Help! May need to change reservation for 8 down to 4

[TXteacher]

We are a family of 4. I finally talked my sister and her family (of 4) into going to WDW with us in June, however, they may have to cancel. :-(
I've already made our dining reservations (for 8 people) for the 7 nights.
I figured as we get closer to May (and we know for sure if my sister is coming), I should be able to change our reservations from 8 to 4 without a problem...keeping same dates/times/etc.
Am I delusional?

 

[vicki_c]

You can call and try. Yes, it seems logical that you wouldn't have trouble changing from 8 to 4, smaller size, easy table sizes, but you just never know - Disney's system doesn't always work that logically!

Or you could go online yourself and book new reservations and then cancel the old one.

 

[keliblue]

sometimes it's not easy to change the ressie, I would just show up and tell them your party is smaller... it happens

 

[graceesmom]

sometimes it's not easy to change the ressie, I would just show up and tell them your party is smaller... it happens

This doesn't work anymore at all the character, signature and special meals which now charge $10/pp for no shows and require a credit card guarantee when booking.

 

[keliblue]

This doesn't work anymore at all the character, signature and special meals which now charge $10/pp for no shows and require a credit card guarantee when booking.

the guarantee is that you show up, not the number of people in your party... We had a ressie for 6 but only 4 of could make it.. they didn't charge us $20 for them not showing

 

[vicki_c]

the guarantee is that you show up, not the number of people in your party... We had a ressie for 6 but only 4 of could make it.. they didn't charge us $20 for them not showing

I think there have been reports here of the opposite experience. I know there were people charged just for being late (with their whole party) and had to do some calling around when they got home to get a credit. So I wouldn't count on that.

 

[keliblue]

I think there have been reports here of the opposite experience. I know there were people charged just for being late (with their whole party) and had to do some calling around when they got home to get a credit. So I wouldn't count on that.

good to know, thanks

 

[aripantaloon]

I had a similar issue in that my FIL said that he was going to join us. I wasn't sure what days he would be there or even if he would come through on his promise since we've heard many times that he was going to do something and then came up with some excuse as to why he couldn't. We are a family of 5, so we would have either 5 or 6 at our table.

I ended up making 2 sets of ADR's and then when he bought his plane ticket, I canceled all of the ones that I knew I wouldn't need.

When I've read other discussions about changing the number of people on a reservation, many have said that going from say, 3 to 4 isn't that difficult since 3 people sit at a "4 top" anyway. I don't know for sure, but it sounds like it might be difficult going from 8 to 4 at the last minute if it's not as easy as just separating 2 tables of 4. Like, if there is a large single table for 8 for your party and there aren't any ADR's for 4 left, I don't think they would sit your party of 4 at a table that holds 8, KWIM.

 

[Natalie's Mommy]

im having the same issue. my parents are going but not for the whole trip and they are not yet sure when they will/will not go. i think i'm gonna go the two set of ADRs route so i wont lose out on any must have places

 

[TXteacher]

Thanks for the advice guys...
Only problem with having two sets of reservations is...you can not hold two reservations during the same time frame (they make you cancel one or the other).
I don't want to wait too late and not get the places/times I want (by making new reservations), but don't want to cancel the ressies for 8 now, in case they do make it...
What to do...what to do...
I think I'll have to break down and call Disney dining to put my mind at ease...

 

[vicki_c]

Thanks for the advice guys...
Only problem with having two sets of reservations is...you can not hold two reservations during the same time frame (they make you cancel one or the other).
.

Generally, that's a myth, from what I can see and what was mostly been reported here. In some cases, yes, there have been issues. But I just had to do this the other day for 2 reservations. We suddenly have friends meeting us at the parks for 2 days at Easter, so we will be a party of 7 instead of 4. But they're not sure yet which days! So I immediately went online and checked all my reservations and for 2 of them, I was able to book a party of 7 for not too far off my original reservation for 4 (which I still kept). I didn't get any warning message or anything else.

So for the moment (don't get your knickers in a twist anyone - this is the first time I ever did this and plan on canceling one as soon as my friend confirms their hotel reservations/days with me) - I have two reservations for lunch on 2 different days and they are only about an hour apart. I think for both my original reservation was 12:30 and my new one is for 11:15. Maybe if they had been for the same exact time or closer, I would have gotten a warning, but I didn't.

 

[Natalie's Mommy]

if you figure this out OP please let me know!

 

[Stan Solo]

Last year I booked all my ADRs at the 180+10 mark and then a week before we left my DW and one of my DDs were not able to go so I called and changed all my ADRs from 4 to 2. The CM thanked me for calling to let them know of the change and told me its so much easier to cut two this late then it is to add two.

So if someone in your party is not going to make I'd let Disney know as soon as you can. Just think if you had to add to your ADR you would call as soon as you could.

 

[aripantaloon]

When I had to make the 2 sets, I ended up having to use 2 different email addresses/Disney accounts. It wouldn't let me make them under the same account for the same times. I didn't need to input my dining plan info since it was after 180 days for all dates.

Like I said, I did cancel all the ones I didn't need.