Disney Veterans -- How has your recent experience been with the new guidelines

[BeccaG]

This may be a silly question but if the issue is multiple ADRs why not limit the ADRs for any one time, but system wide, to the number of folks on the reservation?

 

[cluvsdisney]

This may be a silly question but if the issue is multiple ADRs why not limit the ADRs for any one time, but system wide, to the number of folks on the reservation?

As far as I know, there is an alert in place if you try to make 2 ADRs within a small time frame at different places. It can't be limited by the number of people on the resort reservation since you do not have to be a resort guest to make ADRs. And it's not hard to make multiple reservations if you book ADRs using different people in your party, phone numbers, email addresses.

There really is no other way to prevent all the extra ADR making but the cancellation window is pretty long, not clearly defined and based on reports unforgiving. Nevermind the glitches at check in where people are getting charged by mistake. Those charges are being reversed but they shouldn't be happening in the first place.

 

[DoBug]

I have been following this and a couple other threads on this topic and I wonder if theres any middle ground here?

It seems there a significant group here who will not book any restaurant that requires a CC guarantee. I suspect that for this group they may never book a restaurant that requires a CC guarantee regardless of how it is implemented. For this group are there any circumstances that would change your mind?

It is also seems there is a group that thinks the problem is how it was implemented I think the 2 most common and maybe most valid issues mentioned are that the cancellation requirement of 24+ hours is too long to account for illness, etc. And its not fair to large groups. Have we really seen specific examples of a large group being charged the no-show fee when 1-2 don't show? How would you solve these problems? What is a reasonable cancellation window?

Also part of the implementation problems are the no-show charges some people are seeing when they have gotten to the restaurant a few minutes late and the excessive amount of time it is taking to correct this. I think this is wrong and shouldn't be happening but how widespread is this? Have we seen that many examples? I don't believe that this was done on purpose to money grub but is just another example of Disney IT kludge which will be fixed at glacial speed. If they really intend to charge for lateness is there a reasonable time frame for a late penalty? I can't imagine any reasonable way for this to work myself. if you are late - can they seat you? If they seat you, you should not be charged. Are they going to have to get serious about turning people away if they are late?

I am trying to avoid work so I will come back and answer my own questions later - LOL - but hope you will chime in too

 

[Colleen27]

This may be a silly question but if the issue is multiple ADRs why not limit the ADRs for any one time, but system wide, to the number of folks on the reservation?

They did put a block on booking multiple reservations within a certain timeframe, but didn't give that on its own much time to see if it was making a difference. My guess is no, because the timeframe was too short (an hour or so) and it was easy to circumvent the system by simply using another e-mail address and phone number to book the second set of ADRs.

Limiting ADRs to the number of people on a reservation would be impossible. You don't have to be a Disney resort guest to book ADRs, and even for resort guests there are many legitimate reasons to book ADRs for more people than are staying in your room. There are 7 of us going on our upcoming trip and by far the most cost-effective way to accommodate a group that size is two rooms, which means two reservations. But we'll all be eating together so all my ADRs are for more people than are on my room reservation.

 

[TDC Nala]

This may be a silly question but if the issue is multiple ADRs why not limit the ADRs for any one time, but system wide, to the number of folks on the reservation?

There's a number of reasons why they shouldn't do this.

1) Guests don't always eat only with the people on their reservations. If I'm going down there solo and am making reservations for me to eat in a Disney restaurant with some local friends under such a rule, that couldn't happen, because the reservation would be limited to one person. And Grandma who lives in Orlando or relatives who are staying offsite couldn't get together with the party for a meal, at least not one that requires a reservation.

2) It is not required to have a resort reservation to make any ADR. The only thing you need a resort reservation for is 180 + 10.

3) Large groups staying in different rooms could not dine together. Neither could parties that are too large for one room and have to book two, if those rooms are on separate reservations. There goes Disney's attempt to get in the large groups (wedding parties, family renunions, etc), and parties of more than six or so.

4) Guests staying on one reservation can't split up for meals.

It seems there a significant group here who will not book any restaurant that requires a CC guarantee. I suspect that for this group they may never book a restaurant that requires a CC guarantee regardless of how it is implemented. For this group are there any circumstances that would change your mind?

Not really, because it doesn't really bother me that I won't be booking reservations at these restaurants. There are other restaurants to go to. If I want to get into a signature, most of them I can get into without a reservation by eating in the lounge, walking in at opening, etc. I don't go to character meals so I won't be booking those.

 

[Colleen27]

It is also seems there is a group that thinks the problem is how it was implemented I think the 2 most common and maybe most valid issues mentioned are that the cancellation requirement of 24+ hours is too long to account for illness, etc. And its not fair to large groups. Have we really seen specific examples of a large group being charged the no-show fee when 1-2 don't show? How would you solve these problems? What is a reasonable cancellation window?

For me it is all about the cancellation window. A reasonable policy would penalize true no-shows, not those who cancel with enough notice for the restaurant to fill the table. I think one hour or even several hours would be reasonable, because that allows restaurants enough notice to take walk-ups to replace the guests who cancel. The vast majority of the CCG restaurants turn away walk-ups constantly. There is no reason they should require 24+ hours to fill a cancellation.

I would be perfectly comfortable with a CCG if I knew that I could cancel without penalty if one of the kids wakes up sick, or my mom's knee is hurting so we decide to spend the day poolside, or if it is raining cats and dogs and I just plain don't want to go to the park that day (though that last is rather unlikely with my bunch ). Where they lose me is needing to make those decisions before the end of the day on Tuesday to cancel Thursday's dinner without penalty.

 

[NLD]

My issue is the cancellation window as well.

I'm perfectly willing to give my cc as a guarantee.

I'm not willing to risk being charged for food & services not rendered just because I didn't cancel OVER 24 hours in advance.***


***Perhaps it should be noted that I AM willing to risk it once, sometimes twice per trip, with a small group. Just not willing to risk it more than that. So for this trip, I'm risking it twice: Pirates League and Tusker House. If there were a shorter cancellation window, I also would have booked Artist Point. Instead I booked Whispering Canyon.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Ok- you couldn't pay me to take 2 doubles!
A double and an umbrella, ok.

Is there a stroller rental place that allows you to add a jumpseat? We have a double valco stroller and there is an additional attachment for it that is a toddler seat and can be attached to make it a tri-mode. Do the phil and ted or mountain buggy's have that option?

It has saved us multiple times!

 

[twooley2]

I do not have a problem with it but I think confirmation of cancellation as in cancellation numbers would and should be required but too late for us as I have made many reservations and cancelled them to change our daily itinerary and there is no proof that we cancelled or which ones except for what they tell us at the dining reservation number... Many emails sent are in error some say reservation cancellation and indeed are a confirmation of the reservation made rather than a reservation cancellation.

 

[aubriee]

For me it is all about the cancellation window. A reasonable policy would penalize true no-shows, not those who cancel with enough notice for the restaurant to fill the table. I think one hour or even several hours would be reasonable, because that allows restaurants enough notice to take walk-ups to replace the guests who cancel. The vast majority of the CCG restaurants turn away walk-ups constantly. There is no reason they should require 24+ hours to fill a cancellation.

I would be perfectly comfortable with a CCG if I knew that I could cancel without penalty if one of the kids wakes up sick, or my mom's knee is hurting so we decide to spend the day poolside, or if it is raining cats and dogs and I just plain don't want to go to the park that day (though that last is rather unlikely with my bunch ). Where they lose me is needing to make those decisions before the end of the day on Tuesday to cancel Thursday's dinner without penalty.

The 24 hour cancellation policy is my problem as well. If I could cancel a few hours before without being charged I'd be fine with it. As I said previously, I go down there several times a year and have always done mainly Signature restaurants for dinner. I remember one year when I felt fine when I got on the plane in Dallas, but was getting a sore throat and congested before I landed in Orlando. It was cold and pouring down rain in Orlando, but I went on to my lunch reservation anyway. That evening it was still raining, I was feeling some worse and probably should have stayed in that night, but instead went to my California Grill ADR. The only reason I went, is because of that cc guarantee they've always required. By the time I got back that night, I knew I had a pretty bad upper respiratory infection and spent most of that vacation in my room in bed. After I hadn't left my room for several days, the housekeeper at CSR came and checked on me, even though I had the Do Not Disturb sign on my door. Anyway, my point is that I had to cancel my ADRs for the next several days. Under this new policy and with the way they count the 24 hours, I would have been charged for several of those Signature restaurants. Even though I canceled them, the cancellation would not have been in what Disney is considering the 24 hour window now. I agree with Colleen that having to know by the end of the day on Tuesday if you are going to get sick for Thursday's dinner is absurd. If I get sick late on Tuesday night that means I'd be charged for missing dinner Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night and maybe for a lunch if I'm eating at Brown Derby, Le Cellier or a character meal. I don't care for most CS restaurants, so do mainly TS meals. I dine at too many TS restaurants to risk being charged for several if I get sick. Let me cancel say within 1-4 hours prior to my ADR time and I'll go back to making ADRs at the Signatures, but the way it stands now, I'll either eat at places that don't require the cc guarantee or I'll take my chances as a walk up at opening. I currently have ADRs for my upcoming Feb trip and also my upcoming May trip. I'll be making ADRs at 180 days out for my Sept and Oct/Nov trips as well. Again I dine mainly at TS when I'm down there. I make too many ADRs over a year's time, to risk being charged that much.

 

[luvmy2babies]

It’s all about the 24 hour window for me too. It didn’t affect the places I’m eating on this trip, because we’ve been talking about this trip a long time and had it booked for a while. So I had already told my daughter we’d do certain restaurants again before this came up. Subsequent trips will be done differently. But it did affect how I scheduled the reservations. The meals are part of the trip for us because my children love to meet characters this way and I love it because I feel like I’m getting two things done at once.

On our first trip, my dd woke up tossing her cookies at 1am. It just happened to be the one day I had two meals reserved. It was Thanksgiving Day so I wanted it more relaxed. I had a breakfast reservation, which I cancelled at 4am after I got her settled and back to sleep. I had a dinner reservation that I cancelled at noon, both meals were cancelled 5 hours before the reservation and I feel that is plenty. And from what I’m hearing, you almost have to be on life support to get them not to charge you if someone gets sick. I guess there’s a suspicion that people will just use that as an excuse.

If the window were much smaller, I’d be totally on board with the policy.

 

[SGMCO]

Question? I was trying to make an ADR for 180 day, but changed mind from Dinner to Lunch but when I went back to change to a lunch time I didn't realize that website also changed my date to Today, until I clicked check out.
I canceled right away when I saw this, but was wondering will I get charged the $10 pp because I didn't cancel 24 hours ahead of time?