New ADR Cancelation Policy

[cmwade77]

I think it should probably be $15 per guest at casual sit down, $25 at signature and $35 at high end. I also think it should apply to all reservations, it might make getting dining reservations easier.

I think this would prove to be more of a deterrent to people just making multiple reservations and not canceling.

For those wondering what happens if you get sick, we almost had this issue with CRT, they assured us that if we couldn't make it, we would not be charged. From what we were told, they have the same policy for transportation issues and for things like not being let in the parks because they are too full. In other words, they will make reasonable exceptions to charging you. Now I am sure if they started finding a pattern of you doing it all the time, they would have a different attitude about it, but all in all, I think they will be reasonable.

 

[disneyholic family]

when i was checking in for our ADR at Tusker House in August, the CM at the podium said to the man in front of me that she found an ADR for him for both lunch and dinner...
he responded that he hadn't known when they'd make it to the restaurant, so he made a reservation for both dinner and lunch...

how obnoxious!!! so he took away the ADR from someone else who might have wanted to use it...

 

[2Epcot]

I and my DSE (Dear Spousal Equivalent) feel that this is totally justified. Although I don't agree with DisneyKevin that it's purely a money issue for Disney. It has to also be a customer satisfaction issue. They must have heard many complaints about this problem. I know that ever since the DDP began being offered for free you can no longer book a restaurant such as Le Cellier while on vacation or expect to walk up and be seated. Shoot, you can't book Le Cellier 179 days out. Disney's fallen victim to their own marketing plan. They've become unfriendly to the uninitiated. First time visitors would never know to book that far out for meals. And how frustrating to be a new visitor and not be able to eat at many of the best restaurants because you didn't book 6 months in advance. It's annoying to us and we know how ADRs work.



We, like FireDancer, hate to plan that far in advance for meals. We prefer to decide while we are there where and when we want to eat. We do book a few ADRs per trip now, since to not do so would keep us from eating at some of the more popular places, but we always dread having to plan our days in the parks around a meal. Before DDP we could walk in almost anywhere, including Le Cellier. Since DDP we've often tried to book some of even the less popular restaurants and been told that no times were available, then when we've decided to swing by to check for walk in availability they've not only seated us, but we found the restaurant virtually empty, (and not on a rainy day.) This change in policy is long over due. I hope that everyone is right and this allows, at a minimum, for more walk up availability.



Oh, by the way, it looks like rain. Guess I won't be making it in to work tomorrow. I'm sure my employer won't hold it against me.

 

[kaligal]

Oh, by the way, it looks like rain. Guess I won't be making it in to work tomorrow. I'm sure my employer won't hold it against me.

Ha ha.

I don't call off for rain. I don't call off for snow. In fact, unless I'm extremely ill or someone I love truly needs me for medical stuff, I don't call off at all.

But I do have the sense to come in out of the rain. Like many, many people, I leave amusement/theme parks in the rain...especially if I have a hotel room less than 20 minutes away.

I think rain is a fairly routine reason for leaving a theme park.

But if I can't find a way around the new system...which I will try to do...then I'll give up my Crystal Palace meals.

If they accept illness as a reason to cancel, I don't even have to work to find a way around it. And they'll find that a lot of people become suddenly and temporarily ill when it rains.

 

[DisneyKevin]

But if I can't find a way around the new system...which I will try to do...then I'll give up my Crystal Palace meals.

If they accept illness as a reason to cancel, I don't even have to work to find a way around it. And they'll find that a lot of people become suddenly and temporarily ill when it rains.

And then Disney will close that loophole and raises prices to make up for people lying about being sick.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

...then I'll give up my Crystal Palace meals.

The Law of Unintended Consequences is a real bear isn't it?

This will be a real problem for Disney.

Think of the non uber planner. Especially someone with out a park hopper. How many of them will take a chance on making an ADR when they might end up getting stuck for some $$$. IMO a large amount of people will just go to Pecos Bills rather than take a chance of Crystal Palace.

This doesn't solve the problem, and it will scare off the non uber planner type.

 

[Swmhc]

No, I think it is meant to deter overbookers, free up tables and make "walk ups" available again. I remember talking to my eye doctor that was taking his family to WDW (and he didn't ask for tips before doing so). He was talking about places he wanted to take his family to dine (including CRT) and it was like a month from his vacation and I sadly explained to him that it was highly unlikely he would get CRT or any character meals.

I'm all for being able to call the day before or same day and making a reservation. Here's to hoping this makes it possible again !

 

[DisneyKevin]

The Law of Unintended Consequences is a real bear isn't it?

This will be a real problem for Disney.

Think of the non uber planner. Especially someone with out a park hopper. How many of them will take a chance on making an ADR when they might end up getting stuck for some $$$. IMO a large amount of people will just go to Pecos Bills rather than take a chance of Crystal Palace.

This doesn't solve the problem, and it will scare off the non uber planner type.

If the "non-uber planner" that you mention, is concerned enough about a cancellation fee to not book a reservation, than this new policy is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. It is keeping people from making frivolous or duplicate dining reservations that aren't sure they are going to use.

The "non-uber planner" will still dine on Disney property and the table that they didn't reserve can be filled by someone who wants and will keep the reservation.

I'm pretty sure Disney sees this as "win - win".

This new policy will only work if Disney follows through and does what it says it will do.

They have a history of not following through, so we shall see.

 

[aprilp]

I guess I am just one of the weirdos that likes to plan her meals way in advance. I have certain favorites that I HAVE to eat at when at disney (Crystal Palace and Tusker House) and I know in advance which ones I want to eat at that I haven't gotten to eat at in years and am excited to experience again. I did Garden Grill years ago (and loved it) and my parents never have, so of course I had to book that and its hard to get a spot there since they are only open for dinner! My dad loves seafood and I've been wanting to try Cape May Cafe's dinner, so I booked that. Those are our four ADRs for our four TS meals. It didn't involve much more thought than that, so no biggie to me. Next time I go, I'll pick two other places we've never been or have been wanting to try. That's all a part of the fun and it's never been cumbersome to me at all. And if it rains, I will have brought ponchos. If we get injured, we'll rent a wheelchair or I'll go to a restaurant bloody (nothing affects my appetite, I am a food-a-holic!). If someone dies, well I'll deal with that at the time. If I have to leave I'll be losing lots more money than just the $10 per person for my missed ADR, I'll be losing my hotel and the remainder of my ticket days too. Hmm, I guess in this instance its a good thing that I don't have any living grandparents and that my parents and their siblings dont have any contact at all. If one of them died we would never know and so there is not much worry about having to leave because someone died....well except my sister-who-thinks-disney-is-for-kids and she knows better than to die while my parents and I are on vacation! I mean REALLY!

 

[brucerob62]

good about time..but i dont waste my time at Signature dining..dont feel rich enough to go..and hate fish or seafood..Le CEllier is the only one i like ..it use to be 1 credit..guess I wont be going there anymore.. ..but why 180 days?...how about 60 days ..i only make ressies for the ones i have to have anyway..but hopefully this will deter people

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Okay, I'm the one who mentioned rain. Usually we enjoy going to the parks when it rains. Often storms are very short lived, or the rain is light.

But sometimes it POURS in WDW. For HOURS. Even for DAYS!

The times when I've questioned the wisdom of trekking all the way to the WS in rain were the times when it was a bone drenching extended downpour. Even with jackets, ponchos and Crocs - the rain hits the ground so hard your legs and hair get SOAKED - under the poncho/jacket. Many pathways get covered with puddles that are 3 or more inches deep. Some visits, we've had that kind of rain nearly every day, often combined with severe thunder. (But not all day -until it starts raining, you don't know which five hours of teh day are going to be stormy) Literally half of Animal Kingdom is closed. Even my underwear was wet!

I'm guessing most of you who are talking about going to dinner in the rain don't mean THAT kind of rain! By day six, sitting through another soggy dinner loses it's charm.

If you never experienced Orlando's extreme weather, then I see where you'd question it. If you've never wanted an ounce of flexibilty, lucky you.

Some folks are not so lucky.

I often go to WDW with my extended family, including two seniors. They love WDW, but sometimes they have health issues. Even with a scooter, the idea of trekking all the way to the back side of Epcot is too much. We don't cancel often. We always eat at the same places; those are the ones everyone agrees upon. Mostly we eat near our resort, but one or two nights per visit I pick the WS. It's been nice to know that we have some flexibility in case we need it.

It's seems crazy though to charge $100 to simply CHANGE our ADR.

I don't invoke the 'we've spent a ton to be here' clause very often- but c'mon - if we go to Disney, stay deluxe, and just get the basics, we're spending a minimum of $12,000.

I think in that price range, Disney can afford to let us cancel one ADR.

Maybe in practice they will offer flexibility. Maybe we won't need any. Maybe we won't even want to go to WDW next year. (Regardless of this policy.)

I don't think it's going to going to solve the difficulty of getting last minute ADR's. Until WDW makes dramatic changes in dining capacity, or reserves tables for walk ups, you are not going to see a change there.

I'd happily skip ADR's altogether if they brought back the ability to get walk up tables.

 

[disneyholic family]

when we were there in August, we were seated over 2.5 hours late at 1900 Park Fare.

our ADR was for 6:30 PM - we were seated past 9:00 PM...

much of the food was already gone by the time we got to the buffet....

when we were waiting to be seated, after about an hour or so, i finally went up to the podium to find out what was going on..

the CM apologized but explained that on most nights 1900 park fare has 50% no shows - so they overbook the ADRs...
but on that night everyone had shown up.....so they were running way behind schedule..

i suppose this new policy will possibly prevent such situations...

 

[jeanigor]

I think the new policy overall is a good thing. Although I am being far too optimistic, I want it to be mutually beneficial. Disney gets a more accurate number of filled ADR tables. They can then better serve the guests who want to eat at the dining locations (whether they be stand by or folks making ADRs within a closer window). This in turn will increase the revenue and lack of empty tables.

As with any policy, there will be loop holes and caveats. There will also be people that feel displeased and upset regardless of the intention. Disney is trying to look for a solution that will have the least negative impact on the whole of its consumer base.

The only concern that I would have is that of being someone who tends to get rushed to the ICU at a moment's notice. I do feel though, that Disney would be accommodating and understanding with the situation.

I guess I am also lucky that I don't have apocalyptic vacations to WDW.

If I did have a problem with the cc hold, I would do one of two things. I would either, not make ADRs at all and simply rely upon stand by/walk up dining. Or I would choose to make ADRs at other dining locations. There are plenty of options besides the 19 on the list.

 

[BriarRosie]

It's seems crazy though to charge $100 to simply CHANGE our ADR.

Disney isn't charging people to change their ADRs. They are charging people who don't show up for the ADRs. I fully believe that Disney will be very flexible within that 24 hour cancellation period. They have to be, or there will be a lot of people complaining to Guest Relations.

And if you don't like the policy, choose one of the many other restaurants that aren't instituting this policy. Or try for a same-day reservation over the phone, at your resort's concierge desk, or walk-up to the restaurant.

There. I've helped you resolve the issues.

 

[DisneyKevin]

If you never experienced Orlando's extreme weather, then I see where you'd question it. If you've never wanted an ounce of flexibilty, lucky you.

It's seems crazy though to charge $100 to simply CHANGE our ADR.

I don't invoke the 'we've spent a ton to be here' clause very often- but c'mon - if we go to Disney, stay deluxe, and just get the basics, we're spending a minimum of $12,000.

I think in that price range, Disney can afford to let us cancel one ADR.

Everyone wants an ounce of flexibility...including the folks that couldn't get a reservation at a restaurant for which you made a reservation that you decided not to keep

The cost of your lodging choice is really besides the point. Are you suggesting that people that stay at Pop Century or All Star Resorts should pay a cancellation fee at restaurants but those staying at deluxe resorts shouldn't?

I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to change your mind on any of this and that's really not my place to even try.

I stand by my premise that I hope this does what Disney hopes it will do and I hope that they enforce the policy.

 

[2Epcot]

Okay, I'm the one who mentioned rain. Usually we enjoy going to the parks when it rains. Often storms are very short lived, or the rain is light.

But sometimes it POURS in WDW. For HOURS. Even for DAYS!

The times when I've questioned the wisdom of trekking all the way to the WS in rain were the times when it was a bone drenching extended downpour. Even with jackets, ponchos and Crocs - the rain hits the ground so hard your legs and hair get SOAKED - under the poncho/jacket. Many pathways get covered with puddles that are 3 or more inches deep. Some visits, we've had that kind of rain nearly every day, often combined with severe thunder. (But not all day -until it starts raining, you don't know which five hours of teh day are going to be stormy) Literally half of Animal Kingdom is closed. Even my underwear was wet!

I'm guessing most of you who are talking about going to dinner in the rain don't mean THAT kind of rain! By day six, sitting through another soggy dinner loses it's charm.

If you never experienced Orlando's extreme weather, then I see where you'd question it. If you've never wanted an ounce of flexibilty, lucky you.

IMO some of the best times to be in the parks are on the days it rains. In fact, we try to hit MK on rainy days. There's nothing like riding Splash Mt over and over again without even being asked to get out of the log.

I understand that it can rain like crazy there, but when we're on vacation we really don't let rain slow down our party. If you are there on a week when it's raining every day and you don't want to pay the cancellation fee then you should cancel your reservations in advance when the weatherman predicts rain. This seem like much ado about nothing. Chances are that you'll never get charged a fee if you just use common sense.

By the way, regarding Aprilp's post, we had someone in our family die unexpectedly while we were at WDW in 2008. We're DVC members and Disney did allow us to keep our points and bank them away for our next trip. I have faith that in a real emergency the Disney will be understanding. Wish I could say the same for the airlines, but that's something for another thread. (Oh, and my sister and parents now know that no more members of our family are allowed to die while we're at Disney.)

Here's hoping that this policy will finally allow for walk ups and late reservations again. Can't wait to see if it works. Yea Disney!

 

[disney dog lover]

There you go. In your case the policy of the dentist and Dr. is working out.

If a patient does not show up, doesn't have a valid reason for it, or objects to the fee and goes elsewhere, then the dentist/Dr. policy works equally as well by steering those patients away from the practice. They won't become rich on your cancellation fee, they just want patients to show up.

Hopefully the same will apply to the new ADR system.

You are right. There is nothing more frustrating than having a full schedule of appointments and have no shows, when you have a waiting list a mile long.
A simple courtesy to others.

 

[lugnut33]

"Hey old lady in a wheelchair, get the heck out of the way!! I have an ADR I need to make or I'm going to lose $10!!" <pushes old lady out of way and bounds onto monorail before her>

"I honestly meant to cancel my ADR, but I was attacked by Tigger and needed psychological treatment"

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't see your name in the system as having and ADR". <Guest walks away and gets charged $10>

"Disney to start charging $10 fee for missing fast pass return time."

"I remember in the good ol' days you could make an ADR without a credit card".

"Disney is going downhill, they charged me $10 for a missed ADR and I didn't get a towel animal in my room",

 

[lugnut33]

I don't know why Disney didn't think of this before. Instead of charging $10 for missing an ADR, guests will be forced to eat all remaining meals at Shutters.

Honestly, instead of being forced to pay $10, I'd rather be banned from those restaurants for a decade.

 

[sshaw10060]

I guess I am just one of the weirdos that likes to plan her meals way in advance. I have certain favorites that I HAVE to eat at when at disney (Crystal Palace and Tusker House) and I know in advance which ones I want to eat at that I haven't gotten to eat at in years and am excited to experience again. I did Garden Grill years ago (and loved it) and my parents never have, so of course I had to book that and its hard to get a spot there since they are only open for dinner! My dad loves seafood and I've been wanting to try Cape May Cafe's dinner, so I booked that. Those are our four ADRs for our four TS meals. It didn't involve much more thought than that, so no biggie to me. Next time I go, I'll pick two other places we've never been or have been wanting to try. That's all a part of the fun and it's never been cumbersome to me at all. And if it rains, I will have brought ponchos. If we get injured, we'll rent a wheelchair or I'll go to a restaurant bloody (nothing affects my appetite, I am a food-a-holic!). If someone dies, well I'll deal with that at the time. If I have to leave I'll be losing lots more money than just the $10 per person for my missed ADR, I'll be losing my hotel and the remainder of my ticket days too. Hmm, I guess in this instance its a good thing that I don't have any living grandparents and that my parents and their siblings dont have any contact at all. If one of them died we would never know and so there is not much worry about having to leave because someone died....well except my sister-who-thinks-disney-is-for-kids and she knows better than to die while my parents and I are on vacation! I mean REALLY!