For those that are planning a Walt Disney World vacation and learning all the intricacies of the new technology of My Disney Experience, you may have to learn a few more things. If you’re finding it hard to make some dining reservations, you can still get them, but it’s going to cost you. Disney is currently investigating websites that are scooping up dining reservations by the dozen and then selling them to guests for a price.
Dining reservations at places such as Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest Restaurant are not easy to get as it is. As the Orlando Sentinel reports, websites such as DiS Dining Agent is making it even harder to get them.
This website actually makes Disney dining reservations under fake identities and then sells them over to guests for $15. Actually, the wording used is “transfers them to customers,” but it’s done in a number of different ways.
Anna Skamarakas is a teacher from New Jersey and a “Disney Parks Mom” panelist, and she is not happy about this.
“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.”
DiS Dining Agent is not affiliated with Disney Theme Parks or The Walt Disney Company in any way or form.
Eater has broken down the site a bit and seen how it works via the notes from the company. For around $15 each, they will sell the reservation, but there is no guarantee that the “transfer” will be successful yet they still keep the fee.
For smaller fees of $6 to $10, the site will cancel the reservation they have on hold “in exchange for letting you know exactly when that happens.” This will allow the customer to pick up the reservation as soon as it is released.
There’s even a concierge level where they will “guarantee” you get the reservation because they don’t transfer it. In this case, they will actually hand over the My Disney Experience (MDE) account – made in a fake name – to the customer and give them control of the reservation.
There are sites out there such as WDW Tools, Disney Dining Scout, Disney Dining Buddy, and others that are similar, but a little more fair. They charge a fee to send out alerts to guests that a reservation they are looking for, has become available.
Never do those websites actually book the Walt Disney World dining reservation for anyone, but simply let people know when they’re open.
Jacquee Wahler, a Disney spokeswoman, has confirmed that Disney is aware of the website, and apparently others as well.
“…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.”
Many have found that in the past year or two, Walt Disney World dining reservations are becoming harder to come by. Not only do guests have to contend with other guests booking reservations, but websites scooping them up and selling them.
Disney is looking into things and there is a good chance that changes could come to the Walt Disney World dining reservation system. Either way, Disney is not going to allow a website to continue making money off of guests by selling them dining reservations so something is likely going to change.