Does this seem fair?

[maxiesmom]

I don't see you as a victim, I guess that is where we differ the most. You made an agreement, and now you are upset that you would be held to those terms, even when it became inconvenient. You were not a victim, Disney didn't do anything to you against your will.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I agree. Your argument is simple.

However, this is a discussion board and if I think it unfair to hold guests to different standards then I am entitled to that opinion.

Sigh, and to respond to yet more blame the victim nitpicking.

1) until I walked up to the docks I had no idea there was no boat.
2) my phone was in my back pack in a waterproof bag doesn't seem like a good idea to pull it out while raining
3). Famtasmic! Was not cancelled at the time of departure.

If it was so bad out they cancelled the boats I think they may have waived the cancellation fee. The CMs are more understanding than many on here and due to the circumstances may have cut you some slack. It never hurts to ask and then make your decision.

 

[maxiesmom]

If it was so bad out they cancelled the boats I think they may have waived the cancellation fee. The CMs are more understanding than many on here and due to the circumstances may have cut you some slack. It never hurts to ask and then make your decision.

You are right, it never hurts to ask. However not asking, and then coming here complaining about how not fair Disney is isn't the best way to go about things.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

You are right, it never hurts to ask. However not asking, and then coming here complaining about how not fair Disney is isn't the best way to go about things.

On Easter we had Umbrella's booked at TL. We checked the weather every day, including the night before on the bus home, the weather looked good. That morning we went to Mass and it was raining. I called in the morning and asked about the inclement weather cancellation because I specifically asked about it when booking. Sorry, but unless they actually close the park, no. I had to have cancelled it the night before. Typhoon Lagoon did not close and neither DHS the evening. So I did ask something similiar in the past.

It is a shame a discussion board is overrun by posters who try so hard to cast to dismiss and treat with distain any negative posts on Disney.

It has a chilling effect, not to mention casting a very negative pall over the boards in general.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess I misunderstood the reason for your posts. I thought you were looking for other people's opinions, and not just for people to post only if they agreed with you. After all you asked "Does this seem fair?" Not "I hate Disney's ADR policy. Who agrees with me?"

As for who is being negative, I think complaining about a policy you knew about ahead of time, and a policy that you didn't even ask Disney about waiving, is being pretty darned negative. And not fair at all.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Call the cancellation line and tell them you do not want to walk to your reservation because you are worried about safety in an electrical storm and ask about a fee waiver. Or better yet, go to your resort concierge (it would not have been so difficult to run back inside from the boat dock, I'm guessing). That is all you can do. If you don't ask then you won't get. (sounds to me like it is too late, and you didn't ask.)

it sounds as though you are applying what you were told about Typhoon Lagoon to your restaurant reservation - they wouldn't let you cancel, so the restaurant system probably won't either. It's a different thing, so it would have been worth asking.

 

[Sparkly]

On Easter we had Umbrella's booked at TL. We checked the weather every day, including the night before on the bus home, the weather looked good. That morning we went to Mass and it was raining. I called in the morning and asked about the inclement weather cancellation because I specifically asked about it when booking. Sorry, but unless they actually close the park, no. I had to have cancelled it the night before. Typhoon Lagoon did not close and neither DHS the evening. So I did ask something similiar in the past.

It is a shame a discussion board is overrun by posters who try so hard to cast to dismiss and treat with distain any negative posts on Disney.

It has a chilling effect, not to mention casting a very negative pall over the boards in general.

This is a discussion forum. People have different opinions. If you don't like it, don't post on a message board. Believe it or not, people don't always want to tell you what you want to hear.

 

[juliebug1997]

OP,
If I ask my husband how I look, I should expect A) an honest answer and B) I should expect that there is a possibility that he doesn't like how I like, no matter what I think.

Disney does have a policy and it's in place for a good reason. Rusty Scupper may not show up here, but he talks about how the no-show list at Le Cellier, for example, went from four pages a day to not taking up a full page when Disney instituted this policy. This policy benefits all of us.

As to Disney having the advantage of not having to stick to the same agreement and cancellation policy that you do, that is true. However, if F! got canceled and I had one of the dining packages, I would go find one of the plain clothes CMs or talk to the concierge at my resort to see if there's anything that can be done.

 

[gawrsh2008]

I agree. Your argument is simple.

However, this is a discussion board and if I think it unfair to hold guests to different standards then I am entitled to that opinion.

Sigh, and to respond to yet more blame the victim nitpicking.

1) until I walked up to the docks I had no idea there was no boat.
2) my phone was in my back pack in a waterproof bag doesn't seem like a good idea to pull it out while raining
3). Famtasmic! Was not cancelled at the time of departure.

I've read both pages of this thread twice to make sure I didn't miss anything. Did you actually try calling the Dine Cancel line at all? I'm pretty sure if you'd have explained the situation you would have found that the Cast members would have waived your fee.

I'm not seeing where you tried to do anything about it. If you didn't want to keep the reservation, did you try to do anything about it?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

On Easter we had Umbrella's booked at TL. We checked the weather every day, including the night before on the bus home, the weather looked good. That morning we went to Mass and it was raining. I called in the morning and asked about the inclement weather cancellation because I specifically asked about it when booking. Sorry, but unless they actually close the park, no. I had to have cancelled it the night before. Typhoon Lagoon did not close and neither DHS the evening. So I did ask something similiar in the past.

It is a shame a discussion board is overrun by posters who try so hard to cast to dismiss and treat with distain any negative posts on Disney.

It has a chilling effect, not to mention casting a very negative pall over the boards in general.

You have to have a thick skin on here, that or put a handful of posters on ignore that seem to have the same negative response no matter the topic. Some folks don't realize you can have a different opinion without being dismissive or just plain not nice.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

You have to have a thick skin on here, that or put a handful of posters on ignore that seem to have the same negative response no matter the topic. Some folks don't realize you can have a different opinion without being dismissive or just plain not nice.

Exactly.

Ascribing or assuming I was just trying to "just get out of the reservation" or telling me I should have done this or that isn't an opinion or helpful.

However, if someone else had actually called the dining line during a storm and was successful that would be useful information.

Or has someone missed a reservation for any reason and had them cancel the fee.

 

[gawrsh2008]

Exactly.

Ascribing or assuming I was just trying to "just get out of the reservation" or telling me I should have done this or that isn't an opinion or helpful.

However, if someone else had actually called the dining line during a storm and was successful that would be useful information.

Or has someone missed a reservation for any reason and had them cancel the fee.

That was my point. Did you call? I would have waived that fee for you. THe question is - Did you even call? You din't answer that.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

That was my point. Did you call? I would have waived that fee for you. THe question is - Did you even call? You din't answer that.

1) until I walked up to the docks I had no idea there was no boat.
2) my phone was in my back pack in a waterproof bag doesn't seem like a good idea to pull it out while raining
3). Famtasmic! Was not cancelled at the time of departure.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. We went to the boats which were closed due to lightening, however, it was raining lightly and was told and could see most people were walking over in poncho's or umbrella's. My phone at that time was in a baggie, in my backpack, under my poncho. The park was not closed, the restaurant was not closed and Fantasmic! was still on schedule.

I'd already had the experience of "unless they close the park you are obligated" for an umbrella iin a water park in the rain. I can't imagine them closing the BD for rain. Actually, wasn't upset by that at all. I knew that was the policy which is why I check the weather constantly while there and the night before, no rain at all, not even cloudy predicted.

I'll ask again. Has anyone had the dining fee waived for any reason?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

What you want to know is whether you would have been successful had you asked for a fee waiver, because you have it in your mind that you would have been denied one so you didn't think it was worthwhile to try, and that is at the basis of your claim of unfairness in the system. It's up to the cast member you ask...so if you don't ask one then you won't know. And the restaurant cancellation policy is different from the water park policy. And yes, they do allow fee waivers sometimes and yes, for reasons other than the restaurant or park is closed (theme parks won't close for an everyday thunderstorm...they've only closed for hurricanes and 9/11). I have heard of them being allowed for illness, and travel issues, and I don't see any reason why if you went to a resort concierge and said the boats aren't running and we don't want to walk out in the open in a storm that is producing lightning, they would not have cancelled that reservation for you with a fee waiver.

 

[robinb]

In many ways this thread is a PSA on the possibility of cancelling dining reservations under certain circumstances.

 

[gawrsh2008]

Agreed. And I have personally waived cancellation fees for such things. It really depends on the situation at hand.

However, you can't be told yes or no if you don't call.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Nope, does not seem fair. Once boats were canceled, I would have canceled too

 

[DisneyDizzy]

I have had a cancellation fee refunded. We had cancelled our trip and thought we got all the Dining reservations cancelled. We missed one and saw a $40 charge show up on our credit card. We finally figured out it was from Disney. We called and they told us what it was for and gave us a number to call during business hours to just "try" and see if they'd refund it. They did and were extremely nice about it.

Before I'd bash Disney, I'd at least try it. You might get someone sympathetic.