So, would you pay for an official Disney Dining Buddy?

[CampbellzSoup]

8 dollars for an update when a slot is available but no guarantee to get it!

I think I might as I got be our guest using it!

 

[Nancyg56]

No. I think the whole notion is ridiculous. I pay a fortune to stay CL and use the IPO to help with ADR's, another small fortune dining at signature/character/"no way would anyone pay those prices for those meals in the real world" restaurants. If anything, Disney should implement a free service that does the same thing.

If you stay Cl you kind of are paying a premium for hard to get ADR's becaus eif anyone can get them, it is the IPO. Of course you are paying for much more than that, but it is included with teh service.

The issue with Disney offering a "pay for play" option for ADR's is that it once again ups the ante for everyone, and instead of a relatively few people using the service, now it becomes almost mandatory if you want one of the popular restaurants. I hope that Disney never goes down this road because how on Earth do they decide who gets the "good" ones. It is now a position in line that you have paid for.

 

[DisneyPrince1982]

Didn't Disney shut down this site? It's no longer operational.

 

[goofygirl1109]

I wouldn't, because I love planning our trip and that includes the ADR's, I think its half the fun

 

[Nohal]

NO!

 

[rlthomas7]

Possibly. I used the now-defunct site to get a pre-opening BOG breakfast. I'm patient and very detail-oriented, and I love the planning process. But I appreciated getting a text when a spot was available while I was outside playing with my son (I still lurked on the computer checking often, but it seems like most of my successful texts came late at night or on the weekends when I wasn't as likely to be online.)

 

[Nancyg56]

Possibly. I used the now-defunct site to get a pre-opening BOG breakfast. I'm patient and very detail-oriented, and I love the planning process. But I appreciated getting a text when a spot was available while I was outside playing with my son (I still lurked on the computer checking often, but it seems like most of my successful texts came late at night or on the weekends when I wasn't as likely to be online.)

I am a disney planner too, and I almost always secure the ADR's that I want. For me, the issue with DIsney providing a service for ADR's may make it almost mandatory because instead of a relatively few people using these types of services, it will be offered as part of a dinng plan. You added the DDP? Well, in order to ensure that you are able to use it to your advantage, let me tell you that for a slight fee, we will help you to secure your ADR's. I see it as a logistical mess for Disney if folks do nto get their special ADR's and a nightmare for anyone not using it.

 

[Hopefully]

No
And I find it interesting that most, not all of the yeses here are from DIS newbies. Is there a different mind set from new(er) planners?

 

[rlthomas7]

I think it's just like many other things in life - do you want to do it yourself, or pay someone else to do it?

I CAN clean my house, but I prefer to use my free time to spend with my family, so I pay someone else to do it. I have a somewhat stressful job and work a lot of hours on the computer, so checking for ADRs often through the day is not high on my list of daily tasks. I CAN do it, but I'd rather pay someone else to do it for me if the price is low enough and can alleviate something that I have to think about.

 

[lesliekatya]

No
And I find it interesting that most, not all of the yeses here are from DIS newbies. Is there a different mind set from new(er) planners?

I think there is a difference. People who have never been desperately want to try BOG, CRT, etc. I would have done it for BOG on our last trip. For the next trip I don't care anymore. Been there, done that.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think it's just like many other things in life - do you want to do it yourself, or pay someone else to do it?

I CAN clean my house, but I prefer to use my free time to spend with my family, so I pay someone else to do it. I have a somewhat stressful job and work a lot of hours on the computer, so checking for ADRs often through the day is not high on my list of daily tasks. I CAN do it, but I'd rather pay someone else to do it for me if the price is low enough and can alleviate something that I have to think about.

I think there is a difference. People who have never been desperately want to try BOG, CRT, etc. I would have done it for BOG on our last trip. For the next trip I don't care anymore. Been there, done that.

I think it may be a combination of these ideas, and it is getting more difficult to secure the much sought after ADR's unless you are glued to your computer.

The newer folks we see on the DIS are paying attention to the conversations concerning the "must do's" and the "must see's", and we see the response to that. You must go to 'Ohana or your dining portion of the trip is a bust. BOG is the lovliest dining experience on sight! DOn't miss it. They cannot get the ADR and are worried that they are missing somethng very special, so they would use the services that help with alerting them.

 

[rlthomas7]

Absolutely. I looked at it as spending $8.00 to get access to the park before the masses, and to not have to stand in line for Ana and Elsa for an hour since I couldn't get a FastPass (and again I don't want to spend every waking minute on the computer trying to manipulate the FastPasses). I was willing to pay $8.00 for a breakfast reservation for that purpose.

 

[ninafeliz]

Yes. $8 was nothing in the grand scheme of our trip, and when we decided to make a Christmas trip after the 180 day mark I loved that DDB got me Ohana Christmas Eve at the exact time I wanted. Even the IPO can't help when you plan after 180 days at the busiest time of the year. I can't possibly check that many times a day, and I never found a single opening myself but DDB found quite a few before I had them quit checking. I'm sad it's gone, I had just found out it existed a few months ago. I wouldn't pay for many, but for some that I couldn't get myself easily for some reason - absolutely.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

I used DDB to help get a BOG dinner on a MVMCP night... not sure if I would have been able to get it otherwise. I would use a service like that again if offered though Disney, but only if it was a resturant that I really, really wanted to try. I've eaten/will be eating at most that I have wanted to try, only one left at this point is V&A.

 

[22Tink]

Yes. I got some of my difficult ADRs using these services, so it's worth it to me. I enjoy planning my trips, too, but I don't have time to be searching constantly for ADRs.

 

[ldymcbth]

I used DDB to get a BOG lunch, and had them working on a SciFi reservation but then they closed up shop. I would absolutely pay Disney $8 to constantly check for a reservation - just like I paid DDB. I don't have the ability to reload and reload and reload all day to check - well worth the small fee.

That said, I am staying CL @ WL for our upcoming trip, and when I emailed their IPO to see about help getting into SciFi, they replied that there were no available reservations but to keep checking online. Well then, what good are you?

 

[brookmey]

No. There has never been a must-have reservation for us. I've always approached ADRs, on the rare occasions that I make them, as if I get it, great, I'll tell the kids, but if I don't, no biggie and the kids never know. My daughter has always preferred to meet the princesses in the parks, so CRT was never on our to-do list. I can see how a first time and maybe only time visitor would be willing to pay, since they have no idea if they'll ever get back. But we're lucky enough to go once a year, so there is never a do or die ADR for us.

Now, I would pay extra to ensure seeing some of my favorite villains, but that's another story.

 

[Eastern]

No.

 

[Maxpowers]

I wouldn't pay for the notification. No way. But perhaps I might pay for a reservation on one of my X number of meals while I'm there. As long as it's nothing too crazy ($10-$20 okay / $25+ nope).

 

[MrsJamesPSullivan]

Not even if I won the lottery.