original/conflicting/duplicate one, correct? That's what most of us feel is reasonable, fair, and considerate - especially to (a) other DISers and people like us who plan very thoroughly in advance and (b) any Disney Guest who is advised by DRC to make their table service reservations early for the best chance of getting everything they want.

I would say that's fair however had I not got sick that night then we would have kept our 2nd ADR for Boma, so cancelling that ADR is something we did not think would happen at the time.

I do agree if someones plans change well in advance they should cancel an ADR they don't want right away and prehaps WDW should upgrade their system to prevent guests from double booking ADR's. Sure they may have caught some guests doing this, however I think it's still happening.

 

[mickaholic4077]

Unfortunately,if a person books in a different name and uses a different phone number as a reference,there is no way Disney can tell that that is one person getting 2 ADRs for the same meal.

 

[bwilcox]

I have made 2 ADRs for the same night several times for our trip in June. Wait -don't shoot-it's for a legitimate reason! I am the "designated planner" for our group of 8, so I made all the ADRs. Our family wants some alone time from everyone else, and they're not interested in character meals. So I made ADRs for 4 people at 2 different restaurants twice at around the same times on the same days. There are only 4 people on my hotel reservation. And the CM on the phone didn't question why I needed 2 different ADRs at the same time in different places. So I guess they are not really policing ADR hoarding.

 

[Cindy F]

Yep, we doubled booked ADRs for our upcoming trip.

I just saw this thread but this is what I posted on another one concerning doing away with ADRs.

i think if you're actually at the restaraunt they should seat you, just like when you're at your regular places in your town. There are always plenty of empty tables when i eat in disney and if you'd call disney dining they'd tell you they're booked. if you went to the podium as a walk up they'd say no.
the whole time we ate at lecellier for lunch there were multiple empty tables from the time we got there to the time we left. San Angel had TONS of empty tables the whole time and a huge line of walk ups they turned down. plus adr's are for schooled Disney people but it would stink for those on their first visit, like my first, walking up to eat somewhere and being told you need and adr, a what?, where/how do i do that?? Not fun when you're in disney on your first trip!! then people learn to book adrs, but then plenty dont show up since most dont have any penalty. then you get empty tables yet the place is booked! I say if you want to eat there, be there.

I have to agree with you on this. We learned this same lesson trying to book the campground after we got our camper. Trying to get a spot was horrendous so we learned to do what everyone else does...book reservations in months you think you might want to go.....each for 20-30 days. Then cancel the dates you don't want at the last (no penalty) minute.

So, before we even left this past December, we booked 21 days each in Sept, Nov, and Dec. Because of what I've read here about ADRs (which we've never done before), we reserved 2 different restaurants for dinner each night of our stay and will call and cancel the one we decide not to eat at an hour before our reserved time. We may not keep any dining reservations at all but based on things we've read, we know to make them "just in case"...even for nights we really have no intention of eating out.

Seems like an odd game to have to play doesn't it? It would be better to just do away with the whole ADR thing, or maybe have a "fastpass" type system. I don't see that happening though for two reasons 1) human beings are not well known for their love of "change" and 2) it doesn't make Disney any money.

 

[Cindy F]

.....Making multiple ADRs for one meal is incredibly selfish, and people should be ashamed of themselves if they do that.

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

 

[mickaholic4077]

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

Really? You don't think that holding 2 reservations, knowing full well that you do not intend to use one of them, smacks of a self-centered entitlement mentality? It says "I think I'm more important than anybody else; therefore the requests/policies of my host do not apply to me."

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

Not everyone can or does book more than 3 months in advance.

Plus, resort guest get 90 + 10 which I don't get at the Dolphin.

ADR's are like FP's. You are holding a place in line. If you are in two different lines at the same time you are taking a space that someone else can use.

I'm sorry but the "two for me and none for you" is really self explanatory.

 

[Pakey]

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

Disney also doesn't police you to make sure you put your trash in the trash cans, they don't police you to make sure you refrain from using foul language around other people, there are millions of things you "CAN" do. But your actions do affect the vacation experience of other Disney goers. Does everything have to be a set rule or law before we, as people, will be fair to others.

There are tons of reasons why people cannot book at 90 or 90+10. I'll give you my example. I was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer and wanted to go to Disney before my surgery and treatments which left me in that less than 90 day window. So I call for meals for my family and so much is already booked. How many of those already booked were by people like you, who felt that it's totally okay to book multiple meals that you have no intention of showing up for. How is that NOT selfish.

I don't like making my plans so far in advance any more than anyone else does. But I don't think I'm so self important that I need to make multiple reservations so that I am the only one not inconvenienced by Disney's setup.

 

[TommyTutone]

Why? I'm not being snarky, I just honestly don't understand what's wrong with it. Everyone has the same opportunity to call and book as I do. I can see it would be unfair if I had an unfair advantage...some kind of super pass that would let me make reservations for certain dates way ahead of anyone else but if the playing field is all even and I cancel the reservation I'm not using so someone else can be seated....why is it selfish?

I would never just not show up and not call (although I do think they should automatically release a reserved table if you are over 15 minutes late). I guess I just don't understand.

So as using someone else's example, if you went to the mall and there were no parking spaces available because everyone else there took up two spaces, well, that's your fault for not getting there early enough?

It is tough to pull a full vacation at Disney without a credit card (it can be done, but it is so convenient), they should go ahead and require a card for each reservation and charge $50 if you don't cancel within 24 hours (48 hours during peak season). Then people can still double book, but those not paying attention pay the price for their selfishness.