Is the NON-REFUNDABLE Policy for F & W events going to change your plans?

[nasmith]

I usually go to around 10 F & W events each year (last year, I went to 14 different pairings, signature dinners, exquisites, classes and PFS combined) - and I rarely cancel anything I have booked.......

However - This year I am seriously considering limiting my reservations (and hence, my vacation plans) due to this policy because I am frankly offended by Disney's insensitivity. Life Happens Disney!! 2 years ago, we were hit by Katrina (I had to cancel half my reservations that year)....My DH is active duty military and could be called to Iraq with less than a month's notice....People die or get seriously sick/injured ( I was undergoing chemo 4 years ago)...... And Disney expects us to eat a $500 reservation fee for 2 people for an exquisite dinner if have to cancel for ANY reason??

I honestly don't know what they will gain from this - other than offending me and a few other "regulars" that I know....Every event that I've attended has always been sold-out (or nearly so).

So- Thanks for listening to my rant...Let me know if your plans have been altered by this policy - Jill

 

[ImprovGal]

I usually go to around 10 F & W events each year (last year, I went to 14 different pairings, signature dinners, exquisites, classes and PFS combined) - and I rarely cancel anything I have booked.......

However - This year I am seriously considering limiting my reservations (and hence, my vacation plans) due to this policy because I am frankly offended by Disney's insensitivity. Life Happens Disney!! 2 years ago, we were hit by Katrina (I had to cancel half my reservations that year)....My DH is active duty military and could be called to Iraq with less than a month's notice....People die or get seriously sick/injured ( I was undergoing chemo 4 years ago)...... And Disney expects us to eat a $500 reservation fee for 2 people for an exquisite dinner if have to cancel for ANY reason??

I honestly don't know what they will gain from this - other than offending me and a few other "regulars" that I know....Every event that I've attended has always been sold-out (or nearly so).

So- Thanks for listening to my rant...Let me know if your plans have been altered by this policy - Jill

Jill -

The examples you give for cancellation reasons sound like extenuating circumstances to me, and I think they'd probably be valid exceptions to the rule.

As for how it affects me... Well, I have a history of booking a number of varied events as you do. I am shying away from booking "new" events this year because I want to wait for the reviews to come back first. I had considered booking the Twinings tea and a Cheese Tasting, but frankly I don't want to take the chance now. I've got one night that I'm still undecided about my plans, so I'm not going to book one of the Regional Feasts.

 

[OKW Lover]

I wouldn't let the non-refundable thing change my plans. But I did let the price thing change my plans. Maybe its just me, but the cost of these events is way too high. I could go to V&A's for dinner for the price of some of them.

 

[TDC Nala]

No, mine are worked out.

I checked with my mom and she's okay with them too.

I'd go to V&A for dinner long before I'd pay $350 for the V&A sig dinner. But some of the others are still worth the price and are different from what you'd normally get at those restaurants.

I miss when they had several beer dinners and they were only $50-75 though, before they started the one-time-only Jim Koch lovefest.

Of course, it helps me that I am only paying for one person to attend.

 

[ElizabethB]

Yes.

We've always attended everything we've booked in the past 9 years of Festivals, except for once when DH got a stomach virus. That year he missed two reserve dinners on two consecutive evenings. I went alone. We didn't ask for, nor did we get, a refund for him, as we were within the old 48-hour cancellation period. However, it's always been good to know we could cancel on a few days' or a week's notice if we had to.

This year, we are booking only (i) what we know we will attend in the absence of a major problem, illness, serious work conflict and (ii) what we feel we can afford to "eat" the money for if we have to cancel.

For example, we attended the V&A Signature Dinner last year and it was really delightful and well done. We are not booking it this year, however. Why? We can't afford to "eat" $780 if for some reason between now and November 4 (a three-month period!) we are forced to cancel. And, we don't live in Florida, so the contingencies are even greater for us than those who live nearby -- weather, plane delays, etc.

We are booking fewer than 1/2 the events we've booked other years for two reasons -- one is the no cancellation/no refund policy and, frankly, the other is that many of the dinners (which is what we like) are pretty much repeats of past years -- same theme, same vintners, same wines.

The prices of the events are such that, with the no refund policy, they need to offer trip insurance. Although WDW may take pity on some poor souls with real hardship cases, I wouldn't plan on getting a refund for anything based on my past experiences with WDW dining events. A couple of years ago, we booked a table for 10 at the Luau. While on vacation, my dad had a dizzy spell. We took him to Celebration Hospital emergency room. It turned out he needed surgery for a clogged carotid artery. Even though he was in the hospital, the other 9 of us left him at the hospital (after, of course, being assured that he would be taken well care of and we could leave for a couple of hours) and went to the luau as it was too late to cancel. We didn't really feel like a festive luau, but what could we do? When we arrived we explained that one of our party was in the hospital and asked for a refund for him. The request for a refund for one ticket had to go through, like, three layers of managers before it was granted.

Upshot -- we're booking only what we can stand to lose the money for in the event of a problem.

 

[nasmith]

I'm glad I'm not the only one....

ImprovGal- I went to the 1st cheese and wine pairing with Waldemar Albrecht last year --- and I would go see him again solely because I learned so much more about cheese than I knew before --- He was an excellent speaker --- He made the info very "accessible" for us (and most people at our seminar would agree with me)...So while I cannot vouch for any of the other speakers - if you have an opportunity to see Waldemar (He's there twice this year I think)...I would go.....

 

[ImprovGal]

I'm glad I'm not the only one....

ImprovGal- I went to the 1st cheese and wine pairing with Waldemar Albrecht last year --- and I would go see him again solely because I learned so much more about cheese than I knew before --- He was an excellent speaker --- He made the info very "accessible" for us (and most people at our seminar would agree with me)...So while I cannot vouch for any of the other speakers - if you have an opportunity to see Waldemar (He's there twice this year I think)...I would go.....

Do you mean the 9/30/06 wine & cheese seminar? I was there, too, and enjoyed the event but thought it seemed a bit overpriced. I'm wondering what modifications they've made to consider this one NEW and $15 more.

 

[TDC Nala]

Do you mean the 9/30/06 wine & cheese seminar? I was there, too, and enjoyed the event but thought it seemed a bit overpriced. I'm wondering what modifications they've made to consider this one NEW and $15 more.

It's new!

It's new?

It's different!

It's different?

WOW! It's different!

 

[nasmith]

ImprovGal - I think it will be a completely different format this year - looking at the descriptions- I wish I could see Waldemar again - but am not going to be there when he is....I agree - the cheese portions last year were ridiculously small; the crackers were ritz?; and the wine was very pedestrian - so yes, overpriced ---- but I am hoping that they've improved on that - I'm going to try to get into one of them at any rate...Good luck to you tomorrow!

 

[BriarRosie]

It's new!

It's new?

It's different!

It's different?

WOW! It's different!

 

[luvpooh]

yep, I was just shocked when I heard her say 'no cancellations', good thing I was listening!
there is no way I can 100% guarantee right now that we will be able to attend. Even the 7 day cancel policy last year was acceptable.
No cancellation policy = no booking for me

 

[CarolA]

I'm glad I'm not the only one....

ImprovGal- I went to the 1st cheese and wine pairing with Waldemar Albrecht last year --- and I would go see him again solely because I learned so much more about cheese than I knew before --- He was an excellent speaker --- He made the info very "accessible" for us (and most people at our seminar would agree with me)...So while I cannot vouch for any of the other speakers - if you have an opportunity to see Waldemar (He's there twice this year I think)...I would go.....

I went to wine and cheese last year. I got someone else and it was a HUGE HUGE HUGE waste of money. Would not risk it ever again! (The "wine" portion... the girls leading the thing read the names off the lable!)

 

[Lewisc]

I suspect Disney would have waived the cancellation policy for all the reasons mentioned by the OP.

I guess too many guests were making tons of reservations and then cancelling at the last minute. I don't have a problem with Disney telling guests, via a non-refundable policy, not to make reservations for F&W events until their plans are firm.

It sounds like the real problem is the events aren't worth the amount of money Disney is charging.