any penalty for not showing up for PS

[princess lovers mom]

are there any restaurants that charge you a fee if you do not show up?

I am making a PS for our first night - but since it will be Winter on the East Coast - ya never know we might be delayed...don't want a penalty if we miss it....

 

[Kayla's Mom]

There is no penalty (they don't take credit card info over the phone). If it all possible, just call to cancel your reservation through the Dining line if you need to.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

There is no penalty for not showing up for a dining PS; they do not take any payment information from you during your booking. Also, in case this helps, I have been told you have a 20 minute window after your PS to arrive. That being said, we do try to call ahead and cancel if it becomes clear we're really not going to make a PS, but I will admit we haven't always remembered to do this. For things that you pay ahead like Fantasmic dessert and tours, you cannot get a refund, so only reserve those if you are sure to be there.

 

[Sherry E]

If you can, I think it's a good idea to call and let the Dining folks know if you can't make it, just out of courtesy - but this "reservations" system that's in place does not work like a regular restaurant's reservation system in that they are not holding a table for you. The reservations at DLR are basically just a way to help organize the people showing up - so those with a PS/reservation will most likely get seated before those without a PS (although that's not even guaranteed, depending on the tables that need to be filled and the number of people in a party).

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

If you can, I think it's a good idea to call and let the Dining folks know if you can't make it, just out of courtesy - but this "reservations" system that's in place does not work like a regular restaurant's reservation system in that they are not holding a table for you. The reservations at DLR are basically just a way to help organize the people showing up - so those with a PS/reservation will most likely get seated before those without a PS (although that's not even guaranteed, depending on the tables that need to be filled and the number of people in a party).

I will add that some situations can arise when walk-ups are not taken, so if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant at a special and busy time, it's best to make a PS. The example that comes to mind is when we were at Storyteller's for Thanksgiving two years ago, some people walked up while we were waiting to be seated and asked how long the wait was. They were told that no walk-ups were being accepted for the whole night as the restaurant was entirely booked. I expect this is a pretty unusual situation, but I can see how it might happen for Thanksgiving and maybe New Year's Eve.

 

[SplashMo]

What happens if there is a line when you get there that is more than 20 minutes long such as Ariels?

 

[Sherry E]

I will add that some situations can arise when walk-ups are not taken, so if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant at a special and busy time, it's best to make a PS. The example that comes to mind is when we were at Storyteller's for Thanksgiving two years ago, some people walked up while we were waiting to be seated and asked how long the wait was. They were told that no walk-ups were being accepted for the whole night as the restaurant was entirely booked. I expect this is a pretty unusual situation, but I can see how it might happen for Thanksgiving and maybe New Year's Eve.

Very true. I can see how there would be certain exceptions like those for walk-ups. Also, supposedly, Blue Bayou requires reservations, though more and more folks have reported being able to be seated there without one in the last year. I wouldn't try to eat there without a PS...just in case!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

What happens if there is a line when you get there that is more than 20 minutes long such as Ariels?

I don't actually know, but I would think they would have to be more flexible if it's actually taking them longer than 20 minutes to process the line. I would say though that if you're going to one of those restaurants that gets that busy, even for those with a PS, then you really need to allow yourself enough time to get there, early even, rather than counting on your 20 minute cushion.

 

[skiingfast]

What happens if there is a line when you get there that is more than 20 minutes long such as Ariels?

It's off that this Happens at DLR. At WDW almost everywhere has a checkin for ADRs (reservations in DLR) and a seperate line for walk ups.

 

[pixiewings71]

When checking in for a reservation I've never had to wait more then 5 minutes to check in, and I've never checked in more than 5 minutes late. I wouldn't assume I could check in up to 20 minutes after my reservation time, in fact I wouldn't even try it more than 5 minutes late. If I knew I was going to be later than that I would call and cancel or try to reschedule my reservation time.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

When checking in for a reservation I've never had to wait more then 5 minutes to check in, and I've never checked in more than 5 minutes late. I wouldn't assume I could check in up to 20 minutes after my reservation time, in fact I wouldn't even try it more than 5 minutes late. If I knew I was going to be later than that I would call and cancel or try to reschedule my reservation time.

We don't make this assumption either and haven't actually tested this out. In fact, we are usually 5-10 minutes early for our reservations because that's the way I'm wired. I was just reporting what a couple of CMs have now told me, that there is a 20 minute "cushion". Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it because this information is now probably about a year old. I had been told this a couple times when booking reservations for peak times (one of them Thanksgiving dinner) and in one of those thinking out loud type moments I expressed concern about possibly having chosen a time too close to a preceding activity. When in doubt, I always adjust my reservation to allow us extra time without having to rely on Disney to pad it for me. Very often because we do arrive early, we have been seated before our PS time.

 

[DahliaRW]

ITA that if you can't make it it's curteous to call, penalty or not. Others may appreciate your table!

 

[princess lovers mom]

Of course we would call if we can..but if we are late it will because we are still in the air !!!