Trouble w/dining ressies ??

[JimMIA]

You bring up a good point. There are always guests trying to skate the system (making duplicate adr's, trying to get their child the adult meal, etc...) Maybe this new system will attempt to cut back on some of that.

I don't think so. I think this system is in response to big spenders' complaints that they couldn't get ADRs because of free DDP reservations -- at least that's the scuttlebutt some folks with good ties to Disney Dining have. Whether free dining was really the culprit is very questionable, IMHO, but that's the complaint we've heard.

Probably the REAL reason is they're just looking for a way to upgrade their margins. Reduce the number of people utilizing discounts and you have more people paying full price. Under that theory, FREE DDP and regular DDP are equally bad for the restaurants. They get about $25 per meal for a DDP credit, and it doesn't matter to the restaurant whether the guest pays for DDP or gets it free.

By contrast, for a meal that Disney Dining values at a grossly-inflated $40 menu price, a TiW patron would pay $32. A cash-paying guest would pay $40. Obviously the lower ratio of DDP and TiW guests to cash guests yields a higher margin for the restaurant.

But I think the model they used to address DDP abuse previously makes sense. It doesn't punish free diners who prepaid their packages before any of this happened, and it allows for sort of a soft landing to sort problems out...and also more time to get the computer system really debugged.

 

[JimMIA]

At first I wasn't able to book anything I wanted, however once I fashioned a helmet out of tinfoil (so they can't read my mind), I was able to call in and get Le Cellier for dinner, CRT Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and they're putting on a special show of Fantasmic just for me! Can't wait to do the wave all by myself and shout "Brazil!" Yeah me!

See...all it takes is a system. You gotta have a system!

 

[Colleen27]

You bring up a good point. There are always guests trying to skate the system (making duplicate adr's, trying to get their child the adult meal, etc...) Maybe this new system will attempt to cut back on some of that.

Or not. If the rumors are true and the number of tables available with each discount are limited, now if someone using one of those discounts is the type to double book they're removing tables that they don't fully intend to use from an even smaller pool than was available under a non-tiered system.

 

[JimMIA]

The thread on the DVC boards wandered off into a two-party techie "look at me" contest and the mod mercifully closed the thread. Hopefully those who want to discuss dining issues -- rather than their own magnificent selves -- will migrate over here and add whatever constructive input they can.

Bottom line though, I think we're all going to have to wait a while to see a) whether this has any ACTUAL impact at all on our ability to make ADRs, and b) if so, what effect it has for which groups.

I suspect Disney Dining could do quite a bit of tweaking of their system without any of us really noticing any difference.

 

[DMLewis75]

I do feel there is something odd going on this year with the ADR's. Maybe it has to do with the new system. I don't know. All I do know is I've NEVER had so much trouble getting ADR's before.In the past, we've always been able to get what we want pretty close to the time we want. This year I called 90+10 and had to have back-ups for my back-ups. Lots of schedule shifting and that was 90+10 days out. Don't know what the poor people who don't plan obsessively and call right at the beginning of their window do!!
I know it's free dining and all but some of the restaurants, like CP, that I was trying to get and was COMPLETELY booked, are huge. How could it be completely booked right at 90+10???

What is the 90 + 10 rule? Does this mean you can actually call 100 days in advance? I'm confused.

 

[LyndaC]

What is the 90 + 10 rule? Does this mean you can actually call 100 days in advance? I'm confused.

No you can't call 100 days ahead, you can call at 90 days and try to make all your ADR's for the following 10 days rather than have to call every day.

 

[DMLewis75]

No you can't call 100 days ahead, you can call at 90 days and try to make all your ADR's for the following 10 days rather than have to call every day.

Ah...thank you. Now I've got it.

 

[Fairiebee]

Thank you for explaining that! Very important detail which I was wondering about

 

[LyndaC]

I neglected to add to my reply, that the 90 + 10 only applies to folks staying on property at one of the WDW resorts.

 

[njmeisje]

I don't know about the "tiered system" being discussed - but I can confirm as a TIW holder, that they asked for a card number to add to my profile. This is the first time this ever happened for me. So something new is going on there.

 

[LyndaC]

I called this morning to make ADR's for an off site guest and they wouldn't proceed until I gave them the home address. I asked why and they told me that under the new system they had to link the adr's to the household. Still didn't get anything I was looking for, even as a full price cash paying guest.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I hate calling and answering all those questions. Now the address too!!

 

[avahoneybee]

I had to confirm my address even with a Disney resort reservation.

 

[PrincessV]

I don't know about the "tiered system" being discussed - but I can confirm as a TIW holder, that they asked for a card number to add to my profile. This is the first time this ever happened for me. So something new is going on there.

I wonder what would happen if one refused? I don't even have my TIW card with me when I make ADRs, so they'll just be out of luck.

I called this morning to make ADR's for an off site guest and they wouldn't proceed until I gave them the home address. I asked why and they told me that under the new system they had to link the adr's to the household. Still didn't get anything I was looking for, even as a full price cash paying guest.

And this was strictly for making a dining reservation?! I don't know why exactly, but wanting my home address for a dining reservation just crossed the line for me. It's not like they don't already have it in their system, but it just seems wrong.

And makes me wonder why...

I can see that being used to curb multiple ressies, but folks will just use multiple addresses like they do multiple phone numbers now, right?

Or is it to profile - so they can verify whether you really are off-site, or if in fact you're booked with FD, or have a TIW card or own DVC?