Should Disney get rid of ADR'S?

[Queen2PrincessG]

I think ADR's are definately needed and a good thing. I'm thinking the OP didn't get an ADR they wanted and is letting off some steam lol.

Nope! I got everything I wanted but sitting there making reservations that far in advanced made me wonder and think " this is so insane" and why? Yes, if Disney placed more quality dining in it's parks it wouldn't be such an issue. Why does making an ADR cause people to get frantic why are we all so concerned with where we are eating. It's not like we would starve at Disney. I just think there has to be a better way than require people to figure out what they are going to eat in 180 days.

What Jenrose speaks of is one of my points. Just because i booked my October trip in May doesn't mean I should be given any advantage in making in a food reservation over a person who books the same week as me but the month before. It just doesn't seem fair.

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

Way back in the stone age, they had a system in place for reservations (though they weren't called that) that could be made the day of when you were in the parks. It seemed to work rather well, though as a pp mentioned, that was before their internet made the world so much smaller.

Personally, we only make ADRs if we are dining at the Hoop De Doo or character dining. Mostly, we either make reservations the day off, or simply walk up. Fun fact, we have never been turned away when walking in. It may be they reserve some for walk-ins or we're just lucky..also there's only two of us

 

[DisneyFive]

There is one big problem with ADR’s out to 180 days: When Disney offers the “free dining” plan for time periods already in the 180 day window. So you book the great vacation deal with free dining only to find out that all of your favorite restaurants are booked solid your entire stay! So much for the benefit of free dining!

Fortunately, this hasn’t happened to us since we book our vacation more than 180 days out. We’ve taken advantage of the 180 day reservations and got everything we wanted. However, we have friends and colleagues who would like to take advantage of some of the free dining offers only to find out that most of the good dining options are gone due to allowing reservations 180 days out.

Really, this holds true for any reservation that is booked within the 180 day window. Good luck, especially if you have a larger group.

Dan

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I would like to see some ADRs for the more popular places, but also at least 1 place per hotel and park that didn't take ADRs for the people who don't want to plan things out.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I'm pretty sure you can thank the Disney Dining Plan for that one.

Yes, and especially "free" dining.

I like, the ability to book dining, 180 days out. Park hours are released, at that time, so it's easy to make plans.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I like the ADR system just the way it is

 

[kshattuck]

First, I love planning my WDW trips, so spending time looking up restaurants and figuring out how we might spend our vacation days is a lot of fun for me....like many other Dis-ers, I'm sure.

Second, the Disney Dining Plan provides some pretty great meals for what I think are reasonable prices....it's smart to cycle a strong portion of your guests through table service restaurants to keep crowds moving throughout the resorts and parks.

 

[phyllis1966]

Ya know how DISers always say to keep trying if you can't get the ADR you really want? I thought I remembered more than one poster over the past few years saying that WDW holds some tables back at the 180-day window. This was thought to be the reason for tables "miraculously" opening up 1 or 2 months out. I don't think it was ever stated as fact, mind you...some insider info. maybe?

Anyone else here remember ever reading that on the DIS?

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

I did actually price out going to Universal for one day so we could go to Harry Potter. WELL...... the cost for 2 adults and 1 child for 1 day / 2 park tickets plus the food option came out to $ 449.47 !!! for one freaking DAY!! It's not exclusive for Disney. Universal Orlando priced themselves into "gee that's totally stupid" zone....I'm not paying $ 450.00 for one day. So yes, I'll keep my multi day park hopper for Disney. Because it's a value compared to Harry Potter ! (don't get me wrong, I love Harry....just not that much )

My 6 day mid summer trip to Universal was $1050 and that was everything but food and air AND we stayed on site. We went the summer of HP too so your math for universal is not right. In fact I know it isn't now that I just checked their site and a vacation for next week is $1,231 and that is onsite so yeah Universal is WAY cheaper than Disney.

 

[phyllis1966]

My 6 day mid summer trip to Universal was $1050 and that was everything but food and air AND we stayed on site. We went the summer of HP too so your math for universal is not right. In fact I know it isn't now that I just checked their site and a vacation for next week is $1,231 and that is onsite so yeah Universal is WAY cheaper than Disney.

But if she's talking about 1 day, then the tickets are $86 each (we went for a day last November), plus however they're getting there if they haven't rented a car. For us, it was $86 x 3 + $90 round-trip for a cab...over $300 for 1 day!

 

[Oglet]

A major problem is people who book 2 or 3 places for the same meal on the same day, They are the problem with ADR's.

Many people just grab as many openings as they can just because they can. If your going to plan then plan, don't plan and then book 3 different places just in case you change your mind.

 

[McIntoshTx]

A major problem is people who book 2 or 3 places for the same meal on the same day, They are the problem with ADR's.

Many people just grab as many openings as they can just because they can. If your going to plan then plan, don't plan and then book 3 different places just in case you change your mind.

That is pretty crappy of folks to do I know the ADR system tries to prevent it but as always there are ways around that as well.

 

[honeymo78]

A major problem is people who book 2 or 3 places for the same meal on the same day, They are the problem with ADR's.

Many people just grab as many openings as they can just because they can. If your going to plan then plan, don't plan and then book 3 different places just in case you change your mind.

While it doesn't account for a large number of ADRs at any given time, even the IPO CMs will double book you. Before they added more Fantasmic dates, we had tried to get a Fantasmic package for dinner. We already had lunch booked and a non-fantasmic dinner. The CM suggested that we might only be able to get a Fantasmic lunch package so booked us our lunch location for dinner as well - that was 3 ADRs for 2 meals. Of course that got sorted out within a few weeks and the extra ADR went back into the pool. I've also had them book multiple times for me when my preferred time wasn't available - say a 4pm and a 7pm when something around 5:30 wasn't available. Again the extra ADR is quickly returned to the pool as soon as I write back and tell them which one I'd prefer. I'm guessing their computers aren't subject to the auto cancel and they probably are pretty diligent about cancelling an extras as soon as they can.

 

[Oglet]

While it doesn't account for a large number of ADRs at any given time, even the IPO CMs will double book you. Before they added more Fantasmic dates, we had tried to get a Fantasmic package for dinner. We already had lunch booked and a non-fantasmic dinner. The CM suggested that we might only be able to get a Fantasmic lunch package so booked us our lunch location for dinner as well - that was 3 ADRs for 2 meals. Of course that got sorted out within a few weeks and the extra ADR went back into the pool. I've also had them book multiple times for me when my preferred time wasn't available - say a 4pm and a 7pm when something around 5:30 wasn't available. Again the extra ADR is quickly returned to the pool as soon as I write back and tell them which one I'd prefer. I'm guessing their computers aren't subject to the auto cancel and they probably are pretty diligent about cancelling an extras as soon as they can.

The way your doing it is fine IMO. It's the people who don't cancel that are the abusers of the system. I was reading on here a long time ago about the abuses of travel groups mass booking reservations for CRT and places, I understand that problem has been fixed, right?

 

[McIntoshTx]

The way your doing it is fine IMO. It's the people who don't cancel that are the abusers of the system. I was reading on here a long time ago about the abuses of travel groups mass booking reservations for CRT and places, I understand that problem has been fixed, right?

I have been booking ADRs this past week. If you try and book a dinner reservation on say Tuesday night and already have a dinner reservation for Tuesday night elsewhere in the ADR system the system will make you decide which one you really want. I found this out by accident but think it is a good ideal.

 

[Oglet]

I have been booking ADRs this past week. If you try and book a dinner reservation on say Tuesday night and already have a dinner reservation for Tuesday night elsewhere in the ADR system the system will make you decide which one you really want. I found this out by accident but think it is a good ideal.

It's good they have at least started to do something about it, maybe that is why some people are finding it easier to get bookings.

Still there are ways around it, all you would have to do is book it under a spouses name or something, you just wouldn't tie it to everything else your trip is booked under.

 

[nkereina]

Didn't get a chance to read the whole thread. I don't know if Disney should get rid of ADRs or not, but I do hate having to plan my park days and restaurants 180 days out. Since I made all my plans and ADRs back in March for my trip next month, I have completely rearranged my plans several times. So far, I've been pretty lucky about being able to get new decent ADRs but there's a few I haven't been able to switch now because it's much too late.

The first time I ever visited Disney as an adult, we just stayed one night at POR after a cruise and didn't go to the parks, just DTD and layed by the pool. I didn't know much about Disney but I knew something about ADRs and was so freaked out by the idea, we didn't go to a single TS restaurant and ate QS the whole time. I didn't know the rules and policies behind ADRs or if they allowed walkups even. I was scared of Disney restaurants back then

 

[StitchSpawn]

I have been booking ADRs this past week. If you try and book a dinner reservation on say Tuesday night and already have a dinner reservation for Tuesday night elsewhere in the ADR system the system will make you decide which one you really want. I found this out by accident but think it is a good ideal.

If you use a different email address when you book an ADR, you can make multiple reservations under the same name and phone number for different restaurants at the same time.

......don't ask me how I know that........

 

[WTP]

I know this would make the system more difficult for some, but I'd love to see a credit card hold on all ADR's. Sure people could still book an extra one or two as they tweak, but they'd be much, much more likely to cancel the ones they ultimately don't plan on using. I know this may cause some problems for people who are legitimately detained, but if they made it so you could call ahead within 1 hour to cancel, at least that would open up space for walk-ups, instead of holding a table for someone who is not coming.

 

[StitchSpawn]

I know this would make the system more difficult for some, but I'd love to see a credit card hold on all ADR's. Sure people could still book an extra one or two as they tweak, but they'd be much, much more likely to cancel the ones they ultimately don't plan on using. I know this may cause some problems for people who are legitimately detained, but if they made it so you could call ahead within 1 hour to cancel, at least that would open up space for walk-ups, instead of holding a table for someone who is not coming.

I generally agree with you, but for most adr's that don't have a cc attatched to them, most all of them, they don't hold a table for you. They just put you on the front of the wait list. There is no table holding. If the ADR holder doesn't show up, they are never bumped to the front of the list and a table is never prepared for them. That is all an ADR is. If you show up on time, you are bumped to the top of the wait list. They don't hold a table for you.