Adding a person to an ADR - can't make a table of 7 into an 8?

[sarahsar]

So we have an extra person coming with us on our trip in October (of course the way my family works people are always deciding things at the last minute). I made our ADRs 180 days out for a time that has turned out to be free dining, so I'm sure the restaraunts are busy. We were able to add him to all of the ADRs, although we had to change the times of some, except for Le Cellier. They couldn't change us from a table of 7 to a table of 8.

My question is - are there really tables there that can accommodate 7 people but not 8? That seems hard to believe. Or is it just a quirk of the computer system? I'm just wondering if we should cancel it all together and try to find an ADR for somewhere else that night, or show up with our extra and hope for the best.

 

[Brian Noble]

Disney doesn't change the size of a reservation. They make a new one and cancel the old one. It's likely that there are no "new" ones to be had at Le Cellier (and you *don't* want them to cancel first and then rebook, because someone might sneak in and grab your table in the meantime.)

It will *probably* be okay to show up with the 8th person and explain that they decided to join you after you made your reservation. Shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[sarahsar]

Disney doesn't change the size of a reservation. They make a new one and cancel the old one. It's likely that there are no "new" ones to be had at Le Cellier (and you *don't* want them to cancel first and then rebook, because someone might sneak in and grab your table in the meantime.)

It will *probably* be okay to show up with the 8th person and explain that they decided to join you after you made your reservation. Shouldn't be a big deal.

Okay, that makes sense. I was thinking that must be what they are doing, because, except in some odd configurations, most tables that would fit 7 would fit 8 just as well. Some of our ADRs stayed the same, but a couple of them changed times. I'm wondering now if we just should have left those and taken our chances! But it sounds like we will likely be okay if we wing it (and if we're not, well, there should be plenty to eat around, since it's also Food & Wine!)

 

[robinb]

You should be fine. Just tell them you are 8 instead of 7 when you check in. A table for 7 is probably two 4-tops anyway. You *may* not be able to sit together but I assume they told you that for your 7-person ADR too.

 

[sarahsar]

You should be fine. Just tell them you are 8 instead of 7 when you check in. A table for 7 is probably two 4-tops anyway. You *may* not be able to sit together but I assume they told you that for your 7-person ADR too.

Actually, when we made the 7 person ADRs they said it was for a single table. In the past, I have had them tell me it would be two tables, but then they managed to put us together when we got there. This time, though, the ADRs were all supposedly for one table.

 

[sarahsar]

Hmmm. I'm now seeing that the reservations we had that we had to change times for have our initial times now available in the system for 8 people. I'd love to get those times and cancel the new ones that we changed to yesterday. Unfortunately, the website is extraordinarily slow today. I had the same problem yesterday trying to pay the balance for the trip. In retrospect, we probably should have left everything alone for all of the ADRs and taken our chance with the extra person.

It's also funny to me the ones we didn't have to change at all, like Cinderella's Royal Table. Usually that's a tough ADR to get, and that is a small room, but it was no problem adding someone to our ADR.

 

[DebbieB]

We had an extra person last summer at LeCellier, it was no problem. We had 7 instead of 6, they just put the 7th person (a teen) at the end of the table.

 

[MODisneyfan]

I think it really depends. There are some tables that are 6 and they just add another chair for 7 where as some just have even tables for 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 so if you booked 7 there is already and empty chair so it isn't a huge deal but some that have 6-7 where they are adding that chair to the end already you would have to book a new table that would accomadate all 8.

 

[mousermerf]

For reference, if they have you at a table or tables that can accommodate more or less people they can swap the number in the reservation with little to no fuss. They literally type in the new number in the box and hit save/update on the reservation.

I would try calling again, just for the sake of the fact that dining agents are the least trained people in the building - call golf or tours, same systems, more training.

I don't recall Le Cellier having any tables that were 7T but I could be mistaken. Only way to get 7 would be a 7T or a 3T and a 4T and no one groups 3T and 4T because 3T's are almost always the weird little booths like at Brown Derby that cant be added to. A 7T would be a table like at Whispering Canyon - big round one. Square/rectangular tables are inherently even numbers.

Edit: It could be 5T and 2T, which is likely against policy of the restaurant (a round with a square) but many newly hired dining agents can't be bothered to scroll down when booking and read the table combination rules.

 

[mousermerf]

And for the record, any restaurant - ANY - can be overbooked to make minor adjustments as long as it's not "bleeding red" (aka: overbooked already.)

It needs the next tier of staff to override or the restaurant itself, but it can be done and is done often.

 

[Brian Noble]

Usually that's a tough ADR to get, and that is a small room, but it was no problem adding someone to our ADR.

It's gotten a lot easier now that (a) it is exhorbitantly expensive and (b) all three meals are now princessy.

 

[sarahsar]

I wonder if it makes any difference that our party has two children? Maybe they can use a smaller table?

On a related note, I am trying to get our original times back for the other two meals we had to change when we added a person (Chefs de France and Tutto Italia). I had no problem getting the times back, and my plan is now to cancel the original reservations, but strangely the online ADR system now does not have you specify ages of guests. It now says it's for 8 adults instead of 6 adults, 2 children, and I see no way to correct this. Does this matter at all? Making ADRs always makes me a bit OCD.

 

[snykymom]

You're also assuming that you were actually going to be seated at a 7 top. I know that when I worked as a host, we often sat parties of 7 at 6 top tables, and just added a chair. We could make it work for 7, but not for 8.

So yes, there really are such tables that can fit 7 but not 8.

 

[sarahsar]

You're also assuming that you were actually going to be seated at a 7 top. I know that when I worked as a host, we often sat parties of 7 at 6 top tables, and just added a chair. We could make it work for 7, but not for 8.

So yes, there really are such tables that can fit 7 but not 8.

True, that's why I was asking if people knew how Le Cellier worked, and whether or not it makes sense to just show up and hope for the best.

I think it is definitely a quirk of the Disney reservation system, though. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but we had reservations for 7 people at Tutto Italia and Chefs de France. We had to change those to a different time to accommodate 8. Now our original times appear in the system, and you can make a reservation for 8 people for those times, but they couldn't change our reservation for those times to be 8 people instead of 7. The times are very specific, like 7:10 pm. I guess it's possible another table of 8 gave up their reservation for the same exact time in the last couple of hours, but it seems unlikely.

I think as another poster said that this is what happened - Le Cellier is totally booked for that night, so there is no way to give us another time. If we just cancelled our reservation, we probably could re-book for the same time for 8 people instead of 7, but that would be taking a big chance that someone else would get it during the time it was available in the system. There doesn't seem to be a way just to change the number of people on the reservation, or at least the person we spoke to didn't know how to do it.

 

[mousermerf]

If it's actual a table or tables that seats 8 total but currently booked for 7 they just need to type in the new number and hit save/update. The problem being if it's really a 7T or a 4/3 or 5/2 or what have you that can't seat 8.

I would definitely call again and gets the specifics, ask to speak to a manager/dining help.

 

[aduck126]

You should be fine. Just tell them you are 8 instead of 7 when you check in. A table for 7 is probably two 4-tops anyway. You *may* not be able to sit together but I assume they told you that for your 7-person ADR too.

agreed, we had this happen at one of our ADRs at Chef Mickeys. We had one extra person joining and we called the Dining people and they told us that it is booked and we can't just add the person. Pretty much made a big hoopla about it. So we kept it and just showed up with the extra and everything was fine.