Do you ever Overbook ADR's "just in case"?

[chocovrdmicears]

Well I will probably get slammed for saying this but I believe it's true. Call me whatever you like.... I am not going to play mother theresa or mother mary and "do no wrong" like many will. Instead I'll be honest...

I firmly believe that 90% of people do it already. That may be the frenzy and yes I would agree but it seems "to each his own" sorry to say...

And I think the online booking system has only made it worse.... Never in the past years was I ever so frustrated booking restaurants as I am this year and I always made my vacation plans a month or later away.

If you are fine overbooking, than do it. But don't blame the online system, or pretend the 90% of others do the same thing. If that is how you want to justify it to yourself, then so be it, but why bother trying to convince anyone else.

 

[valeriemouse]

I wouldn't double book - I've heard horror stories about people's ADR's getting erased for it

But, when I make my ADR's next week, I plan on overbooking by one or two and you know what, I don't think the Disney Universe will collapse onto itself because of it! When I figure out what I want closer to my dates, I'll cancel. 180 days is just so hard to decide where you'll be or what you'll want to eat.

OP, as long as you end up cancelling the ones you don't want, I don't see the problem.

 

[mousefan1972]

I wouldn't double book - I've heard horror stories about people's ADR's getting erased for it

But, when I make my ADR's next week, I plan on overbooking by one or two and you know what, I don't think the Disney Universe will collapse onto itself because of it! When I figure out what I want closer to my dates, I'll cancel. 180 days is just so hard to decide where you'll be or what you'll want to eat.

OP, as long as you end up cancelling the ones you don't want, I don't see the problem.

Overbooking by one or two will not collapse the Disney Universe, as you say. But the OP said she made 12 ADRs for a 5 night trip. That is excessive and is unfair to others who may actually want to dine at the places she is holding ADRs for that she has no intention of using. And as a PP mentioned... perhaps that bad karma is why she can't get into the restaurants that she does want to dine at.

 

[goofy4tink]

Mom2Eliot that's exactly how I feel. Oh I plan on cancelling the ones I do not want, probably closer to 2 weeks out. I know other people who do the same thing in order to reserve "something" for fear that reservations are going to become more scarce as their date gets closer.

Seriously speaking though... booking 180 days out is RIDICULOUS. Who KNOWS exactly what they want to eat 180 days in advance???? I honestly think Disney's policy on that is foolish.
The online booking system really is the pits though. You cannot see "all of your ressies" made in one list under your resort confirmation number.

I plan on cancelling many of my ressies soon. I have not double booked any, just gotten more than I really need or plan to keep until my planning is COMPLETE.

Thanks all for understanding!
Tammy

Seriously?? I know pretty much exactly where I'll want to eat and on what day, at the 180 day mark. I love the system the way it is now. Last year, while it was still at the 90 day mark, there truly was a frenzy as soon as hints of free dining came out. If you arrived a day after the first day of free dining, it was ridiculously difficult to get any ADRs that you wanted. Everyone checking in on that first day grabbed everything....and I'm pretty sure there was a lot of double booking or booking 'just in case'.

There is nothing wrong with the online system....it gives you confirmation numbers for all your ADRs...if you want, you can print out up to 10 ADRs at a time when it first shows your 'cart' with the confirmation numbers. I always have a sheet with all the info I need on it...I just run Scott Thomas's ADR report..works like a charm.

If someone is trying to book ADRs a month before their trip, they are going to have to realize that they are not going to get the more popular restaurants. A short story.....back in '99, I was headed to WDW for the first time. It was my dd's 6th birthday. My mom was going with us...a ladies trip. Well...I knew no better and used our local travel agent. I told her the ADRs (priority seatings back then) that I wanted. I really wanted Cinderella's Castle for dd's birthday breakfast. Well, at that time you had to call 60 days before..that would have been on about August 25th...give or take. Well, on Sept 15th, I got a phone call from our TA telling me that she had no idea you had to call so early.....there was nothing available for our birthday breakfast, with the princesses!!! You would have thought that a travel agent would have been better informed. Now, I believe that anyone dropping thousands of dollars at WDW for a nice vacation, should be equally well informed.
I've heard many stories of people not believing that you have to make those ADRs asap...rather than waiting until just before the trip or even worse, waiting until you get there and get hungry.

So...to the OP, please cancel any ADRs that you know you aren't going to be using. Keep checking, daily, online to see if anything you really want opens up. Be sure to check out various resort restaurants...they don't seem to fill up as quickly as park places.

 

[valeriemouse]

Overbooking by one or two will not collapse the Disney Universe, as you say. But the OP said she made 12 ADRs for a 5 night trip. That is excessive and is unfair to others who may actually want to dine at the places she is holding ADRs for that she has no intention of using. And as a PP mentioned... perhaps that bad karma is why she can't get into the restaurants that she does want to dine at.

And I understand the point you are making entirely. It just wouldn't be right of me to say "no you can't do that" when it's something (albeit on a smaller scale) I am going to do. I think the OP has every intention of canceling those she's not using, and probably awhile out from her vacation. Isn't this better than making all of those ressies and just being a no show to half? I know its like a "lesser of two evils argument", but in the grand scheme of things, AT LEAST the better option is being taken

 

[tami82]

Overbooking by one or two will not collapse the Disney Universe, as you say. But the OP said she made 12 ADRs for a 5 night trip. That is excessive and is unfair to others who may actually want to dine at the places she is holding ADRs for that she has no intention of using. And as a PP mentioned... perhaps that bad karma is why she can't get into the restaurants that she does want to dine at.

Yes i think booking 12 for a 5 night stay is totally wrong, there are so many people out there going crazy to make there reservations.

 

[aubriee]

No I do not over book, and why would you?

Here you are complaining about how you can't book what you want, but taking up twice as many ressies as you need.
YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Sorry, but honestly you need to look at the whole picture, not just yourself.....karma comes back on you.

I have to ask myself why anyone would complain they can't get a ressie and then go and make it twice as hard on the next person.
Just because you can't get what you want you want to make sure no one does?

YEP KARMA.

I would cancel the ones I don't want asap and see if that helps your chances.

This is exactly what I was thinking! As Stephanie on Full House used to say: "How Rude!!!". I couldn't believe that someone who was complaining that they couldn't get dining reservations they wanted were booking tons of extras 'just in case', thereby perpetuating the problem.

And no OP I would never double book. Sorry but that's really rude and as dining CMs have posted here in the past, if they see double bookings they have and will continue to cancel all of that person's reservations. One dining CM posted on here a few months ago that her supervisor told them to do so.

Personally I love the on line system and the 180 days out booking. I go to WDW several times a year and have never had a problem getting the ADRs I want and I've never had to double book to get them either. In fact, my ADRs for my upcoming May trip were made at exactly 180 days out and I already have my list written out for ADRs for our Oct trip and my Dec trip sitting in their respective folders with the dates I need to call written at the top. There have been many times (at least once each trip) that I change my mind while I'm down there. Even during the busy free dining times, I've never had a problem calling the dining number and finding something else. It's not complicated. I truly feel that no where near 90% of the people overbook. There is no reason and no excuse for it.

 

[maxiesmom]

Well I will probably get slammed for saying this but I believe it's true. Call me whatever you like.... I am not going to play mother theresa or mother mary and "do no wrong" like many will. Instead I'll be honest...

I firmly believe that 90% of people do it already. That may be the frenzy and yes I would agree but it seems "to each his own" sorry to say...

And I think the online booking system has only made it worse.... Never in the past years was I ever so frustrated booking restaurants as I am this year and I always made my vacation plans a month or later away.

You are kidding yourself if you think 90% of people deliberately overbook their ADRs. Especially to the extreme like you have.

And yet you wonder why you can't get the ADRs you really want? You don't see the irony in that? Maybe if you cancel a few of your extra ADRs fate will smile on you and one that you really want will open up. But if you truly beleive "to each his own" then I guess you will reap what you have sown.

 

[Cookie Princess]

I have a feeling this post will be "locked" soon. If you can't get the spots you want, select someplace else and keeping checking online. If you have double booked: you may have ALL your reservations cancelled. That is scary. Please ensure that you cancel spots you won't be eating at as soon as possible so that others can take them. Just my two cents...I hate the fighting back and forth!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If you think 90% of people overbook you are just using that to justify your own rude behavior.

No I don't overbook. I take the time to plan out our schedule and make adrs accordingly. If we decide to change something once we're there I cancel the adr and hope it helps somebody.

Playing with the system by overbooking is part of the PROBLEM.

Rude, rude, rude.

 

[goofy4tink]

And I understand the point you are making entirely. It just wouldn't be right of me to say "no you can't do that" when it's something (albeit on a smaller scale) I am going to do. I think the OP has every intention of canceling those she's not using, and probably awhile out from her vacation. Isn't this better than making all of those ressies and just being a no show to half? I know its like a "lesser of two evils argument", but in the grand scheme of things, AT LEAST the better option is being taken

Let's keep in mind that the OP is going to WDW in a month....not a lot of time to cancel ARDs 'awhile out'...this IS awhile out.
When you stop and consider the ADRs that she wanted to get, it's not hard to understand why she wasn't able to get them at this late date. These are the most sought after ADRs and to think you can get them a month out, is only going to lead to disappointment.

When making a last minute trip, and I consider anything less than 2 months out, last minute..you have to realize that you aren't going to be able to get the ADRs that you really want....especially the most popular ones.

With only one month before the trip, I'm sure the OP can decide which ADRs she wants to keep, based on park hours and such. It is unfair to keep 12 ADRs for just a 5 day stay.....I have 16 ADRs for an 8 night stay, most days it will be breakfast and dinner, some days only one ADR. But, I plan on attending each and every one of them.

 

[DisneyBabies]

We do not overbook . . . ever. Why would I do something that I know may make it harder for someone else to get a reservation that they may have really wanted? To me, it's just using common courtesy.

And we plan our trips at least seven months out, in part so we are ready for making ADR's and have a chance to get at least some of what we want. And as far as not knowing what we want to eat that far out: We know the restaurants we want to eat at and I make those reservations for whatever day I can get during our trip. Since we know going in where we will be eating each day, it makes it easy to "crave" whatever is on our schedule for that day. I do keep a list of extra places we would like to try if we can't get what we originally wanted which came in handy for our March trip and we are trying a couple of new places this time!

We do deluxe dining since we like signature restaurants and dinner shows, so we book either 1 ressie (lunch) per day, or 2 ressies (breakfast and dinner) per day. No overbooking. No double booking. And we get to eat plenty of food !

 

[OrlandoHelp]

I admit I have 2 ADR's booked for the same date and time. We are hoping that the kids will go to a kids club allowing us some quiet time at Tutto Italia but if they don't want to go, I have a Teppen Edu ADR booked as a back up for the 4 of us.

We will cancel the res that we do not use. I would rather be prepared than eating CS because we didn't plan right.

I choose to look at it in a different way. Someone who is not all that familiar with the Disney ADR system and making ADR's 180 days out, will now have a chance for a TS restaraunt as a walkup at the restaraunt that I cancel.

 

[maxiesmom]

I admit I have 2 ADR's booked for the same date and time. We are hoping that the kids will go to a kids club allowing us some quiet time at Tutto Italia but if they don't want to go, I have a Teppen Edu ADR booked as a back up for the 4 of us.

We will cancel the res that we do not use. I would rather be prepared than eating CS because we didn't plan right.

I choose to look at it in a different way. Someone who is not all that familiar with the Disney ADR system and making ADR's 180 days out, will now have a chance for a TS restaraunt as a walkup at the restaraunt that I cancel.

But you are risking the double booking being noticed and loosing both ADRs. So you still may end up eating counter service.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

I admit I have 2 ADR's booked for the same date and time. We are hoping that the kids will go to a kids club allowing us some quiet time at Tutto Italia but if they don't want to go, I have a Teppen Edu ADR booked as a back up for the 4 of us.

We will cancel the res that we do not use. I would rather be prepared than eating CS because we didn't plan right.

I choose to look at it in a different way. Someone who is not all that familiar with the Disney ADR system and making ADR's 180 days out, will now have a chance for a TS restaraunt as a walkup at the restaraunt that I cancel.

You should cancel one of them asap. When you book 2 different ADR's for the exact same time, there is an excellent chance that both will be canceled.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We don't double-book ADRs and we never well. First and foremost we think it is very rude. Second of all, it is not worth running the risk of Disney canceling ALL your ADRs because you overbooked.

A friend of mine went last summer. She double- and triple-booked ADRs because they didn't know what park they were going to be in on which day...and that was when ADRs were only 90 days out! I told her they may cancel all her ressies, and she said, "no they won't!" Well, they didn't cancel them. And guess what? My friend didn't call and cancel any of her extra ADRs either because there was no penalty for them for not showing up. What an attitude, right?

I really wish Disney would automatically NOT allow 2 ADRs at the same time on their online reservation system, and on the computer system the CMs use when you cook your ADRs by phone. If you can't book 2 at the same time, maybe more restaurants would be available.

 

[mickeysaver]

nevermind

 

[maxiesmom]

I probably should keep this to myself, but here goes.

Everyone here is correct when they make the point of saying that if you are double booking ADR's you run the risk of having both and sometimes all of your ADR's cancelled. However, it's not that hard to make multiple ADR's and not set off anyone's suspicions.

If you are booked with a resort reservation under the name Nancy Hill with a phone number of (407) 555-1971, then use that one person to make the ADR's that you want to set up for the full length of stay. Don't double book under Nancy's name and phone number.

If you are going to potentially need a different ADR for the same meal, then book under the hubby's name, James Hill, and put it under his cell phone (407) 555-1928. Yes, you will have to wait until the 180 day mark to use his name to make an ADR, since you won't be able to tie this ADR directly to your reservation, but it will still allow you to book the "double booked" reservation without setting off any red flags.

This works, because if it didn't I would have had a lot of trouble back in December of 2008 when trying to make the impossible happen. I did make the impossible happen. I made up a great itinerary. My MIL still tried to ruin it, but I still made a great plan.

Please don't get mad at me, I am not advocating double booking, but I do know that for some instances, it's more of a necessity to keep your options open. I encourage anyone that does double book to cancel the booking that they won't be using ASAP.

Part of the 'rules" of the Disboards is that we don't post ways to get around Disney's rules. I'm guessing you missed that.

I'm not sure what the point of this post was, other than to help people get around rules. If a lot of people do what you suggest, it will be even harder for people who truly want to eat at particular restaurants to get in. But I guess as long as the double booker has options, that is all that matters.

 

[tami82]

Part of the 'rules" of the Disboards is that we don't post ways to get around Disney's rules. I'm guessing you missed that.

I'm not sure what the point of this post was, other than to help people get around rules. If a lot of people do what you suggest, it will be even harder for people who truly want to eat at particular restaurants to get in. But I guess as long as the double booker has options, that is all that matters.

I agree, I dont know what the point of the posting was and think it is only giving people who dont know any better ideas on how to get around the system therefore making it harder for people to get ADRs.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

It is amazing how many people think "the rules do not apply to me".
Like deep frying a Twinkie....Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you SHOULD do something...