New WDW Dining Reservations Policy

[saskdw]

It is not Disney's fault people expect something they are not told they are getting. I could expect Mickey Mouse to meet me and hold my hand as I enter the park in the morning, but that doesn't mean it is going to happen. Or that it is logical for me to think it should happen.

What good does it do anyone to expect ADRs to be something they are not? All it does is make that person frustrated and upset. As one of my bosses is fond of saying, it is what it is, and that is what you need to work with. Expecting an ADR to guarantee a time when it doesn't, and then being upset that the time is not guaranteed, is illogical at best.

Deal with what is, and stop banging your head against the wall.

No head banging here. I'm merely stating that in any restaurants in the rest of the free world this would be an expected business practice if they wanted to stay in business.

I'm actually half expecting that Disney knows this and will adapt their policy in the near future. If they don't they are showing alot of arrogance demanding this type of commitment and not proving the service that would be expected everywhere else. Time will tell how which strategy they employ and how it works out for them.

 

[jennyerin]

The only time we ever double booked was the year that our Luau rained out. We had to scramble for dinner that night and the CM told us when we were able to reschedule the Luau for later in the trip that most people doublebook for that reason. Sure if the weather report the day before predicts bad weather you can cancel your ressie but when you go in August and every day the weather is questionable you can't predict if it will rain out your dinner. We have stopped doing the luau for that very reason.

 

[tjkraz]

No head banging here. I'm merely stating that in any restaurants in the rest of the free world this would be an expected business practice if they wanted to stay in business.

If a restaurant is so busy that they are seating people 10-20 minutes after a scheduled reservation, they probably won't have much trouble filling tables even without the disgruntled patrons.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

No head banging here. I'm merely stating that in any restaurants in the rest of the free world this would be an expected business practice if they wanted to stay in business.

I'm actually half expecting that Disney knows this and will adapt their policy in the near future. If they don't they are showing alot of arrogance demanding this type of commitment and not proving the service that would be expected everywhere else. Time will tell how which strategy they employ and how it works out for them.

I am simply stating that if they are going to charge me if I am not there then they are treating it like an agreement. Therefore, I will treat my end the same way and for me the agreement is that I will be seated in a timely manner of the time we both agreed on. If that does not happen, I will politely complain. If it is not resolved to my satisfaction, then I will go offsite to a place that values my business.

See, it is my money and my time, so, no it does not have to be 'it is what it is'. Since Disney is removing double booking, that removes a variable and there shouldn't be a problem abiding by my reservation time. Again, if you can't do something that simple, I probably don't want you preparing my meal anyway.

 

[tjkraz]

I am simply stating that if they are going to charge me if I am not there then they are treating it like an agreement. Therefore, I will treat my end the same way and for me the agreement is that I will be seated in a timely manner of the time we both agreed on. If that does not happen, I will politely complain. If it is not resolved to my satisfaction, then I will go offsite to a place that values my business.

See, it is my money and my time, so, no it does not have to be 'it is what it is'. Since Disney is removing double booking, that removes a variable and there shouldn't be a problem abiding by my reservation time. Again, if you can't do something that simple, I probably don't want you preparing my meal anyway.

As a whole, it should improve wait times because the uncertainty surrounding all reservations is either eliminated or greatly reduced. But issues will still arise. They could be customer driven issues like late arrivals or parties who stay beyond the normal dining time. Or it could be the restaurant's fault if there are problems in the kitchen, with waitstaff, etc.

Perfection will never be found at a high-volume environment like the Disney parks. But improvement is likely.

 

[saskdw]

I am simply stating that if they are going to charge me if I am not there then they are treating it like an agreement. Therefore, I will treat my end the same way and for me the agreement is that I will be seated in a timely manner of the time we both agreed on. If that does not happen, I will politely complain. If it is not resolved to my satisfaction, then I will go offsite to a place that values my business.

See, it is my money and my time, so, no it does not have to be 'it is what it is'. Since Disney is removing double booking, that removes a variable and there shouldn't be a problem abiding by my reservation time. Again, if you can't do something that simple, I probably don't want you preparing my meal anyway.

I agree 100%. I may take it a step farther though. I may just spend all my vacation money somewhere else, not just the food portion.

As of right now I'm satisfied with the overall service I have recieved from WDW and feel I got value for my money, as well as having a great time. That's why we keep coming back. This new policy has a chance to be something really good, I hope they make it work. But I feel the same way you do regarding this new policy.

 

[saskdw]

As a whole, it should improve wait times because the uncertainty surrounding all reservations is either eliminated or greatly reduced. But issues will still arise. They could be customer driven issues like late arrivals or parties who stay beyond the normal dining time. Or it could be the restaurant's fault if there are problems in the kitchen, with waitstaff, etc.

Perfection will never be found at a high-volume environment like the Disney parks. But improvement is likely.

I'm good with that. We generally have lengthy on-site stays of 12-14 days. So if I have 20 ADR's over that time and 18 of them seat me with-in 15 mins I'm ok with that. Sometimes uncontrolable circumstances come up, to experience a couple of delays over that time would be understandable. I just need to feel the the effort is being made to compensate for the increased commitment from me.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

It is not Disney's fault people expect something they are not told they are getting. I could expect Mickey Mouse to meet me and hold my hand as I enter the park in the morning, but that doesn't mean it is going to happen. Or that it is logical for me to think it should happen.

Deal with what is, and stop banging your head against the wall.

I think you might a shot right past the point.

I believe the point was that if its now just " firm reservations" with deposits...then the reservation should be held. As in - I booked at 7:10 and I'm there at 7... Then I should be seated at 7:10...not in a line of "reservations" outside biergarten that's an hour long ( true story from last August)

I don't think that's unreasonable. If they want to have a "short wait" reservation system...then book by windows...like "arrive 7-7:30"

They had that system - priority seating - and canned it to sell dining plans.

 

[tjkraz]

I don't think that's unreasonable. If they want to have a "short wait" reservation system...then book by windows...like "arrive 7-7:30"

I'm not sure that would help any because the flow of arrivals is not likely to be steady.

For simplicity sake, assume the average dining time is 60 minutes. If a significant number of people in the 4:00 - 4:30 window arrive around 4:30, and a similarly large number for the 5:00 - 5:30 window arrive at 5:00, there are going to be long waits. And it could be compounded by things like parties that stay longer than 60 min, large parties which can only be accommodated at certain tables, etc.

They had that system - priority seating - and canned it to sell dining plans.

Honestly, I never knew that ADRs were perceived as being any different than Priority Seating. I just viewed it as a re-branding rather than a change in product itself.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Honestly, I never knew that ADRs were perceived as being any different than Priority Seating. I just viewed it as a re-branding rather than a change in product itself.

Because dining reservations are booked up to the last man woman and child the place could handle...

While priority was a math model that pre-booked a percentage of the seats available and left the rest for flexible use...ie walk ups.

The priority systems common line (Disney produced a trained) was "there are no priority settings available but you can always proceed to the restaurant as a walkup guest"

Did you ever hear that in the last 8 years? It's usually a head shake horizontally when semi busy or a wink and a nod and "you should be ok" when it's dead in a park.

Priority seating was not a hard reservation system... It was designed ( rightly so in an amusement park) around flexibility and accommodation.
ADRs are not. They are accountant driven. As is the dining plan that forced the implementation.

The old discovery and deluxe magic dining plans worked because they were sold as an upgrade to a certain portion of the crowd. When they decided to get everyone on the bus with the ddp...the system became rigid. And allowed more money into world of disney, streamlined ordering in the kitchens, and jacked prices for those stupid enough not to go dining plan (again the brunt being Florida res, ap holders, DVC for awhile, and cast customers)

 

[maxiesmom]

I think you might a shot right past the point.

I believe the point was that if its now just " firm reservations" with deposits...then the reservation should be held. As in - I booked at 7:10 and I'm there at 7... Then I should be seated at 7:10...not in a line of "reservations" outside biergarten that's an hour long ( true story from last August)

I don't think that's unreasonable. If they want to have a "short wait" reservation system...then book by windows...like "arrive 7-7:30"

They had that system - priority seating - and canned it to sell dining plans.

No I think you are missing my point. Any poster can expect an ADR to be a firm reservation. But if that is not what it is, and according to Disney it is not, then expecting it to be a firm reservation is self defeating.

Who knows maybe in the future Disney will decide they are booking exact times, and not the next available table. But that is not what the reality is now. If people walk around expecting something they are not told they are getting, they are the ones to blame for being upset by not getting it.

By all means let Disney know if you want things to change. But for now, work with the system that is. Not what you would rather it be.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

No I think you are missing my point. Any poster can expect an ADR to be a firm reservation. But if that is not what it is, and according to Disney it is not, then expecting it to be a firm reservation is self defeating.

Who knows maybe in the future Disney will decide they are booking exact times, and not the next available table. But that is not what the reality is now. If people walk around expecting something they are not told they are getting, they are the ones to blame for being upset by not getting it.

By all means let Disney know if you want things to change. But for now, work with the system that is. Not what you would rather it be.

I understand what you are saying and it works for you. I also indicated that I agree with the charge from a perspective of cutting down on double booking. I am not worried about paying the charge due to double booking because I have never double booked for any reason.

But my expectations are, and for me those are the only ones that matter because your expectations do not affect me at all, that if a restaurant, not just a Disney restaurant, is going to charge me for not showing up, then, in my eyes, you have indicated to me that this is 'set in stone' so to say. And, if you are not going to honor your end of it, for whatever reason, then I will go somewhere else. So no it is not self defeating because I will be going somewhere else that services me. I will be enjoying my dining experience instead of waiting to be seated at a Disney restaurant.

And and saskdw indicated, the more I go offsite, the better chance that I don't come back.

Maybe part of the difference in views is that I don't see the highest cause of the problem of getting ADRs, in most of the restaurants, as double booking. It may have been a cause in certain ones like CRT and Le Celliur, but not in the others. More than likely you can get Le Celliur now because they changed it to two credits for dining plan and most people moved on.

In my eyes, the issue is more that the restaurants are not ran at full capacity. The best example of this I can provide you is Be Our Guest. It was very difficult for us to get reservations to eat dinner there during our May trip. We finally did get a reservation about two months prior to the trip. The night we were there, one entire dining room was empty and not being used. I thought maybe it had been used earlier and shut down later in the evening. We had some time waiting to see Beast and I was chatting with a cast member working there. I had asked about the room being closed and she indicated it has not been used all day. This during a week where many people did not get a reservation. I feel things like this have more to do with reservations being hard to get.

 

[ParrotBill]

... a line of "reservations" outside biergarten that's an hour long ( true story from last August)...

Was that during free dining by chance? As a DVC member who must travel when school is out free dining is a nightmare. Why? because so many getting dining for free don't take it seriously enough to be on time for their reservations.

Biergarten is one of the places we love because it is never a long wait except during free dining.

I am hoping the new policy will get people to take their dining more seriously. But absent from this policy is an expectation that you show up with x minutes of your time or you lose your spot - and go into walk up wait mode.

I think what happens when people are late is they fill open tables with walk-ups. Then people show up late, and the reservations start to back up. This is why I try to get early ADRs and not later ones. I find later ones are long waits. In August we had a 7:50 at Whispering Canyon and did not get seated until 8:15. All our others were by 6:30 and no waits.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

Was that during free dining by chance? As a DVC member who must travel when school is out free dining is a nightmare. Why? because so many getting dining for free don't take it seriously enough to be on time for their reservations.

Biergarten is one of the places we love because it is never a long wait except during free dining.

I am hoping the new policy will get people to take their dining more seriously. But absent from this policy is an expectation that you show up with x minutes of your time or you lose your spot - and go into walk up wait mode.

I think what happens when people are late is they fill open tables with walk-ups. Then people show up late, and the reservations start to back up. This is why I try to get early ADRs and not later ones. I find later ones are long waits. In August we had a 7:50 at Whispering Canyon and did not get seated until 8:15. All our others were by 6:30 and no waits.

Disney used to only hold 'reservations' for 15 minutes. After that, if you showed up, you were treated as a walk up. Do they not abide by this anymore?

 

[ParrotBill]

I think that hold policy has been very flexible if enforced at all. I've seen people show up an hour late as we were stepping up on time to the podium. Now that there is a cc guarantee, I bet they will be even more flexible as they will not want to treat anyone as a no show in person. They will simply give you a pager and tell you that you will be seated as soon as possible.... bumping others who were on time on down...

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Parrot Bill,


It was not during free dining... That kicked in a week later.
They just had a major problem with a large crowd that day...and that was contrary to every other experience at biergarten... Where it is - as you say - casual.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

In my eyes, the issue is more that the restaurants are not ran at full capacity. The best example of this I can provide you is Be Our Guest. It was very difficult for us to get reservations to eat dinner there during our May trip. We finally did get a reservation about two months prior to the trip. The night we were there, one entire dining room was empty and not being used. I thought maybe it had been used earlier and shut down later in the evening. We had some time waiting to see Beast and I was chatting with a cast member working there. I had asked about the room being closed and she indicated it has not been used all day. This during a week where many people did not get a reservation. I feel things like this have more to do with reservations being hard to get.

This is a great example of why I don't feel availability will increase with guaranteed bookings...they will tailor the staff to the bookings, not have the staff to handle " in case" walkups.

It just not done the way it used to be in 32830...