When did preferred reservations for on site guests start?

[Kindermouse]

I may be totally obtuse here since I havent stayed in an onsite hotel at DL for several years but I didnt realize that they are now offering them preferred access to reservations. Online it says this:

Preferred Reservation Access for Hotel Guests
A limited number of reservations for popular restaurants and boutique transformations will be set aside for Disneyland Resort hotel Guests.
Making Preferred Access Reservations


Disneyland Resort hotel Guests can enjoy access to a limited number of reservations for select dining venues and for makeover transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Anna & Elsa’s Boutique.



When did this start? Im wondering how this works since the description said reservations are still only available 60 days out-meaning they only start booking at the same time as us off site people start booking them. So are they just putting less ADR's out there for availability and then doing walks up for any that are left unfilled or what?

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Not sure if this is different, but onsite guests have always had access to Disney Vacation Planning. So if you want to book a tour or make a reservation etc, then you call DVP ahead of time, tell them what you want, and then they are the ones that book it. This way you don't have to worry about getting up early and being on the phone for awhile trying to book, all the stress is eliminated and they do all the work.

 

[Kindermouse]

I know they alway had access to DVP but I didn't realize that they had access to reservations that aren't bookable by guests not staying on site. I figured those in concierge rooms got perk and got reservations to places that had no availability online but I didnt think that that was the same thing as access to preferred reservations. I also never noticed it being advertised on the restaurant information pages.

 

[5forMickey]

It's been that way for quite sometime now. While maybe not advertised, the concierges have always had a little better luck getting you into a full resturant or finding an extra ticket for a sold out event. I'm not sure on the transformations because sadly my kiddos are grown, but I think they have extra morning hours that are only available to hotel guest.

I don't think Disney is exclusive on this, this would be standard for most hotels. Staying at the Ritz in Denver we were able to get same day reservations for Elways when it was booked because we were Hotel guests. Most hotels hold back some spots for guests staying with them.

ETA: how does it work? If you are unable to secure a reservation on your own, or as the above poster said you prefer to have someone else take care of it for you, you contact the concierge and tell them what you're looking for and they go to work at getting you in.

I do believe they are also able to book slightly before the 60 day mark, or get first choice when it opens, but that is just my thoughts haven't seen anything confirming that.

 

[allsaintsatx]

I remember hearing something on the Disneyland Dis Unplugged podcast that if you are staying onsite you can also get in an hour early to the Build-a-Bear and Ridemakerz stores in DTD.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've seen that advertised staying GCH CL (looks like it's not exclusive to CL though) but never seen any benefit from it. We make our reservations in advance like everybody else. Once the concierges were able to move a Blue Bayou reservation for us day of so maybe that was a benefit of this perk and we didn't know it? I remember seeing this perk listed the first time we stayed at GCH about 7 years ago, I don't know about before that. Honestly I wouldn't get too excited about it- our first trip we thought it was a big deal and we told the hostess each time we checked in how we were onsite guests thinking we'd get bumped to the front of the check in line or something... LOL... yeah after the look the third or so hostess gave us we realized that was not what "preferred reservation" meant.

 

[Congo Queen]

It is always worth a try I would say -- if you are staying onsite and want help w advance or short-term planning -- why not see if DVP or concierge can be of assistance? I've only ever needed it once and it was actually a great help. About seven years ago my family of four stayed at GCH and my mom joined us for a day in the parks (she lived in SoCal then). About 3pm we were sitting on a bench in the old version of Candor Flats, exhausted from the crowds and roasting under the intense summer sun, and my mom just said how she wished we could have a break with a nice quiet dinner and a good glass of wine. I had made no dinner reservations for that night but contacted Disney Dining in hopes that we could get a Napa Rose table. Alas all booked up and no tables available they said. So I thought, heck I will try the concierge. I called and told her I was a guest at GCH and asked if she could please find any availability, and voila, she had a table for us.

 

[5forMickey]

So I thought, heck I will try the concierge. I called and told her I was a guest at GCH and asked if she could please find any availability, and voila, she had a table for us.

YUP!!! I think that is what they are talking about

 

[BriannaRuth]

In general since it's not that difficult to get an ADR at DL I don't think it's a huge deal. But like others said, that's pretty standard practice for any hotel that's nice enough to have a concierge, so not surprising. In fact, most hotel concierges can get reservations for you even at restaurants they have nothing to do with. (I've actually walked up to a concierge desk at a hotel I'm not even staying at while on vacation to have them help me get a reservation. Works every time.)

 

[DizMe]

I'm keeping it in mind since I really want to know the park hours in early Dec before making a couple of my reservations.