My Letter To Disney

[Chernabog#1fan]

I think that people need to quit focusing on the fact that the OP arrived 30 minutes before the scheduled time. Disney states that the person should allow 1.5 hours for transportation and to arrive at least 20 minutes before planned time. So let's put this into a day for a person with a breakfast and a dinner reservation with breakfast being at9:30 and dinner being at 5:30:

7:40: Leave your resort because if you are going by Disney, you need to allow 1.5 hours for transportation so that you can get there at 9:10 to be 20 minutes early.

If they then make us wait until 15 to 20 minutes after our scheduled time to eat, we get in at 9:45 to 9:50. Then we would want to allow 1 hour for eating. So we are now in the park enjoying the rides at 11 or so. If you ate breakfast at a resort, you will want to plan travel time again for that, so at best, maybe you will be in the park by 11:30.

3:40 - Leave to go to your next reservation if it is in a different park. Get to the restaurant at 5:10 and wait the 20 minutes that Disney is asking of you. Then you will need to wait an extra 15 - 20 minutes from reservation time. Get seated around 5:45 to 5:50, eat for an hour or so and be out by 7.


If Disney is taking up so much of our day with transportation and arriving 20 minutes early, I do think that Disney needs to be more respectful of the trying to get people in at their assigned time, or no more than 15 minutes past.

My family had to wait over 45 minutes to be seated once and the restaurant comped the entire meal because management even agreed this was unacceptable to keep someone that late.

If I showed up with no reservations at all, I would expect a long wait, but to be told by the cast members at Tusker House that it would be at least 25 to 30 minutes means they either overbooked or did not have the staff to be able to seat all of the tables, which does happen as well.

 

[Allison]

And how many of you complaining that waiting 30 minutes is so wrong would also complain if you were seated and then told you had to hurry through your meal and miss some of your character meets so that people dining after you could be seated on time? After all, we all spend obscene amounts of money which therefore entitles us to better treatment than the next person.

Exactly.

I also don't understand the OP implying this only happens at Disney. That is not the case and it's not true that a restaurant who does this outside of Disney would be closed in a week as the OP stated.

A restaurant can only estimate how long people will stay at their tables-reservations or not. They won't make another guest get up and leave to give the seat to another who doesn't have enough time to wait.

 

[micknpluto]

Last year we waited almost an hour to be seated at Ohana, bad enough our ADR was for 9:10pm but we were seated a little after 10 and it was horrible.. by that time, nothing going on just a few other people in the restaraunt eating. It sucked. It was so late by the time we were done eating, we paid for a taxi to get back to the resort. just didnt feel like waiting for a bus.

This year, we waited 45 minutes for our ADR at Cali Grille. They told us they were running behind about 25 minutes. The good thing they came out of this, they sat all 8 of us at the same table. we didnt even have to ask.. I recalled when making the ADRs they told us they could only do 2 tables of 4. So in this particular situation it worked out.

I do think its due to people taking their time at dinner and hanging out longer than expected.

 

[TLSnell1981]

A restaurant can only estimate how long people will stay at their tables-reservations or not. They won't make another guest get up and leave to give the seat to another who doesn't have enough time to wait.

I wonder how happy guests would be IF the waitstaff placed a timer on each table? Ooops...your time is up....gotta go?

Disney overbooks to compensate for the no shows. Yes, they could charge a non-refundable ressie fee, but that's another can of worms.

 

[MissionMouse]

OP as a consumer-customer you always have a right to have your complaint heard by those providing the service you find less than satisfactory. When organizations start to not listen to complaints of consumers their on the road to going out of business or being surpassed by their competitors. Individuals with obessive allegiance to a product or service are rarely heard or the source of change or improvements.

 

[maddiesmom0116]

I agree with all of the above. An ADR is NOT the same thing as a reservation. They don't hold a table for a specific time for your family. It is the next table that opens up about that time for your family size.

What do you mean a ADR is not the same thing as a reservation? ADR stands for advanced dining reservation doesn't it?

Disney does need to fix this issue all around. If I make a reservation then I plan my eating habits that day around that reservation. I should not have to wait to be seated because they over book. That is a inefficent process that they need to review and adjust.
In my opinion they need to get a credit card for all ADRs and charge a certain amount per person that does not cancel within 48 hours. This would eliminate some if not most of these issues.

 

[Nancyg56]

Let me state my point in a more generic term:

I paid an obscene amount of money for a one week vacation at a "resort". So much, in fact, that I could have gone to almost any place on earth for twice the amount of time and be treated like a king - but I didn't.
I chose that "resort".

The "resort" encourage their guests to make dining reservations months in advance for their most popular restaurants, and an un-written policy that it's perfectly fine to make the guests and their families wait for long amounts of time when they show up - if necessary.

And that's...OK?
Why?
Because it's Disney?

What I'm wondering is why all the folks who go to Disney every year didn't write letters like mine long ago?

I am trying to price a warm weather vacation package this February during my DGD's school vacation. So far, the cheapest package is Disney. Yup, even without a code to offset the price a little for peak season Disney is still cheaper that the destinations that I have priced.

It is never okay to be treated badly no matter what you have paid for your vacation, it is a little strange to be upset that your restaurant was running late and you were not able to stay to be seated. It happens in any class of restaurant, last December I made my reservation at Del Friscos for 8 PM . We got there about 30 minutes early and were not seated until about 8:30. This was a true reservation, and while they were not responsible for our early arrival, they also could not seat us until a table opened. It happens.

I think that we all have very high expectations for a Disney vacation and they all cannot be lived up to.

If I am waiting at a restaurant with no reservations, then yes I would expect to wait 20-40 mins for a table.
When you make a reservation, you have a reasonable expectation to be seated close to that time. 30 minutes after a reserved time is unacceptable.

Think of ADR's like a Call Ahead.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Here's a definition for Disney's ADRs.

Advance Dining Reservations

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Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) is a term Disney used by Walt Disney World® for their dining reservation system. Until June of 2005, this system was called Priority Seating. While ADR is not technically a reservation, guests who make ADR arrangements will be seated before walk-ins. Please note that guests are not guaranteed to be seated at the exact time of your ADR, but they are usually seated fairly close to it. Most Advance Reservation arrangements can be made 90 days before your dining date. To make an ADR for your Walt Disney World trip please contact Disney Dining directly.

 

[Leajess99]

Many restaurants get behind; that's why Disney doesn't do reservations. The time they give you is the time you are supposed to show up and put your name on the list; Disney does not guarantee a time you will be seated.

I don't know how many times you've been to WDW, especially if you are relying on Disney transportation, but you need to leave yourself a lot more time than that.

Disney does an amazing job of pushing tons of people through the parks, restaurants, transportation system, etc. Waiting for a table is better than the alternatives; either credit card holds on every reservation to guarantee everyone shows up (which would eliminate the need for overbooking) or having no type of system for a time and it's strictly first come, first served.

Actually, if you read the information sent with the dining reservation you are supposed to arrive 20 minutes prior. It also states that you will be seated at the first available table for your party size.

 

[SKWDW]

Thanks for posting your letter OP. If you haven't already sent it, you should.

I can't figure out why so many posters are against sending honest feedback. It doesn't hurt them and it could help many others.