HDDR and wheel chairs?

[Twende]

This morning was our 180 day our mark for our upcoming family reunion trip.

I asked for HDDR for a 9:30 PM seating for 10 people. Everything was fine and all booked including taking my credit card number.

Let me just say that this mornings ADR's were very rough! They must have been flooded with calls. I began calling at 6:58 AM and I was on the phone on hold over an hour initially! In total my call for ADR's took me three hours! It was really frustrating and I was arm numb, ear sore, and 2 out of 3 cordless phones in my home dead by the time it was over!

Now that you know my state of mind I will go back to my HDDR question.

When all was said and done I mentioned that my mom can transfer but she is in a wheel chair to enter. Well that threw a loop in everything! The CM said that I needed to tell her that information first. I apologized and said normally I do but that it had been a rough morning!

She said she would see what she could do, then came back and told me she had to cancel the reservation as there were no tables available.

Is this legal? Something about the whole thing just seems so wrong to me!

We have the DDP so we were looking at tier 2 tables.

 

[SueM in MN]

Probably legal.
They are allowed to have a certain percentage of the tables accessible or to reserve a certain number of higher price tables on the ground floor designated as accessible tables. Once those have been reserved, it would be 'full' as far as wheelchair accessibility.

 

[mechurchlady]

It is sad that they cancelled your reservations. I am not familiear with the layout of HDDR. If there is an elevator to that area and if your mother could be wheeled to the table then there was no reason to cancel the reservation because she could transfer to a regular seat.

Disney and other parks do limit the amount of seats for disabled guests on rides, shows and transportaton. Only one or two wheelchairs/ECVs per bus for example or one disabled guest per rotation of a ride or so many disable ride vehicles or so many spots for disabled guests at shows.

Find out if she could have gotten to the table and transferred, if so then you should complain. If not then there is nothing you can do short of lying, which I do not recommend.

 

[dclfun]

They have only Tier 2 or 3 seats for those using the DDP. Tier 2 is on the ground floor and thus accessible and tier 3 is upstairs. There is no elevator. Tier 1 seating is for those paying OOP only. Once the tier 2 seating is gone for w/c guests then you either have to choose another time or date. Did you book through Magical Gatherings or Groups? Did they offer to seat you at two tables vs. one? Are you flexible with the time or date? It seems odd that the 9:30 show would have no availability right at the 180 day mark. Incidentally another couple wanted to join our party of 5 ( 4 adults, one infant) at HDDR on Labor Day at the 5 pm. show. Because I'm in a w/c they couldn't be added. I was originally told by the dining agent that the only DDP seating was in Tier 3 so they'd have been seated upstairs/vs downstairs. After looking at our party size I was transferred to "group dining" as the agent told me that they perhaps had other inventory. The group agent was pretty nasty. First she said there was Tier 1 seating available and I agreed that this couple would pay OOP. Then she said we weren't even allowed to have them in Tier 1 paying OOP as we wouldn't have been close together and somehow that wasn't allowed. Then, after first saying there WAS availability in Tier 1 she abruptly told me they were fully booked and didn't have ONE seat left, although the first regular dining agent told me she could book a party of 3 and did have Tier 3 and 1 available for smaller parties. I'm planning to call back and I'd suggest the OP call back too and see if they can be creative with their seating plans. Keep us posted, and I'll post back too if I have any success.I was so taken aback that I just hung up with a "thank you for looking" ( but thinking, yeah...right). I'm hoping someone else in Tier 2 cancels but not holding my breath.---Kathy

 

[Twende]

For HDDR I had two different nights and any of the three showings, so that was a bit flexible. I have been told that with the DDP that you get tier two seating and that was fine as we did not want to pay out of pocket for the number of people in our party (14 adults, 1 child and 2 babies).

I called right 6:58 AM at the 180 day mark for our check in and this was preferable on the last day of our stay, therefore at the 185 day mark! I had trouble getting any of the ADR's we wanted. In fact I did not get a single one!

I have had it with Grand Magical Gathering CM's! I was told that I could book an "experience" through them and the night before there were openings in the Safari we wanted to do. I said great and that I would call back to book it in the morning, again the 180 day mark. When I called the next morning to book it I was told I needed a GG # and that I had to call DVC to get that number. So I called member services and asked to get the number and make the reservation. I was told that it would take a few days to send me the number via email. I said I need to book this today and she was all happy and cheery and told me not to worry that it would all work out. She was all pixie dust and cheers! Well I still do not have the number and when I called to see if they could just hold me spots until the number arrived I discovered that it is completely booked!

So GG's has done me no good at all! Everything else I tried to book through them failed also as they transfered me to group bookings. Group bookings simply tells me that every place I wanted is already full and this is up to my second and third choices!

One place, Spoodles on the Boardwalk, only allows groups of more than eight to be served at the first or last seating. This would not work for us as MK closes early the first day we are going there for MVMCP and we wanted to stay until the 7 PM closing and not leave mid afternoon to drive to Spoodles to eat at 4:45 PM!

Narcoosee's has room for us but groups of 8 have to be booked by a direct call to the restaurant. I call and get a message to leave my number and that they only book at the 180 day mark, not the 180 arrival mark plus 10 days stay. At this point of our trip there are only 10 of us left and I still have not foudn a place for us to eat that night!

I understand that our initial group size is large but I am calling at the very start of the time that Disney has set. I would have gladly booked this a year out to get it done! It just seems wrong that they encourage you to have family reunions and say they will help you plan it all and make it happen and then when you try to schedule all you hear is "We are all booked for that night!"

I am calling every morning at opening time hoping to get a CP package for EPCOT. I know that many of the booked places are half open right now just holding tables for the CP to be announced! All I can do is call and pray that I find a place where we can eat and get the CP tickets!

Sorry to be so grumpy but yesterday's phone call to ADR. GG. and group dining really turned me off! In total I was on the phone three hours! Most of that on hold! 2 of 3 of our cordless home phones when dead! It is rather funny now but yesterday I was spitting nails!

 

[SueM in MN]

 

[Twende]

Thanks Sue for the hug! I really appreciate it!

I just so wanted this trip to be perfect and special. My mom is getting worse and I just know that we are never again going to have the chance to be with her in Disney with her kids, grandkids and great grandkids!

I am going to keep plunging ahead and get this trip planned so that we can have nice meals and a fun time!

 

[dclfun]

I too had a negative experience with the Groups res agent for dining. I don't think she even looked at inventory for HDDR since her information about availability wasn't the same as the original dining CM I spoke with. Perhaps the group agents can only book larger parties and not split up the group? The first CM I spoke with told me that she could book us two tables and then we could work with the dining host/hostess when we got there. She said there was no gty that the tables could be pushed together but that we should at least be nearby. The groups agent refused to do this. I know this would be a pain, but why not try and book smaller tables of four and six to add up to the 14. Once separate ressies are made then call back and tell someone that you'd like to all be linked together as you're travelling together. I don't know if this would work but to me it's worth a try. It's a shame we have to try and "work the system". I know now that many people without resort ressies will book at 180 days out in the hopes of getting a discount ressie. They should allow guests with a confirmed onsite WDW ressie the first opportunity to book dining, especially for those with a GG. BTW, I'd have been spitting nails too!---Kathy

 

[Twende]

I called again this morning and spoke first to DVC and then Group Dining. I spoke to...... I think, a Broderick there. He was able to find us an opening for the last show on the 12/11 and found no problem notating the wheel chair. We are getting Cat II since we are using the DDP but I knew that ahead of time.

He said they will not put us upstairs with the notation of the wheelchair and that it was not problem at all to get all 10 of us in for the show.



So it appears we are going to get to see HHDR after all!

 

[dclfun]

Thank goodness! I'm so glad you called back and were able to be helped. I always keep calling with ADR's that can't be confirmed to start with and here's another proof that it pays to be persistent. Woo hoo!---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]