New credit card guarantees. Restaurant list, policy & common questions in 1st post

[KatieCollette]

Well I have a question, what happens now if you don't make it to an ADR without notification? To just a normal restaurant that doesn't need a CC# to reserve it?

 

[TDC Nala]

Well I have a question, what happens now if you don't make it to an ADR without notification? To just a normal restaurant that doesn't need a CC# to reserve it?

If the restaurant isn't on the list in the first post, nothing happens. They can't charge you if they don't take a credit card guarantee.

 

[ars0525]

Well I have a question, what happens now if you don't make it to an ADR without notification? To just a normal restaurant that doesn't need a CC# to reserve it?

I would assume Disney at a certain point past your reservation time if you haven't yet checked in considers you a "no show" & may or may not be able to seat either a possible walk-up or the next reservation (depending how long they wait to consider you a no show).

Financially though nothing happens to you if you no show for an ADR that doesn't require a cc to schedule.

Personally I think this is a good move by Disney. Perhaps it has some kinks that need to be worked out over time, but it's a start.

 

[Lyndria]

Way to go Disney!

 

[tyniknate]

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

 

[offkilterfan]

I do agree with this change. The only issue I have is that, I'm a party of 2 and many times there are no ressies available, but I put in 3(I never put in more than 4 which would still equal only one table) and there are. I don't like to do this, but I don't think we should be penalized because we aren't a party of 3 or more. So the question I have is, as long as I cancel the add'l person off within the cancellation time there will be no penalty, correct?

 

[castleri]

I do agree with this change. The only issue I have is that, I'm a party of 2 and many times there are no ressies available, but I put in 3(I never put in more than 4 which would still equal only one table) and there are. I don't like to do this, but I don't think we should be penalized because we aren't a party of 3 or more. So the question I have is, as long as I cancel the add'l person off within the cancellation time there will be no penalty, correct?

They may then say this is cancelling and there are no tables for 2 available for your time frame. k

 

[kaligal]

Anyone who wants to play around with their credit rating like this for the sake of avoiding being required to show up for a character meal or cancel it a day ahead is welcome to try this, I'm sure.

I doubt that anyone will have their credit rating trashed because they cancel a card.

Furthermore, not everyone needs credit. I know most people do, but there are plenty of people out there who have reached the point where they don't.

And I could be wrong, but couldn't people just use a throw-away card and then spend the money before Disney can charge the cancel fee?

I know I leave the parks when it rains. I don't want to get stuck with cancel fees because I didn't hang around for a couple hours in the rain just to have dinner at the Crystal Palace.

I'm looking for the easiest way out of paying cancel fees and keeping reservations.

But I know I may be stuck with just not making the reservations.

 

[PottersMom]

I get that they want to cut down on multiple bookings, but this wont correct that problem. You could still make 2 ADRs for the same day and time, just make sure at least one is not on the magic list.
What they should have done is block people from making more than one "dinner" reservation per night per person. (So if you have4 in your party you could still do 2 and2 in case you split up). Only trouble with that is, they cant make any $ for NOTHING.
sorry, but I see this as a way to take advantage of people.

 

[krb2g]

My gut reaction to this news was "Wow, Disney is really nickel-and-diming now," but on more reflection, I think it's a good policy. We signed up for the Candlelight Processional Dining package in July with my credit card (which will charge us $65.99 x 11 people if we don't show up) and I had no qualms about making the reservation (and thus being charged a large sum whether we show up or not), and I fully plan on making the rest of our reservations as well (if our early AM flight is late, it might affect our late lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh). If this policy cuts down on the number of no-shows at restaurants, then it's good for Disney, good for the people who plan ahead (1 reservation/meal), and good for the people who'd like to walk-up (nothing stings like being turned away from a restaurant with obvious tables free b/c of no shows).

 

[Lewisc]

• The Garden Grill

Note that it is all "signature" restaurants and all with Character Dining. With the exception of Akershus (with Characters) and Le Cellier it does not include any Epcot restaurants.

This is an official notice that was provided by Cheshire Figment, as it's no longer a rumor I'm going to put it up here on this board.

I must be missing something. Isn't the Garden Grill located in EPCOT? Has it moved in the last 6 months?

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes, Garden Grill is in Epcot, a character restaurant and included, CF must have overlooked it when posting, or he meant to say the World Showcase.

 

[bookworm75]

I will be interested to see how the process goes online. I am wondering if I'm making reservations online, will I have to re-enter the card number every time or will it pre-fill after I do one like it does for your name and ph#. I kind of doubt it will assume you want to use the same number though.

This is my question as well. Is this going to push more people to call than book online? I'd much rather book online, but I'll make the call if I have to keep entering my credit card number for ten days' worth of reservations. And yes, most of the places we want for dinner are on the list.

This actually leads me to another question - how will this work for dining plan people?

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I think this is a great idea!

 

[TDC Nala]

This actually leads me to another question - how will this work for dining plan people?

Exactly how it will work for anyone else. They will need to give a credit card number to hold a reservation at any of the listed restaurants. Not sure why it might work differently for the dining plan. Dining plan guests already have to give credit card guarantees for Akershus, California Grill, Fantasmic packages and the prepaid reservations.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I'm so torn on this change. On the one hand, if it cuts down double bookings or people who book, say 'Ohana, for several nights in a row so they can pick which night they want to go once they're there, then I think that part is great.

On the other hand, when I book my ADRs at 180 days I always have full intentions of going to each and every one of them. But 'ya know, sometimes life gets in the way and things come up that mean a day of cancellation. I hate that we'd be penalized for this. When I make my plans, I always make it a point to not book anything with a penalty for the first day we're there in case there is a travel hiccup. Guess that list of places just got longer.

Will be interested to see how this plays out in practice.

 

[seals]

I think it makes sense for their business. There are many hotels where one has to cancel within a time frame, often several days (WDW, for example, 5 days) or lose the equivalent of one night's fee. I would guess they will be somewhat flexible but hopefully avoid people who make multiple reservations and don't cancel them just because there's not reason to. The one day in advance is fairly lenient since most people should have an idea of how they feel, what the weather is and what parks they want to go to 24 hours before. Maybe especially during free dining??

 

[zmanandshan]

Overall, the policy is a step in the right direction in my opinion, however, the 24 hour window could be perceived as too restrictive. A 2 or 3 hour window is more realistic and wouldnt have a negative effect on walk-ins. A 2-3 hour vs a 24 hour window wouldnt materially effect people who proactively plan. The shorter window would also lend more flexibility for some who have illnesses, weather-related, or park-preference decisions. I think the shorter window will also reduce the amount of resources tied up for folks who need to speak to an operator and come up with an excuse as to why they have to cancel in the morning for a an evening reservation. The time the operators listen to these excuses would be better utilized for customer service that have a greater impact for the everyday reservation user. For example, I wouldnt want to wait longer on hold to make a reservation because more people are now on the phone explaining how little Johnny threw up on the monorail.

 

[sunshine girl]

I think this is excellent! If I can more easily get a same-day reservation, or a walk-up, I'll start considering table service dining. Right now I do almost zero table service - I don't even try it because my expectation based on experience is that there won't be availability (and I'm not a big ADR planner). I'd given up on table service. So, Disney will potentially gain some dining dollars from me!

Of course Disney will make exceptions for special (or not so special) circumstances. They always have.

I think even if only 50% of those who would have just skipped the reservation (and not bothered to cancel) now call to specifically cancel (whether 24 hrs in advance or not), this will be a help to Disney's bottom line AND to other guests who ARE ready and willing to take those empty chairs.

Also, my opinion is that 24-hours notice is their stated policy because 24-hr notice is preferred (and gives Disney a better chance to fill those seats), but I'm willing to bet they'll make many many exceptions, for a whole lot of stuff. And yes, this means one can easily abuse the rule, but I believe the people who circumvent the rule will not cancel out the positive effect this rule will have overall.

Disney wants you to call and cancel, not to just no-show, so they can fill the seat faster (rather than waiting 15min to see if you'll show, and possibly losing a couple table turns per table per day as a cumulative result) - obviously 24hrs is better than, say, 1hr notice for their purposes, so that's how they're going to phrase it. That's my take on this.

To sum up: win! (thanks betamouse...)

 

[bookworm75]

Exactly how it will work for anyone else. They will need to give a credit card number to hold a reservation at any of the listed restaurants. Not sure why it might work differently for the dining plan. Dining plan guests already have to give credit card guarantees for Akershus, California Grill, Fantasmic packages and the prepaid reservations.

Thank you for this, I haven't made cc guaranteed reservations while on the dining plan before (this trip will only be our second time using DDP). Thought I would ask so that I knew what to expect.