Something has got to be done about ADR's

[civileng68]

duplicate

 

[BCV23]

Yes, I have been aware of *88, but I've always received the same information from them, that it was too late to cancel the PS arrangements.

Wow, what time frame is this in?

You can also cancel any AR at any dining podium. So if you're in Epcot and aren't going to get to Mama Melrose in time. you can walk up to the podium of Chefs and ask them to cancel. Same thing with resort restaurants. You can cancel at Guest Services in the parks and at the Concierge desks in the hotels.

We never make duplicate ARs and always cancel. I think it is inconsiderate at best to make more than you need and cancel only after you've finalized your plans.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

Another problem with deposits is when CRO makes a mistake on your ADR's. We had a couple of instances where we made an ADR with a restaurant and when we showed up, it wasn't listed. We gave the number and when they pulled it up, it was for a different day several months in advance. In addition, there were extra ones for sooner dates where all the information was correct but we didn't ask for that date or time. If we hadn't asked where it was, we would never have known about it and thus be charged for it. We could dispute it but who would have a record that we did or didn't actually call.

 

[tlbwriter]

Actually right now you CAN make multiple ADRs at the same exact time under the same name. The computer systems dont pull them up and alert the rep.

Yes, but what I was saying is, I don't know if you can make those multiple reservations during the same phone call with the same CM, so that there would be no "alert" necessary. Has anybody done this?

 

[tlbwriter]

I have found that since Disney started offering the free food plan with its packages it's much harder to to book the restaurant you want anywhere on the property.

If you're talking about the Magic Your Way dining package, it is definitely filling the restaurants, but it is not free except during limited promotions. I believe those promotions have come and gone, so "free dining" is not currently a factor.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

You know that has to irritate the servers too that they lose out on having all of their tables sat if so many people do "no-shows". I would be curious to find out if over the years their tips have gone down. Or Disney could get rid of ADR's all together and we could all wait two to three hours to be sat anywhere. Wouldn't that be fun? (I'm just kidding, but who knows maybe Disney will end up doing this. If they lose out on too much money from people that would be filling the restaraunts they might start making people put down a deposit or do away with them all together-because it's not like they're profiting from people making multiple ADR's and not cancelling them)

 

[srfrgrl07]

I think that the biggest problem is the duplicate reservations that people are making. There really is no way for Disney dining agents to "catch" them if they are made in different names or different phone numbers., which happpens often when there a multiple families traveling together. Plus, there are many people out there with common names, and wouldn't it suck if someone cancelled your reservation assuming it was a duplicate because there was another William Smith with a family of four visiting WDW at the same time you were?

I really don't think that it is Disney's responsibility to monitor this as closely as many here have suggested. They make lots of dining reservations per hour...I've called and booked a couple of days worth of reservations within minutes of each other and the second reservation number is 20-30 digits higher than the first one I made seconds before.

What it comes down to is that Disney is not aware of every single person's vacation plans and what park they have planned to visit on what day, let alone what restaurant they have planned. That is the responsibility of the person planning his/her vacation, not the dining agent. There will always be people who disregard the fact that by double/triple booking they are taking away a table for someone else. If they started requiring cc for all bookings, maybe that would decrease a little. Given the uproar during the introduction fo the BRP requiring a nonrefundable deposit, I doubt that such a policy would be greeted with a warm welcome.

This is kind of a stretch, but how I can relate it to my experiences...when I worked for a cell phone company and customers would complain that their bill was so high and blame it on us. Ummm...the customer was the one who used the phone and talked on the phone. It was always the customers that were on the least expensive plan that had 250 minutes but they would talk for over 1,000 minutes a month. We would recommend that they upgrade their plan and they would just say that they just won't use it anymore...yeah, right. They would be right back in the store next month and their phone would ring at least 3 times during our conversation and of course they would anwer it...but still have no clue as to how they used 1,000 minutes It's all about taking responsibility for yourself.

Anyways, that is just my opinion, thanks for considering it

 

[Amy&Dan]

I don't agree with this- I managed to plan ADRs for our last trip without the October hours- anyone can pull up the normal EMH schedule and the historic hours- they don't deviate greatly year to year.

Epcot- ALWAYS open 9-9
MGM- During October, ALWAYS open 9-7 or 9-8
AK- ALWAYS open 9-5 during non peak times.

MK does have the most variable hours, but it doesn't warrant people making multiple ADRs for the same time.

Now that the hours are out 6 months in advance, that argument is no longer valid. Multiple ADRs are made out of greed and disregard for others, plain and simple.

What I am talking about is EMH, which does vary and parade/fireworks schedules. For example, we like to eat at LTT before seeing Spectro but they used to not have the parade schedule up 90 days out. Also, they would change it around after they did. We avoid EMH parks like the plague so I like know what the deal with that is so that I can not be in an EMH park at all. And to clarify once again, this didn't cause me to make multiple ADR's because I wouldn't do that but the cm's suggested it and said many people do that and when the hours are out and seem stable they will cancel what they don't need. But we all know many people don't do that.

 

[HoneyMooner]

Yes, but what I was saying is, I don't know if you can make those multiple reservations during the same phone call with the same CM, so that there would be no "alert" necessary. Has anybody done this?

Well I called today and didn't really know what I wanted so I said I would call back and the CM I spoke with actually encouraged me to make 2 ADRs for the same day at the same exact time. She said it wouldn't be there when I called back. I did not feel comfortable doing that. She also told me that they were making 1000 ADRs per hour for the restaurants during Christmas time. I really hope she was kidding but she said she was serious.

 

[bicker]

Given the uproar during the introduction fo the BRP requiring a nonrefundable deposit, I doubt that such a policy would be greeted with a warm welcome.

It's hard to say. Surely, you'll have more than enough curmudgeons on message boards like this to chime in, but would it really go over badly IRL, we can't be sure. It might have such a positive impact on the current problem (people can't get reservations) that it is a net-positive for the guests.

 

[GoofyDad869]

I posted a thread (titled something like "ADR ethics questions?") about a month ago, which was my way of dealing with my ADR frustration.

Our solution is just to call as soon as we are able (180 days out), and then plan our Park days around our dining reservations. It works OK for us.

 

[canwegosoon]

I have double booked(don't bother flaming)...because I have always cancelled ASAP(sometimes months ahead, sometimes a day ahead), and not just let a table sit there...that is not fair. I think WDW should keep to the 15-20 min cancellation window, and also over book reservations by 2-3% in larger restaurants. A small restaurant like Plaza that would not work. Also perhaps there could be some kind of penality for no shows/or no cancellations(like 15-20 dollars, but inorder to do that there has to be some way for each of us to verify our ADR's to check for booking errors).

 

[zulaya]

There really is no way for Disney dining agents to "catch" them if they are made in different names or different phone numbers., which happpens often when there a multiple families traveling together.

True. If people want to play the system, you could have a ton of phone numbers. For the most part though, those CMs can see what you have made under that phone number or reservation number.

You are right, the CM's shouldn't have to spend all their time policing it. That's why Disney's tech team needs to write a program for the reservation system so that under one phone number you can't have 3 ADRs for 6pm on the same day at 3 different restaurants. This could cut down on a lot of the duplicates.

Will people find a way around it? Those that want to will call with 5 different phone numbers, but I'd guess a good number of duplicate ADRs would go down.

We had this problem in June. I had an ADR at 'Ohana. My friend did make any ADRs as I suggested. She decided day of she wanted to come with us. She called and Dining told her that 'Ohana was full the whole night. She went elsewhere. When we got to 'Ohana, around 5:30pm, the place was MAYBE 1/4 full. There were empty tables everywhere.

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow, I have never made multiple ressies for any meal. I plan on what park I will be in what day, and where I most likely will want to eat, and make an ADR for that place. Many people may not like the idea of planning their vacation. However to make multiple ressies because you are not sure what you want is rude and selfish, IMHO. They should kick out of the system just like the hotel ressies do now.

 

[Jennifer_Jayhawk]

I would agree that multiple ADRs for the same dinner is wrong--it would not cross my mind to do that. But I do try to plan my trip as much as possible and I have learned that walking up to a place for dinner is tough. That comes with experience.

The first time I went to DW I was surprised how long the lines for lunch were at noon! Go figure. Now we eat early (or more likely a late breakfast) and lunch after 1:00.

Airlines over book on purpose--why can't Disney restaurants??? Especially if they know what the no-show rate is?

And in all seriousness, I do think the problem that you addressed is happening because people have learned how to work the system. They read these boards, talk to people, etc. There is no behavior modification in place from Disney to discourage this. I can't believe they can't get their computers to track reservations. Requiring a CC is opening the door for bad PR.

 

[Stitch1404]

A few days ago I made two ADR's at the same time, one at Boma, and one at Jiko, all in the same phone call. The CM let me do it, she didn't even question me. The only reason I did this was because I needed to contact my husband to ask him where he preferred to eat. I called him at work, he chose Boma, and I called back and cancelled the Jiko ADR all within about 20 minutes. But the interesting part was when I called back to cancel. I told the CM I was calling to cancel and did she want the ADR number. She said, "no, let me pull up your phone number." So I gave her my phone number and she immediately said "I see you have Boma and Jiko booked for the same time, which one would you like to cancel?" So I guess it just depends on the CM. Even though I was calling to cancel the Jiko ADR even if I had been calling for a different reason it was evident to me that the CM wouldn't have let me off the phone until I canceled one of them!

 

[bicker]

It makes absolutely no sense to expend any energy to put in place any measures that can so readily be defeated. Disney knows how readily ways to "work the system" spread, in the Internet age. It only makes sense to employ measures that cannot readily be defeated, that achieve the objective. Credit Card deposits achieve that end, with minimal dissatisfaction.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

What I am talking about is EMH, which does vary and parade/fireworks schedules. For example, we like to eat at LTT before seeing Spectro but they used to not have the parade schedule up 90 days out. Also, they would change it around after they did. We avoid EMH parks like the plague so I like know what the deal with that is so that I can not be in an EMH park at all. And to clarify once again, this didn't cause me to make multiple ADR's because I wouldn't do that but the cm's suggested it and said many people do that and when the hours are out and seem stable they will cancel what they don't need. But we all know many people don't do that.

Exactly; we've had to do something like this in the past. We'll make a ADR for one time and then also for a later time, b/c we just don't know what time Spectro or Fantasmic might be. However, once we find out we cancel the ADR we don't need. We always cancel the ones we don't use.

Hopefully now that won't be necessary.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I agree with those that have said booking multiple ADR's for the same meal is just inconsiderate and wrong. To enter a fully booked restaurant like the OP did only to discover that a large percentage of tables were empty, thus representing a large percentage of "no shows" is a completely undesirable situation from a business perspective for Disney, from an ethical standpoint, as well as from a convenience perspective for those who wanted to get a table at the last minute.

I make my plans ahead of time, make one ADR for each meal and if I change my mind and make a new ADR, I cancel the old one immediately. Fair is fair.

I would not mind leaving a credit card deposit for places. It doesn't necessarily mean prepaying, even though to be honest I would enjoy prepaying personally. I dont' think that it is bad PR at all. Some places in WDW already do it and it certainly hasn't hurt their turnout. Perhaps people are annoyed, but it is for a greater positive.

Others have said Disney cannot really monitor this, however I disagree. If the company wanted to, it could be easily accomplished via computer programming. Reservations for the same phone number or the same room reservation number, or some common factor (excepting of course something non-unique like name) would be blocked.

I've also considered each room card having the person's ADR entitlements coded on there, but there are flaws for that idea as well.

Truthfully, I think that our society is coming up with more and more responses to growing inconsideration and lack of courtesy. Truthfully, I think it's sad, because we can police all we want, but the fact is, that the only real solution is for people to learn more compassion and what is polite etiquette. We wouldn't need so many rules and consequences if people were more thoughtful about their actions.