Online reservations

[goofy&tigger2]

Whats good and bad about doing Dining Reservations Online??? Should I do it this way or call Disney like I have done before???? Need your input

 

[Bostonterrierlover]

Online you can book 190 in advance by saying you are checking in 10 days earlier. It's a system glitch. Even though you aren't checking in on that day your ADRs will go through. You can only book day by day though until you hit your 180 day mark. Calling Disney you can only book at your 180 day mark.

 

[Stepharia]

I did it last week for all my ressies in Dec. I really liked it. To me it was a lot quicker because I could look at what was available for a specific date and time so if what I wanted wasn't available it was really easy to see what else was. I'll probably continue to use the online service instead of calling.

 

[ms_missy66]

I love the online ADR system. I can sit at my computer for as long as I'd like looking at my options and making changes, rather than feeling like I'm making someone else deal with my neurosis. LOL

 

[disneypolybride2008]

well for one it is free, unlike calling, and you dont sit on hold either. It's really easy to see what is available and quickly modify to see different dates, times, and restaurants. It's great!

 

[hildarumpole]

It's A LOT quicker than calling. Every time I've called for ADRs, I've been on the phone for at least 45 min. They waste so much time telling you the restaurant is no smoking and to arrive 15 min. early after each ADR you make. It's ridiculous. Online ADRs took me 15 min. I made 9 ADRs and even had to check special boxes for dietary requests. I was also able to print out all our ADRs. Love the online ADR system.

 

[scanne]

The good: it's free, it's right in front of you, you get your choice of times, you're in control.

The bad: the ease of making changes. I have made changes to our dining over 50 times already. I just have to not check the reservations on line.

Oh, another good thing. You can pull up all of your dining ressie at once with your log-in at Disneyworld.com. It's a very helpful feature!

 

[jdisnut]

I cannot think of a single negative aspect to the online reservation system. It's intuitive and easily accessible. I especially like the ability to make changes throughout the day, even after the telephone center closes.

 

[wdwfann]

We've always called and booked our dining. This trip I decided to 'just look' at the online process. It was so easy, I booked all of our ADRs. I just loved it. Give it a try!

 

[Cafeen]

Most of it's been covered, but just because I like reading myself write...

Good

• 6AM Eastern start time rather than 7am
• No hold times, can be done before someone normally would pick up
• Personal choice, you can see what's available and make a decision based on that, rather than relying on a CM to guess
• The aforementioned 190 thing (see the big thread on the Reservations board)
• You can be as non-social as you want to be (ok, this is a "pro" for me at least)
• Insuring the correct and standard information gets entered (Names and Phone numbers)

Bad

• They're addictive
• Requires an internet connection (uhh... I'm stretching, I know)
• Starts at 3am for west coasters (yup, still stretching)
• You have to click a mouse (yeah, I just overstretched)

Ugly

• Several known issues including web-browser recognition, improper linking of dining plans, occassional server-side issues
• CRT and Dinner Shows are not allowing 180+10 correctly, nor are they properly seeing a dining plan attached, thus forcing pre-payment
• Occassional lock outs for no apparent reason (normally at a particular restaurant for a particular party size for a particular time)

There's a few more known issues that I've detailed out in both my ADR thread as well as the "Glitch" thread. Since the online site is in beta (still, seriously, Disney's betas are about as bad as my company's!) there is a chance for bugs and things not working right.

Overall though, the experiences from both myself and the Dining Board regulars has been extremely positive, even discounting the excitment of being able to book at 190 days out (Glitch or "Working as Intended"? We still don't know). It's a lot smoother than it used to be, and some of the features are pretty slick too.