Admit it: You lie about having priority seating

[bdg100]

We go to Disney quite often. O'hanas and Chef Mickeys are two of our favorites. I have intentionally hung around the hostess desk at times. You would be amazed at how many people claim to have priority seating reservations but cannot be found in the system. Sometimes the host/hostess tells them they will have to wait on the standby list but most often, especially when the customer is persistent, the host/hostess gives in and marks them as having priority seating. Does anyone else have a problem with this.

 

[Amirah95]

We go to Disney quite often. O'hanas and Chef Mickeys are two of our favorites. I have intentionally hung around the hostess desk at times. You would be amazed at how many people claim to have priority seating reservations but cannot be found in the system. Sometimes the host/hostess tells them they will have to wait on the standby list but most often, especially when the customer is persistent, the host/hostess gives in and marks them as having priority seating. Does anyone else have a problem with this.

I never really paid attention, but I found that people don't know about making ADRs or didn't take it seriously and had to wait for 3 hours.

 

[plutolovr]

Well, on several occasions, I have made an ADR for a restaurant. Have it written down with confirmation numbers, dates and times. Go to checkin at the restaurant and they have no record. So I do believe SOMETIMES this legitimally happens. You can see it from this board, people who make ADRs, call to confirm them only to be told there is no record. So Disney is dropping the ball somewhere.

 

[mommykds]

No, I haven't seen what you explained however we did have an adr for mama melrose & they couldn't find us in the system. I had my adr numbers with me & I even note the CM I made it with so I guess they do sometimes loose an adr in their system.

 

[bdg100]

Well, on several occasions, I have made an ADR for a restaurant. Have it written down with confirmation numbers, dates and times. Go to checkin at the restaurant and they have no record. So I do believe SOMETIMES this legitimally happens. You can see it from this board, people who make ADRs, call to confirm them only to be told there is no record. So Disney is dropping the ball somewhere.

Maybe, but I am still skeptical. We have used ADR system as much as most people and have never had them not be able to find us. A couple times we may have been listed at a different time, like 6:30 instead of 7:00 but never lost completely.

 

[NMAmy]

I have, on occasion, had them lose my PS. It usually happens when I call to cancel another PS while we're actually there. Say I have a PS Wednesday that we're not going to make--I politely call to cancel it. Then when I show up at my Thursday restaurant, they tell me I'm not in the system. So, I give them my reservation number, they look it up and say, "Oh, it must have gotten cancelled accidentally yesterday."

So, yeah, it can happen. I'm a freak about making those reservations but I'm also a freak about carrying the reservation confirmation numbers with me. I'm seriously considering not being so darn polite anymore!

 

[msklcassidy]

....until our last trip. With 3 kids in tow, we went to CRT for an early breakfast...8:15. Had my confirmation number and the whole 9 yards. They couldn't find me in the system anywhere! Finally, I asked the the 4th person (who was also the manager) if perhaps our last name had been mis-spelled. Sure enough...they had the whole name misspelled and the previous 3 people kept passing by our confirmation number since the name wasn't all that close! I spent nearly 15 minutes being persistent...(and was proud that I didn't lose my temper since I knew my credit card had been charged!). Trust me I got quite a few "uh-huh...sure you have reservation" looks from others standing around...but I really did! I'm glad the OP has never had this problem, but having been in the "this happened to me" situation, I'd say don't be too quick to judge! I also learned from this experience if your meal is guaranteed with a credit card, be sure to bring your credit card statement with you! To this day, I can't figure out how my credit card was charged when my name was so completely mis-spelled...but I guess the billing address was enough!

 

[HunnyPots]

Sorry to disappoint you but, no, I have never lied about having a reservation at WDW or anywhere else.

Of course, it does happen. For any given situation, there will be those that abuse the system. No news there.

 

[bdg100]

....until our last trip. With 3 kids in tow, we went to CRT for an early breakfast...8:15. Had my confirmation number and the whole 9 yards. They couldn't find me in the system anywhere! Finally, I asked the the 4th person (who was also the manager) if perhaps our last name had been mis-spelled. Sure enough...they had the whole name misspelled and the previous 3 people kept passing by our confirmation number since the name wasn't all that close! I spent nearly 15 minutes being persistent...(and was proud that I didn't lose my temper since I knew my credit card had been charged!). Trust me I got quite a few "uh-huh...sure you have reservation" looks from others standing around...but I really did! I'm glad the OP has never had this problem, but having been in the "this happened to me" situation, I'd say don't be too quick to judge! I also learned from this experience if your meal is guaranteed with a credit card, be sure to bring your credit card statement with you! To this day, I can't figure out how my credit card was charged when my name was so completely mis-spelled...but I guess the billing address was enough!

Well, this is a revealation. Maybe, they can be wrong, on occasion. However, I would be willing to bet that a significant percentage of the people who claim to have a priority seating that cannot be found at the time of checkin never had one in the first place. Call me cynical.

 

[tfc3rid]

When we were down there last week, we made ADR's on the same day as we wanted to eat at a place, got them without a problem but they did not have us in the system at 1 place (Boma) which was very surprising to me...

I do see people who look at the computer screen when the CM is scrolling through it to find their 'name'.

 

[Ms.Mouse]

When I make my ADR's I keep my reservation #. There are usually more than 5 of us so I actually print out our plans on the computer as such:

Day Park Restaurant (for TS, normally dinner) Time Reservation #

Everyone is on their own as to what they do in the park chosen for that day and where they eat their counter service. For the TS, this way, we have the reservation # with us.... We've not had a problem in all the years we've been going....THANKFULLY!!!!!

 

[debbi801]

Either making the reservation or the computer. I *think* it is less likely to happen now that you can make them for the whole trip at once.

When we went in April 2004, I got up and called every day as dining opened for an ADR on the 90 day out mark. I got every meal I wanted, including Princess Storybook. I diligently wrote down every confirmation number in my Passporter and read them back to the CM on the line to verify them.

We got to CSR, and I asked the CM checking us in if he could print out a list of my ADRs. Crystal Palace was missing and he couldn't locate it by my name or phone number. I was heart broken. AND, there were no available ressies for the 5 days we were there. I called dining from the room multiple times a day and we were lucky enough that there was a cancellation and we got our Crystal Palace fix.

That being said, I never would have just "shown" up at a restaurant without having my ADR number.

 

[bicker]

Nope, never lied about having PS/ADRs. That would be pretty despicable if folks were doing that.

 

[vicb]

Sorry to disappoint you but, no, I have never lied about having a reservation at WDW or anywhere else.

Of course, it does happen. For any given situation, there will be those that abuse the system. No news there.

Same here, never lied about it myself. Also never had them lose my ADR.

 

[goofy4tink]

When you are given a confirmation number, it is for a reason. You really should bring it with you to the restuarant. I have sat outside many restaurants while people have argued with the hostess/host about having an ADR (PS), and they have been told that they will be given the next available stand-by table, but it could be over an hour wait.
I have seen people leave that podium area saying to the rest of the party.."Well, I tried...they wouldn't buy it." So, it does happen.
I have also gotten to a podium and they haven't had me listed. I whip out my trusty ADR sheet, give them the conf. number and lo and behold, the name is misspelled...everything else is correct though.
I try to call Disney Dining before I fly down and double check that they have the correct spellings and such.
But, yes, there are liars out there...sad to say. And a lot of people who just don't realize they need ADRs. You would think that if you are going to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation, you would at least get one book and read it so that you had some knowledge...but evidently there are a lot of people that just don't do that.

 

[3littleHalls]

I have seen where people show up saying they have an ADR and didn't and were wait listed. And that same trip we had gone to CRT with our confirm# and print out from concierge with day and time, but CRT had us down for the following day in their computer. The lady at the hostess desk was nice to get us in at Crystal Palace instead that day, and we were back at CRT for the day the computer had us.

 

[tjmw2727]

Unfortunately I was behind a family trying to show up for an ADR they had not made at Prime time a couple weeks ago. They kept saying they had a reservation but when the CM (who was VERY nice) couldn't find it she asked them where and when they made it. This is when the "story" fell apart as the family had no idea how one would have been made LOL??. The CM waitlisted them and they gracioulsly declined the one plus hour wait.

I have also had my ADR's get lost so I do carry my numbers on a paper in my wallet. My last name is commonly misspelled a variety of different ways so its easier to just use the number if the ADR isn't found right away.

Its a shame and I don't do it but unfortunately some do try

TJ

 

[Forever42]

I have no reason to ever lie about a PS, since we never have trouble making them and always make a PS before we go out. However, as often as we go, we've had many problems with them not having our reservation. Misspelled names, mistyped phone numbers, incorrect dates, all of that has happened to us.

I'm sure there are a few people here and there, but Disney Dining *does* make quite a few mistakes.

 

[jonimce]

Never had to lie. I always make mine as soon as they will allow.( love the 180 days) I have had them say they couldn't find my PS until I gave them my #. Then all of a sudded it's there. Have never been turned away.

 

[majortom]

Maybe, but I am still skeptical. We have used ADR system as much as most people and have never had them not be able to find us. A couple times we may have been listed at a different time, like 6:30 instead of 7:00 but never lost completely.

I have had reservations lost, reservations made for the wrong date and time (reservations agent was in a different month for a previous guest) and sometimes for the wrong restaurant. Most of my reservations show up, but more than a few have disappeared.

/carmi