A little annoyed with seating policies

[A1A1]

I have tried to make PS's for three restaurants without luck. I tried Le Cellier, Cindy's for dinner, and one other that I can't remember. I have a party of two. They said there was nothing available. I was told for each of the three restaurants that there were no tables for two, but plenty of tables for four.

I am considering inviting two strangers from the parks to dine with us so that we can get a table at one of these restaurants. I don't think this is fair. What do you think? Why are they opposed to seating two people at a table built for four?

This seating policy annoys me, and I wondered how others feel about it.

 

[Muffy]

You didin't say when you need the PS for. If it is during the holidays you really should make the PS well in advance. Some places are harder to get PS for than others, like CRT.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Unfortunately there is more money in four then in two. Maybe you could od the old "sorry, but 2 didn't show up!!" after making a PS for 4.

 

[Spectro is #1]

I would pull a Mitch.

"ah well you see, we had four people, but they were on the Magic and ah they arn't feeling well so they couldn't make it"

 

[disneyjunkie]

Call back and tell them you need a PS for 4 people.

Once you have the PS # you can call back before your trip and lower the number or wait until you get to the restaurant and tell them.

The only sit down restaurant I've done at Disney has been Ohana's. I was surprised that they seated son and I at a table for 4.

 

[A1A1]

Thanks for the advice. I had a little devil on one shoulder telling me that I had four in my party. I had the other angel on the other shoulder telling me I only had two in my party.

I think the red angel won for this dinner. The white angel can eat every other meal with us.

I wondered if since it was Christmas, and some places need to guarantee with a charge card, that they would charge me the penalty for not cancelling the other two "people" in our party before the reservation if they "happen" to get "sick". Wink, wink.

Thanks for the help.

 

[djnrook]

Annoys me too, but I can see why they do it. Not sure of an alternative for you or for them. Please note, in the past I have made PS for 6 folks and tried over the phone to drop it to 2, only to be told a 2T was not available. I just showed up with 2, and everything was fine.

Another annoyance with Disney Dining...

I wanted to make PS for dinner at LTT on Thanksgiving day, so 60 days ahead I'm up at the crack of dawn, on hold at 7:00, talked to a human at about 7:20 only to find that the LATEST they had available was 12:15 (lunch - no characters). Well, if that is the best they can do I'll take it, but we really wanted dinner.

Called back 1/2 a dozen times over the 60 days since then, only to hear "nothing available later, or anytime thanksgiving day for that matter." The last time I called was Wednesday night (from my AKL room), and was told again "no availibility all day".

So, get to the MK on Thanksgiving day, and stop by LTT at 9:30 am just to double check that they had our PS and that everything was OK for our lunch. Wouldn't you know it, the sheet the cast member was looking at had openings all throughout the day at 2Ts, 4Ts, 6Ts, and 8Ts. I could have had just about any time that day! Folks both ahead of me and behind me were making same day PS for lunch and dinner.

It was too late to change it for our party, since we were split all over the park by 9am (scheduled to meet at LTT at noon), and some of us had plans for a 5pm movie, but had we known earlier.....

Annoying to say the least.

 

[inaminute]

When it's just DH and I we never make PS--unless it's for a special occasion or for NYE.

We just show up at the restaurant. We haven't been turned away, yet. We just assumed they kept tables available for walk-ins.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by djnrook
Annoys me too, but I can see why they do it. Not sure of an alternative for you or for them. Please note, in the past I have made PS for 6 folks and tried over the phone to drop it to 2, only to be told a 2T was not available. I just showed up with 2, and everything was fine.

Another annoyance with Disney Dining...

I wanted to make PS for dinner at LTT on Thanksgiving day, so 60 days ahead I'm up at the crack of dawn, on hold at 7:00, talked to a human at about 7:20 only to find that the LATEST they had available was 12:15 (lunch - no characters). Well, if that is the best they can do I'll take it, but we really wanted dinner.

Called back 1/2 a dozen times over the 60 days since then, only to hear "nothing available later, or anytime thanksgiving day for that matter." The last time I called was Wednesday night (from my AKL room), and was told again "no availibility all day".

So, get to the MK on Thanksgiving day, and stop by LTT at 9:30 am just to double check that they had our PS and that everything was OK for our lunch. Wouldn't you know it, the sheet the cast member was looking at had openings all throughout the day at 2Ts, 4Ts, 6Ts, and 8Ts. I could have had just about any time that day! Folks both ahead of me and behind me were making same day PS for lunch and dinner.

It was too late to change it for our party, since we were split all over the park by 9am (scheduled to meet at LTT at noon), and some of us had plans for a 5pm movie, but had we known earlier.....

Annoying to say the least.

I believe they keep a certain number of tables set aside for same day walkins as not everyone is aware that you should make PS arrangements in advance. I think the only place that does not do this is CRT but I am not 100% sure on that.

 

[maddy]

The same thing happened to us. We also considered adding 2 to our party. We did wind up walking up to Narcoosies and got in. We ended up talking to the manager and another suit about the situation because it seemed so un disney. They wanted names and dates to track the call and let us know that the resturants do not have quality control over the PS group. We felt vendicated and got some insite into the situation. Next time we will talk to a supervisor on the phone or call the resturant directly. We did learn that the people making PS have in large part never been to WDW and are usualy located some where else. I think Texas or Georga. Sorry this is still happening. I hope it works out maddy

 

[A1A1]

Thanks for the input. I was also told by the nice operator that "Disney is very strict about the seating" when she said that she couldn't seat us at a table for four. Sounds so ridiculous to let a table go empty until the last possible minute and penalize hungry people just because they have an unacceptable number of people in the party.

 

[Amapola]

I'm surprised to read of your experience. Just this past weekend I made PS for 2 for the following dates/restaurants:

Dec. 29 - Hollywood & Vine
Dec 30 - LTT
Dec 31 - Askerhus
Jan. 2 - Boma

Didn't have any difficulty at all making them. I got each one for the exact time I wanted them, too. I guess I was lucky! Maybe you could try again and see if you get a different answer??

 

[sherry8253]

Hi.. I ran into the same thing when I tried to make a PS for CRT right before MVMCP. I was told that no tables for 2 but tables for 4 were available. So, I reserved a table for 4 and posted a message to the board explaining that we had a PS and had room for 2 at our table. A very nice couple responded and we are scheduled to have dinner with them next Sunday eve at CRT. So, why not book for 4 and offer to share your table with some fellow board members. You will probably have lots of fun and maybe make some new friends. Sherry

 

[ilovefh]

Normally, most places save a % of tables for booking the day of. On major holidays (thanksgiving, xmas) CRT makes VERY FEW advance PS's and then most are made the day of IN PERSON at the podium. Other restaurants have been doing the same, an more and more do it every year.

Wouldn't you know it, the sheet the cast member was looking at had openings all throughout the day at 2Ts, 4Ts, 6Ts, and 8Ts. I could have had just about any time that day! Folks both ahead of me and behind me were making same day PS for lunch and dinner.

this is probably what was going on that day.

 

[wvjules]

I tried making a PS for CRT (almost got lucky). I have a party of 2, they had a seating available for a party of 3!!!! I don't want it bad enough to pay for the additional person that's not going to be there.

 

[A1A1]

That is crazy!!!!!!! Can't they just seat you at a table for three, however different that is from a table for two - I don't know, and take the chair away for goodness sake!!!!!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by A1A1
That is crazy!!!!!!! Can't they just seat you at a table for three, however different that is from a table for two - I don't know, and take the chair away for goodness sake!!!!!

I believe it all comes down to dollars. I would guess that each table based on party size is estimated to make a certain amount of money. The goal of any dinning establishment is to sit the maximum number of people at each table. In theory each seat in a dinning establishment is estimated to generate a certain amount of revenue for the establishment. Therefore any time one of those seats are empty the establishment is losing potential revenue.

So by sitting a party of two at a table for four the establishment is losing money if they could have filled that table with four people. That is way even up here around Boston they will sit a party of two at a table for four only when they believe that they do not have a chance to fill that table for four with four people. If they believe the table for four will go empty it then makes economic sense to fill it with a party of two. The same theory is used to fill hotel rooms. Fill as many as you can at rack rate and only discount when you believe that without the discount the room would go empty.

I would assume that Disney sets only a certain number of tables for each party size aside for P.S. and then based on historic figures believes that it will fill the rest of the seats with walkins.

So based on that it does not make economic sense for Disney or any business for that matter to book a party of two in advance into a table for four when past data indicates that they have a good chance of filling that table for four with four people.

I guess the accounting/business person in me is showing this morning.

 

[ilovefh]

I wanted to clarify....CRT only does this holiday policy for lunch and dinner....not breakfast

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by ilovefh
I wanted to clarify....CRT only does this holiday policy for lunch and dinner....not breakfast

You are correct ilovefh that CRT does not hold back seats for walkins regularly but the other establishments do.

That is why CRT will be even stricter(is that a word?) on only taking a P.S. seating for a party of two at a table for two. Based on past experiance they know that they will sell out CRT every morning. (nothing is absolute of course but I think everyone knows what I mean).

 

[ilovefh]

Tiffany you are correct, but what I was actaully responding to was my on original post about th holiday procedure. CRT (for lunch and dinner) on major holidays (i.e. xmas and thanksgiving) makes very few PS's 60 days out. The rest have to be made in person at the podium the morning of and they are made by hand. One CM will have a clipboard with slots for dinner and one CM will have a clipboard with slots for lunch. I actually was the CM with the lunch clipboard last Xmas freezing my butt off!! I never ased why, but I would assume it is because of the chance of park closing....for themselves, so they mke sure they have people...and so people dont make PS's then are unable to get into the park and have to pay the $10 cancellation fee. Many other restaurants have started doing this as well. A previous poster mentioned they saw it at LTT.