Reservation Hoarders - You Know Who You Are :)

[Disneylover99]

I think this happens a lot. The I'm paying a lot for my vacation, so I can cut corners with other expenses.

I constantly think like this, whether I'm on vacation or not. I tend to order cheaper items on the menu, and order ice water to save money. But I don't cheap out on my server. So while I cut corners for myself, I don't cut corners at the expense of others.

 

[21stamps]

This is key with our family. We definitely will thank you in a big way if you are a great server. Actually any profession where tipping is the norm.

Our server at CRT also made a huge deal for my dd. We had a chocolate slipper pre ordered and she came up to my dd and said is your name ___? She was like yes...and she said to dd I'm so glad...Cinderella heard you were coming today and had something made special for you! Then came back and brought the slipper. You would have thought she won the lottery she was so happy. She could have simply brought it out with no fanfare and that would have been just fine, but she knew she could make it more special and did. She was tipped for making that memory for us. The pictures, the feeling I had...all more special because of that two minute gesture. I'm sure she knows that pays off at tip time a lot of the time and it did for her that day. An attentive server can really make good money...a bad tipper is just that and nothing you do above and beyond will change their attitude, but a generous tipper can definitely be swayed to leave significantly more when the experience was even more enjoyable. At least that is the norm in my circle.

Right. I just had this convo on another thread where people were staring that children shouldn't be allowed in restaurants such as Shula's, and one of the main reasons was "the tip".
My kiddo loves to get dressed up and go on our "fancy nights" as he calls them. I've never had a server appear annoyed that he was there, they usually compliment him on his sports coat etc. No we don't have an alcohol bill equivalent 2 adults were ordering several cocktails, but the tip is always extremely generous, even more so if they recommend some cute non alcoholic fun drink for him.
But we aren't going there to order one desert item to be split between the 2 of us.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Ah so a good time to look again for Reservations would be when the FB window opens? Thank you. We are shut out of everything for Thanksgiving (they opened today for us) and are hoping to find an opening without having to check 20 times a day.

Suggest you call and don't rely on the online reservations. Reservations that are blocked out online are available when calling.

Did you have a place in mind?

 

[21stamps]

Suggest you call and don't rely on the online reservations. Reservations that are blocked out online are available when calling.

Did you have a place in mind?

Yes!!! That's how we got T Rex, and we were also able to move a Garden Grill reservation up 2 hours by calling- and both were showing as unavailable on MDE.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

That's great! Also, a lot of the non Disney places have more availability if you call the restaurant directly.

Yes!!! That's how we got T Rex, and we were also able to move a Garden Grill reservation up 2 hours by calling- and both were showing as unavailable on MDE.

 

[HelgaH]

Suggest you call and don't rely on the online reservations. Reservations that are blocked out online are available when calling.

Did you have a place in mind?

Well, I called this morning and got Whispering Canyon. I wanted Grand Floridian Cafe or Kona Cafe, but they only had late availability (no dinner times showed online at all) and I'm traveling with kids who need to eat on the early side. We were hoping for a monorail restaurant that was 'affordable' too. I like Whispering Canyon though, so I'm sure it will be fine.

 

[HelgaH]

And I don't think that mentality is applied anywhere else, but somehow at WDW it's justified.

We tend to apply it to places that cost a lot of money just to get a foot in the door. Like a ski trip. It's flights/lodging/lift tickets just to even get onto the snow. So we cheap out at lunch and dinner because of the upfront costs. Disney is the same. Just to even step foot in a park, you've likely paid a lot of money already. So, for me at least, it's hard to justify a dinner where the entrees cost $40-50 alone.

 

[21stamps]

We tend to apply it to places that cost a lot of money just to get a foot in the door. Like a ski trip. It's flights/lodging/lift tickets just to even get onto the snow. So we cheap out at lunch and dinner because of the upfront costs. Disney is the same. Just to even step foot in a park, you've likely paid a lot of money already. So, for me at least, it's hard to justify a dinner where the entrees cost $40-50 alone.

Yes, I agree that almost every night should be an expensive dinner.

All I'm saying is regardless of how much you are paying for the trip already, no one (meaning employees) should be hurt by that. The 2 are not related.

 

[chupacabra]

Ill give everyone a perfect example of why you should hoard reservations that just happened to me for a fall trip. I waited for halloween party tickets to be released before finalizing plans for ressies and what day we are going to do what as everyone here is familiar with. Yesterday disney called and told me that my fantasmic dining pkg on oct 6th was having to change due to fantasmic being cancelled because the park was closing at 6 for a private event. This kind of screwed my schedule since I cancelled all my extra reservations I was holding once I had my days mapped out. I do have park hoppers so we can try and see fantasmic another night but all my dinners are between 6-8 and none are at HS. This alone is a reason I wont drop any extra reservations until the week of my plans. Hoarder for life hahaha!!!

 

[megster1123]

Ill give everyone a perfect example of why you should hoard reservations that just happened to me for a fall trip. I waited for halloween party tickets to be released before finalizing plans for ressies and what day we are going to do what as everyone here is familiar with. Yesterday disney called and told me that my fantasmic dining pkg on oct 6th was having to change due to fantasmic being cancelled because the park was closing at 6 for a private event. This kind of screwed my schedule since I cancelled all my extra reservations I was holding once I had my days mapped out. I do have park hoppers so we can try and see fantasmic another night but all my dinners are between 6-8 and none are at HS. This alone is a reason I wont drop any extra reservations until the week of my plans. Hoarder for life hahaha!!!

That's rough, I'm so sorry that happened to you! It just seems absurd to me that they can just wipe out a whole evenings ADRs/events like that. I know October is still a ways away, but the 180 date has long gone. This is an unfortunate but perfect example of why I keep a couple backup ADRs in place.

 

[mommycrawford]

Sorry, holding reservations every day is fair game as long as not more than one at every meal. I often book a few days of BOG lunch until I finalize my plans at FP+ window then I throw them back in the pool.

This is exactly the case for me!...WHEN Disney allows me to know what I can and cannot do (availability) is when I know what I will and won't need. If a ride goes down when it is your fastpass window, it sucks, but ranting won't make the ride work: I have to be creative. If legacy FP was in place there would not be a need to do this, but since we are put in this micro managing 6 months (ADR) then two (on site fp) or one month out (off site,) you can't know what works 'til then!...If some people booked those ADRs, they must have just planned very well, or stayed up late, or woke up early, or sold their souls, or had a TA, etc....

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I think some people get a high hogging popular reservations on multiple days. it makes them feel important!! Kind of OCD to me. I laugh when I see the BOG ones. I really don't like the food there at all. One or two extra reservations for the trip isn't hoarding to me but if it's that every day then it's too much! Just my humble opinion. Complain to Disney. They will change their window times. I have seen them cancel reservations on people without warning when they see too many multiples for same meal. They keep your last reservation and cancel your earlier ones. Beware!

 

[Nancyg56]

I think some people get a high hogging popular reservations on multiple days. it makes them feel important!! Kind of OCD to me. I laugh when I see the BOG ones. I really don't like the food there at all. One or two extra reservations for the trip isn't hoarding to me but if it's that every day then it's too much! Just my humble opinion. Complain to Disney. They will change their window times. I have seen them cancel reservations on people without warning when they see too many multiples for same meal. They keep your last reservation and cancel your earlier ones. Beware!

They may cancel if you have multiples for the same meal on the same day. SOme folks have been able to book several in a short window on any given day due to some glitch, so Disney may cancel the extra. Disney has no rules in place for how many times you are allowed to book a specific restaurant on your trip. You can book BOG 7 nights in a row if you want and will not be canceled. You cannot book BOG, TH, 'Ohana and H&V in the same two hour window.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think some people get a high hogging popular reservations on multiple days. it makes them feel important!! Kind of OCD to me. I laugh when I see the BOG ones. I really don't like the food there at all. One or two extra reservations for the trip isn't hoarding to me but if it's that every day then it's too much! Just my humble opinion. Complain to Disney. They will change their window times. I have seen them cancel reservations on people without warning when they see too many multiples for same meal. They keep your last reservation and cancel your earlier ones. Beware!

I know there are folks who book em all just because they are there. I think these people are rare. As has been pointed out in this thread, it is wicked difficult to plan with all the changes Disney makes in the 180 days leading up to a trip. People try to have back up JIC.

 

[sallytigger]

This is just a little rant. We have been trying to get reservations now since February for BOG in June at lunch on either 6/5 or 6/8 with no luck yet. Yet I see people on the June cancel reservations thread cancelling reservations for each and every day they are at WDW for BOG (just not our date, yet). I don't understand why people can't commit to what park they are going on what day and free up the reservations for us poor schmucks.
For those who have cruised, it is like the cruisers who put a flip flop on a chair by the pool at 6AM and don't show up to that chair until 11AM. It is called chair hogging. I think we need a name for those overbooking reservations they "might" need....thus the title of my thread.
Okay, rant over, and still getting very excited - 2 weeks and 1 day until we come "home"!

I'm active on that June cancelation thread. While I'm not a hoarder, I've been a champion schedule changer on this trip. First, my DH had a work trip that caused us to change the dates of our trip (caused me to drop some reservations, and post the BOG I had). Then the trip changed again (dropped a BOG I'd excitedly found to replace the dropped one). We had a call from my sil asking us to change the date of our visit planned on the way back from Disney (so leaving on a different day... dropped another reservation).

There was plenty of shifting in response to Disney's schedule changes (switching EMH days) and unknowns including the Rivers of Light, the start date of A&E and Soarin at Epcot (all of which will not happen on our trip). But there are plenty of legitimate reasons for date switching and reservation releasing that don't involve hoarding.

I remember you posted a response after I posted the cancelation of a BOG lunch, and so just a few days later when I saw a ton of new openings for about 5 days in a row for late BOG dinners, I posted the info hoping it would help, even though that board asks you to only post personally canceled ADR's.

The canceled month by month threads have been so helpful to me on our trips, and I always try to pay it forward. It's not always the result of hoarding.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Ev

I know there are folks who book em all just because they are there. I think these people are rare. As has been pointed out in this thread, it is wicked difficult to plan with all the changes Disney makes in the 180 days leading up to a trip. People try to have back up JIC.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, and as I said if you have one or two total extra reservations I don't think this is a problem but I have seen where people get too compulsive and book way too many extra ones.... Some with the attitude that they need them just in case, others for the thrill of getting reservations that everyone wants. I really don't find it as complicated as others seem to with the exception of booking one favorite restaurant and timing it with the fireworks. In any case please be considerate and cancel reservations as soon as you don't need them. I find having too many reservations, beyond 2 a day takes away from having fun on your vacation. I make one or two a day max and schedule fast passes etc around them. Scheduling is a must in Disney but overscheduling takes away from your freedom to just enjoy yourself when you are there.

 

[Aliceacc]

Just curious--- where have you seen this?

I honestly have no idea of what other people are booking, where they're eating, what rides they're FP'ing.

Heaven knows, I spend more than enough time on this site, but how and why do you come across that info?

 

[Nancyg56]

Just curious--- where have you seen this?

I honestly have no idea of what other people are booking, where they're eating, what rides they're FP'ing.

Heaven knows, I spend more than enough time on this site, but how and why do you come across that info?

Oh my gosh! You will see posts where someone has a boatload of ADR's I place, and they will (not as much now) ask about touring stategy, but then state they have backup JIC they want to switch at the last minute. Or if you are on the cancellation threads someone will release so many ADR's and you can see they are not a TA. People are not as vocal about this practice anymore because the est of us are not high fiving them for their bunch of ADR's/

 

[mom2rtk]

Just curious--- where have you seen this?

I honestly have no idea of what other people are booking, where they're eating, what rides they're FP'ing.

Heaven knows, I spend more than enough time on this site, but how and why do you come across that info?

There are threads set up for people to post notification that they are about to cancel dining reservations, so you can maybe catch one. If you're watching the thread, you'll see those posts from time to time where they cancel a full week's worth of BOG or whatever.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I don't like BOG either. I've eaten there 2 times now and I just don't like it. I was disappointed in a few restaurants last time around.