Reservations with unborn baby/dining window

[cgh]

We are planning a trip next spring (in about 6 months). Do I make reservations with the baby (due end of next month), or without and add him? It would be 3 without, 4 with.

Also, when do I make reservations. Our arrival date is April 26th. Does that mean October 26th? Or some other date?

Finally- what time can I make reservations online?

 

[figment_jii]

We are planning a trip next spring (in about 6 months). Do I make reservations with the baby (due end of next month), or without and add him? It would be 3 without, 4 with.

Also, when do I make reservations. Our arrival date is April 26th. Does that mean October 26th? Or some other date?

Finally- what time can I make reservations online?

For dining reservation, you need to include the baby if you're planning on taking him/her with you when you eat. The party size is for fire code reasons (among others), so you should include everyone that will be at the meal, regardless of whether they eat or not.

You can make ADRs 180-days in advance, so I think that means your window should open up on 10/28.

Reservations can be made online starting at 6:00 am ET.

 

[shadeauxe]

In addition to the post above, I was told by a CM that a reservation for 5 is the same as a reservation for 6. You're taking up that space at your table it just isn't counting that extra person toward the limit.

I had about 15 dining reservations in April for 5 people figuring I didn't need to count my infant. When I found that I did need to, due to fire code, it was only about a month away from our trip. We managed to get every reservation changed from a 5 to a 6 person with no problems. Even at Be Our Guest.

 

[figment_jii]

In addition to the post above, I was told by a CM that a reservation for 5 is the same as a reservation for 6. You're taking up that space at your table it just isn't counting that extra person toward the limit.

I agree that it's very rare that you'd be turned away, a reservation for a party of 5 is not the same as a reservation for a party of 6. There are some venues with tables for odd numbered groups (my experience is with groups of three). So I would make the reservations for the correct party size. Personally, I'd rather know everyone will be seated and not have to worry that someone might not be admitted.

 

[shadeauxe]

I agree that it's very rare that you'd be turned away, a reservation for a party of 5 is not the same as a reservation for a party of 6. There are some venues with tables for odd numbered groups (my experience is with groups of three). So I would make the reservations for the correct party size. Personally, I'd rather know everyone will be seated and not have to worry that someone might not be admitted.

I wasn't talking about walking up and trying to get in with an extra person. I was just trying to emphasize that it's not more difficult to get a reservation for the even number of people over the odd, so you might as well just go for the larger number.

 

[figment_jii]

I wasn't talking about walking up and trying to get in with an extra person. I was just trying to emphasize that it's not more difficult to get a reservation for the even number of people over the odd, so you might as well just go for the larger number.

Ah, okay. I thought you were telling the OP that a reservation for 5 is the same as a reservation for 6, so it doesn't matter if they make it for 5 or 6 if they're going to be a party of 6.

It's a well known quirk here on the Disboard that the ADR system does better with even numbered groups opposed to odd. The system doesn't always know that you can seat an odd numbered group at the next largest even number tables (e.g., seat a group of 5 at a table 6). So the recommendation is often for odd numbered groups to try looking for a table the next even number up.