Another reason to kill the current ADR system

[arthuruscg 34]

http://www.eater.com/2015/9/9/9296645/disney-restaurant-reservations-fake-names

 

 

It's called DiS Dining Agent.

It's no secret that restaurant reservations at Disney World are difficult to acquire and often require some serious advance planning. But now, according to the Orlando Sentinel, there is a new reservation service called DiS Dining Agent that aims to help customers land a dining time — for a fee — similar to apps like Reserve and Resy. However, unlike Reserve and Resy, which work with restaurants to secure tables, DiS Dining Agency makes restaurant reservations ahead of time under false names and then "transfers them to customers," for money.

DiS Dining Agent offers the reservations for around $15 each. The company's website notes that there is no guarantee that the transferring of reservations will be successful, but DiS Dining Agent will keep the fee regardless. However, for a smaller fee of $6 to $10, the site will cancel its reservation "in exchange for letting you know exactly when that happens," so that the customer has a better chance of calling and grabbing the table.

The site has drummed up a lot of controversy. Disney fans are upset at that a service would hoard reservations that are already difficult to acquire. Anna Skamarakas, a Disney Parks Mom panelist, tells the paper: "It just infuriates me... They are doing something to circumnavigate the system, which isn't fair to the rest of us who are trying to play by the rules." Disney is aware of the site and is "currently reviewing the situation."

DiS Dining Agent isn't the first reservation service with this method of operation. Last summer, a San Francisco-based company called ReservationHop launched. It makes reservations at restaurants under false names and then sells them for $5 to $12.

 

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Interesting.

 

I wondered how that site worked.  Now we know.

 

The thing is that travel agents do this exact same thing- not only with dining, but also with room reservations, and Disney doesn't seem to care.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

 

The company's website notes that there is no guarantee that the transferring of reservations will be successful,

 

Um yeah because, I didn't think you could just call up Disney Dining and say "hey can you change the name on my reservation to some completely different person?" Even if you could, I would imagine the company would need to have a whole host of fake names to use so that it doesn't look like one person is doing it over and over again.

 

The fact that they keep your money even if they can't transfer the reservation is total crap and should send alarm bells off.  Buyer beware!

 

Interesting.

 

I wondered how that site worked.  Now we know.

 

The thing is that travel agents do this exact same thing- not only with dining, but also with room reservations, and Disney doesn't seem to care.

 

TCD

 

Disney has made changes in recent years to make it harder and harder for TAs to do this.  Not saying it still doesn't happen of course, and I keep hearing talk in the wind of more changes to come.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Interesting.

I wondered how that site worked. Now we know.

The thing is that travel agents do this exact same thing- not only with dining, but also with room reservations, and Disney doesn't seem to care.

TCD

Not all TAs do this.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Disney has made changes in recent years to make it harder and harder for TAs to do this.  Not saying it still doesn't happen of course, and I keep hearing talk in the wind of more changes to come.

 

All I know is that I hear very consistent rumors of a couple of travel agents who boast that they have numerous hard to get dates locked up for their potential clients.   These folks are making a living off of these fake reservations at the expense of regular folks who try to book their sites through Disney.

 

Disney doesn't care- they're happy to hold the deposits, and the sites will get used.

 

Not all TAs do this.

 

I know.  But there are at least two that I hear do.  And they have built their businesses around this practice.

 

They're happy.  Their clients are happy.  Disney is happy.

 

So to hell with everyone else.

 

TCD

[keith_h 420]

So we've moved from event ticket scalping (legal and illegal) to dining reservation scalping. I hope Disney does find a way to crack down on this. While some might call it entitlement I think as a Disney guest I should not have to compete against people cheating/abusing the system. While I don't think getting rid of the ADR entirely is the answer shortening the window to a week or less before your visit wouldn't be a bad idea.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

 

All I know is that I hear very consistent rumors of a couple of travel agents who boast that they have numerous hard to get dates locked up for their potential clients.   These folks are making a living off of these fake reservations at the expense of regular folks who try to book their sites through Disney.

 

Yep - I've heard the same rumors. There were changes made a while ago about deposits and refunds and when/who/how you could transfer reservations to/from a TA or anyone else, that supposedly cut down on the ability to do that.  I don't know how successful that was.

 

So we've moved from event ticket scalping (legal and illegal) to dining reservation scalping. I hope Disney does find a way to crack down on this.

 

I think they will.  The thing that works against businesses like this the most these days is the internet.  While it's their best means of promoting themselves, it's also the thing that's going to get them caught as stories like this spread like wildfire and get them on Disney's radar.

 

The problem is that addressing shenanigans like this could require what amounts to significant changes to the reservation system, which for Disney = time and money. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Why would Disney crack down on this?

 

It isn't costing them money.  So, they don't care.

 

Same thing with the whole "throwaway campsite" baloney.  In the big scheme of things, it's insignificant to Disney.

 

They will only care when it costs them enough money for them to care.

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

The reason I've heard is that the people that do this hold the reservations as long as they can, and then dump the ones they can't sell at the last minute to get their deposits back.  For Disney that means the potential for empty rooms.

[Travisma 1,317]

This is no different than ticket scalping, or a company hiring people to stand in line for the latest "IN"item to get around the one per person limit, so they can resell them at a huge markup.

Nope, Disney won't care unless they get a lot of really bad publicity and boycotts, or if they start losing $ like TCD said.

I imagine the people utilizing this "service" have enough money that losing the fee is no big deal.

[keith_h 420]

This is no different than ticket scalping, or a company hiring people to stand in line for the latest "IN"item to get around the one per person limit, so they can resell them at a huge markup.

Nope, Disney won't care unless they get a lot of really bad publicity and boycotts, or if they start losing $ like TCD said.

I imagine the people utilizing this "service" have enough money that losing the fee is no big deal.

 

I can afford to lose the fee. I would never use it as it isn't ethical. As a matter of fact that's what chaps my hide more about it more than anything else.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I've never used any service like this but I have made multiple room rezzie and ADRs and dump them when I know I won't be using them. Hate me if you must but Disney created this mess.

How the heck I'm I suppose to know a year in advance what my kids and DWs schedule is suppose to be like?

So when I know we are going to WDW I book more nights than I need. That way I can check airfare prices for the best deals. Or maybe I'm saving miles to get a free flight but don't have enough yet. And than I have to book ADR six months in advance. I book the restaurants I want for several different times and dates. And than finally I get to book my FP+. Which might interfere with my ADRs, that's another reason I book multiple ADRs.

And what about last summer when we stayed one week off property and than the following week on property.

I booked two weeks in property to be able to get FP+s for the week I was staying off property. And than I cancelled the first week right before we arrived.

Again hate me if you want. But I didn't create the crappie system. I've just learned to use it to my advantage.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

IMHO. Get rid of it all.

No more ADRs

No more being able to cancel last minute.

No more FP+

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

They have already made a change that I have seen where any Fastpasses booked through a specific reservation are cancelled when the reservation is.

I had a couple of cancellations the other day and received that message as I was preparing to cancel them.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

They have already made a change that I have seen where any Fastpasses booked through a specific reservation are cancelled when the reservation is.

I had a couple of cancellations the other day and received that message as I was preparing to cancel them.

 

Ray's fault!

 

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Dave is happy to hear that TCD.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Dave is happy to hear that TCD.

 

You know, it probably is really Dave's fault. He probably put Ray up to it.

 

TCD

[Travisma 1,317]

IMHO. Get rid of it all.

No more ADRs

No more being able to cancel last minute.

No more FP+

Now that's my kind of logic!

 

The spontaneity and fun has been sucked out of the entire Disney experience as far as I'm concerned.

 

You used to be able to just go to the parks and wing it, and 99% of the time you still got to do everything, and you got to go to the restaurants you wanted to.

 

Now everyone is scurrying back and forth from one end of the park to the other staring at their phones trying to figure out where the next FP is, or trying to alter it.

 

Bring back the ticket books!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Now that's my kind of logic!

 

The spontaneity and fun has been sucked out of the entire Disney experience as far as I'm concerned.

 

You used to be able to just go to the parks and wing it, and 99% of the time you still got to do everything, and you got to go to the restaurants you wanted to.

 

Now everyone is scurrying back and forth from one end of the park to the other staring at their phones trying to figure out where the next FP is, or trying to alter it.

 

Bring back the ticket books!!!

 

Yeah, and the parks are busier than they ever have been.

 

This baloney is working for Disney.  So, we're going to see more of it.  Not less.

 

The good old days are long gone.

 

Plan, plan, plan!

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I like planning.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I like planning.

 

You ain't right.

 

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I like planning to a small degree. We enjoy picking out where we are going to eat. I like not hitting a park and splitting off from my wife to go get FO while she wait on a ride she wants.

But I don't plan every moment out by any means.

[keith_h 420]

I don't mind planning but the current system allows for little flexibility unless you reserve every possible place you might decide to go to. I hate the idea of having to decide everything we will do six months or more in advance. This is ok if you have one or two places you must eat at but if you want decide after you know what else you will be doing on a particular day you're out of luck. If we plan an an outdoor event and settle on a nearby restaurant then it rains we end up on the other side of the property doing inside stuff. With the current structure more likely than not we will not get into a local restaurant because its been booked solid for 6 months by a lot of folks who might not even show up. This might be one of those situations where there is no good solution but it would be nice to be able to be able to make reservations closer to or during our visit for some of the more popular restaurants.  

[Travisma 1,317]

Yeah, and the parks are busier than they ever have been.

 

This baloney is working for Disney.  So, we're going to see more of it.  Not less.

 

The good old days are long gone.

 

Plan, plan, plan!

 

TCD

So, it seems like Disney has done too good a job of selling itself, and not been proactive enough in the future planning department.  Sort of like the way governments build the roads/infrastructure for now instead of looking to the future

 

I'm sure the original idea, besides keeping everyone on property longer when they built EPCOT, HS and AK, was to alleviate some of the overcrowding at the MK.

 

Looks like they are still trying by having Frozen in HS and Norway.

 

But the MK is still the main draw, so they either need to start limiting admissions (and we know that ain't gonna happen), or rapidly start expanding the MK and maybe making one or two more entrances. 

 

Main Street has become way too congested/claustrophobic and is at peak times a little on the dangerous side.

 

I see that exiting behind the buildings has become the norm during parade and fireworks times?

 

If they doubled the size of the park, they might get it down to manageable crowds.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Just saw this on FB  http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/disney-looks-into-websites-selling-dining-reservations-to-their-theme-park-restaurants/

 

Disney looks into websites selling dining reservations to their theme park restaurants

Leah Zanolla | September 10, 2015

 

 

Walt Disney World will begin looking into the restaurant reservations services that have begun popping up online and selling reservations to theme park guests. The DiS Dining Agent app reportedly makes reservations under false names for hard-to-get restaurants at Disney World and sells them to their customers for $15.

This is just the latest in sites that help guests access these hard to come by reservations. Disney Dining Buddy, Disney Dining Scout and WDW Table Finder all charge between $1-$8 to search for open reservation times. The users of these sites must then call and make their own reservations.

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler spoke with the Orlando Sentinel and said, “We are currently reviewing the situation involving third party website dining services. Disney has no affiliation with these third-party services which can interfere with the guest experience we strive to create.”

News source: Fox News