Dining reservation "no shows" question

[bicker]

Where have you still noticed paper lists, bicker?

I don't remember. This would have been about two and half years ago.

Oh, and bicker I doubt last minute cancelleations are a big problem at most of the restaurants. There always seem to be people walking up for reservations at the park restaurants.

No question that it is "no problem" for the walk-ups. The folks who have the problem are the folks who couldn't make ADRs at the restaurant days or weeks in advance because all the ADRs were taken.

I do wonder what prompted the change at CG.

Like most things at WDW, I suspect the reason for the change was abuse.

 

[BCV23]

No question that it is "no problem" for the walk-ups. The folks who have the problem are the folks who couldn't make ADRs at the restaurant days or weeks in advance because all the ADRs were taken.

Agreed. But if a family makes ONE AR for dinner, fully intends to dine there and some problem arises, I don't think it would be fair to penalize them.

If we have to cancel because our son is ill, I hardly think that unfair to someone who tried to get an AR for the same reservation at a later time than I made ours. And we won't leave him in the room and go to a park or another hotel just to keep an AR. We do cancel. At that point, any table we've freed up is fair game to anyone.

And we never, ever doublebook!

As for CG, who knows? It is a special restaurant with unique characteristics including being a favorite of locals.

Perhaps tourists were making ARs intending to go after reading about the food, fireworks or whatever but then cancelling after they arrived at the World and realized it wasn't quite as easy to get there as they assumed. In the meantime, locals calling a week or a day out were blocked out...other tourists who don't plan as well of course.

Or perhaps....

 

[flechette]

Hmm my thought process went something like this--

*Dining Package requires you to have MYW package or be a DVC Member

*Dining packages mean more people using Table Service restaurants.

*More use of Table service due to Dining Package means more abuse of ADRs


Since the MYW and DVC requirements mean you're already staying on property- I did disregard all the off property guests which is a huge mistake. My bad!

However I truly believe more than half the double up ADRs are due to the popularity of the Dining package and restricting On-property guests would at least be a start. Then Disney could charge no show fees to off property guess and it would be another benny to stay on property!

You can't tell me someone in marketing hasn't already thought of it


I suspect there isn't one easy answer - multiple credit cards may not work if they all have the same billing address- and that's very easy to check- whether or not Disney computer system has enough memory to hold all that info is another issue entirely




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edit - yep the email was from my TA - thankfully we were on the dining plan so it was not a big deal and we had checked with Chefs De france early in the afternoon to verify our time - all 4 of us forgot the confirm #- so we were able to make reservations right then for our preferred time. I really have to wonder if my TA was at fault because between Thurs and Sat I heard 8 other people complaining that their reservation was made for the wrong day. Just seemed kinda weird.



.

 

[bicker]

I suspect there isn't one easy answer

Precisely. Either way, someone gets the short-end of the stick.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

There seems people can always come up with a excuse as to why they could not meet there commitment to an reservation but I believe the cancellation policies are liberal enough that anyone could call at the last minute and cancel. This day an age with cell phones such excuses as transportation problems or any other misfortune can be communicated to the proper persons. It may require that you plan for what might happen and carry your copy of your reservation with the phone number or make a visit a guest relations area but in the end it depends on your principles and to do what is right. If one doesn’t care than it won’t be done and if one does care they will find a way to cancel or delay a prior that commitment. Those who don’t care to honor that commitment, should be charged for “what they special ordered”, that reservation.

 

[Dean]

I don't remember the last time I saw a CM at a podium use anything other than the computer. Where have you still noticed paper lists, bicker?

I have seen paper lists twice at La Cellier in the last 8 months.

This issue, like many associated with Disney, just shows that guests want choices and flexibility but many aren't willing to accept risk or take responsibility. Same old song as far as I'm concerned. Can't charge a no show fee because someone MIGHT have a legitimate reason. Can't charge for a smoking violation because someone MIGHT once get incorrectly accused. Must reimburse points because someone made reservations during hurricane season and there was a hurricane. I could go on.

 

[Sammie]

I don't think last minute delays and emergencies are the most serious problem.

The problem is people booking multiples simply because they can't make up their mind. Then they keep them until the last moment, possibly cancelling, maybe not if they forget.

This shuts out many guests from making advance planning due to not being able to get in.

I simply think Disney needs to come up with a way to stop this practice. But then after reading how devious people are about getting around the regular requirements on the Restaurant Forums, not sure Disney has a chance.

I vote for a deposit of some sort for all Full Service.

 

[BCV23]

There seems people can always come up with a excuse as to why they could not meet there commitment to an reservation but I believe the cancellation policies are liberal enough that anyone could call at the last minute and cancel. This day an age with cell phones such excuses as transportation problems or any other misfortune can be communicated to the proper persons. It may require that you plan for what might happen and carry your copy of your reservation with the phone number or make a visit a guest relations area but in the end it depends on your principles and to do what is right. If one doesn’t care than it won’t be done and if one does care they will find a way to cancel or delay a prior that commitment. Those who don’t care to honor that commitment, should be charged for “what they special ordered”, that reservation.

I agree with you and in fact you don't even need a list of your reservations to cancel. You can go to any dining podium and ask them to do so for you. They will find the reservation # through your name and phone number. As you said, guest services can do it too. And with cell phones, you can just call. I have the number on speed dial.

But until that is explained better to guests, I do think it is confusing for those who may be on a first trip or even those that just rarely book ARs.

 

[Dean]

I don't think last minute delays and emergencies are the most serious problem.

The problem is people booking multiples simply because they can't make up their mind. Then they keep them until the last moment, possibly cancelling, maybe not if they forget.

This shuts out many guests from making advance planning due to not being able to get in.

I simply think Disney needs to come up with a way to stop this practice. But then after reading how devious people are about getting around the regular requirements on the Restaurant Forums, not sure Disney has a chance.

I vote for a deposit of some sort for all Full Service.

Nothing will work that doesn't put a hard block on reservation options OR financial risk to the guest. Even then, Disney has to stick to the rules, something they've rarely shown the stomach for.

 

[bicker]

And so those who play fair suffer.

 

[BCV23]

I don't think last minute delays and emergencies are the most serious problem.

The problem is people booking multiples simply because they can't make up their mind. Then they keep them until the last moment, possibly cancelling, maybe not if they forget.

This shuts out many guests from making advance planning due to not being able to get in.

I simply think Disney needs to come up with a way to stop this practice. But then after reading how devious people are about getting around the regular requirements on the Restaurant Forums, not sure Disney has a chance.

I vote for a deposit of some sort for all Full Service.

I agree with you too Sammie except for the deposit. It seems unwieldy to me given the vagaries of WDW vacations. But of course, it is WDW's call whether it is too unwieldy to implement such a system no matter how much we huff and puff about it.

Another thought if deposits were required. How many families do you think would drag their sick children to an AR rather than lose a deposit? I doubt WDW wants people who have some of those intestinal viruses to show up for meals at all costs.

I am puzzled by the insistence of a couple on this thread that flexibility and responsibility or integrity are mutually exclusive.

It is WDW's decision to offer flexibility.

It is up to all of us to respond with integrity and responsibility.

 

[bicker]

I suppose it depends on from which direction the flexibility comes. If it is Disney offering it, to all guests equally, in the form of variable choices, that's one thing, and surely no one would have a problem with that. If it is the guest taking it on themselves to capitalize on Disney's lax enforcement of the way they've structured their offereings, then we're back to the zero-sum game problem, where one guest's action takes away from the experience of others (either now or in the future) and therefore causes a problem that does need to be addressed.

 

[Dean]

And so those who play fair suffer.

It's up to Disney to set the rules. We've seen over the years that the definition of fair is not universal on DIS and elsewhere. Even where there are laid out policies, if they are not adhered to, many still see it as fair if no one puts their foot down, occupancy comes to mind. The bottom line to me is that if Disney wants to have people follow the rules, they've got to enforce them. And that may take saying NO or even having staff out at the pool checking ID's. Until Disney gets a backbone, nothing will ever change but only get slowly worse.

Still there are dishonest people who don't fess up to the preteen's on the reservation, lie about the occupancy, etc. Those people will almost always find a way around the rules no matter what. They are by nature, dishonest.

 

[bicker]

What Disney "wants" is profit. Fairness often has very little to do with profit.

 

[BCV23]

Dean and Bicker, when you speak of paper lists are you talking about the clipboards? Those are used at many maybe all of the restaurants but the podiums do have computer screens. I think the restaurants print out the ARs earlier in the day and somehow use those clipboards to keep track. But they all have the computer screens. Recvently made ARs are on found on the screen.

A couple of other thoughts: DVC Grandpa noticed empty tables on Thanksgiving and a couple of days later asked about them. It could be that the CM was wrong. But otherwise, it seems likely that people WERE forfeiting deposits because as others have said, on holidays they are required at most restaurants.

His other experience at the All Star Cafe was very different I would bet. In that case, it could very well be that few tables are ever released for ARs but instead held for patrons of the venues.

In my experience, some hotel tables are held for hotel guests. I think they are probably released at some point but I don't know the specifics. I just know when WDW Dining has told me there are no tables available, I have been able to dine. My point is that what some think is a problem may be just the way WDW handles their tables.

 

[bicker]

I believe you misunderstood what I wrote. Previously, restaurants used only the paper lists, and therefore changes (additions or cancellations) made after the paper list was printed (before the mealtime began) wouldn't be reflected. I suspect most of the restaurants have moved to the electronic system exclusively now, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn some of the restaurants still use the old means.

 

[BCV23]

I believe you misunderstood what I wrote. Previously, restaurants used only the paper lists, and therefore changes (additions or cancellations) made after the paper list was printed (before the mealtime began) wouldn't be reflected. I suspect most of the restaurants have moved to the electronic system exclusively now, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn some of the restaurants still use the old means.

Yes, I thought you meant that some still used just the paper list. I do think all use the electronic system and use the paper lists as a supplementary means of handling their seating.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

I think that DVC23 could be correct in both assumptions on my two experiences although, I do not recall if I had to supply a CC when I made our Thanksgiving reservations and the CM who told me of the “no shows’ did work behind the desk at the Beach Club on Thanksgiving day. As for the All Star Café, baseball was being played that day although the games were completed when we arrived.

The subject about not releasing all tables into the AR system is something I was wondering about also. I made those 2005 Thanksgiving reservations on the first minute I could and was amazed how many times were already gone. I asked the CM if they held times and table sizes back for release later in the reservation process and was told no. I still doubt that I was offered all the selections available.

 

[bicker]

I'm pretty sure they used to hold some tables back for release at 60 days, 45, 30, etc. However, it does seem clear that that's not the case as much as it had been in the past. It does seem that Disney is relying on the ADR system to handle itself these days, and are happy enough that the restaurants are substantially full.

 

[Dean]

Dean and Bicker, when you speak of paper lists are you talking about the clipboards? Those are used at many maybe all of the restaurants but the podiums do have computer screens. I think the restaurants print out the ARs earlier in the day and somehow use those clipboards to keep track. But they all have the computer screens. Recvently made ARs are on found on the screen.

A couple of other thoughts: DVC Grandpa noticed empty tables on Thanksgiving and a couple of days later asked about them. It could be that the CM was wrong. But otherwise, it seems likely that people WERE forfeiting deposits because as others have said, on holidays they are required at most restaurants.

His other experience at the All Star Cafe was very different I would bet. In that case, it could very well be that few tables are ever released for ARs but instead held for patrons of the venues.

In my experience, some hotel tables are held for hotel guests. I think they are probably released at some point but I don't know the specifics. I just know when WDW Dining has told me there are no tables available, I have been able to dine. My point is that what some think is a problem may be just the way WDW handles their tables.

You are correct, the computer is the main issue and they do print them out it appears. The problem is if used as the main working source, they would miss changes that happened in the computer last minute. And thus turn away guests where seating was indeed available.