New Dining Policy-Deposits for Cancellations

[becky1960]

First this can be moved if desired. I have read on another forum that beginning Oct 26, 2011 disney will require Credit Card for reservations at most of the popular resturants and it will be charged $10.00 per person for Cancellations..

They are doing this because of the large amount of no shows and the problem of people not being to get reservations because the system is tied up. There was about 20 of the most popular resturants posted...

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Seems perfectly fair to ME and long over due!

AKK

 

[LarryJ]

Below is the supposedly policy that was posted over in the main Restaurant forum:

"To provide consistent Guest service, adjustments will be made to the Walt Disney World Resort cancellation policy beginning October 26, 2011. At that time, additional table-service locations will begin using the cancellation policy already in place at select restaurants on property. When booking a reservation at these restaurants, Guests will be required to provide a credit card to hold a reservation and will be charged $10 per person if the cancellation isn’t made at least one day in advance.

Pre-paid locations will continue to retain the full, pre-paid amount if Guests are unable to honor the reservation and are unable to cancel the reservation one day in advance. Special dining events and packages such as Fantasmic! packages, New Year’s Eve dinners, Victoria & Albert’s reservations may have different cancellation requirements.

Dining locations participating in the credit card guarantee policy will be as follows:

Pre-Paid Locations

• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

Credit Card Guarantee Locations

• 1900 Park Fare
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Cape May Café
• Chef Mickey’s
• Cítricos
• The Crystal Palace
• Flying Fish Café
• The Garden Grill
• Hollywood & Vine
• Jiko – The Cooking Place
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Narcoossee’s
• ‘Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurant
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Victoria & Albert’s (cancellation policy is $25/per person)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse

A special phone line that only handles dining cancellations is available for Guest convenience: 407-WDW-CNCL. Dining reservations may be booked or canceled by visiting any table-service restaurant podium, Walt Disney World Resort Hotel front desk, concierge or Guest Relations, or by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Guests may also make and cancel reservations by visiting www.DisneyWorld.com/Dining.

Guests with questions about a cancellation policy for a dining reservation are encouraged to visit any table-service restaurant podium, Walt Disney World Resort Hotel front desk, Concierge or Guest Relations, or by call 407-WDW-DINE."

Note that it is all "signature" restaurants and all with Character Dining. With the exception of Akershus (with Characters) and Le Cellier it does not include any Epcot restaurants.

Seems fair enough to me and I think the one day is too short to have to cancel .... maybe 3 or 4 days.

Larry

 

[rapriebe]

Thanks Larry for posting the entire new policy. I thought it was alittle weird that there would be a $10 charge per person just for cancelling as was stated. I agree one day is alittle short; surprised it's not alittle longer. Hopefully this will eliminate those people that just make reservations incase they might use them. It will require those to plan alittle more and hopefully will open up more available reservations to others that really want them.

 

[bama_ed]

I rarely eat in the Table Service restaurants because the Dining Plan has "dumbed down" the menus and food quality but nevertheless this is probably a good change.

Based on my past reviews of the Dining Board there certainly are people making multiple ressies for the same meal to give them some flexibility and choice. The few times in the parks over the recent years when I've walked up and tried to get a table I was turned away despite scads of empty tables in sight.

Personally I think $10 per person is not punitive enough but hey, that's just me.

Bama ED

 

[LarryJ]

Thanks Larry for posting the entire new policy. I thought it was alittle weird that there would be a $10 charge per person just for cancelling as was stated. I agree one day is alittle short; surprised it's not alittle longer. Hopefully this will eliminate those people that just make reservations incase they might use them. It will require those to plan alittle more and hopefully will open up more available reservations to others that really want them.

No problem and the new policy really doesn't effect us that much even tho we eat out about 10 times each trip, but our dinners are at one of the fully paid ones like the HDDR, Narcoossee’s, Artist's point, and maybe the Ohana feast. Out of the rest of the list we only do the Brown Derby for lunch and the Cobb Salad. We ate at the Ca. Grill once for dinner and didn't like it and we used to love V&A's, but since they relaxed the dress code ... no way since it's now just another overpriced restaurant. Our fave dinner one is Bistro for a nice sit down with wine and cocktails.

Most of our meals are lunches with one or maybe two dinners during out stay.

Larry

 

[Nikfour]

I wish they would have a better cancellation policy for campsites! People hang on to their sites until last minute even if they have intentions of cancelling!

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

Niki - I understand where you are coming from with regard to the camping cancellation policy.

I welcome the change with the dining reservations, although we don't reserve all that often. We did a dining plan for the first time last month and while I did manage to get all of the restaurants I had been wanting to try (Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare, etc) but didn't want to pay OOP for, it did take several weeks to nail down my dining itinerary because I could only pick up Chef M's as a cancellation. If you go over to the Dining Reservations thread and look at one of the threads of people looking to cancel ADR's, you'll see how selfish people are in how they book. One poster said that he had Chef Mickey's on 12/23 at 12:30, 2 and 3pm. You KNOW when you reserve that you aren't going to eat at the same restaurant on the same day at those times so why do you reserve like that and take tables away from other guests?? It' silly and drives me crazy. That will keep me from doing the dining plan again unless we do QS.

 

[Skyw]

I love it because people make dumbie reservations. They will have 2 for one night and then cancel one later one. We never plan a trip more then 2 months out, so I am always struggling to get a few. We only do one or two on vacation. I am still trying to get to Ohana's. !!!!!

 

[Skyw]

oops

 

[NHMickey]

Sitting at the ft now.... My wife and I agree this is a good policy. We tried and tried to get in to a few here prior to our trip and could not get in. we did walk up and where sat almost right away... Guess a lot of people just never showed up.

 

[luckycharm19335]

Have a great trip.
Give us more details. Where did you eat? How was it?

 

[angelmom27]

I like the new policy. I can say that for my family this would be a big impact to our budget. We are a family of 9 so wow that would be a lot but I would never make a reservation that I wasnt planning on going to. Hopefully it will be easier for me to get reservations for our trip next yr at xmas. If I can get the money saved I want to add the deluxe dining plan and have some really nice TS experiences for once. We have only eaten at the CP one time. So I would like to do something new for once.

 

[tinah159]

I am so happy about this policy. I am always trying to get reservations and am unable to find any! I wish they would revise the camp site policy. I have been trying to reserve Dec 27 and 27 for 6 months!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I for one like this new policy.
For years now, we have made dine ressies,,and we ALWAYS made it a point to cancel them if we weren't gonna show up. And like many who've already posted,can't get ressies a great deal of the time when we try to make ressies,
people simply have no respect for others anymore, "this is a me world and you don't matter". I think it's a shame that Disney had to resort to doing this because of people's selfishness. People can spend 20 out of 24 hours a day texting & talking in the telephone but can't cancel a ressie.

yep, I like the new policy,

 

[sbnewhampshire1]

I agree! Been trying to get reservations at the fort for Dec 28th to Jan1. Also none availabe. Yes, I have reservations for x-mas but trying to extend as family coming down! We are suppose to leave 28th.They keep saying try within 5 days as that is when they will open up due to the cancellation policy.If you know you are going to cancel please cancel asap!!!!!!!!!!