New cancellation policy

[KerryCM]

Just got this in my email. https://www.kennythepirate.com/2022/11/03/new-change-for-disney-dining-cancellations/

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Yay! I was on hold for over an hour this past may trying to cancel a same day Tusker House ADR (we’re a group of 9 so would’ve been $90 if I didn’t wait in hold to cancel).

 

[reddog21]

This change should open up more same day dining reservations.

 

[jo-jo]

I wonder if that is valid for breakfast ADRs too? Can you cancel at 5 am as a kid is throwing up?

How many times are they feeling not quite right, not sure if they are overtired or something is brewing?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just like most things Disney, there are pros and cons to this change. For the people who use the system as intended, it'll be great. Changes come up and it allows them to make changes day-of to their plans, and perhaps open up a last-minute option for someone else's "magical surprise" that day. But with the ADR hoarders, it's probably going to make finding an opening worse for others. It's a shame there's not a technical way to not allow a group to hold 2, 3, 4, more dinner (or breakfast or lunch) ADRs at the same time. But it's the way the system is set and it allows it.

 

[gorkt]

Yeah I think we will get a lot of people making multiple ADRs and cancelling day of.

 

[Neurodude84]

Just like most things Disney, there are pros and cons to this change. For the people who use the system as intended, it'll be great. Changes come up and it allows them to make changes day-of to their plans, and perhaps open up a last-minute option for someone else's "magical surprise" that day. But with the ADR hoarders, it's probably going to make finding an opening worse for others. It's a shame there's not a technical way to not allow a group to hold 2, 3, 4, more dinner (or breakfast or lunch) ADRs at the same time. But it's the way the system is set and it allows it.

Well, multiple ADRs can’t overlap, so at least there’s that. You can’t have Sci-Fi at 5 pm and 50s at 5:30 pm.

 

[DISness Casual]

Definitely some pros and cons with this as mentioned here. This new change certainly helps for those 'going with the flow' at the parks.

 

[Dulcee]

Anyone want to wager that this is directly because they were tired of being bogged down with phone calls from angry people who paid for LL, had the time shift post selection, and it overlapped with an ADR?


In which case, I'm guessing this means LL and Genie+ profits are worth more than the profits from table service meals.

 

[HopperFan]

As if getting reservations wasn't hard enough.

 

[MrWreckless]

Well, multiple ADRs can’t overlap, so at least there’s that. You can’t have Sci-Fi at 5 pm and 50s at 5:30 pm.

There are people holding reservations for every hour to popular restaurants. At least if they had to cancel 24 hours in advance it gave others the opportunity to claim them and still plan out their next day.

This change will make it even harder to plan your day since those dining reservations wont be made available until the last minute. People are already on their phones using Genie, now you want them to spend more time on their phone refreshing for last minute dining reservations. Good lord.

They need to address the root issue. Stop allowing people to stack ADRs all day long. There is no reason one person should be able to hold 3 breakfast reservations, 3 lunch reservations, and 4 dinner reservations.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

The old system was dumb, as long as you called and spoke to a person they’d always waive the fee so why bother with it at all? What they need to do is figure out a way to keep people from getting multiple adrs close together, like not allowing them to be closer than 4 hours together and only one adr allowed at each restaurant or something. Of course there would be ways around that too…

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Anyone want to wager that this is directly because they were tired of being bogged down with phone calls from angry people who paid for LL, had the time shift post selection, and it overlapped with an ADR?


In which case, I'm guessing this means LL and Genie+ profits are worth more than the profits from table service meals.

You could be right, but I don't see this as a huge issue. We've had an overlap situation twice when G+ gave us a time right when we were scheduled to eat. Once we went to LL early, showed our ADR, and were let in. Once we arrived at LL after our meal, showed our ADR, and were let in. Hasn't been an issue for us in limited experience. Others might have different experiences.

 

[HopperFan]

There are people holding reservations for every hour to popular restaurants. At least if they had to cancel 24 hours in advance it gave others the opportunity to claim them and still plan out their next day.

This change will make it even harder to plan your day since those dining reservations wont be made available until the last minute. People are already on their phones using Genie, now you want them to spend more time on their phone refreshing for last minute dining reservations. Good lord.

They need to address the root issue. Stop allowing people to stack ADRs all day long. There is no reason one person should be able to hold 3 breakfast reservations, 3 lunch reservations, and 4 dinner reservations.

THIS^ More ADRs will be hoarded and more guests will get shut out of TS dining.

And each adult or MDE in a party can hold a reservation even at the same time. MDE holder is the lead and just don't input the other guests names. But the risk is that you all decide by midnight and all but one cancels. Now they won't have to decide until they are going on with their day, decide, extras cancel. Most folks who had hoped for a time are now being asked to search even last minute while those that hoarded get the full advantage to do so with ease.

The old system was dumb, as long as you called and spoke to a person they’d always waive the fee so why bother with it at all? What they need to do is figure out a way to keep people from getting multiple adrs close together, like not allowing them to be closer than 4 hours together and only one adr allowed at each restaurant or something. Of course there would be ways around that too…

At least with old system it was work to cancel if you were hoarding. And even calling and wasting time about a cancel on phone was work to the point I'm sure many just took the penalty $ hit.

Who knows but Disney doesn't do things like this unless there is something in it for them. The question is when does the other shoe drop?

 

[SCWildcat04]

Yay more hoarders which makes it even more harder unless you can do 60 + 10 to find some reservations.

 

[lorileahb]

Gone is the day of being able to snag dining reservations the day before - going to have to try to get lucky day of. I see the pros and cons - a little more bummed than happy, though... I usually bank on getting my hard-to-get reservations when people cancel the day before (since we usually take shorter 2-4 day trips so our 60+10 day window usually means we miss those when making our initial reservations). That said, if folks would stop hoarding reservations, it would be a better situation.

 

[NJlauren]

Unpopular opinion coming!

They should charge $10 per person per reservation when you make it and it’s applied to your bill. If you cancel takes 7-10 days to refund. I don’t love it, but maybe people will stop hoarding.

I am occasionally guilty of hoarding, imo to a low degree, example 2 space reservations for my October trip on two different day, but dropped the one I didn’t want 20ish days out (successful transfer on the boards!)x

 

[Tyler's Dad]

I can't speak for everyone, but I have had to have multiple reservations at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because of large parties. Until Disney figure out how to handle a party of 8-10 with normal reservations, people will have to piece multiple reservations together.

 

[NJlauren]

I can't speak for everyone, but I have had to have multiple reservations at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because of large parties. Until Disney figure out how to handle a party of 8-10 with normal reservations, people will have to piece multiple reservations together.

That isn’t hoarding, hoarding is hAving multiple reservations knowing you won’t use them all but keeping them till the last minute so you have the option to pick which one you want.

 

[Beer Me]

Just like most things Disney, there are pros and cons to this change. For the people who use the system as intended, it'll be great. Changes come up and it allows them to make changes day-of to their plans, and perhaps open up a last-minute option for someone else's "magical surprise" that day. But with the ADR hoarders, it's probably going to make finding an opening worse for others. It's a shame there's not a technical way to not allow a group to hold 2, 3, 4, more dinner (or breakfast or lunch) ADRs at the same time. But it's the way the system is set and it allows it.

The pros outweigh the cons by far.

A 2 hour cancellation policy makes life easier for people who make reservations with good intentions but then things happen. If that exacerbates the hoarding problem Disney should find a way to fix it that doesn’t inconvenience everyone.