Back from WDW and have a comment about ADRs

[deltabayou]

We made ADR's for all of our days at WDW and ended up cancelling them all but one. We do have an issue with ADRs. We went to 50s Prime Time Cafe on Monday Nov 7. We walked up at 7 pm without a reservation. The CM told everyone that they were all booked up until 9:30 pm. Dh asked the CM behind the counter if there were any standbys allowed. She said, "no." Dh noticing the empty tables in the dining area asked what happens if someone does not show up for the reservation. The CM replied, "Nothing." My dh asks, "Don't you try and fill the tables. You won't give the table to someone else?" She replies, "No sir. If the guest shows up an hour late, they will be given the table. Otherwise we do not try to fill the tables." That sounds pretty stupid to me. So dh persists and the CM looks up on the computer and notices that a block of time from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm is wide open due to cancellations. She was going to turn us away if dh did not persist. We ended up getting a table 20 minutes later.

With this dining plan, Disney needs to do some revamping of their ADR system. Does anyone know who at Disney I can pass along these comments to? I am not complaining but I would like someone to know for future guests.

Kathleen

 

[sweetpeakaris]

OK, I don't understand what your frustration is about. You walked up, did'nt have a Ressie, and got seated, right? Are you upset because they were going to turn you away without a ressie? I honestly don't see what you would call Disney to complain about. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[LoriZH]

OK, I don't understand what your frustration is about. You walked up, did'nt have a Ressie, and got seated, right? Are you upset because they were going to turn you away without a ressie? I honestly don't see what you would call Disney to complain about. Maybe I'm missing something.

I believe their frustration comes from you have to have ADR to eat in restaurants there or you are out of luck and that if they weren't persistant then they would not have been allowed to eat there when there was an opening, I could be wrong though. I think that Disney should leave some tables open for walk ups, it's really not right for people who are not on the dining plan or do not know about the ADR's (or PS's as I still call it, lol!!!).

 

[Stitch1404]

I just talked to someone today who went to Disney recently with no ADR's and they had a horrible time trying to find something to eat! They really enjoy nice meals but ended up eating a lot of counter service for lack of availability. It was their first trip and they didn't even know Disney took dining reservations. I think they need to leave room for walkups, not everyone knows they need reservations for their meals. This gives newcomers a chance, and if us "experts" call 180 days in advance we will still have no problem getting our ADR's as well, everyone will be happy!

 

[deltabayou]

Like I said, I am not complaining. We were told that if people do not show up for reservations, they are not going to fill the table with people who are there and want to eat. They are not taking standbys. So if I have an ADR for 7:00 at 50s Prime Time Cafe but I am having fun at MK and decide I don't want to go to MGM and don't bother to call and cancel, then that time block is not given to someone who walks up. I thought that WDW used Priority Seating but it seems to be more like reservations, except if you don't show (or you show up an hour or two late) they don't give that table to a standby. I just think that maybe some revamping needs to be done considering this dining plan is getting more popular.

Kathleen

 

[sunkissed212]

It does seem kind of silly for the resturaunts to turn walk up's away because people with ADR's didn't show up at their designated time. What's the point of taking reservations for a certain time if the table is going to be held indefinitly for that person. I think that there should be a "grace period" offered...if the party with the ADR doesn't show up within, say, 10 minutes of their scheduled time, the table should be offered to someone walking up. ADR's don't cost extra so I don't think that they should be holding a table for someone that may not even show up at all and, in turn, turning away business "on the chance" that those people may show up after all.

Just my $0.02

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

OK, I don't understand what your frustration is about. You walked up, did'nt have a Ressie, and got seated, right? Are you upset because they were going to turn you away without a ressie? I honestly don't see what you would call Disney to complain about. Maybe I'm missing something.

I don't think the OP wants to complain to Disney, I think she just wants to point out to them that tables are being held for people who do not show up for their ADRs and that maybe they can come up with a system to only hold those tables for so long before they can let walk-up guests be seated.
WDW.Guest.Communications@disneyworld.com

 

[UrsulasShadow]

We made ADR's for all of our days at WDW and ended up cancelling them all but one. We do have an issue with ADRs..

Kathleen

Not flaming, or picking on you, as the situation does seem somewhat absurd...but have to ask WHY if you HAD ADRs for all your days, that you would cancel them, and then try to get into a restaurant without one? Just a little curious, I guess. Did you cancel on general principle? Did you change your minds about where you wanted to eat?

 

[skent10]

This makes no sense to have empty tables while waiting for possible diners to show up.

The PS system was originally set up so that, when you showed up at the pre-arranged time, your name would be immediately added to the top of the list for the next available table. A PS wasn't supposed to guarantee you a table at that specific time; it just meant you were next in line, no matter if there were already walk ups waiting.

When they changed from calling it a PS to an ADR, did they change the principle behind it? Sure sounds like it from what the OP experienced. That's just wrong, as far as I'm concerned. You would think these restaurants could look at their ADR's, figure out the average % of no-shows per night, and at the very least offer that % of tables to walk ups. A restaurant doesn't make money on an empty table.

 

[deltabayou]

Wellll......This was our first trip since 1992. I did all the research on the computer and told dh that I had all the hours and Extra Magic Hour dates. We needed to decide which day to be where. Keep in mind that dh works shift work, so when he is on nights he doesn't even know what day of the week it is, LOL. I told him we needed to make ADRs which he did not feel was necessary. I persisted so we picked out some restaurants and made ADRs. Also keep in mind that we are new at this. The last time we were there, we did not stay onsite and mostly ate counter service.

So we get to WDW on Nov 5 and I had made a Liberty Tree ADR so we went to MK and spent the day there. The next day we went to AK, cancelled our Ohana ADR and ate at Boatwrights because we were staying at the POR. Monday we go to MGM but we had an ADR at Maya Grill. We cancel that and were able to get a table at 50s Prime Time Cafe. Tuesday we cancelled another ADR and ate somewhere else. The problem is that we did not plan well in advance. We booked our package in late September and then never seemed to have the time to get it all together before leaving on Nov 1. We were able to use all our TS credits. We did eat TS everyday, just not at the original restaurant where we had planned.

I felt bad after Monday's ordeal at 50s Prime Time Cafe and hoped my cancelling reservations each morning did not affect someone else's chance at eating at the restaurant. I do think Disney needs to do some revamping. We loved the dining plan and felt like it was worth it. Our total bill at Liberty Tree Tavern was $100, 50s Prime Time Cafe was $100, Concourse $170.00, and The Brown Derby lunch $157.00, Boatwrights each time was around $100. That doesn't even include the counter service that we ate and the snacks. We packed an entire cooler full of snacks and hardly ate any of them. We were so stuffed from all the food we ate all day, LOL.

Kathleen

 

[BrerMama]

I think this may be why you should always call Disney Dining and make a PS, even if you're standing in front of the restaurant and want to eat in 15 minutes. I think the busier restaurants just routinely turn away people when the computer tells them the ADRs are full. They don't update as ADRs are cancelled. However, if there's a cancellation and you can get a new ADR that same day, it will show up in their computer and you'll be seated. I'm hoping that makes sense.... I'm betting if you had stepped out of the restaurant and called Dining, you would have gotten a PS for the same time period. The restaurants just aren't used to making ADRs and fitting people into empty slots, while that's what Disney Dining does all the time.

 

[jann1033]

maybe the cm was misinformed...i know we were told on a few occasions they only held your table for 20 mins...this was in off season and i just find it impossible to believe disney suddenly changed from that to keeping your table forever. sorry it just doesn't sound like the disney we all know and love now does it? all that empty space = less$$$$$$! btw one of those places was Ohana and they were turning people away after the walk in's wait got to be well over an hr.( they would have been seated about 8:30 or later by then, not sure when the last seating is)

 

[adrock1976]

I think this may be why you should always call Disney Dining and make a PS, even if you're standing in front of the restaurant and want to eat in 15 minutes. I think the busier restaurants just routinely turn away people when the computer tells them the ADRs are full. They don't update as ADRs are cancelled. However, if there's a cancellation and you can get a new ADR that same day, it will show up in their computer and you'll be seated. I'm hoping that makes sense.... I'm betting if you had stepped out of the restaurant and called Dining, you would have gotten a PS for the same time period. The restaurants just aren't used to making ADRs and fitting people into empty slots, while that's what Disney Dining does all the time.

BrerMama, you are TOTALLY correct. I think the same goes true with Disney, as with any restaurant in your hometown. It is always advisable to make a reservation if you can, even if it is right before you plan to dine. While a front line CM you encounter may have tell you something is full just because they can, if you call Disney Dining and ANYTHING is available, they can put in an ADR for you. The CM won't turn you away with the ADR, even if you have to wait a little bit.

Secondly, the WHOLE purpose of the ADR is to allow walk-ups to have a chance at no-show tables and cancellations. If one CM tells you NO, you can try and ask someone else...of course, sometimes the answer is just NO.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Another great tip is this: if you walk up to, say, Brown Derby, and they have an hour wait, ask if any of the other MGM restaurants can get you in. The cm's at the restaurant can make an AR for another restaurant. We did this a couple of times last summer - we made an AR for 5 minutes later at 50's PT!

 

[DisneyMeep]

What is an ADR? I have tried to find the definition and can't. Thanks.

 

[CBear]

What is an ADR? I have tried to find the definition and can't. Thanks.

It's an Advanced Dining Reservation. Disney used to call it a PS - Priority Seating.

 

[mmcguire]

I think this may be why you should always call Disney Dining and make a PS, even if you're standing in front of the restaurant and want to eat in 15 minutes. I think the busier restaurants just routinely turn away people when the computer tells them the ADRs are full. They don't update as ADRs are cancelled. However, if there's a cancellation and you can get a new ADR that same day, it will show up in their computer and you'll be seated. I'm hoping that makes sense.... I'm betting if you had stepped out of the restaurant and called Dining, you would have gotten a PS for the same time period. The restaurants just aren't used to making ADRs and fitting people into empty slots, while that's what Disney Dining does all the time.

I second that. I once called Disney Dining on my cell phone from the lobby of the GF for afternoon tea at the Garden View Lounge. The hostess said it was full, but suggested I call to see if there had been any cancellations. Lo and behold, there was an open spot just a little while later, and we snagged it. Going back this year, but this time with an ADR!

 

[clkelley]

I agree. There has been many times when I walk up to a restaurant and ask for a seat, and they say they are full. I step back from the podium, usually in full sight and hearing of the host/hostess and use my cell phone to make an ADR for as soon as they allow me, and then check in.

The host/hostesses always thank me for doing that as they can fill more tables that way.

Carol

 

[megrod74]

double post

 

[megrod74]

I think you should contact someone at Disney because having to call for an ADR 5 minutes from now is just stupid. And not everyone would think of it. Is it really so hard to plan for no-shows and allow walk-ups?
It sounds like the host's hands are tied without ADR's.