Important Change to Dining!

[Thumper's Mom]

Later this fall, Disney will launch an on line booking system for Advance Dining Reservations! :slurp: Should make things very interesting!

 

[dixiegirl]

Was waiting for this to finally happen , should be intersting as others have posted about how many people might "abuse" this online booking....I hope this does'nt mean that you won't be able to do it over the phone because Truly, i enjoy calling and waiting , listening to the disney music ....I find myself sining away as the disney Cm comes on..Lol....And I love when you get a Cm who is actually Quite personable, I was on the phone last year to A cm making reservations for dining, the hubby thought I was talking to a girlfriend by the way we were talking...Some of the cm's really do make even calling a great Experience...ANd I love being told "Have a Magical Day"!!! OHH love that give me goosebumps!!!! Every now and then when my sister inlaw calls I'll say that to her..... She just tells me I'm Sick!!!! Yes I know,


But in 59 more days.....my medicine is a coming!!! :hammer:

 

[Raven66]

This sounds like a good idea. But I really enjoy calling and making all my ressies from resort to ADR's. As others have said it's fun to call and talk to the CM's. Some of them are so much fun to talk to. To me it's like part of the trip.

 

[cndrellagrl]

It sounds nice, but there are so many things that I think could go wrong (from a guest point of view trying to get reservations.) It would be great if it was a searchable system, where you could see open times for the day and park that you are looking for, for your party number.
One concern I have is cases for large groups, my large family can range from fifteen to thirty. I count on talking to a cm so we can get tables put together or atleast near eachother. I wonder if something so advanced as groups of thirty would be possible online - or would one have to call the grand gathering people?
This will be interesting!

 

[fngoofy]

I will reserve judgement until I see the system. One concern I have is that it will make it even harder to get a reservation at Le Cellier unless you book right at 180 days.

I know there are a lot of people on the boards that love the advanced planning and consider booking the dining a way to really start getting into their trip. I for one miss the days where it was only important to make reservations first thing in the morning or you could even <gasp> walk up to a restaurant and walk in.

I don't like to have to have everything planned out on my vacation. Some things fine, but it has gotten to the point where you have to have all your reservations made so far in advance that you cannot really be spontaneous at all.

I also feel bad for the first timers that are less than prepared and have no clue that you cannot just walk into most restaurants at WDW. I have been sitting waiting to go into a restaurant more than once and seen some pretty disappointed people who were just winging it and obviously had no clue what it was like to get reservations.

I hope that an on-line system makes things better. Maybe it will encourage WDW to open some more places to eat so there is more opportunity for everyone to experience some of their excellent restaurants. :wave:

I agree with you on several points:

Remember having to send a runner out to EPCOT in the morning because you could only make reservations for the same day AND you couldn't make them from a phone in the resort, only via a video kiosk in the park?

I think they need at least 6 new sit-down restaurants in MK alone. I don't know why they don't have at least one in each land that is themed appropriately.

I don't know what people are thinking though, trying to do walk up. I don't know about where you live, but if I tried to go out at diner time to a nice restaurant on a fri or sat, I know I am looking at a 2-3 hr wait with out reservations. Everyone knows WDW is packed, so its a given the eateries will be full.

 

[kimmychad]

wow this would truely be wonderful, no more untrained cast members telling me i can't do something that i know is allowed. :sohappy:

 

[dixiegirl]

wow this would truely be wonderful, no more untrained cast members telling me i can't do something that i know is allowed. :sohappy:

It is amazing how you can call within minutes of making reservations or to call and ask a question , talk to two different CM's and get two totally different answers!!!


And yes i miss the "good ole days" of calling from your resort or even walking up to make a reservation for dining the same day, or even during your stay.....Yeah those days are lonnnnnng gone!!!! Feel bad for those first timers that are'nt aware of this and go to any table dining place in Disney with the impression that you can just walk up to any restaurant....I miss those Days!!!

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

Yippee! Hopefully this will stem the flow of ADR abuse by not allowing multiple bookings at different restaurants for the same (or similar) times.

I too am hoping that this lowers the amount of ADRs that are not fulfilled. But somehow I think people will find a way to get around things anyway. I say a charge for a non-fulfilled/and not canceled ADR so be in the procedure.

 

[imamouse]

Did you know that you don't need to go "door-to-door" ? A single phone call can do it, a single stop at Guest Services, and I've been told that one restaurant can even check another restaurant's availability, but I'm not sure how true that one is.

Yes, I realize how to make onsite reservations under the current system. I was commenting on post #11 which mentioned a desire to remove the ability to make reservations (except for signature dining). If there is no way to make reservations, we'd have to go "door-to-door" - searching for availability.

 

[RiversideBunny]

....
I vote for removing all reservations except for signature restaurants.

Vacations for many people nowadays are more an exercise in logisitics and planning than just having fun.

I agree.

 

[Computer Magic]

I am actually quite interested to see how "smart" this new system will be. I can think of quite a few ways that this new system could be a vast improvement over the current system but then again I can think of nearly an equal amount of ways that it will be a complete disaster. I guess only time will tell.

Maybe you can be on a waiting list for when people cancel you just move on in

 

[Master Yoda]

Maybe you can be on a waiting list for when people cancel you just move on in

That would be quite nice.

 

[maelstrom]

It's about (past) time.

 

[WildLodgeFan]

Just a heads up that it's not just dining reservations that will be getting revamped (from allears):

An upgrade to Disney's Dining Reservation System will begin July 21, 2008. As the application upgrade occurs, the latest reservation date guests will be able to secure is January 25, 2009. This means that in some cases you may not be able to book as far in advance as usual. (Note that reservation booking windows for Victoria & Albert's, Chef Mickey's and Cinderella's Royal Table will not be affected by this system upgrade.) Beginning October 24, 2008, the current system will be replaced by an improved system for dining, recreation and tour bookings. With the launch of the new booking system, reservations for dining, recreation, and tours will be made during one single transaction. Once the upgrade is completed the booking window will expand back to the normal 180 days.

 

[PlutoLover]

wow this would truely be wonderful, no more untrained cast members telling me i can't do something that i know is allowed. :sohappy:

amen!

 

[ugotzme]

i just hope this does away with the double booking buy guest. guest make many dining plans and then dont go back and cancel the others. i wish thay would go to a deposit sytem at the bigger resturants. i know i have went early for my adrs and gotten in and made sure that thay canceld my later time to maybe allow others to use my space.

 

[Tinkwings]

WILDLODGEFAN got a date of Oct 24th.....the CM last night told me October and when I tried to get her to be more specific she said could be Oct 1 or up until Oct 31....:lookaroun....guess that is sometime in October for sure but will be interesting to see what day it really does kick in....will stayed tune for further updates....some things are best not left to chance...:king:

 

[disneydiva72]

I wonder if this will open up a whole new can of worms of people bored and on the computer deciding to book real dining reservations for pretend trips just because they can and its easy. Though they could prevent this by requiring you call an automated line after making the reservation and enter a code to finialize it or even an email doing the same thing could cut down on it.

I don't see how this would prevent someone from double booking though. People are just as likely to have multiple emails they can use as they are to have multiple phonelines in the household (cell and landlines).

Anyone can do that anyway, all you have to say is that you are staying off site or that you live in the area and want to Dine at Disney, they not going to say "NO, you MUST be staying at one of our hotels".

I don't think the online reservation system is to "prevent" anything. I think its so Disney can cut back jobs, bottom line.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

I don't like to have to have everything planned out on my vacation. Some things fine, but it has gotten to the point where you have to have all your reservations made so far in advance that you cannot really be spontaneous at all.

YES! ARGH! I feel the same way. Since I travel from 2 hours away sometimes I just jump in the car and go....actually, that's pretty much the majority of my "planning" - what time to get there this weekend, just because I don't have anything planned.

I rarely get to eat where I truly want to. Today I was thinking I need to get the calendar and make some "for sure" dates to go for the day and go ahead and get reservations at some of the places I never can get into.

I do also feel bad for the people that don't know about the advanced reservations and all of a sudden are walking from place to place when they are starving looking for table service with availability. Been there, done that...sadly.

 

[yankspy]

YES! ARGH! I feel the same way. Since I travel from 2 hours away sometimes I just jump in the car and go....actually, that's pretty much the majority of my "planning" - what time to get there this weekend, just because I don't have anything planned.

I rarely get to eat where I truly want to. Today I was thinking I need to get the calendar and make some "for sure" dates to go for the day and go ahead and get reservations at some of the places I never can get into.

I do also feel bad for the people that don't know about the advanced reservations and all of a sudden are walking from place to place when they are starving looking for table service with availability. Been there, done that...sadly.

On the upside, our lack of planning every single meal has forced us to try some places that are not so popular, yet they have been good.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

On the upside, our lack of planning every single meal has forced us to try some places that are not so popular, yet they have been good.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not me! HA-HA - I have the husband who wants the same thing every time we go.

:lol:

I just announced to him that I'm getting out the calendar and just randomly picking one day a month that we are GOING and I'm getting ADRs for those days.

I think he just realized we aren't eating at San Angel or Rose & Crown every time. :lookaroun We have enough beer and margaritas at home, you know?

:lol: