If the parks are full and you have an ADR, is it true you won't be let in?

[Deb & Bill]

I totally agree with you that if a family is denied entry into the Magic Kingdom because of Stage-4 and end up missing an ADR at CRT they should get something of their choice because it was not their fault.

To me it would be their fault for not planning appropriately.

 

[Katiebell]

Oh my gosh! I never thought of this. Could this happen while we are there? April 13-21? I would die if I got my girls all dressed up and we had to miss CRT! Not too mention losing out on dining credits!

What time is your ADR for? It's supposed to be quite busy the week after Easter, so you might want to be in the MK when it opens to avoid any problems.

 

[mommyaof2]

What time is your ADR for? It's supposed to be quite busy the week after Easter, so you might want to be in the MK when it opens to avoid any problems.

My CRT adr is April 18 at 1:40 pm. I had planned on not arriving until Noon. What should I do? I am a nervous wreck now!

 

[hannah03]

Wow!! This is very interesting, especially since we are going 4th of July week. Thanks for posting

 

[Katiebell]

My CRT adr is April 18 at 1:40 pm. I had planned on not arriving until Noon. What should I do? I am a nervous wreck now!

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but check with your Hotel Concierge or Guest Services the night before or maybe early in the morning about projected park attendance for that day. It's mid week, and most Spring Breaks should be over, so hopefully it won't be outrageous If they say it could be super crowded, then just go to MK when it opens and spend your morning there instead of waiting until noon, and you should be fine.

 

[mommyaof2]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but check with your Hotel Concierge or Guest Services the night before or maybe early in the morning about projected park attendance for that day. It's mid week, and most Spring Breaks should be over, so hopefully it won't be outrageous If they say it could be super crowded, then just go to MK when it opens and spend your morning there instead of waiting until noon, and you should be fine.

I feel better now! One of the reasons I planned it later in the week is because I thought it would be less crowded then. Oh well, it is hard to predict! Thanks!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

To me it would be their fault for not planning appropriately.

That was a response I did not want to see on this thread because it would be unfair to say why a family would not plan appropriately. Do you think when making ADR's for a busy day in the Magic Kingdom the Cast Member tells them be sure to get there early before the Magic Kingdom closes the gates? I would highly doubt that. Plus what if they do not read Disboards or any other WDW message board site, they might not know about the parks closing on major holidays because of to many guests, or it could a families very 1st trip to WDW and do not know much about it. Finally if they were staying offsite they would not have the benefit of having the Cast Members checking if the Magic Kingdom gates were still open which can make a huge difference.

 

[Lewisc]

Life isn't always fair. The situation isn't dramatically different than a guest missing a CRT reservation because they didn't allow enough time for a long line at the parking toll booth or an on-site guest not allowing enough time for a bus. I'm thinking of a guest that had to wait for a couple of buses due to crowds.

Regardless of an email response I suspect Disney will work with a guest in that position but that doesn't change the fact that the guest would be at fault for either not allowing enough time or not getting to the park early enough.

That was a response I did not want to see on this thread because it would be unfair to say why a family would not plan appropriately. Do you think when making ADR's for a busy day in the Magic Kingdom the Cast Member tells them be sure to get there early before the Magic Kingdom closes the gates? I would highly doubt that. Plus what if they do not read Disboards or any other WDW message board site, they might not know about the parks closing on major holidays because of to many guests, or it could a families very 1st trip to WDW and do not know much about it. Finally if they were staying offsite they would not have the benefit of having the Cast Members checking if the Magic Kingdom gates were still open which can make a huge difference.

 

[bicker]

That's a good point Lewis. Folks need to recognize that every choice they make, and even not making a choice, is a decision on their part, one that they need to hold themselves accountable for. If you choose to be in Epcot in the morning of the day you have dinner reservations at the Magic Kingdom, for example, that is your decision, and all the risks associated with that decision you're taking onto yourself, and need to take responsibility for the consequences of those decisions, even when those consequences are exacerbated by things other people do. It is still, at the kernal, your decision that caused the conflict, and so you are principally responsible.

 

[kaytieeldr]

That was a response I did not want to see on this thread because it would be unfair to say why a family would not plan appropriately. Do you think when making ADR's for a busy day in the Magic Kingdom the Cast Member tells them be sure to get there early before the Magic Kingdom closes the gates?

Do you think with Walt Disney World being THE primary tourist attraction in Central Florida, that maybe ALL the hotels, motels, resorts, cabins, campgrounds, would EASILY be able to provide park attendance information to their Guests? Even those not staying onsite? Of course, the Guest may have to be proactive – perhaps by asking at the front desk? Or, maybe someone who visits Magic Kingdom on, oh, December 23 and sees how crowded it is will think to check in advance on 12/24 or 12/25, before heading for a particular park?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Do you think with Walt Disney World being THE primary tourist attraction in Central Florida, that maybe ALL the hotels, motels, resorts, cabins, campgrounds, would EASILY be able to provide park attendance information to their Guests? Even those not staying onsite? Of course, the Guest may have to be proactive – perhaps by asking at the front desk? Or, maybe someone who visits Magic Kingdom on, oh, December 23 and sees how crowded it is will think to check in advance on 12/24 or 12/25, before heading for a particular park?

I am sure offsite hotels could do that for their guests, however it would be harder to find the info compared to a WDW Resort since they have more resources.

 

[Lewisc]

I am sure offsite hotels could do that for their guests, however it would be harder to find the info compared to a WDW Resort since they have more resources.

How about, it's July 4. Some of the parks, particularly the MK, close when they hit maximum capacity. Get there early. That's all the info a guest needs to know.

Some, at least one, of the posters in this thread are making this complicated. Guests who want to go to the MK on a date where it's likely to close early, better get there early. Guests with an important restaurant ADR, particularly CRT should make sure they get there early. More so for guests staying offsite.
Bicker got it right, guests shouldn't plan on being able to leave a park and go to another park for dinner.

I'm not even sure I'd like to enter the MK if it was at stage 4. Sounds like a good night to have dinner at a resort restaurant.

The OP original question has been answered. Yes if the park is closed due to capacity, safety issues, even those guests with an ADR won't be admitted. Those guests will probably wind up waiting by the park gates, as guests leave some additional guests (not always one to one) will be admitted. I'm not sure waiting at the MK gates for a couple hours, just to enter an overcrowded park, to dine in a probably overcrowded restaurant is a good allocation of vacation time.

 

[bicker]

And I don't think it would be fair for Disney to incur any bit of the cost associated with the communications necessary to support that service to non-Disney resorts. If they were to provide that insight at all, I would consider it a competitive advantage to offer it only to Disney resort guests.

 

[Sammie]

The only park we have experienced going to Stage Four is MK on the 4th of July and NYE. Once it closed to non resorts guests as early as 10am. Stage 4 was about an hour or so prior to the fireworks.

As to guests not knowing, Disney is not responsible for common sense.

If one vacations in Europe you better do your homework before you go because it is very common there for them to close shops, restaurants, and museums at hours that Americans would find unusual. Even some holidays that we don't recognize. So the responsibility lies with the guest.

 

[Lewisc]

Sammie--The OP is asking about an offsite guest who has a (prepaid) ADR at CRT. The question, assumming the guest could even get to the MK gate, is if that guest is in a higher stage category than other offsite guests. A second question is how early the MK closes to such a guest and how long would the guest have to wait before they'd be allowed to enter.

The only park we have experienced going to Stage Four is MK on the 4th of July and NYE. Once it closed to non resorts guests as early as 10am. Stage 4 was about an hour or so prior to the fireworks.

As to guests not knowing, Disney is not responsible for common sense.

If one vacations in Europe you better do your homework before you go because it is very common there for them to close shops, restaurants, and museums at hours that Americans would find unusual. Even some holidays that we don't recognize. So the responsibility lies with the guest.

 

[bicker]

The question, assumming the guest could even get to the MK gate, is if that guest is in a higher stage category than other offsite guests.

I am pretty-sure that the answer is that having an advance dining reservation affords you no priority over guests who do not, in a capacity situation.

A second question is how early the MK closes to such a guest and how long would the guest have to wait before they'd be allowed to enter.

Those are both situational issue; they are specifically dependent on (respectively) how early the MK reaches capacity, and how long it takes for the attendance to decrease significantly from capacity -- keeping in mind that off-site guests have just about the lowest amount of priority.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When the water parks close down in the summer time because they have filled, there are electronic signs placed outside the water park at the entrance to the water park advising guests of that. Do they do the same for the other four parks?

 

[Katiebell]

My original question was:

"Hello. I understand that recently the MK was closed due to maximum
capacity, and no more guests were allowed to enter. I also understand
that if a park has reached maximum capacity, for safety reasons no
guests would be allowed to enter, even if they are Disney resort guests,
or have an ADR within that park. This is perfectly understandable. I
was wondering however, what happens if a meal is paid for in advance? I
am thinking specifically of CRT. Guests that had an ADR for CRT during
the time the park was closed to admission had already paid for their
meals. Would they be offered a refund, or what would happen? Thanks
for your time."

And fairness to the guest won out...at least in the answer I received:

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

Guest Services tells us that most times, if you have your reservation
number, you will be allowed in. In those few cases where you would not
be allowed in, you should go to Guest Relations in the park (usually
before the entrance) and have them cancel your dining to be sure that
you receive your refund.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us."

I would assume that being let in for an ADR would be when the park is not at absolute capacity -- maybe when it's closed to non-resort guests, but they are still letting resort guests in.

I just couldn't fathom that Disney would be that unfair to their guests as to deny a refund if you couldn't even get into the park. And yes, IMO it is totally unfair to deny a refund for something someone paid for when they are unable to use it and it isn't their fault. That's just basic, gracious, customer service. Whether or not someone should know better, or should be checking constantly if it's a busy season to find out whether or not they will be able to get into the park, it's not their fault if the park is so busy that they can't even get in. It's not Disney's fault either, it's just busy. But not every Disney visitor even knows that they should be checking, or scours websites like the DIS, or reads books about WDW. In fact, I'd say even though this seems like a huge on-line community, we are a rather small minority compared to the vast majority of visitors to WDW every year.

I've heard of Disney giving refunds for prepaid shows/tours if someone got extremely ill, or similar circumstances. Disney is a business -- a huge, gigantic, moneymaking business -- but overall, they are still fair to their customers, and they still go the extra mile and treat people very well. That's one of the reasons so many of us love vacationing there and go back over and over.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

My original question was:

"Hello. I understand that recently the MK was closed due to maximum
capacity, and no more guests were allowed to enter. I also understand
that if a park has reached maximum capacity, for safety reasons no
guests would be allowed to enter, even if they are Disney resort guests,
or have an ADR within that park. This is perfectly understandable. I
was wondering however, what happens if a meal is paid for in advance? I
am thinking specifically of CRT. Guests that had an ADR for CRT during
the time the park was closed to admission had already paid for their
meals. Would they be offered a refund, or what would happen? Thanks
for your time."

And fairness to the guest won out...at least in the answer I received:

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

Guest Services tells us that most times, if you have your reservation
number, you will be allowed in. In those few cases where you would not
be allowed in, you should go to Guest Relations in the park (usually
before the entrance) and have them cancel your dining to be sure that
you receive your refund.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us."

I would assume that being let in for an ADR would be when the park is not at absolute capacity -- maybe when it's closed to non-resort guests, but they are still letting resort guests in.

I just couldn't fathom that Disney would be that unfair to their guests as to deny a refund if you couldn't even get into the park. And yes, IMO it is totally unfair to deny a refund for something someone paid for when they are unable to use it and it isn't their fault. That's just basic, gracious, customer service. Whether or not someone should know better, or should be checking constantly if it's a busy season to find out whether or not they will be able to get into the park, it's not their fault if the park is so busy that they can't even get in. It's not Disney's fault either, it's just busy. But not every Disney visitor even knows that they should be checking, or scours websites like the DIS, or reads books about WDW. In fact, I'd say even though this seems like a huge on-line community, we are a rather small minority compared to the vast majority of visitors to WDW every year.

I've heard of Disney giving refunds for prepaid shows/tours if someone got extremely ill, or similar circumstances. Disney is a business -- a huge, gigantic, moneymaking business -- but overall, they are still fair to their customers, and they still go the extra mile and treat people very well. That's one of the reasons so many of us love vacationing there and go back over and over.

Thanks for asking. That was a really positive response. If that were me, I would accept responsibility, but I would be happy for some extra courtesy, too. I am sure, too, that for these "no refund" policies there are exceptions. IMO, there's a big difference between a "no show" and someone who calls after the time limit to say they have a desperately sick child.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Katiebell,
Thanks for posting the answer and at least we know what WDW will do if this problem would happen to any of us, that's if we had an ADR for CRT. If it was for any other restaurant we could call WDW-Dinning ourselfs and cancel the ADR since they do not require a deposit, so we would not get any money back.