Someone is Selling Restaurant Reservations....

Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Innkeeper's Club said:
I disagree about forcing someone to have a park ticket when making reservations for restaurants inside the parks. My Annual Pass expires this coming Monday, however that same day I'm arriving at WDW and getting it renewed. Although under that scenario I would not have been allowed to make ADR's I have next week at some restaurants like Via Napoli and 50's Prime Time Café.
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But you also can't make FP+ reservations without a valid ticket those days either. Is it not possible to renew online?
 
JillC LI

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
I hate it when you make me say stuff like this, but it is a free market. Several people are providing a service that others are willing to pay for. I would plan on seeing a lot more of this until Disney steps in, if they even can.

The kind of ironic thing is most Disney travel agencies like @Kingdom Konsultant have been providing a similar service for its clients for years at no charge. They can't "guarantee" (I don't know how this other company can either) reservations, but they will be on the computer at 6:00 AM 180 days out getting your ADRs.
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Five years ago when I was going to be out of pocket on an African safari, I was forced to give up control and ask Kingdom Konsultants to try to make my ADRs at the 180 mark. They did great for me, and charged nothing extra.

But I agree that this will be hard to stop, much like concert ticket resellers. In fact, this past July we went to Paris. 60 days out we were able to go online at midnight local time to try to get advance tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower. If you don't buy them in advance, you risk a 6 hour wait on line, so this was crucial for us since our time in Paris was limited. Unfortunately, the tickets sold out in seconds and we were not lucky enough to get any. We wound up having to pay 4x as much to a company that essentially does the same thing as the dining reservation site described above - they buy blocks of tickets and resell them for a premium. It was worth it in the end but sure p*ssed me off. If that reseller hadn't bought up so many tickets, I would have been able to buy them myself for a fraction of the cost.
 
rob0519

rob0519

Well-Known Member
Technically, the scamming of the old guest assistance program wasn't illegal either. Unethical yes, but illegal no. This amounts to the basically the same concept. I don't see it as a long term money making venture though. Are they charging $15 per person for these reservations? If the no show fee is $10 per person and 5 people don't show up, the card holders is going get charged $50. If they only charged $15 total up front, they're losing money. I personally don't care about a dinner reservation, but the elimination of the GAC is another story and another thread.
 
The Tuna

The Tuna

Well-Known Member
HolleBolleGijs said:
Interesting, did not know that happened.



That's also because reservations opened early. They started taking reservations on August 3rd, even though they announced August 5th. They went fast.



No. People complain about lack of flexibility now, how do you think people will react if Disney dictates every moment of your trip?
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I hear you, but if it guaranteed people a spot they might be less Hangry about it. I also thought that the all inclusive resort model might work where you book when you get there but that would suck too. Maybe they could just make BOG part Deux???
 
Figgy1

Figgy1

Premium Member
rob0519 said:
Technically, the scamming of the old guest assistance program wasn't illegal either. Unethical yes, but illegal no. This amounts to the basically the same concept. I don't see it as a long term money making venture though. Are they charging $15 per person for these reservations? If the no show fee is $10 per person and 5 people don't show up, the card holders is going get charged $50. If they only charged $15 total up front, they're losing money. I personally don't care about a dinner reservation, but the elimination of the GAC is another story and another thread.
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What thread? THNX
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
rob0519 said:
Technically, the scamming of the old guest assistance program wasn't illegal either. Unethical yes, but illegal no. This amounts to the basically the same concept. I don't see it as a long term money making venture though. Are they charging $15 per person for these reservations? If the no show fee is $10 per person and 5 people don't show up, the card holders is going get charged $50. If they only charged $15 total up front, they're losing money. I personally don't care about a dinner reservation, but the elimination of the GAC is another story and another thread.
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I would think they would have to use the clients CC number to secure the ADR. Like you said, there is far too much risk otherwise unless they are using a pay as you go card with a $1 balance on it.
 
chiefs11

chiefs11

Well-Known Member
They aren't out any money if the party doesn't show up. They book a reservation, secured with a card. They sell it to someone for $15. If they don't show up, that person is out $15. If they don't sell the reservation slot to someone, then they cancel it before they get charged the $10 no show fee.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
emcclay said:
Well, I hope Disney investigates and nips this one in the bud.
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That or Disney might decide they know a good idea when they see it and start tacking on a non-refundable reservation surcharge to "premium" reservation times.
After all, if people are already willing to pay, I'm sure Disney is willing to charge.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
chiefs11 said:
They aren't out any money if the party doesn't show up. They book a reservation, secured with a card. They sell it to someone for $15. If they don't show up, that person is out $15. If they don't sell the reservation slot to someone, then they cancel it before they get charged the $10 no show fee.
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If the person that buys the reservation does not show up, whomever's card is securing the reservation will be charged. That could be quite interesting for a party of 10 ADR.;)
 
chiefs11

chiefs11

Well-Known Member
Coming soon: magic band scanners at restaurant check in? You scan your band or card while checking in, and you have to be in the listed members of the party. If not...no seating for you. Oh, and you can't change the party members after making the reservation, that would require cancelling and trying to rebook it. If you don't have a magic band, because you're just visiting a resort restaurant, then you have to show ID matching the name that made the reservation.

Would that fix this problem?
 
chiefs11

chiefs11

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
If the person that buys the reservation does not show up, whomever's card is securing the reservation will be charged. That could be quite interesting for a party of 10 ADR.;)
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Good point.. but in this case they already gave them $15, so at most they're out $10 per ADR, right? so they still make $5 if they don't show up?

Or is it $10 per person on ADR? I don't know, never missed one.
 
chiefs11

chiefs11

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
It is $10 per person on the reservation for a no show.
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OK....so that def thows a wrench in it! So i guess the guy selling you the reservation has to get your credit card info so he can charge you the no show fee if you don't show up to get his money back.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
29494150-illustration-of-a-rat-isolated-on-a-white-background.jpg
If theres money to be made..... somebody will eventually find a way to work the system to their advantage and guests will jump all over it to get what they want. Ethical or not, they wont care once they get that ADR # in their dirty little hands.
 
J

J_Krafty24

Active Member
Chances are someone who is willing to pay $15 for a dining reservation is not going to be a no show. I bet they have very few of any no shows.
 
ninjaprincesst

ninjaprincesst

Well-Known Member
The Tuna said:
I got on the website at 1am and thought i would check to see if BOG breakfast had been made permanent. they said they would open up August 5. i was on Aug 4 at 1am and they were there. I quickly booked them. I told a friend about it the next day. at 2pm she couldnt get a table for 2 for the entire week they are there and that is the week after Food and Wine ends and before Thanksgiving week starts. a dead week, well kinda, they dont have many anymore.

My suggestion would be when you reserve you give a list of restaurants you want to dine at during your week stay and a time, breakfast lunch or dinner and they give you a time in that window for your trip on a day they choose.

They could do the same with FP+. Give everyone 1 FP for all of the tough rides to get on or even one for every ride during your trip if it is 7 days or more...just throwing a number out. They make sure your ADR's and FP+ are in the same park or park close to the hotel your ADR is in and boom, all done. Would save a lot of time and cut out these kind of companies.

During busy times of the year this would probably be very hard to do and i dont claim to know how all of this would work, but there is no way people should have to take a day off work 6 months before their vacation to make sure they can dine in a restaurant, or be up in the middle of the night to get a FP+ to see Anna and Elsa or ride a ride.
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That dead week is a free dining plan week so Im sure that is part of the problem.
 

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