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

[goofy4tink]

Please people...

This post by ME as the OP and everyone who responded with THEIR OPINION has SEVERELY gotten out of hand. An opinion is much like an ******* everyone has one. However I did not ask for OPINIONS to be posted here. Forgive me.

Before I read all of the replies tonight I had cancelled many of them already. It wasn't a matter of overbooking 2 restaurants as a matter of trying to get something that will fit into a schedule I didn't even know what it would be like yet! With only so many weeks left to plan I panicked thinking I wouldn't get anything for TS. Then before I realized it, I had all these other restaurants that were a YES on my list of places I would like to try. Did the system stop me from doing it? No. Did any of my ADR's get cancelled? No. I did it myself. And no, not for all of the rude repliers but for my own conscious.

Visiting Disney takes A LOT of planning. Reserving.... Cancelling... and then some. I'm not trying to justify myself or anyone else who shared in this. Overbooking was probably a wrong word to use. I had every intention on cancelling those I was not keeping and have cancelled within a day or two of getting them. Believe it or not, how many people WANT to eat at Tony's Town Square or even ABC Commisary CS? The pun and meaning is there people please see it. (no one needs a reservation for any CS meal). I'm simply stating a fact. NOT trying to break any DIS rules or GET AWAY with something to make things miserable for the rest of you. People who have a negative opinion of it I applaud you HOWEVER, but please don't bother posting. I am not a child who needs to be scolded by a ruler. I only asked for those comments from people who have booked more than they needed BEFORE they knew what their plan was to make sure they'd get DINING spots reserved. I would hate to be the person who went to Disney with NOTHING reserved at all. Who wouldn't? I knew one woman who did last year and thankfully many came forth and HELPED her. For those who got the ADR's they wanted GREAT I'm glad you did!! You have every patience to plan 180 days in advance and WOW to do it so perfectly!

If I had known I would have been so blatantly slammed I probably would not have posted. After all I am only HUMAN. I am not a rude person by any means. I am not trying to keep anyone else from book their own ADR's. I think of those as booking their dining 180 days out as doing exactly the same thing I did only in a slower manner. They just don't realize it yet. After all I wonder how many people actually reserve a spot and then CANCEL it a few weeks before when they find something better or even just simply cancel when they realize the schedule changed? I know a lot of people do that. Do you know the disney calendar of events 180 days out? You may know where you want to eat but who believes their timing is perfect? If so forgive me I didnt know that! They reserve, they cancel... it's the CONVENIENCE of the system. It's probably an overconvenience.

By the way... if I book 12 ADR's and plan to pay for the extra ADR's OOP that's my business also. I didn't say I overbooked them all did I?

I just simply like the old way of calling on the phone. At least THEN I could see all of my ADR's on one sheet or in one phone call. I am not an expert at this online system by any means (and believe it or not I am a computer programmer by trade!) It is a weak system. I just think the online booking system could be better...

Thanks for listening! I hope everyone here has a wonderful and FUN FILLED Disney vacation!!!! I will be there in exactly 4 weeks. We can't wait!

Sadly, this is the way discussion boards work. You ask a question...people answer. Then, someone at some point is going to take issue with what someone else posted...not neccesarily you. Yes, the thread originated with you, but others are discussing stuff...so not everything is pointed at you, the OP.
But to say that those of us who, successfully, book our ADRs at the 180 day window are in essence, doing the same thing as those who overbook/double book, is just a wee bit nutty. I have made some ADRs, but then my plans changed....I have had to arrive later or leave earlier than I had originally planned. So, those ADRs had to be canceled. And cancel them I did...as soon as I realized I wouldn't be using them.

It's those people who know, full well, that there is no way they can possibly use all their ADRs but book 'em anyway, that are the issue. We all know this person....
Hey, I'll be there for 10 days but I have no idea which park I'll be at, so I'm going to book 15 ADRs with multiples for dinner on the same days but in different parks...just in case. Then when I don't show up, some lucky walkin can get my table.

But what about those who are trying to plan ahead??? They are shut out. And saying that some lucky walkup is gong to take that table is just wrong...the next person in line will get it. If there were to be a lot of 'no-shows' or cancellations on a particular day, then perhaps towards the end of the day/night, some walkups could be accomodated, but not at the time they walked up!!! Those holding ADRs are seated as tables come available.

I'm sorry the OP is feeling berated. You opened a can of worms, one that a lot of people feel very strongly about. We need to make only those ADRs that we know we are going to use. If, along the way, as time goes by, we find we can use more, then fine, try and book them. But at busy times of year (holidays and free dining periods) it is just not fair to hole onto ADRs that you have no intention of using..or when you know that you will cancel some when you get closer to your vacation time.

 

[avahoneybee]

I honestly could care less if people booked 10 reservations at the same time at the same place. Truthfully, the food in Disney isn't all that great. I also could care less if people use scooters, pool hop, reuse mugs, or park in the deluxe resort parking spaces when they are staying at Pop Century.

Smoking in the non-smoking areas is another story however. Those people should be banished from Disney World.

 

[2minny]

I may book two but as soon as I decide, I cancel one...so others have the opportunity for a magical trip too

 

[BigTex71]

This is our first time to do the DxDDP and I may have gotten a little 'foodie' crazy by making ADRs for character breakfasts every morning, a TS dinner every night, and a few lunch TS's sprinkled in. I know I could eat at all the places I made ADRs for, but I am not too sure if my kids and wife will be able to 'keep up' with me. So we may have to cancel some of the ADRs. But I am going in to the trip with full intentions of using all of my ADRs and none of my ADRs are double-booked.

 

[sjs314]

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.

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

.....

In Your post "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.

" It is not so much knowing what you want to eat 180 days in advance BUT WHERE YOU WANT TO EAT IN ADVANCE ......For Myself eating at Disney is one of things I love about going to WDW, its the atmosphere of the restaurants, I have mostly been to the restaurants I have wanted to try and now it is going back to my favorites on each trip and NO I have never over booked I think that is inconsiderate I have many times changed my plans to accomadate when I could book a certain restarant I wanted to go to....But I would not overbook, there was another thread concerning making it mandatory to reserve with a CC as some require and perhaps that is the answer to stop people from overbooking.