Disney instituting Credit Card guarantee for ADRs after 10/26/2011

[Goofy4TheWorld]

No because people have already started cheating the system with the new one you mentioned in place. They are just using different accounts to book online with.

It took me all of 10 seconds to figure out how to cheat the system under the new credit card rules (even though I have no desire to do so). It won't take much longer for the die-hard cheats to do the same.

[Disneygirl91]

1) I think this is a ridiculous policy, and I simply won't make "reservations" at those restaurants ever again.

2) I make my "reservations" long before my actual trip, and for the people that try and make "reservations" a day or two before their trip I say you snooze you lose.

[joonyer]

. . . . I make my "reservations" long before my actual trip, and for the people that try and make "reservations" a day or two before their trip I say you snooze you lose.

This policy is not being imposed because of people who make reservations long before their trip. It's because of people who make reservations and then change their mind and don't bother cancelling or showing up.

[Melanie]

It took me all of 10 seconds to figure out how to cheat the system under the new credit card rules (even though I have no desire to do so).

Well, that sounds promising.

2) I make my "reservations" long before my actual trip, and for the people that try and make "reservations" a day or two before their trip I say you snooze you lose.

Well, speaking as a local who doesn't take week long trips to WDW and instead sometimes decides on a Wednesday to book a stay for the upcoming weekend, I find this great news. Hopefully this will mean more choices for us.

[diz_girl]

I'm fine with the policy change and we're a family with small children. I don't think that it's designed to hurt families with small children, but to act as a deterrent to abusers. One thing that I read often on the boards is the complaint of being turned away from almost empty restaurants because they didn't have a reservation and the restaurant had a ton of no-shows. Like a pp, I've had to cancel a reservation, but I've never been a no-show.

Also, a pp was worried that they would be charged for a person if they showed up with one fewer person than the number of people on the reservation. We've actually had that happen to us at Cali Grille. We had a ressie for 4 and only 3 were able to make it. I was told over the phone when we made the ressie that we whould be charged if we were one person short. However, when we got there we were not charged. WDW is fine if it's just one person, as they're still getting revenue, but they're not fine if the whole table is a no-show.

Disney loses revenue when people make ADRs and don't keep them. If there's one thing that Disney doesn't like, it's lost revenue. It looks like all of the restaurants on the list are the most popular ones (signature and character and one or two others like 'Ohana) that are almost always packed and it's no-shows for those restaurants that hurt Disney the most.

I've had the Disney ADR number programmed into my cell phone for years and I'll enter the cancellation number there too. I'll do my best to keep the reservation, but if it looks like I'll miss it, then I'll call and cancel.

[LVT]

ADRs are not reservations. My impression was that they are like FastPass. Electronic waiting in line. If someone does not show up, there is no spacer in the line to change anything for the people that are present.
At most, the manager has an estimate of customer interest to plan around for food and staffing.
I have only missed 1 reservation in 50 or so, due to forgetfullness. Are there so many no-shows? All my lines for ADRs were long enough as it was, a few more no-shows would have been nice.
I do not believe they are losing money. The next few people wait less, but the tables are just as full.

[miprender]

I for one do not like this new policy. I understand about the whole hoarding of ADRs and double booking but this will not stop any of that as long as they people are canceling within the 24 hour window.

It is people who are honest and have every intention of making their ADRs that will get penalize. Paying $50 for nothing when I can't make my scheduled time is totally ridiculous. Things happen in life and this is suppose to be a vacation.

[DizneyRox]

I for one do not like this new policy. I understand about the whole hoarding of ADRs and double booking but this will not stop any of that as long as they people are canceling within the 24 hour window.

It is people who are honest and have every intention of making their ADRs that will get penalize. Paying $50 for nothing when I can't make my scheduled time is totally ridiculous. Things happen in life and this is suppose to be a vacation.

I think you are absolutely right. The people who do the hoarding have already got their plan together with multiple ADR numbers, etc. They knew to do this in advance, so they will know when they need to cancel, etc. The people who will end up paying (literally) are the honest folk who didn't realize, or just plain lost track of time, etc. This will penalize those that play by the rules more than the rest. Disney doesn't really care which group you are in, as long as the CC number goes through when an ADR is missed.

[Christine]

Well, speaking as a local who doesn't take week long trips to WDW and instead sometimes decides on a Wednesday to book a stay for the upcoming weekend, I find this great news. Hopefully this will mean more choices for us.

Amen!

[MNNHFLTX]

I think it will work out fine. People will get used to this system the same way they get used to other changes at Disney World. Personally, I think the ADR system had snowballed out of control, especially when free dining was offered. The idea that people have to get up at the crack of dawn exactly 180 days out (or 190 days, for resort guests) and book every single sit-down meal seems ludicrous to me. Who knows? Maybe it will enable people to be even more spontaneous and actually walk up to restaurants and get a table within a reasonable wait time.

[Wright46]

I think its a great idea to deter SOME people from double boking reservations. However, like most efforts to stop certain unwante dbehavior, some poeple will find ways around it. One simple way around that I can think of is simply supplying a bogus credit card number. In addition, if you were to be hit witht he charge, I'm guessing any reasonable excuse would suffice for you to have the charges reversed given Disney's goal of providing superior customer service. Nonetheless, like I said, I think its a great scrae tactic and will likely help the problem a little bit.

[brivers222]

The only time I found it cumbersome last week was when i wanted to book a new ADR for the next night it made me think extra hard if it was worth booking it to risk a $20 fee (two of us) because I was now within my 1 day window.

[Strmchsr]

One simple way around that I can think of is simply supplying a bogus credit card number.

Actually, Disney verifies the CC is legit. When I booked my May ADR's I had some of those $1 pending notifications on my CC for a couple of days from Disney. They disappeared, but it let me know Disney at least verified the CC was real and not bogus.

Honestly, I didn't find it an issue last week at all. Hopefully it'll work and help free up some ADRs for folks who will actually use it.

[brivers222]

Actually, Disney verifies the CC is legit. When I booked my May ADR's I had some of those $1 pending notifications on my CC for a couple of days from Disney. They disappeared, but it let me know Disney at least verified the CC was real and not bogus.

Honestly, I didn't find it an issue last week at all. Hopefully it'll work and help free up some ADRs for folks who will actually use it.

In a haste to book a few prime ADRs I found I accidently switched a number because i was typing so fast... System kicked it back saying invalid credit card number. It wasn't the four at the begining either which is usually what a system uses to baulk a bad one.

[Wright46]

Actually, Disney verifies the CC is legit. When I booked my May ADR's I had some of those $1 pending notifications on my CC for a couple of days from Disney. They disappeared, but it let me know Disney at least verified the CC was real and not bogus.

Honestly, I didn't find it an issue last week at all. Hopefully it'll work and help free up some ADRs for folks who will actually use it.

That's encouraging. I thought it would me more smoke and mirrors than anything.

[Disoriented]

I think the new CC policy is having it's intended affect.

We have been to the world for 18 days spread out over two trips since the policy has taken place, one during Jersey week and the other was last week, and we only had ADRs for nine of our days and ended up canceling two of those. We had no trouble booking any last minute reservations (24 hrs or less) at any of the restaurants we chose while we were there, albeit there was only two of us.

Some of the restaurants I can remember getting on short notice were the Sci-Fi, Yak & Yeti and The Flying Fish.

[AmandaChan]

I can see where this will benefit a lot of people but $10 a person seems a bit outrageous. What about families who really can't make an ADR because of their children losing their everloving minds? We had to cancel an 8 person reservation at the last sort of minute for Crystal Palace and that would have cost us $80 for something that we really couldn't have controlled. I could see a standard $25 fee and that's it.

[AmandaChan]

I for one do not like this new policy. I understand about the whole hoarding of ADRs and double booking but this will not stop any of that as long as they people are canceling within the 24 hour window.

It is people who are honest and have every intention of making their ADRs that will get penalize. Paying $50 for nothing when I can't make my scheduled time is totally ridiculous. Things happen in life and this is suppose to be a vacation.

I agree with this. 24 time frame really isn't going to solve everyone's problems.

[Jared]

1) I think this is a ridiculous policy, and I simply won't make "reservations" at those restaurants ever again.
Much appreciated. I'll be glad to snatch up the reservations.


2) I make my "reservations" long before my actual trip, and for the people that try and make "reservations" a day or two before their trip I say you snooze you lose.

I almost never decide to plan a trip until six weeks or two months beforehand. So I'm not entitled to reservations because a few hoarders quadruple book at all the best restaurants? Nice.

Honestly, the policy has now been in effect for two weeks, and I haven't heard anybody complain since it started. There was a ridiculous outcry when it was announced, but like everything else, people adapt and life goes on. From what I hear, the restaurants are run by real people who react to real-word situations. They have and will waive the fee for families that have legitimate conflicts that force them to miss their reservation. The policy is in place to prevent people from simply not showing up.

[AmandaChan]

I almost never decide to plan a trip until six weeks or two months beforehand. So I'm not entitled to reservations because a few hoarders quadruple book at all the best restaurants? Nice.

I just don't see how this type of policy will keep people from quadruple booking ADRS and then just canceling them later on like they have in the past. And I'm sure they can be lenient for people who have legitimate reasons to cancel but not always... I do appreciate though, that it will make people more mindful of their ADRs and perhaps cancel them 24 hours in advance instead of just not showing up to give someone else a chance to maybe get lucky and do a walk in or something.