So, I had a thought...imagine if when you booked an ADR

[DisBuckMan]

If these people keep reservations until 20 minutes before surely they'd have to pay the $$ penalty?!

Hyperbole.

 

[Dakota731]

Nope a woman on another thread said you change it to another day in the future that you can cancel at another date, and you never have to pay a fee and you can have all the reservations you want. I never knew such a thing existed until I got on these boards. Too bad people don't use their powers for good.

 

[married2mm]

Nope a woman on another thread said you change it to another day in the future that you can cancel at another date, and you never have to pay a fee and you can have all the reservations you want. I never knew such a thing existed until I got on these boards. Too bad people don't use their powers for good.

Well, there you go!
That's my lesson for today-I had absolutely no idea that was possible.

So,in theory-you could simply keep rearranging for infinity.....bonkers

 

[addiln]

The thing I wish they would do is make it so you can only have one reservation for the dinner/lunch/breakfast hours for that day. This way people would be not holding multiple dinner reservations. I know that you are not able to book the same time but I know people hold on to them right up until they have to cancel them.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Nope a woman on another thread said you change it to another day in the future that you can cancel at another date, and you never have to pay a fee and you can have all the reservations you want. I never knew such a thing existed until I got on these boards. Too bad people don't use their powers for good.

I can only surmise they live close by since it doesn't make sense to keep DW ADR forever. It also could helps to explain the changes in cancellation policy at some restaurants.

 

[kiford]

I'd certainly be unhappy to have such restrictions (although I'm not worried because I can't ever see it happening). I have to occasionally cancel and reschedule an ADR as I'm making them because by the time I get to the 6th one, it's not available for the time I need it so I have to go back to number 3 or whatever and switch them about. I do try to check out availability for all of them before I book them and I do start with the no-negotiation ones first but they can still change availability within 1/2 hour as you're booking.

I've also had to make changes a few weeks after original booking as we arrange to meet friends and availability has changed again plus I'm now booking for a larger group. Or DH has a sudden desire to ensure that he can go to XYZ park for the evening whatever-event and it interferes with my plans. That usually happens about 2 months prior to vacation as he finally wakes up and wants input into the planning which has been ongoing for 4-5 months already. The fact that others have cancelled or changed plans can often be a boon for this latter situation.

I've cancelled a day before an ADR usually for breakfast as we realize the day before that there's no way we're getting up early to make breakfast at, say, Boma's while staying at the Grand Floridian. Only once have I changed dinner the day prior when we discovered that DME was picking us up at a crazy early hour the following day and the existing ADR was very late. Normally, once we get there (barring the occasional breakfast), we stick with what we've booked and plan around it. Dining is such a large part of any vacation for me, that reservations or plans for dinner are typically the anchor points of my vacation and everything is scheduled around it.

Basically, I think there's plenty of reasons for changing or cancelling ADRs beyond hoarding or indecisiveness or random brain cell firing so I think it would be very difficult to institute such a policy. I think the no-show fees and some of the attempts to restrict double-booking have made a difference to availability. I can't see reducing flexibility as a solution or improvement. It punishes the majority for issues with the minority. Where they need to try to crack down on is the use of multiple MDE accounts to book multiple ADRs with the intent to cancel later or where PP have mentioned about moving existing ADRs to a later date with the intent to cancel (although I don't know how frequently that occurs).

 

[Dakota731]

So,in theory-you could simply keep rearranging for infinity.....bonkers

Yep I was so naive and has no idea such manipulations go on, but it explains why when I check one day during my trip (over two months away) there is not ONE table service adr to be had! Though I guess the day of there were be a lot of cancellations as people change some of their schedules.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Yep I was so naive and has no idea such manipulations go on, but it explains why when I check one day during my trip (over two months away) there is not ONE table service adr to be had! Though I guess the day of there were be a lot of cancellations as people change some of their schedules.

I don't think that kind of behavior is that common because when we booked our July 4th trip I made all our reservations (including room) 2 weeks before we arrived. Got ADRs for...Boathouse, HDDR, Via Napoli, Jiko's and a few more popular restaurants.

I do think people start to change ADRs around when their FPs become available and there are more changes when final payment dates become due.

 

[mcd2745]

To answer the OP's question...I could certainly get by keeping my initial ADRs. I usually only tinker with the time (keeping the same restaurant on the same day) if my original ADR is not our absolute ideal time for that day. Since the ADRs are made first (by 4 months!), I only book FPs around the ADR times. It's usually not very difficult.

If they were to change the ADR window from 180 days to 60 days, the OP's scenario would probably not be that big of a deal for anyone. Most of the issues/problems surrounding ADRs are a direct result of that borderline-insane policy. The hoarding (and all tricks used to accomplish it) is pretty despicable behavior. While I understand Disney created this monster for the most part, that still doesn't justify it - and never will. And it doesn't need to be that rampant to have a significant impact on availability.

 

[married2mm]

I do think people start to change ADRs around when their FPs become available and there are more changes when final payment dates become due.

It's all about the money $$$

 

[Colleen27]

Sadly, I think that would be a deal-breaker for us. Food is a huge part of our travels and while I don't hoard ADRs, I do need the freedom to change our plans around when Disney makes changes after the booking window has opened. I already had to juggle a couple of dinners - move Yachtsman to a different night, cancel Sci-Fi, book Yak & Yeti - to accommodate the Disney After Hours night that was announced a week or so after I got all the ADRs set for our March trip. And there's a very real possibility of more changes coming later because we're night owls and tend to have dinner after the parks close, since there is little else to do at WDW after 8pm in the winter. So park hour changes mean ADR changes. An 8:15 breakfast is perfect when MK opens at 9, but takes too much away from park touring if the opening is moved to 8, and an 9pm dinner at a monorail resort is lovely when the park closes at 8 but gets in the way of evening shows if the park ends up closing at 9.

Unless Disney starts giving us complete and final park hours further in advance, dining changes are inevitable.

 

[Colleen27]

Yep I was so naive and has no idea such manipulations go on, but it explains why when I check one day during my trip (over two months away) there is not ONE table service adr to be had! Though I guess the day of there were be a lot of cancellations as people change some of their schedules.

That sounds more like a problem with the booking system than actual availability. Even on the busiest days of the year, there is some TS availability. It probably isn't where you want to eat, but places like Trail's End, Olivia's, Maya Grill, Nine Dragons, etc. are pretty much never booked solid. Out of curiosity, I did a quick search for Thanksgiving Day, 6pm dinner, party of 6, and even for that relatively difficult search on a busy day there are 15-20 places available. They're mostly not places that would make anyone's wish list and none of them serve traditional Thanksgiving type foods, but there are ADRs available.

The thing I wish they would do is make it so you can only have one reservation for the dinner/lunch/breakfast hours for that day. This way people would be not holding multiple dinner reservations. I know that you are not able to book the same time but I know people hold on to them right up until they have to cancel them.

That makes things so complicated for larger parties who don't all eat every meal together, though! I remember when online booking was new but you had to call to book if you wanted overlapping ADRs, and that was terrible. I did it once, because I don't like having to keep track of multiple bookings on multiple user names, then broke down and just created a second Disney ID to book the second set under.

The problem with trying crack down on double bookings is that as long as there is a work-around available to those of us who are planning for Grandma to take the kids to a character meal while Mom & Dad have a nice dinner alone, that work-around will also be used by people who want to have multiple options available to choose from at the last minute.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would stop booking TS and use my rental car to go elsewhere.

Nope a woman on another thread said you change it to another day in the future that you can cancel at another date, and you never have to pay a fee and you can have all the reservations you want. I never knew such a thing existed until I got on these boards. Too bad people don't use their powers for good.

Just because one person says she's been able to do something...

That sounds more like a problem with the booking system than actual availability.

Agreed.

 

[adelaster]

Unpopular opinion:

I'd actually be thrilled about this because then maybe people wouldn't hold onto ADRs they don't plan to use and more stuff would be available right off the bat.

It drives me nuts knowing people book tons of ADRs knowing they will drop a bunch based on FP, park hours etc. later on. I know everyone has the right to do it, and I understand why they do it, but it still drives me crazy.

We choose a few key ADRs per trip and don't change the plan once it is set. We don't book backup ADRs if our first choice is not available - we set the places we want to go for the trip and if we get them we get them and if we don't we don't. We don't do PPO meals - mostly lunches if we do them - so park hours changes are irrelevant to us.

I feel you. Disney does change their offerings and hours until so close before that I understand why some people need to change. I wonder if there is some kind of happy balance where you have a deposit on each reservation that you lose if you cancel. Like, you could adjust without penalty up to 24/48 hours before or something. This might discourage people from making a ton of reservation that they are not actually going to use. Reading these boards has been pretty eye-opening on that front. I also don't get the park hours thing either- that isn't super hard to plan around, and if it's too risky skip it. The PPO stuff seems a bit silly. Like why can't it just be a cool special thing when the stars align and not a dealbreaker tragedy when it doesn't? The more I learn about Disney, the more I think that a lot of the problems are caused by the competitive mindset of so many park-goers. It's disappointing.

 

[Dakota731]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/s...ou-booked-an-adr.3635507/reply?quote=58239931

I think it happens more than you think. This was posted on another thread:
"You reschedule it up to 20 minutes before the actual reservation. I believe BoM calls it Bump and Run because they then later cancel the reservation all together."

 

[ArwenMarie]

180 makes no sense anymore with FP+

But to answer the OP's question, I would make no ADRs.

 

[Dakota731]

Just because one person says she's been able to do something...

Don't think it's just one person.
On *********** site:
"We use that term on our podcast. (Backside of Magic)

The explanation is this:

Its a way of not getting caught paying the ADR cancellation fee if an emergency comes up (or any other reason that you can't or don't intend to actually show up and use at the ADR).

Basically, you can move an ADR up until 20 minutes before that ADR. Also, you have to cancel the day before the ADR to avoid the fee. So, if you are sitting the day of the ADR and can't use it what you can do is move the ADR to a later day... (again, this is available up until 20 minutes before the ADR). By moving it out to a later day, you can then cancel it without penalty.

Basically, bump out the reservation... and then run from it (cancel).

- Ryan""

 

[NYCgrrl]

Don't think it's just one person.
On *********** site:
"We use that term on our podcast. (Backside of Magic)

The explanation is this:

Its a way of not getting caught paying the ADR cancellation fee if an emergency comes up (or any other reason that you can't or don't intend to actually show up and use at the ADR).

Basically, you can move an ADR up until 20 minutes before that ADR. Also, you have to cancel the day before the ADR to avoid the fee. So, if you are sitting the day of the ADR and can't use it what you can do is move the ADR to a later day... (again, this is available up until 20 minutes before the ADR). By moving it out to a later day, you can then cancel it without penalty.

Basically, bump out the reservation... and then run from it (cancel).

- Ryan""

Sad on a lot of levels.
Here's hoping appropriate Disney employees read these threads and someone will finetune the software accordingly.

 

[10CJ]

I would not like this and I am not sure what I would do.

We had one trip where two family members were potentially going to join us for dinner. I made a couple of evening reservations for 8 at non-park restaurants just in case they were going to meet up with us. Once I realized they would not be joining us I cancelled them.

From past experience Disney does not release all reservations at 180 days. I may book something that is not ideal but will do if need be until I can find what I really want. This seems like it would prevent people from dropping reservations that they do not want, that someone else may want.

I am planning a Spring 2018 trip and still do not know park hours officially yet. I realize they can change up until the day of but I don't even have a baseline to go off. I have to use other sites predictions and guess what is going on. At this point I am potentially going to try for an early/PPO BOG reservation. One site is predicting 8 am opening with potential 7 am EMH, another is saying 9 am. I feel like i have to assume 9 am at this point. If the park opens at 7 or 8 I don't want the ressie at all.

I am not planning on hoarding tons of ADRs, but there is a need for some flexibility.

 

[DrunkJam]

I feel you. Disney does change their offerings and hours until so close before that I understand why some people need to change. I wonder if there is some kind of happy balance where you have a deposit on each reservation that you lose if you cancel. Like, you could adjust without penalty up to 24/48 hours before or something. This might discourage people from making a ton of reservation that they are not actually going to use. Reading these boards has been pretty eye-opening on that front. I also don't get the park hours thing either- that isn't super hard to plan around, and if it's too risky skip it. The PPO stuff seems a bit silly. Like why can't it just be a cool special thing when the stars align and not a dealbreaker tragedy when it doesn't? The more I learn about Disney, the more I think that a lot of the problems are caused by the competitive mindset of so many park-goers. It's disappointing.

I feel this too. I am still surprised by it. This is my third and final trip to WdW, and I have used these boards, because I was getting married during the first trip, and needed some information and guidance. I was glad to know to book ADRs, since no one at the TA had mentioned anything, and glad to know some other little things we wouldn't have otherwise done like the GAC / DAS. Our son has ASD< and without this accommodation our trip would have consisted of a lot of time spent sitting on walls crying because how could I have brought my child to Disney and they hate it? This time, FP+ is new to me and my date to book is 10/14. I am nervous.
I am also wondering whether I am nervous because I read the boards and know too much, and I am cross with myself that it starts to matter whether we can do x ride on x day or another. Why does it?
Hoarding ADRS seems ridiculous to me, same restaurant within a few minutes, like what difference does it make if you eat at 5:30 or 6? You are on holiday? Not on military detail?
Mind you, I think the whole ADR / FP+ rush and scramble detracts enormously from the whole 'magical holiday' thing. I find it hugely off putting, and the competitive feel on here makes me feel anxious about other guests too.