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

[mcd2745]

This will only be our 2nd trip with ADRs, but I didn’t have a drastic reaction as far as where we are going to eat. Our upcoming trip is 9 nights. I don’t intend to cook on vacation so we stay on site. I’m a single mom with a long commute. I drive us everywhere all the time so I am not the least bit interested in driving while on vacation there. With a little girl and a toddler, there are only so many places we are going to go to eat.

What I did take a hard look at was my scheduling. On our first trip, the two I ended up cancelling just happened to be the only two I booked for the same day. This time, not doing that. We have just one per day. I also did not make ADRs on either our arrival day or our departure day. I don’t have any breakfasts scheduled at another resort and the two dinners I have scheduled at resorts I can get us to without a bus. I kept our reservations as close to our normal meal times as possible.

That's always an important piece of puzzle as well - making smart ADRs based on where you're staying and where you're going to be that day. I'd bet someone staying at POR who is going to DHS for the day but makes a dinner ADR at, let's say Boma, will have a much higher likliehood of no-showing or cancelling last minute than the person who goes to MK for the day and makes a dinner ADR at LTT. This is where a first-timer is really at a disadvantage.

 

[mcd2745]

Tutto Italia is closed for renovations from next week until April - that's why it's not showing up for March.

Well then...all open restaurants have availability between 5-7pm on a Friday night 2.5 months from now. There probably have not been many times that could be said.

 

[NLD]

If, and it's a big if, that is what will become the norm as far as availability going forward...that's a very good thing for everyone.

Disagree. It's a good thing for people who are willing to book under the new policy. It's not a good thing for those of us who aren't willing to book under the new policy.

To me, this signals just how much that many guests felt there was virtually no real obligation for them to show up at their ADRs. The prevailing attitude was very flippant toward ADRs.

Disagree again. I don't believe I ever had a "flippant" attitude about ADRs. And there are a number of others who don't like this policy who I do not believe were "flippant" about their ADRs either.

"Flippant" implies people had the attitude of "no big deal if I make it or not." But there are a number of folks who would book ADRs with every intention of making the meal, only to run into unforeseen circumstances on vacation. Having encountered unforeseen circumstances in the past, they are no longer willing to make ADRs that could result in lost money now. That doesn't mean they had no sense of responsibility to their ADRs, it just means they don't want to get penalized after making an ADR in good faith only to find themselves unable to make the ADR.

The world isn't black and white. There are shades of gray. Cancelling a couple ADRs here and there the day-of doesn't make someone "flippant." Booking multiple ADRs for the same meal--flippant. Not cancelling when you know you can't make it--flippant. Not wanting to be out money because there's a chance you'd have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances on vacation--normal.

 

[maxiesmom]

To me, this signals just how much that many guests felt there was virtually no real obligation for them to show up at their ADRs. The prevailing attitude was very flippant toward ADRs.


There will likely always be a small group of people who will go through great lengths to continue their practice of double-booking. I get the feeling for a lot of those people, it's more about "getting over" than it is the ADRs or meals themselves. However, there's probably a large group who stopped because now it requires at least some effort to both make the multiple reservations and then cancel the extras whereas before it required no effort at all.

I agree with you. I do think it is stopping the vast majority of double-bookers out there. I know when I made my ADRs for my March trip (at less than 180 days out) I had a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. Got The Crystal Palace, The Garden Grill, and Le Ceiller. That would have never been the case before this new policy.

 

[Nafinegar]

I am kind of surprised by the number of people that are unwilling to book with the CC policy. in our three trips, we only had one person miss an ADR with us, my dad get a little ill one morning. I guess I view the odds of my not making it pretty slim.

This trip around, it's just DH and I on a second honeymoon. We are going DDXP and booking a bunch of signatures. If we miss one and can't comply with their refund policy, I will just chalk it up to the vacation budget. Since we are honeymooning here, there was going to be a alcohol tab that didn't get spent if we did miss

I can understand the concern for those who don't like to plan or are more of a spontaneous group, but didn't think that would be very man DIS'ers?

 

[jpmom]

We are going DDXP and booking a bunch of signatures. If we miss one and can't comply with their refund policy, I will just chalk it up to the vacation budget.

I can understand the concern for those who don't like to plan or are more of a spontaneous group, but didn't think that would be very man DIS'ers?

This is where I completely disagree....

We consider ourselves among the lucky ones who have been to WDW more than 30 times in 10 years. While I plan very carefully, I also know that there will be changes in that plan - and we have learned to be flexible. Being flexible allows for a more enjoyable vacation all the way around.

For instance -- too hot one day? Well, we won't go to the park -- we hang by the pool instead. Park gets too crowded? We simply leave. Wake up to rain? We'll go to a movie or to Magic Kingdom - best park to go to on a rainy day, IMHO.

The mere fact that we have been there so many times allows us to have the luxury of skipping things that many wouldn't. With that - I want to have the flexibility in my dining options.

Living in a major US city - there is only one restaurant here that I know of that requires a credit card to reserve the reservation. It is 5 star, Michelin rated -- voted #1 restaurant in the US and among the top 10 in the world. Now that is a restaurant worth a CC guarantee.

I will not "chalk up" losing $40 (or $80 or $120) as part of my vacation budget. And I won't allow Disney to hold me hostage to my dining reservations.

Do I love WDW -- of course! Will they lose my business at some of their dining establishments -- perhaps. I will be certain to give first hand feedback after our next trip.

 

[BeccaG]

Sorry to hijack the thread with a related question, but still not directly related, but I had a few years off of planning ADRs so although I have heard of the new credit card hold policy, I am unaware of the specifics. Is there some place I can go to find it thoroughly explained and what restaurants have it and which do not? TIA

 

[tanyaandallie]

This is where I completely disagree....

We consider ourselves among the lucky ones who have been to WDW more than 30 times in 10 years. While I plan very carefully, I also know that there will be changes in that plan - and we have learned to be flexible. Being flexible allows for a more enjoyable vacation all the way around.

For instance -- too hot one day? Well, we won't go to the park -- we hang by the pool instead. Park gets too crowded? We simply leave. Wake up to rain? We'll go to a movie or to Magic Kingdom - best park to go to on a rainy day, IMHO.

The mere fact that we have been there so many times allows us to have the luxury of skipping things that many wouldn't. With that - I want to have the flexibility in my dining options.

Living in a major US city - there is only one restaurant here that I know of that requires a credit card to reserve the reservation. It is 5 star, Michelin rated -- voted #1 restaurant in the US and among the top 10 in the world. Now that is a restaurant worth a CC guarantee.

I will not "chalk up" losing $40 (or $80 or $120) as part of my vacation budget. And I won't allow Disney to hold me hostage to my dining reservations.

Do I love WDW -- of course! Will they lose my business at some of their dining establishments -- perhaps. I will be certain to give first hand feedback after our next trip.

I 100% agree with you. There are VERY few restaurants in the very large city I live in that require a credit card of reservations and generally they are only required for special events (new years eve, etc). It is insane to me that Disney would expect a credit card AND actually charge someone who does not show up. Sure, it's annoying when someone does not cancel their dining reservations but I do not think that person owes Disney $10 when they skip out.

 

[cluvsdisney]

This is where I completely disagree....

We consider ourselves among the lucky ones who have been to WDW more than 30 times in 10 years. While I plan very carefully, I also know that there will be changes in that plan - and we have learned to be flexible. Being flexible allows for a more enjoyable vacation all the way around.

For instance -- too hot one day? Well, we won't go to the park -- we hang by the pool instead. Park gets too crowded? We simply leave. Wake up to rain? We'll go to a movie or to Magic Kingdom - best park to go to on a rainy day, IMHO.

The mere fact that we have been there so many times allows us to have the luxury of skipping things that many wouldn't. With that - I want to have the flexibility in my dining options.

Living in a major US city - there is only one restaurant here that I know of that requires a credit card to reserve the reservation. It is 5 star, Michelin rated -- voted #1 restaurant in the US and among the top 10 in the world. Now that is a restaurant worth a CC guarantee.

I will not "chalk up" losing $40 (or $80 or $120) as part of my vacation budget. And I won't allow Disney to hold me hostage to my dining reservations.

Do I love WDW -- of course! Will they lose my business at some of their dining establishments -- perhaps. I will be certain to give first hand feedback after our next trip.

I agree with you 100% This is a vacation and we enjoy some degree of flexibility. My job is not so strict and they pay me!

We somehow end up in centra care on just about every trip. From what I have read here, that's apparently not a good enough reason to have the fee waived. As it is, we don't make too many ADRs so this won't affect us too much. We'll try walk-ins or just go off-site. It's not that big of a deal to us. Disney lost even more of our vacation dollars. Good job

 

[Colleen27]

I'm torn about what to do going forward. We've really come to enjoy signature dining every night and love the DxDDP, but with three kids and often my mother as well the odds of someone not feeling up to dinner on occasion are higher than I'm comfortable with under the new policy. I'm not okay with being on the hook for $60 if one of the kids wakes up puking (which happened during our 2009 trip) or because my mom isn't feeling up to a full park day so we swap a park day and a rest day on the fly. But I'm also not okay with going to Disney thinking we can count on walk ups because I know as a party of 5 or 6 that's not likely, and I absolutely detest the idea of WDW becoming a place where we eat mostly counter service because the ADR policy is so restrictive.

I'm honestly hoping for changes in the policy between now and our next family trip but as it stands now the plan is Bonnet Creek and trying the restaurants at the Swan/Dolphin, Downtown Disney, and at the Wyndham, Hilton, and Waldorf-Astoria resorts in the Bonnet Creek area. We will still likely have lunches and Epcot dinners at WDW restaurants without the CCG and we're pretty "over" character dining so there's no real loss on that end, but we'll certainly look elsewhere for our nice dinners.

 

[maxiesmom]

I agree with you 100% This is a vacation and we enjoy some degree of flexibility. My job is not so strict and they pay me!

We somehow end up in centra care on just about every trip. From what I have read here, that's apparently not a good enough reason to have the fee waived. As it is, we don't make too many ADRs so this won't affect us too much. We'll try walk-ins or just go off-site. It's not that big of a deal to us. Disney lost even more of our vacation dollars. Good job

Wow, that is pretty horrible! And maybe if I had to deal with a trip to centra care every time I was at WDW I would feel differently. about the fee than I do.

However, for Disney to go to this extreme, they must have been losing a large amount of money. I know I have had trips during peak seasons where I have been at my ADRs, amazed at the amount of empty tables. I can't blame Disney for doing something to try to keep the tables full, with guests who really want that ADR, instead of allowing people to shrug them off, or make a bunch of ADRs with no intention of using them.

It does stink that there is no room for flexability at all with people who truly become ill. But how would Disney know someone really was ill? If they left that as an out we all know many people would have no problems saying they were ill when they were not. How would you prove an illness? Or should Disney just take people at their word, when many people have shown their word cannot be trusted?

 

[miprender]

However, for Disney to go to this extreme, they must have been losing a large amount of money. I know I have had trips during peak seasons where I have been at my ADRs, amazed at the amount of empty tables. I can't blame Disney for doing something to try to keep the tables full, with guests who really want that ADR, instead of allowing people to shrug them off, or make a bunch of ADRs with no intention of using them.

It does stink that there is no room for flexability at all with people who truly become ill. But how would Disney know someone really was ill? If they left that as an out we all know many people would have no problems saying they were ill when they were not. How would you prove an illness? Or should Disney just take people at their word, when many people have shown their word cannot be trusted?

Perception is in the eye of the beholder because almost every restaurant we have eaten at Disney I NEVER see empty tables sitting around but I do see more guest waiting to get seated than they have tables.

That is why I just find it hard to believe Disney was losing all this money on NO Shows.

 

[Cdash]

We are a Disney loving family, but the Dining Plans and reservations are making me loathe Disney. While the planing months in advance is fun for a lot of you, that isn't our cup of tea. We like the flexibility of going where we want, when we want. The dining plan, while i know many love it, seems to us to put a lot of focus on eating, and eating is something we do when we are hungry. We eat around our fun and other than a character meal our two, we want to spend our time on the attractions rather than eating. With the dining plan, we had to plan ahead for eating and didn't like it and forget even thinking about a last minute ADR or a walkup. I think this will make things better for us, since i believe that we'll have a better chance of doing a day of reservation or walk-up.

We will be there in 2 Weeks and have 2 ADR's that have a cc on them. No worries or frustrations here. I expect that we will try to get another table service somewhere along the way, hopefully the new policy well make that easier for us this time around.

I'm sorry that some of you are upset about this, but maybe you can see that some appreciate it, even though you may not agree with my opinion.

 

[jpmom]

We are a Disney loving family, but the Dining Plans and reservations are making me loathe Disney. While the planing months in advance is fun for a lot of you, that isn't our cup of tea. We like the flexibility of going where we want, when we want. The dining plan, while i know many love it, seems to us to put a lot of focus on eating, and eating is something we do when we are hungry. We eat around our fun and other than a character meal our two, we want to spend our time on the attractions rather than eating. With the dining plan, we had to plan ahead for eating and didn't like it and forget even thinking about a last minute ADR or a walkup. I think this will make things better for us, since i believe that we'll have a better chance of doing a day of reservation or walk-up.

We will be there in 2 Weeks and have 2 ADR's that have a cc on them. No worries or frustrations here. I expect that we will try to get another table service somewhere along the way, hopefully the new policy well make that easier for us this time around.

I'm sorry that some of you are upset about this, but maybe you can see that some appreciate it, even though you may not agree with my opinion.

Totally understand your point of view... but if you've spent any time on this board, you've seen that there are several forums dedicated to restaurants, restaurant reviews and restaurant reservations. Dining in Disney is a HUGE part of many family's planning. (so if you get any backlash... don't take it personally! )

That being said -- I am a bit of a "foodie". We purchased into DVC 10 years ago when our boys were babies... and that allowed for us to travel to WDW several times per year. I was soooo excited that we could dine at some really great restaurants WITH our children....And not get the rolling eyes that we would get if we brought them to a upscale/fine dining establishment at home. Prior to that, I never realized that WDW had such great places to eat - rivaling some really great restaurants around the country. (artist point, flying fish, california grill)

We've enjoyed some pretty delicious meals in WDW these past 10 years. Unlike you, and others perhaps, we have never ventured off property (even though we always rent a car) -- and have purchased the "Tables in Wonderland" (formally known as Disney Dining Experience) to take advantage of 20% off of food and wine.

However, traveling with little kids can be a challenge - and although our boys are 13 and 11 now, there are so many of you out there who NEED to have flexibility in your plans -- regardless of whether you are a "planner" or a "fly by the seat of your pants" type.

I also agree with previous posters who've said that during peak (and even non-peak) times that the more popular restaurants have had empty tables -- unless of course, you walk in at 9pm at night. I've never, ever seen that. And have tried to "walk in" to many of them (because our plans changed!) and have been consistently turned away.

While I doubt that Disney will reverse this policy any time soon, I will be keeping my fingers crossed that we will be able to occasionally get table at a restaurant via walking in - or same day reservation. We simply can't justify a CC guarantee.

 

[Colleen27]

However, for Disney to go to this extreme, they must have been losing a large amount of money. I know I have had trips during peak seasons where I have been at my ADRs, amazed at the amount of empty tables. I can't blame Disney for doing something to try to keep the tables full, with guests who really want that ADR, instead of allowing people to shrug them off, or make a bunch of ADRs with no intention of using them.

I don't think we know that at all. Many people have reported the empty tables from but also heard hostesses turning away walk-ups at those same restaurants. Why couldn't Disney have done something about THAT before going to a no-exceptions, "one day" (that really means almost two) cancellation fee? Aside perhaps from a few of the more out of the way signatures like Yachtsman and Artist Point, every single restaurant on that list turns away walk ups on a daily basis.

 

[Colleen27]

We will be there in 2 Weeks and have 2 ADR's that have a cc on them. No worries or frustrations here. I expect that we will try to get another table service somewhere along the way, hopefully the new policy well make that easier for us this time around.

I'm sorry that some of you are upset about this, but maybe you can see that some appreciate it, even though you may not agree with my opinion.

If the dynamic really shifts in favor of short-notice/walk-up availability I won't mind the policy so much. We can't usually plan our trips 180 out so I do understand the frustration with all the best restaurants and times booking up so far in advance. I'm just having a hard time imagining that it will change to that degree, given the relatively limited supply of TS dining experiences and the constantly-growing room inventory without accompanying increases in dining options.

For larger groups like mine I think ADRs are going to remain just as essential as they've ever been, but now they carry the threat of financial penalty if the unexpected happens (and, if booking last minute, the added inconvenience of waiting on the line with WDW-DINE or at guest services to book because the CC restaurants can't be booked from mobile devices).

 

[WaltD4Me]

Disagree. It's a good thing for people who are willing to book under the new policy. It's not a good thing for those of us who aren't willing to book under the new policy.



Disagree again. I don't believe I ever had a "flippant" attitude about ADRs. And there are a number of others who don't like this policy who I do not believe were "flippant" about their ADRs either.

"Flippant" implies people had the attitude of "no big deal if I make it or not." But there are a number of folks who would book ADRs with every intention of making the meal, only to run into unforeseen circumstances on vacation. Having encountered unforeseen circumstances in the past, they are no longer willing to make ADRs that could result in lost money now. That doesn't mean they had no sense of responsibility to their ADRs, it just means they don't want to get penalized after making an ADR in good faith only to find themselves unable to make the ADR.

The world isn't black and white. There are shades of gray. Cancelling a couple ADRs here and there the day-of doesn't make someone "flippant." Booking multiple ADRs for the same meal--flippant. Not cancelling when you know you can't make it--flippant. Not wanting to be out money because there's a chance you'd have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances on vacation--normal.

ITA.

I was never "flippant" about our ADR's, by the time we left I had every intention of keeping them, but things do happen. Things completely out of my control and I refuse to allow Disney to charge me for that. I also refuse to worry about things that might happen while I am on vacation. If my niece sneezes on Tuesday, I don't want to have to think "Uh-oh, should I cancel our ADR for Wednesday?" It's a level of stress I do not want added to my trip. It's just worth it.

And to be clear...I do not have a problem with the CC hold, it's the 24 hour thing and the complete lack of flexibility it creates. Part of going to Disney for me is enjoying some flexibility and spontaneity. That aside though it still really bothers me this policy shows no consideration for disabled guests or guests with chronic conditions (that I know of) maybe that is a small percentage, but I still just find it unbelievable and sad.

 

[kristennn]

I think if people are double booking but canceling within the time frame - it is still freeing up those ADR;s to people booking last minute. I think the real problem was people who would book several ADR's for each day and then just go to whichever one they felt like that day .... That said I agree with the person who mentioned the total lack of empty tables at these same restuarants that are now requiring the credit cards.

I've only been to Disney 3 ties but we never missed a single ADR until today - and we missed it because I scheduled it for today on accident when our trip is in May. I hit the back button to change the requested time - and didn't notice it changed the date on me - instead of May it changed the date to "tomorrow"
I didn't realize it was for this morning until tonight. However when I called the dining reservation number to tell them about my mistake they took the charge off for me without a problem and before I even got a chance to ask.
I know the policy is a day in advance for canceling but I would hope that if a member of your party is ill - or there is an injury or something happens that if you call a few hours in advance and nicely explain that they would wave the fee. I am *hoping* that will be their unofficial way of handling things.

 

[PrincessV]

I guess I am really surprised at the number of people posting here that WILL change their behavior pretty radically based on the CC guarantee...

I didn't think that it would change the behavior of the average DISer (you are all really well above average).

Speaking for myself, I'm probably not the average DISer, so do take that into account. As a "local" (I'm 2 hours away, so not quite local, but close enough that I'm there for just a day often), my planning is very, very different than someone who visits once a year or so. Even when we do multi-day trips, my planning is pretty relaxed compared to most folks here.

To me, this signals just how much that many guests felt there was virtually no real obligation for them to show up at their ADRs. The prevailing attitude was very flippant toward ADRs.

Again, I'll speak only for myself - my attitude toward ADRs is about as "flippant" as WDW's is. Meaning, they don't perceive an ADR as an actual reservation, for which a table is held for me at a certain time, and I don't perceive my ADR as written-in-stone-do-anything-to-get-there. We change plans a LOT on the fly and I don't want to be beholden to an ADR made months earlier. If I can call the day of to cancel without charge, I will. If I can't, I won't book there.

For instance -- too hot one day? Well, we won't go to the park -- we hang by the pool instead. Park gets too crowded? We simply leave...

I will not "chalk up" losing $40 (or $80 or $120) as part of my vacation budget. And I won't allow Disney to hold me hostage to my dining reservations.

^ All of this, exactly. For my family, a WDW vacation is rest and relaxation time - we change things up according to what feels right at any given time. And because we're there so much, I don't have a specific budget allocated to the "WDW trip", so there's no way I'd willingly eat even $10 for a missed ADR. I don't necessarily think the new ADR rules are bad; they're just not great for my needs.

Or are they???

I long for the days when walk-ups were the norm and I think this new policy might bring that back to fruition, at least a little. That would be terrific in my book! We'll see...

FWIW, four of us walked up at Hollywood & Vine yesterday for lunch and were seated in 5 minutes - the place was virtually EMPTY. True, it's the off-off-season AND Marathon Sunday, but I was a little surprised.

 

[aubriee]

I won't be booking any reservations at restaurants requiring a credit card hold (except possibly Victoria & Alberts which is worth the risk)

Not that I won't eat there anymore, but I won't do it on a reservation. The ones you absolutely must have a reservation to get into, I'm indifferent about, so if that means I don't eat there I'm good with it. There are plenty of good restaurants that don't require a credit card hold.

This is my thinking. I go to WDW several times a year and pretty much always ate at a Signature restaurant every night. Those days are over. I did keep my ADRs but am not willing to take the chance that something might come up, causing us to cancel.

We are taking my 3 y/o GS down there Feb 4th-11th and I made a point of making a bunch of ADRs for character meals for him, but made them prior to the Oct 26th deadline, so did not have to give any CC guarantees. Those will probably be our last character meals.

For my May trip, I couldn't book ADRs until after that Oct 26th deadline. I refused to make a single ADR that required a cc guarantee. Instead, I'll be dining at Shulas, Il Mulino, Bistro de Paris, upstairs WGP, and Blue Zoo. I made the Bistro and upstairs WGP ADRs prior to them accepting the DDP, so they did not require a cc guarantee at that time. If I decide to go to my favorite Jikos, Artist Point, or Flying Fish while I'm down there, I'll just take my chances as a walk up at opening time.