New credit card guarantees. Restaurant list, policy & common questions in 1st post

[CandleontheWater]

I think that the truth is, if you vacation to Walt Disney World multiple times a year, over the course of a decade or more, you are bound to have at least one trip where someone gets sick.

For me, even having to pay the silly fee just once, is one time too many.

 

[Marshay]

For me, even having to pay the silly fee just once, is one time too many.

and this basically sums up my opinion as well! (emphasis added)

 

[mcd2745]

I think that the truth is, if you vacation to Walt Disney World multiple times a year, over the course of a decade or more, you are bound to have at least one trip where someone gets sick.

For me, even having to pay the silly fee just once, is one time too many.

Perhaps, but I don't know...it seems like some unnecessary worrying to me. Using what you said above - multiple trips per year over the course of a decade (I'll assume 2 trips a year) - at a conservative estimate of let's say $3500 per trip. That's a total of $70,000 over that decade. Is that $40 or $50 really something to worry about and cause any undue stress? Is there really a difference between $70,000 and $70,050? $50 is 0.07% of $70,000.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Wow, assume much?

My health is not perfect. I have 4 perscriptions for my allergies/asthma alone. Not to mention arthritis, and other assorted goodies. However, as I have been dealing with those conditions for a while, I have a good idea how much I can push myself. And I know that if I try and do too much, or am unfortunate enough to stand downwind of the fireworks, that I am going to have to deal with the fallout from those bad decisions.

Even so, I know that sometimes I can make all the right decisions and suddenly have a bad day. And I would be upset to have to miss a meal and pay a service fee. However, those times are the exception, and not the norm. Odds are if book and ADR, and make the right decisions concerning my health, I will be able to enjoy my meal. I would think most people who deal with cronic or severe conditions have the same awareness, and also the same understanding that even if they do everything right, sometimes crap happens and you have to miss out. Still, I think those times in most instances are not as common as people are trying to make out.

I also think my 70+ dad knows how far he can push himself at WDW too. Being older does not mean you are suddenly so frail that you stand a good chance of missing your ADR. Being older is not an illness.

No matter who you are, it comes down to being comfortable with a small chance that you may lose what, in the large scheme of a Disney vacation, is a small penalty. If you are not comfortable with the risk, then choose to book at one of the many restaurants that still don't charge the fee. It is pretty simple.

Wow!

Again I say you seem rather unsympathetic to those with unpredictable health conditions. What I'm hearing in your response is that children with chronic health conditions stand to be penalized by this policy. Am I misreading you?

What has always distinguished WDW is that they used to do the opposite. They always tried to to that little extra to make give disabled kids a break. It's part of why Disney seemed magical.


Ten $ a head is no fairy dust.

It is simply unacceptable in my opinion. It likely violates the ADA law - in spirit if not in technicality. (see ADA.gov)

It's one thing to say your last sentence on an internet chat room when we are talking in the abstract. I think Disney saying this directly to the family of a child with an unpredictable health condtion is despicable.

 

[pinkerbell]

I think that the truth is, if you vacation to Walt Disney World multiple times a year, over the course of a decade or more, you are bound to have at least one trip where someone gets sick.

For me, even having to pay the silly fee just once, is one time too many.

and this basically sums up my opinion as well! (emphasis added)

Perhaps, but I don't know...it seems like some unnecessary worrying to me. Using what you said above - multiple trips per year over the course of a decade (I'll assume 2 trips a year) - at a conservative estimate of let's say $3500 per trip. That's a total of $70,000 over that decade. Is that $40 or $50 really something to worry about and cause any undue stress? Is there really a difference between $70,000 and $70,050? $50 is 0.07% of $70,000.

Perhaps I am very sesitive to this new policy because, as I stated earlier but I know this is a GINORMOUS thread all of which not even I have read, My daughter became very ill this last trip. For 7 days her temp fluctuated between normal and 103.8! It was like a yo-yo!
I have always been thankful for our good health previously and new at some point our luck would run out. So for us, the many missed meals in addition to several cancellation fees for a group of 4-5 could have totaled over a thousand $$$. (we also mentioned we are a family and would not split up). So for those who keep dimishing the amount of cost that is involved I am curious y the amount is constantly minimized.
That said wether it's $50 or $5,000 a dollar is a dollar and I treat them all the same with the same value. But if you treat them differently the more u spend I will glady take $50 off you hands on your next trip

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow!

Again I say you seem rather unsympathetic to those with unpredictable health conditions. What I'm hearing in your response is that children with chronic health conditions stand to be penalized by this policy. Am I misreading you?

What has always distinguished WDW is that they used to do the opposite. They always tried to to that little extra to make give disabled kids a break. It's part of why Disney seemed magical.


Ten $ a head is no fairy dust.

It is simply unacceptable in my opinion. It likely violates the ADA law - in spirit if not in technicality. (see ADA.gov)

It's one thing to say your last sentence on an internet chat room when we are talking in the abstract. I think Disney saying this directly to the family of a child with an unpredictable health condtion is despicable.

When did this become only about people with health conditions? I think you are taking a very small group of people and trying to use it to make the argument that Disney charging a fee for no shows is somehow being heartless. I don't think it is. Not to mention, I think you skipped over my post and didn't read that I too have cronic health problems that have been known to give me problems at WDW. Life is not totally predictable for any of us.

Also, if you know about ADA you know it is all about treating people equally. Disney is doing that by charging everyone a fee if they don't show up, they are not singling out any one group of people for seperate and different treatment. If anything I am sure that Disney would go above and beyond to accomodate those guests who have severe health issues. They do now.

And yes, when figured into the overall cost of a trip which runs into the thousands of dollars, $10 a head is fairydust. If it is too great of a risk for a family, then they do have the choice to not make ADRs at restaurants that charge a fee. No one is being forced to chose one way or the other, it is up to each family to decide for themselves.

 

[pinkerbell]

For all the posters (and there are many! ) who think this fee is insignificant, I will pm all of you my address and will gladly take your donations and put them into my "OOPS! the kid got sick and I have to cough up $40 bucks fund!"
As I said before, to me, a dollar is a dollar and doesn't loose it's value depending on how many of them I spend at one time

 

[mom2rtk]

For all the posters (and there are many! ) who think this fee is insignificant, I will pm all of you my address and will gladly take your donations and put them into my "OOPS! the kid got sick and I have to cough up $40 bucks fund!"
As I said before, to me, a dollar is a dollar and doesn't loose it's value depending on how many of them I spend at one time

If your kid gets sick and you have to pay to see the doctor, then to get the prescription, then no biggie. It's NECESSARY.

Adding a fee incurred because of an UNNECESSARILY rigid timeline is a completely different matter.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The ADA goes far beyond that:

) General. A public accommodation shall not impose or apply eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out an individual with a disability or any class of individuals with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying any goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations, unless such criteria can be shown to be necessary for the provision of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered.
(b) Safety. A public accommodation may impose legitimate safety requirements that are necessary for safe operation. Safety requirements must be based on actual risks and not on mere speculation, stereotypes, or generalizations about individuals with disabilities.
(c) Charges. A public accommodation may not impose a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the costs of measures, such as the provision of auxiliary aids, barrier removal, alternatives to barrier removal, and reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures, that are required to provide that individual or group with the nondiscriminatory treatment required by the Act or this part.


IF guests don't feel up to traveling all the way across WDW property to get dinner, they will be charged this fee - even though they opted for room service. To me, that sounds like it violates the first part of this - or at least borders on violating it. They are in effect forcing guests to be able to get to dinner.

Furth, I'm pinched for time here, but Dieny can't force you to 'prove' your medical disability.

 

[Mkrop]

"When you wish upon a star"......I want to have enough money that a small fee like that doesnt matter

 

[NLD]

I'm tired of being told that if I'm spending $3500 for a trip, then $30-$50 shouldn't matter to me.

The fact is it DOES matter to me. Period. Whether you think it should or not.... it DOES.

Therefore I don't like the possibility of getting charged for services not rendered.

I'm also tired of the implications that just because I don't view an ADR as a strict moral obligation, I've got an entitlement issue. If you knew me in real life, that thought wouldn't cross your head. If anything I've got a tendency towards over-responsibility, making way for others even at cost to myself, and being too much of a people-pleaser. It actually took work and some serious life experiences to realize that it's okay to stand up for myself sometimes and it's okay to voice an opinion and it's okay to do what's best for me sometimes.

If you are walking in front of me at MK and stop in the middle of the path to look at something or have a conversation, I don't get annoyed. If you're walking ten abreast taking up a whole path, I go out of MY way to avoid running into you, even if it's your group taking up the whole path. If you are standing behind me at a parade and I see you have a small kid with you, I'm likely to offer your kid a spot in front of me. If you're my coworker and you want vacation the same week I do, and we can't both get it, I'm likely to tell you "Go ahead we're flexible, you take that week." If you're in front of me at the grocery store hogging the aisle with your cart, I'm likely to wait patiently while you pick your brand of spaghetti, or if it goes on a long time, to VERY nicely say excuse me and give you a sincere smile and "Don't worry about it" when you move your cart and apologize.

This is how I operate in life. I try not to be entitled and try to think of others and try to be responsible.

Cancelling a reservation (which is not really even a reservation) on vacation, with notice, is simply NOT a moral issue in my book.

I don't think I'm entitled. I don't think I'm a sign of what's wrong with society today. And I don't think I'm silly for disliking the thought of paying $10 per head for cancelling a reservation that isn't even a real reservation.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm tired of being told that if I'm spending $3500 for a trip, then $30-$50 shouldn't matter to me.

The fact is it DOES matter to me. Period. Whether you think it should or not.... it DOES.

Therefore I don't like the possibility of getting charged for services not rendered.

Exactly. The thing is, $50 (disregarding the other sunk costs that the $50 is heaped onto) isn't a lot in comparison to the cost of the trip as a whole, but at home we're a single-income blue-collar family and if I had a "$50 is no big deal" attitude we wouldn't be able to afford those Disney trips. And like you, I'm tired of being told that because it doesn't matter to some, it shouldn't matter to me either.

 

[maxiesmom]

Exactly. The thing is, $50 (disregarding the other sunk costs that the $50 is heaped onto) isn't a lot in comparison to the cost of the trip as a whole, but at home we're a single-income blue-collar family and if I had a "$50 is no big deal" attitude we wouldn't be able to afford those Disney trips. And like you, I'm tired of being told that because it doesn't matter to some, it shouldn't matter to me either.

No one has said it shouldn't matter. Just in the overall scheme of a Disney vacation a $10 per person risk isn't that much. Most people risk larger amounts of money on airfare(what if your flight is delayed or cancelled or you get sick and can't fly) and even on the park tickets (what if it is storming and you don't want to be in the parks?) Compared to the amount of money people spend on a Disney vaction, $10 is a small amount. Tiny even. But each person has to judge for themselves if having a character meal is worth the risk or not.

I don't think charging a no-show fee means Disney is turning into the Evil Empire, though from some posts other people disagree with me. I don't think it is being done meanly, or with ill intentions. I think it is being done to try and make people book only ADRs they really want. Only time will tell if that is the effect it has or not.

 

[NLD]

The thing is, it doesn't really matter to me what Disney's intentions are. Good intentions don't always = good outcomes.

So I think the real question here, what will the outcome of this policy be?

For people that want more restaurant availability, maybe this policy will have a good outcome. Because maybe enough people (like me) won't book more than one restaurant on the "list" anymore--leaving those reservations available for others.

For those of us who would like to be able to book several character meals and signatures in one trip, but who also realize that "stuff happens" on vacation and aren't willing to risk money on it, this policy is not a good outcome. For us, it's already clear it's not a good outcome, because we feel less free to book what we want.

Time will tell if the people who want more restaurant availability and are willing to risk the fees will have a good outcome.

 

[smidgy]

I'm tired of being told that if I'm spending $3500 for a trip, then $30-$50 shouldn't matter to me.

The fact is it DOES matter to me. Period. Whether you think it should or not.... it DOES.

.

Exactly. The thing is, $50 (disregarding the other sunk costs that the $50 is heaped onto) isn't a lot in comparison to the cost of the trip as a whole, but at home we're a single-income blue-collar family and if I had a "$50 is no big deal" attitude we wouldn't be able to afford those Disney trips. And like you, I'm tired of being told that because it doesn't matter to some, it shouldn't matter to me either.

No one has said it shouldn't matter. Just in the overall scheme of a Disney vacation a $10 per person risk isn't that much. Most people risk larger amounts of money on airfare(what if your flight is delayed or cancelled or you get sick and can't fly) and even on the park tickets (what if it is storming and you don't want to be in the parks?) Compared to the amount of money people spend on a Disney vaction, $10 is a small amount. Tiny even. But each person has to judge for themselves if having a character meal is worth the risk or not.

.

just ahd to chime in here, and agree with the first 2 posters. what difference does it make HOW much a trip costs? money wasted is money wasted.

those who might laugh at us for driving down, staying at the Kinght's inn or motel 6 (with the motel coupon from the rest stop) on the way down, eating some meals in the room with salami or baloney sandwiches with mac salad from our cooler.. well, because we scrimp here and there, we ARE able to take multiple trips.... we splurge here and there, on restaurants, shows,a fancy drink now and then, nice resorts now and then, even flying now and then.. and save elsewhere,

so, yes a $10 a person fee IS a big deal.


now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I disagree with this policy.. not sure yet.. I do hate it that people make multiple ADRs they have no intention of keeping. to me, that is inconsiderate.

but it just irks me when people say things like why are you complaining about $10, $20, $50, etc.... when you spend X amount on a trip... OR, even worse, "if you have to worry about X amount of $, maybe you should rethink your vacation choice.. maybe you can't afford a WDW trip."

 

[Colleen27]

No one has said it shouldn't matter. Just in the overall scheme of a Disney vacation a $10 per person risk isn't that much. Most people risk larger amounts of money on airfare(what if your flight is delayed or cancelled or you get sick and can't fly) and even on the park tickets (what if it is storming and you don't want to be in the parks?) Compared to the amount of money people spend on a Disney vaction, $10 is a small amount. Tiny even. But each person has to judge for themselves if having a character meal is worth the risk or not.

I don't think charging a no-show fee means Disney is turning into the Evil Empire, though from some posts other people disagree with me. I don't think it is being done meanly, or with ill intentions. I think it is being done to try and make people book only ADRs they really want. Only time will tell if that is the effect it has or not.

True, there are other risks. Most of those situations would be covered by trip insurance, though, and there's always the option of adding no-expiration to preserve your tickets if illness interferes with a significant portion of a trip. This fee adds a new layer of risk to an area that is already the most risky for DDP guest - the fact that you're out the dining credit (assuming no time/availability to use it later) already.

If this was just character meals it wouldn't bother me so much. Selfish, yes, but having one or two cancellation penalty reservations wouldn't bother me. And I have no doubt that Disney is right about there being enough demand for those experiences to keep them full even with some people going elsewhere because of this policy (and I do think they want to discourage DDP guests from booking a character meal every day, leaving little/no availability for cash guests).

It is the inclusion of the signature restaurants, which with the exception of California Grill and Narcoosees aren't even high-demand ADRs, that impacts our trips. As a larger family (5, 6 or 7 depending on the trip) I wouldn't be comfortable booking the DxDDP counting on last-minute availability but neither am I comfortable with cancellation-penalty dinner ADRs every night. Good intentions or not, this policy has a direct negative impact on the way my family prefers to travel.

I don't understand why Disney would want to reduce demand at a group of restaurants that generally doesn't operate at capacity to begin with (Though again, looking at it from the DDP angle... Discouraging signature dining means more DxDDP guests using more of their credits for lower-value CS or letting credits go unused, rather than implementing the popular strategy of 1TS breakfast or lunch & 2TS signature dinner, thus using every credit for higher-value TS experiences. Another effect, maybe intended, maybe not, is that families with young children will likely think more carefully about booking signature dinners than adults/couples and families with older, more predictable kids, which is a step towards the quieter, more adult atmosphere that many guests complain the DDP has changed.)

 

[Gmouse]

I know this has probably already been anwered, but I don't want to sit here and go thru 102 pages of replies
Here goes- I recently (this week) booked and ADR for our entire group of 8. MY little family is a group of 4. IF for some reason the other 4 can't make it, I call the day before or 24 hrs, whatever is required, to let them know. Will they take away the whole ADR and then re-book it?? Risking me loosing our 4pp ADR??? I would be REEEEEEALLLLLLLY upset. I have spent months getting these things together and months of waiting and watching canceled ADR threads to JUST finally get this one 2 weeks ahead of our trip.
I couldn't book our 4 and them book their 4, they don't have internet so I had to do it and give my CC. I am worried too that if I have to call the day ahead and tell them we will only have 4 and they say "oh no problem" but then turn around and charge my card for the 4 that can't come..........

 

[mom2rtk]

I know this has probably already been anwered, but I don't want to sit here and go thru 102 pages of replies
Here goes- I recently (this week) booked and ADR for our entire group of 8. MY little family is a group of 4. IF for some reason the other 4 can't make it, I call the day before or 24 hrs, whatever is required, to let them know. Will they take away the whole ADR and then re-book it?? Risking me loosing our 4pp ADR??? I would be REEEEEEALLLLLLLY upset. I have spent months getting these things together and months of waiting and watching canceled ADR threads to JUST finally get this one 2 weeks ahead of our trip.
I couldn't book our 4 and them book their 4, they don't have internet so I had to do it and give my CC. I am worried too that if I have to call the day ahead and tell them we will only have 4 and they say "oh no problem" but then turn around and charge my card for the 4 that can't come..........

But it's OOOOONNNNNLY $10 a head. JUUUUUST $40. What's the problem?

OK, sorry. I agree and am just having a little fun because some here think that shouldn't bother anyone.

If you find out they can't make it, call the reservation line and see if they can adjust it down to 4. If they can't, I'd call back and ask another agent.

 

[Colleen27]

I know this has probably already been anwered, but I don't want to sit here and go thru 102 pages of replies
Here goes- I recently (this week) booked and ADR for our entire group of 8. MY little family is a group of 4. IF for some reason the other 4 can't make it, I call the day before or 24 hrs, whatever is required, to let them know. Will they take away the whole ADR and then re-book it?? Risking me loosing our 4pp ADR??? I would be REEEEEEALLLLLLLY upset. I have spent months getting these things together and months of waiting and watching canceled ADR threads to JUST finally get this one 2 weeks ahead of our trip.
I couldn't book our 4 and them book their 4, they don't have internet so I had to do it and give my CC. I am worried too that if I have to call the day ahead and tell them we will only have 4 and they say "oh no problem" but then turn around and charge my card for the 4 that can't come..........

That's sort of a fuzzy area... Some of the responses from CMs have indicated that partial parties won't be charged, some have said they will. No one seems to want to give a firm answer in writing so I'd be a little nervous about counting on either answer at this point, at least until we have some first-hand reports from people affected by the new policy.

Your best bet is to call to try to modify your ADRs if needed, being sure to use the word "modify" to be directed to the right CM on the phone system, and if you get a CM who tells you it can't be done call back and try again. Changing ADRs is really a hit-or-miss, cast member roulette thing; I've been told it is impossible but others have had success.

 

[coopersmom]

I'm tired of being told that if I'm spending $3500 for a trip, then $30-$50 shouldn't matter to me.

The fact is it DOES matter to me. Period. Whether you think it should or not.... it DOES.

Therefore I don't like the possibility of getting charged for services not rendered.

I'm also tired of the implications that just because I don't view an ADR as a strict moral obligation, I've got an entitlement issue. If you knew me in real life, that thought wouldn't cross your head. If anything I've got a tendency towards over-responsibility, making way for others even at cost to myself, and being too much of a people-pleaser. It actually took work and some serious life experiences to realize that it's okay to stand up for myself sometimes and it's okay to voice an opinion and it's okay to do what's best for me sometimes.

If you are walking in front of me at MK and stop in the middle of the path to look at something or have a conversation, I don't get annoyed. If you're walking ten abreast taking up a whole path, I go out of MY way to avoid running into you, even if it's your group taking up the whole path. If you are standing behind me at a parade and I see you have a small kid with you, I'm likely to offer your kid a spot in front of me. If you're my coworker and you want vacation the same week I do, and we can't both get it, I'm likely to tell you "Go ahead we're flexible, you take that week." If you're in front of me at the grocery store hogging the aisle with your cart, I'm likely to wait patiently while you pick your brand of spaghetti, or if it goes on a long time, to VERY nicely say excuse me and give you a sincere smile and "Don't worry about it" when you move your cart and apologize.

This is how I operate in life. I try not to be entitled and try to think of others and try to be responsible.

Cancelling a reservation (which is not really even a reservation) on vacation, with notice, is simply NOT a moral issue in my book.

I don't think I'm entitled. I don't think I'm a sign of what's wrong with society today. And I don't think I'm silly for disliking the thought of paying $10 per head for cancelling a reservation that isn't even a real reservation.

Very well said and I couldn't agree more on ALL of the above, especially the part I emphasized. I feel exactly the same as you do, and happen to carry myself through life pretty much the same way as the poster above describes and reached exactly the same conclusion when I heard of not so much the credit card guarantee aspect, which I can understand, but the excessive amount of notice required for cancellation.

I will reiterate ... If I CANCEL my ADR, Disney has the exact same ability to fill that slot/table with someone else as they did prior to me making the reservation. It matters not at all if it's 24 hours or 2 hours prior to the stated time. They are no longer holding the table for me and are free to sell it to anyone else they choose. And while Disney restaurants vary in popularity NONE lack for foot traffic, at any time of day, the main element necessary for walk-up business.

I am also very curious/concerned about the how many people are going to be wrongly charged these fees, since I have previously been mis-charged by Disney (multiple valet fees, movie rental charges not removed) and getting Disney to refund fees after the fact--and these "no show fees" are charges people won't see until long after they return home--is near impossible. I can attest that it is a very slow and frustrating process that requires a great deal of diligence on the part of the customer.

I have also been in a position to have been left waiting for 40 minutes after my "reservation" (ADR) time because someone "forgot" to mark us as checked in, or just waiting well beyond the scheduled time (20 minutes, 30 or more) simply because they are running behind. I've also been told that the computer system was "down" more than once.

The above all happened to me on just TWO visits to Disney World (15 nights total), where we ate a maximum of one table service meal per day, and each of the instances above happened more than once during that time frame. I envision a great deal of confusion and hassle and mess in this policy based purely on my past experiences with Disney dining.