Dining Rant

[AnimalPrincess]

I just need to rant about free dining. Last year we were there at the end of Sept. and the free dining had been extended and we had to deal with the crowds and full restaurants. This year we are going later, 10/22 and I had a really good feeling we were going to avoid the free dining, until today when I heard the extended it again! UGH and to make matters worse they have blackout dates, one of which ends the day we arrive! UGH

 

[AmongMadPeople]

We were there last year during Free Dining's October extension and I personally never noticed anything different than usual. Keep in mind, blackout dates means Disney doesn't need to increase hotel bookings those dates, so in theory your dates should mean slightly lower crowds. Just trying to help

 

[cvjw]

We've gone during free dining in Sept for years, and I would gladly take those crowds over the crowds we experienced during Thanksgiving and Memorial Day weekend! Even with free dining, we find the crowds at the parks to be pretty light, but the restaurants to be busy.

 

[rentayenta]

"Free dining" Ain't no such thing. We were there in Sept 2007 during free dining and while the parks didn't seem crowded, the restaurants were packed.

 

[karebear06]

I don't think you will notice anything different with crowd levels.

 

[skelooch]

I have no problem with free dining Disney will do whatever they feel is necessay to get people to fill their rooms and parks.

What I do have a problem with is the ADR system, I would like Disney to require a credit card to guarantee a dining reservation, and if not cancelled 5 hours in advanced be charged a nominal fee of $10-$20. I believe this would reduce the number of multiple reservations being made for the same night and then guests deciding where they want to dine, or just never cancelling reservations. Until something like this is done getting ADRs anytime less than 90+10 will become increasingly more difficult.
I for one always cancel an ADR as soon as I know I won't be using it.

Everytime a make a golf reservation I have to provide a credit card and if I don't cancel within 48 hours will be charged for the full fee.

 

[magicaldisney]

I have no problem with free dining Disney will do whatever they feel is necessay to get people to fill their rooms and parks.

What I do have a problem with is the ADR system, I would like Disney to require a credit card to guarantee a dining reservation, and if not cancelled 5 hours in advanced be charged a nominal fee of $10-$20. I believe this would reduce the number of multiple reservations being made for the same night and then guests deciding where they want to dine, or just never cancelling reservations. Until something like this is done getting ADRs anytime less than 90+10 will become increasingly more difficult.
I for one always cancel an ADR as soon as I know I won't be using it.

Everytime a make a golf reservation I have to provide a credit card and if I don't cancel within 48 hours will be charged for the full fee.

I totally agree. The free dining offer isn't so much the problem, it's the reservation system that is the problem.

 

[ppony]

What I do have a problem with is the ADR system, I would like Disney to require a credit card to guarantee a dining reservation, and if not cancelled 5 hours in advanced be charged a nominal fee of $10-$20. I believe this would reduce the number of multiple reservations being made for the same night and then guests deciding where they want to dine, or just never cancelling reservations.

I just wanted to point out that apparently Disney will and does go through reservations to check for multiple ressies on one day within 2 hours of each other. It's said that you won't get notified they will just cancel them all. So anyone booking more than 1 for a mealtime is running a HUGE risk of ending up w/ nothing. Doesn't mean people don't do it tho. I wouldn't mind there being no show fees. But I'm also very unhappy about how far in advance we need to book these ressies and gosh knows what can transpire on any given day while there. It can be extremely difficult to get to them occasionally. It's a double edged sword to me. UGH. That could possibly be why there aren't more cancellation or no show repercussions. big sigh

 

[skelooch]

I just wanted to point out that apparently Disney will and does go through reservations to check for multiple ressies on one day within 2 hours of each other. It's said taht you won't get notified they will jsut cancel them all.

I don't believe that for one minute.
Besides there's a very simple way around that isn't there?

 

[Sassagoula Billy]

I have no problem with free dining Disney will do whatever they feel is necessay to get people to fill their rooms and parks.

What I do have a problem with is the ADR system, I would like Disney to require a credit card to guarantee a dining reservation, and if not cancelled 5 hours in advanced be charged a nominal fee of $10-$20. I believe this would reduce the number of multiple reservations being made for the same night and then guests deciding where they want to dine, or just never cancelling reservations. Until something like this is done getting ADRs anytime less than 90+10 will become increasingly more difficult.
I for one always cancel an ADR as soon as I know I won't be using it.

Everytime a make a golf reservation I have to provide a credit card and if I don't cancel within 48 hours will be charged for the full fee.

Dream on. If Disney required a credit card for every single ADR, they'd get uncooperative guests, an unending stream of complaints, and a lack of bookings.

"I thought this was free dining? Now you want me to pay $20 if your lousy bus service makes me miss our reservation?"

Oh how I wish wish wish this were put in place. Maybe they can monitor multiple ressies with better proficiency, but they'll never start taking credit cards across the board. It'd be the wall of Jericho come tumblin on down.

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

I don't believe that for one minute.
Besides there's a very simple way around that isn't there?

Yes. Multiple phone numbers.

 

[Shreggor]

ADR info from a Disney planning site:


What is an Advance Reservation (formerly Priority Seating)?

Advance Reservations is a system Walt Disney World uses to manage their restaurant seating flow. In essence, unlike a true reservation where a table is saved for your party at a particular time, the advance reservation guarantees your party the next available table. It's recommended that you check in about 15 minutes before your time. Wait times vary depending on the time of day and restaurant but usually averages between 15 and 30 minutes.

What if you don't show up for an Advance Reservation time?

If you know ahead of time, call WDW Dining and cancel it. The system was created so that no-shows wouldn't affect how people are seated in the restaurants. If you don't check in for your Advance Reservation, you will not be put into the queue and the next available party will take your place. However, keep in mind if you do not call, you may be stopping another group from dining at that restaurant.

If people don't show up, their table is just given to the next person in line. Yes, it might prevent people from getting an ADR there, but if that same group that didn't get the ADR were to just walk up and put their name in, they might have a bit of a wait but 9 times out of 10 are going to get in since it's not as if a table is being held for that person who didn't show. Disney would rather a paying person be in that seat than hold on to it indefinately for someone who might not show up.

The only places I've ever not been able to just "walk in" that I've tried to were Le Cellier (which baffles me.. it's just a steak house...) and the Castle. The Castle requires a full cc payment when you book. And I tend to go in the fall during free dining (I don't partake in the free dining or the DDP at all).

I'm pretty sure Disney does not hire someone to review millions of people's dining schedules to make sure that they have no duplicates. There are plenty of legit reasons why a person might make two ADRs within a few hours of each other (ie. dinner at one place, dessert and wine at another-- or mom wants to take the girls to a princess meal and Dad wants to take the boys to Chef Mickeys but mom books everything in her name). The idea that they would pay an employee to read through all of these is ridiculous enough but when you think that they might really anger some people who had honest reasons for multiple ADRs around the same time...well that would just be bad service. They'd have a lot of angry people.

 

[ppony]

I don't believe that for one minute.
Besides there's a very simple way around that isn't there?

I'm not taking the risk.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

When I was making my dining reservations for my upcoming trip in October, if I double-booked anything, I got a pop-up saying that my other reservation would be canceled. This was fine with me because I was usually looking for an ADR to replace something I'd already booked. I didn't want to cancel it first in case I couldn't find a new ADR that I wanted.

And yes, I'm going with free dining.

 

[skelooch]

Dream on. If Disney required a credit card for every single ADR, they'd get uncooperative guests, an unending stream of complaints, and a lack of bookings.

"I thought this was free dining? Now you want me to pay $20 if your lousy bus service makes me miss our reservation?"

Oh how I wish wish wish this were put in place. Maybe they can monitor multiple ressies with better proficiency, but they'll never start taking credit cards across the board. It'd be the wall of Jericho come tumblin on down.

"Oh how I wish wish wish this were put in place." Does this mean you think it's a good idea?

They already do require a credit card at some Signature Dining.

Why would anyone have a problem with it if they had every intention of showing up for their reservation or would cancel if they weren't. It could only benefit the ones that only make one reservation a night and always cancel if their plans change. It would only hurt the ones that abuse the system, and personally I don't care about them because they have no regard for anyone else when they make multiple reservations for the same night.

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

I just wanted to point out that apparently Disney will and does go through reservations to check for multiple ressies on one day within 2 hours of each other. It's said that you won't get notified they will just cancel them all. So anyone booking more than 1 for a mealtime is running a HUGE risk of ending up w/ nothing.

This is not true at all. I've made ressies that weren't our first choice then kept trying back for what we really wanted. Most of the time I'll eventually get to book what we really want and I always book the new one before canceling the old one. Not once have I ever had Disney cancel both ressies. And there have been many times I've had the two ressies on the same day at the same time booked for a day or two before canceling the one we don't want so that I could get DH's opinion on which he'd prefer. I've been hearing people say this is the case for a few years now, but I don't believe Disney does anything about multiple ADRs. Now I do feel the need to say that I never, ever keep multiple ADRs, and we always cancel if we decide an ADR won't work out.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

we were there at the end of Sept. and the free dining had been extended and we had to deal with the crowds and full restaurants

1) But, that is a major part of the year, free or not free dining.
2) There is just so much capacity at eatery tables.
3) We find little difference in restaurants when free dining hits. *

* OK, we do notice a difference, There are many more unruly, rude and uncouth people.

 

[Pumbaa_]

this topic was recently closed due to fighting and general nastiness

Closing this one as restarting a closed topic