New Reservations Cancellation Policy

[mad hatter fan]

Anyone know if you will have to use a credit card to make a same day reservation?

 

[Colleen27]

My feeling is that the folks that abuse the system will continue to do so by calling for an exception - my kid is sick, my wallet was stolen, etc., etc.

So how long will the exceptions continue I wonder?

There are other, easier ways to double book/no show without wasting time on the phone or incurring penalties. I suspect those who want to continue to double book will figure them out quickly enough, and will continue on more or less undaunted while the rest of us are inconvenienced.

 

[xipotec]

I am never a fan of being charged for something that was free before, nor am I a fan of being penalized on my very expensive vacation for a change in plans or being spontaneous.

I think the cancellation policy would make more sense of it was cancel within 3 hours of reservation. The only logical reason for doing it the day before is so Disney can rebook those tables and guarantee the money.

Personally i doubt the "hoarding" issue is a smoke screen. Almost all the ADR's we had for all our recent trips we had to wait sometimes 20 minutes to be seated. ( we make 3 ADR' a day on DXDP)

As far as people saying they hope they make exceptions, that cannot happen if this policy is to work. EVERYONE will have a sick family memeber if thats all you had to do. They will either enforce it strictly or not at all.

If they drop the charge at the first sign of a complaint, then its not really a policy its just a way of insuring people waste more time yelling at CM's.

Not a concern for me this trip because all my ADR were made prior to the deadline.

 

[bdcp]

The reality is, someone with a legitimate issue is going to have at most one change inside the 24 hour window. Someone who always abuses the system will have more and it will become very evident. So, if you have a sick individual and need to cancel, at most one reservation should be impacted. If you are someone who books multiples at the same time, or want to cancel multiple locations over a few day period, then get over it, as you are abusing the system. The whole "not knowing if your kid is going to melt down or whatever" shouldn't make multiple ADR's. We made one when our boys were 3.5 and 5.5 (character breakfast) which we had to cancel (since our DS had diarrhea and fever) When we went back, they were 12 and 14 and knew we could book more. What I don't get is people who take 1,2,3,4 year olds and make ADRs for multiple locations knowing their kids can't eat that late or whatever. It's not WDW's problem. Parents need to get that you have to give up certain things til your kids are older, period. They learn to eat in nice restaurants, sit and behave, etc as they got older. I'm just amazed at all the people who think that their kids will be raring to go for a sit down/table service meal at 8 pm. We knew what our boys could handle and would never have done that. Parents have to sacrifice their own wants for a few years. You too, will survive.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . there is nothing I can do about the weather. Disney may prefer to keep the tables full, as a vacationing guest I resent the idea that I should be forced to "tough it out" through storms, extreme (for FL) cold/heat, or other miserable weather conditions for the sake of making a dining reservation . . .

1) At this moment, the Signatures with penalty fees don't honor weather excuses.
2) As an example, one day last week it was monstrous rain.
3) Two eateries, of which I personally know, were less than one-half full.
4) There were LOTS of missed ressies.
5) Everyone who didn't show got the no-show penalty.
6) Once again,
. . . it may be your vacation
. . . but, it is Disney's business
. . . and the idea is to maximize revenues

 

[mrsclark]

I understand and agree that it is completely within Disney's rights to make as much profit as possible. I am just curious as to how much more profit this will get them versus the annoyance that it causes people. On other words being penny wise and pound foolish.

Let me start off by saying we don't double book our ADRs just so we can decide at the last minute what to eat.

As I stated earlier in the thread, I think I will make a lot less ADRs if all of them are ccs because sometimes we decide a few hours in advance that we don't feel like eating at someplace I booked two months ago for dinner. So instead, we will probably just plan to eat more QS meals. We pay OOP. So the amount we spend at Disney as a couple on dining will go down rather than stay flat or go up. I know Disney is trying to increase the amount people spend on everything (tours, food, merch) once they are in the park/resort and I would really like to see some number crunching as to how this will change that spending amount.

Perhaps they will make a lot more money per visitor this way, on average, but I suspect that the new policy combined with the need to book meals so far in advance may frustrate some people and just cause them to give up on the idea of a lot of TS meals on vacation. Maybe I am completely wrong!

And maybe this policy annoys me now, but when I sit down next year to plan our trip, I will be a complete hypocrite and go ahead and book a bunch of ADRs anyway!

 

[jimim]

Hey maybe with all this extra revenue they r bringing in, tickets won't jump as much next year! I'm for it in that reason cause don't miss reservations. I actually have to cx 2 for next week cause we r going to meet friends at the food and wine instead. Revenue in one area can help for something in another area maybe. Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Colleen27]

1) At this moment, the Signatures with penalty fees don't honor weather excuses.
2) As an example, one day last week it was monstrous rain.
3) Two eateries, of which I personally know, were less than one-half full.
4) There were LOTS of missed ressies.
5) Everyone who didn't show got the no-show penalty.
6) Once again,
. . . it may be your vacation
. . . but, it is Disney's business
. . . and the idea is to maximize revenues

I don't see that as such an issue for resort restaurants. Bus stops are mostly under cover and the buses drop off near the building. If you're driving, you can use the valet. The same can't be said for in-park restaurants. No matter how you get there, you've got a long walk through the elements to dine at Teppan Edo or Sci-Fi or Liberty Tree Tavern.

I get that Disney wants to maximize revenue, but when they do so at the expense of the guest experience they risk losing customers. First-timers get frustrated now because of the 180 window on dining, just wait until they arrive at WDW to find out they should have made reservations for the popular rides 2 months earlier and that should they encounter one of those famous FL downpours they still need to trek across the park to their dinner reservation or be penalized.

Again, I am hoping for the best - specifically, that they'll update the app to be able to handle the new policy and availability will open up enough to make last-minute reservations for all but the "highlight" restaurants. But I'm very glad that I have all my ADRs for the last two trips of my AP year because I certainly wouldn't be making our usual one or two a day under the new rules.

 

[smiths02]

I get what Disney is doing. I think the policy is needed at least for some restaurants BUT

next time we go, we will have 2 toddlers. Our ADRs will be 5 people even though 2 of the people would not be charged, per se. So the restaurant was only gonna make money from 3 people, but I would be charged a $50 no show fee because I have to include "babies" on my ADR. I think the fee is too steep.

 

[Mainebound]

6) Once again,
. . . it may be your vacation
. . . but, it is Disney's business
. . . and the idea is to maximize revenues

I don't think anyone disagree with this.

What folks are discussing is whether it is likely to maximize revenues. Some people don't think it will have that intended effect, and they seem to me to be giving good reasons (for example, fewer people will make ADRs and then may be less likely to eat at more expensive TS restaurants).

Also, I think customer ill will and changes in customer behavior can translate into lost revenue (perhaps not enough to offset gains WDW will make with the change, of course), so, while it's true that "it's your vacation", there *is* a connection between "your vacation" and Disney's goal of maximizing revenues.

I don't mind the new policy. That said, I will probably make fewer ADRs.

 

[Nancyg56]

Then they should have just done it a restaurants like Kona.

No need to do it at EVERY restaurant.

I think that it is a necessary change.I believe that folks would simply book their duplicate ADR's for restaurant that do not have the CC cancellation fee in place.

Ehhh no. My money talks and the more we pay the more credit we get.
This has nothing to do with the restaurants but whit our wishes.

And of course, because you are spending so much money on resort accommodations, your wishes should supercede those of the peons who are spending less? I have read your posts on this thread, and your feelings of entitlement baffle me. WDW is expensive, but fortunately, there are several levels of accommodations that make it possible for everyone to vacation in the style that they are comfortable with and can afford. What is so appealing about WDW is that once you sort out the resorts and get into the parks, things equal out. The amount of money you are spending on your accommodations is not going to buy you a place in front of someone who is staying offsite, or someone who is staying at a value, so while I marvel at your need to point out that your money should entitle you to circumvent the rules, I am glad that in theory, it will not.

I also want to chime in on your comments about allowing those people with special needs access to attractions. It amazes me that you want special considerations because of the resort level you choose but that you begrudge people special considerations because of a challenge that you may or may not be able to see.

You are absolutely right. We never had the urge to get what we payed for but after many many years seeing entitled "disabled" people go on a ride three times while we were waiting for ONE ride we just want to get what we payed for. We never could explain to our children en now grandchildren that children with no boundaries ore rules even spitting, biting other guests could get FOTL access.
Call me crazy but We want to do what we want for a thousand Dollar per night.

We paid almost that last year, and if my DGD had even for one second displayed this attitude, my DD would have blistered her a new ear. We expected what we paid for and that was our resort accommodations. We did not pay to skip in front of people, we did not pay for the privilege of dumping an ADR without penalty, and we sure did not pay to be the judge who could determine who was worthy of a place in line.

Actually, even the restaurants requiring a CC now were still a placeholder not an actual reservation as you'd get in your hometown.


I'd like to know when your next trip is so I can watch how successful you are when you voice your expectations. Expectation and reality aren't the same thing. This change works for Disney. It may not work for you, and it's up to you to decide how to go about that. It's not a knee jerk decision. They've done it for several restaurants and it worked to their liking.

I think that this may improve the timing for ADR's. Until this practice was implemented, restaurants were probably overbooking to allow for no shows and last minute cancellations, so perhaps this change will bring about a more realistic number of ADR's.

The difference is that my local restaurant cares about keeping my business. As far as disney is concerned there will be another plane load of customers along tomorrow to fill the place of those that have been left disappointed by their customer service standards.

The 'you are free to take your business elsewhere' is the classic sign of a business that no longer cares about customer service.

Or perhaps Disney is reacting to the numbers of guests who are frustrate when they try to make ADR's but find thta they are locked out of their choices because of those people who book JIC ADR's. Disney sells that DDP and when they accept payment for it, they really need to do what is possible to make sure those folks who purchase it can actually use it.

I am new to Disney and have not used ADR's before and I can see both sides but for me with kids I understand things happen and feel this is a bit harsh.


Personally I feel a 4 hour cancelation window would work. I also think that there should be a system where you go to guest service at the park and put your name down as a walk up. Specify the restaurant or any restaurant, party size and what meal you wish or any meal. And when a spot opens it texts you and you have a set time to respond to book it.

I am having a hard time as a newb booking a trip. Trying to wrap my head around booking a restaurant 6 months before we go. I don't know what I want for dinner tonight then have to book the time all the while booking fast passes, scheduling shows, judging weather and then predicting how the family will feel. To me that's not a vacation.

Everyone has their own idea of "reasonable cancellation time" but what is reasonable to one is a bitter pill to another.

 

[Colleen27]

Also, I think customer ill will and changes in customer behavior can translate into lost revenue (perhaps not enough to offset gains WDW will make with the change, of course), so, while it's true that "it's your vacation", there *is* a connection between "your vacation" and Disney's goal of maximizing revenues.

Exactly. Every time I start reading about some new complexity to Disney travel, I think back to our first trip... We went during the very first free dining period. I had been once before as a teen, so I had an idea that reservations were needed for character dining, but those were the only ADRs I made prior to arrival. At check-in I made one more, at the recommendation of a cast member (Le Cellier - seriously, I booked it about 3 days out). While touring the parks, we changed one ADR and cancelled another. I figured out fastpass on the fly. And we had a fabulous trip, so much so that we've been back eight times since. I don't think that would be the case with the changes happening now - the lack of ADR availability, the cancellation penalties, the FP+ system that shows every sign of making pre-planning ride times just as essential as pre-planning meals. Unless a first-time guest does a lot more research than I put in to that first trip, s/he's likely to have a less than ideal experience with all of these systems. I think in the long run that will cost Disney, as fewer "once in a lifetime" guests find the experience so wonderful that it becomes once a year (or more).

 

[PlutoPony]

From Disney's perspective, the bottom line is how late can a reservation be cancelled and Disney still be able to get someone in the door to take their place? Am guessing that's why 2-3-4 hour cancellation windows aren't acceptable. My impression over my last couple trips is that people have been weened from trying to get walk-up reservations ..... DDP and 180 day ADRs have done the trick, and in general walk-ups haven't been available to a large extent. So a late cancellation under the current policy is likely to result in an empty table. Disney restaurants measure of success is do they have empty tables? And right now they have way too many because of no-shows.

Getting people to make their cancellations by 11:59pm will allow guests to stop in GS when they walk into a park in the morning and see what's available in restaurant reservations for that day. I can definitely see where this scenario will result in fuller restaurants and frankly less frustration for a lot of guests who have been previous shut out.

 

[AmyB2006]

I have kids. I have never not made it to an ADR. I make a reservation, I plan on being there. If for some reason, I can't make it last minute, then I would accept the penalty.

I really dislike the fact that some people with kids use their children as an excuse of why they can't do something or can't make it somewhere on time, like it should excuse them of all penalties. Their excuse is no more valid than anyone else's excuse of illness or what be it.

If you can't make it, then I think you should accept the penalty. It's a reservation. Maybe they will make exceptions if you call the day of. I think it's mostly the people that are double booking, and then simply don't cancel their second reservation they're trying to weed out, that simply just don't show.

I wouldn't mind if they shortened the window of cancellation to say maybe 6 hours before your ADR? At least it gives last minute searchers and day of people, the chance to eat there.

 

[jimim]

In the only reason this new rule even exists or even the original old role of just the California Grill even exist is because of the abuse. If people were constantly making up excuses to benefit themselves and to pick and choose when they don't want to eat it wouldn't even be an issue. Most of the change seems to come from abuse there would be no reason for rules if there was no abuse that's why rules get made.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[cluvsdisney]

I get what Disney is doing. I think the policy is needed at least for some restaurants BUT

next time we go, we will have 2 toddlers. Our ADRs will be 5 people even though 2 of the people would not be charged, per se. So the restaurant was only gonna make money from 3 people, but I would be charged a $50 no show fee because I have to include "babies" on my ADR. I think the fee is too steep.

You raise an excellent point.

Since Disney won't charge the no-show fee if at least one person shows up for the ADR, why not charge a set fee for not cancelling a reservation on time? Make it $20-25 per ADR instead of per person.

 

[conandrob240]

This is not a typical restaurant scenario. I have no doubt disney can fill every table that cancels with walk ups. Even if 1/2 the ressies cancelled at say, Chef Mickeys, every one of those plus more could be filled by walk ups. There is no lost revenue from cancelled reservations at these super- popular places. That is the part that gets my goat. They are just being greedy. The bottom line is they fill that table yet still have the nerve to charge for the no show. Equals double revenue for Dinsey. The other issue here is that Disney knows exactly what their reservation to show ratio is down to a science for every single restaurant. They could easily create a no-lose formula where they took x # of bookings that would account for the % of no shows. They just prefer to penalize the guest.

My behavior will most definitely change. I alreaady made far ewer table service reservations for our last trip and will make even fewer now if I have no flexibility to enjoy my vacation as it comes. If that means I decide to cancel a meal a few hours before. If I decide on a TS, I'll try it as a walk up. If not, I'll eat elsewhere or off property.

 

[AmyB2006]

I get what Disney is doing. I think the policy is needed at least for some restaurants BUT

next time we go, we will have 2 toddlers. Our ADRs will be 5 people even though 2 of the people would not be charged, per se. So the restaurant was only gonna make money from 3 people, but I would be charged a $50 no show fee because I have to include "babies" on my ADR. I think the fee is too steep..

Even though you wouldn't be charged for your toddlers, they still need a seat to sit at. You're still taking a table for 5 or 6 instead of a table for 3 or 4. So you're still taking the space of 6 adults. I see your point, but I don't think it's going to hold up.

They are just being greedy. The bottom line is they fill that table yet still have the nerve to charge for the no show.

If there's no penalty for a no show, then how do you prevent them? They turn walk ups away at these restaurants. I've seen it happen.

 

[smiths02]

Even though you wouldn't be charged for your toddlers, they still need a seat to sit at. You're still taking a table for 5 or 6 instead of a table for 3 or 4. So you're still taking the space of 6 adults. I see your point, but I don't think it's going to hold up.

I understand, and I can see how that would work out very well for Disney. So my kids get sick, we don't go. Eatery gets $50 of my money PLUS there is a potential that a family of up to 6 people comes to eat which is more revenue than they would have made from my family of 3.

And I will just chalk it up to nothing being cheap once you have gone past the "ideal" number of children.

(I have to say in 3 trips, we have gone to EVERY ADR we scheduled or we have cancelled/rearranged by the night before, so it probably won't be a problem for me.)

ETA: I probably won't make fewer ADRs, but I can see us canceling the night before more often or just sending one of us.

 

[AmyB2006]

I understand, and I can see how that would work out very well for Disney. So my kids get sick, we don't go. Eatery gets $50 of my money PLUS there is a potential that a family of up to 6 people comes to eat which is more revenue than they would have made from my family of 3.

And I will just chalk it up to nothing being cheap once you have gone past the "ideal" number of children.

(I have to say in 3 trips, we have gone to EVERY ADR we scheduled or we have cancelled by the night before, so it probably won't be a problem for me.)

And this is the key. I wouldn't even worry if you're not typically one of the people that are no shows. I mean I get that kids get sick. I have two of them myself. But some of the "what if" scenarios here make me giggle. My DS came down with a respiratory infection and had to have breathing treatments and antibiotics on the first day of our Disney cruise. I didn't make it to dinner the first 4 nights of the cruise because I was in the room with him. It happens. I didn't ask the cruise line for a refund of part of my money cause I couldn't make it.