Ok...have to vent...sorry

[Eponine1]

I was down at WDW from 11/12 -- 20. We had a WONDERFUL trip. Low crowds great weather.

My only complaint was at Le Celliar and what happened. We had a 6:15 pm ADR on 11/18. I booked 180 days, etc. We check in and was told they are running 15 to 25 minutes behind schedule. Ok, I can handle that since an ADR is not a set reservation. Plus with free dining (I don't do the meal plan BTW) it adds to the wait time.

We decide to wait inside the lobby to play trivia (I got alot of stickers)
While we wait (and waited) a women comes in loudly complaining about not being seated. Then she says " well, listen, I have another reservation for another restaurant in 10 minutes but I rather eat here so can you get us in now?" WHAT!!!!!!!! Sure enough within minutes she was seated. And this happened several times while I waited.

People.....THIS IS WHY I HAD TO WAIT 55 MINUTES because of free dining and those who make multiple resevations!!!!! It's bad enough when free dining is offered because they do tend to overbook but don't going making multiple reservations all over the place. Now that other reservation she I'm sure she didn't call to cancel and I'm sure that table went empty or delayed (not sure how long they hold tables for).

I really hope that Disney can somehow control the multiple reservations better in the future. It can only help.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I hope they can fix the double booking issue too. It's ridiculous that someone can't make up their mind where they want to eat. I'm sorry you had such a crummy wait at LC.

 

[Eponine1]

Thanks

It was the longest wait in the 17 times I've been to Disney that I had so I'm ok. I felt very bad for the girls that were seating the guest and had to hear the complaints about the delays. It's amazing how people can be nasty.

I also had a ADR on 11/14 for Garden Grill at 5:40 pm. We checked in at 5:15 pm and was told 10 minutes. Ok. Sat down and saw all these other people who checked in after us going in. I waited until 5:50 pm (10 minutes after our ADR) and then went back. I'm glad I did. Even though I had a buzzer they had deleted my ADR!!! I didn't complain (kindness gets you better results) I just asked when we would be seated at the point. We had a table within 2 minutes.

The meal was great! Again, the restaurant was packed which I think it was do to the free dining.

 

[DG-12]

Sorry... but we're going to blame free dining- not the rude behavior of people. ARE YOU SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE RESSIES HAD FREE DINING? DID YOU ASK? because I think people are rude, period. Free dining or no. And insinuating that free diners are causing your problems is sort of offensive. Dana

 

[Eponine1]

Oh...no....I didn't mean that she in particular was a free dinner (i don't know that). But the free dining itself that is offered fills the restaurants beyond their limit. The girl at Le Celliar told me that do actually overbook the restaurants when it's offered.

Why, I don't know because hardly anyone cancels when it's the most popular place.

And please....I didn't mean to flame the free dinners...please don't take it that way.

I should have it stressed the rudeness more. Sorry!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Oh...no....I didn't mean that she in particular was a free dinner (i don't know that). But the free dining itself that is offered fills the restaurants beyond their limit. The girl at Le Celliar told me that do actually overbook the restaurants when it's offered.

Why, I don't know because hardly anyone cancels when it's the most popular place.

And please....I didn't mean to flame the free dinners...please don't take it that way.

I should have it stressed the rudeness more. Sorry!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. Hope venting helped you.

 

[Laketravis]

I think you'll see Disney requiring a credit card to secure more and more dining reservations in the future. It's the only effective way to prevent someone from hoarding multiple ADR's within the same time frame.

 

[Eponine1]

I think you'll see Disney requiring a credit card to secure more and more dining reservations in the future. It's the only effective way to prevent someone from hoarding multiple ADR's within the same time frame.

That would help!!! Last year I went down the same exact week as this year and there was a huge difference in the dining experience. No free dining was offered last year and the restauarnts were not overbooked/crowded like I saw this year.

 

[mcd2745]

I think you'll see Disney requiring a credit card to secure more and more dining reservations in the future. It's the only effective way to prevent someone from hoarding multiple ADR's within the same time frame.

One can only hope so - along with other measures. Yes, the dining plan (free or not) combined with the 180-day window has caused the demand for ADRs to get so out of control that the demand for ADRs is much greater than the demand for meals.

 

[Tricia1972]

(not sure how long they hold tables for).

They don't hold tables for people. Your table isn't in que until you check in.

(that's part of the reason for overbooking. People don't show up for many reasons and Disney accounts for this with their overbooking.)

 

[Eponine1]

They don't hold tables for people. Your table isn't in que until you check in.

(that's part of the reason for overbooking. People don't show up for many reasons and Disney accounts for this with their overbooking.)

Thank you for the information on this. I was unsure on how it worked.

 

[Missytara]

Sorry... but we're going to blame free dining- not the rude behavior of people. ARE YOU SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE RESSIES HAD FREE DINING? DID YOU ASK? because I think people are rude, period. Free dining or no. And insinuating that free diners are causing your problems is sort of offensive. Dana

She wasn't saying that at all. The free dining has only exasperated the problem of double booking, because now people who wouldn't normally be able to afford to do a TS meal are now booking along with you. There are more people booking TS because of free dining.

The free dining people are also finding ways to double/triple book and decide where they want to eat later. It is not only free dining people, it just multiplies the problem.

I too hope that the new system upgrades dump you out of ALL your ressies if you try to double/triple book. For instance, to ensure that I got to all the places I wanted to, I booked at the 180 day and I am going ALONE.

Sure enough, free dining was extended for next week and places just filled right up. By the time my workmate decided to make ressies for the same week about two weeks later, they were literally scrambling for ressies that week.

So I'm with ya!

 

[DG-12]

She wasn't saying that at all. The free dining has only exasperated the problem of double booking, because now people who wouldn't normally be able to afford to do a TS meal are now booking along with you. SERIOUSLY?

The free dining people are also finding ways to double/triple book and decide where they want to eat later. I thought this was travel agents- not necessarily free dining people.

I too hope that the new system upgrades dump you out of ALL your ressies if you try to double/triple book. For instance, to ensure that I got to all the places I wanted to, I booked at the 180 day and I am going ALONE. Good for you- my mother had a stroke and we could not book 180 days out. Does that mean I don't get to eat?

I'm not going to argue about it. The fact is I read the post- I thought the poster was saying it was due to free dining. OP said they were saying it was free diners. BTW, depsite what you're saying- we don't have free dining. I don't feel like I should have to defend it, even if I was. Dana

 

[vicki_c]

My take on it:

It is totally true that there are many people eating at TS restaurants when dining is free that would not do so if it wasn't free and would choose CS locations instead.

Travel agents double booking was reported here as well, but Missytara was saying that in ADDITION to all the "usual" people doing it, there is an additional group of people doing it - those staying on free dining who might not have the DDP otherwise - it's just a math thing - more people on the DDP during free dining (although personally I don't really think there are as many double bookings going on as people make out, but that's just my opinion).

Relative to your comment about not being able to book 180 days out - that has nothing to do with double booking - she just said that ADRs should be cancelled for people that double or triple book, which is not related in any way to WHEN you book your reservations. You could do that at 180 days out or 1 day out - not sure how you see that as saying you shouldn't be able to eat?

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I believe this is what OP was saying:

Without free dining, the restaurants don't fill up.
When the restaurants don't fill up, it doesn't matter if people double or triple book. Everyone still gets to go to their first choice, as the restaurants are not filled up

But, with free dining, the restaurants fill up.
If Disney did not allow overbooking, when people double and triple book, many people would be locked out of reservations that are really available.
But, because Disney does overbook, to compensate for this, double and triple bookings are no longer preventing people from making resservations at otherwise open tables, ASSUMING Disney overbooks the right %

If Disney allows too many overbookings, you get the long waits for a table
If Disney doesn't allow enough overbookings, people get locked out of ADRs for tables that are really available.

Whether or not someone double books is not related to whether or not they go for free dining (there are rude people in any group). But, without the free dining, and the restaurants not filling up, no one cares about double booking (except maybe the most popular ones that always fill up).

 

[rosiep]

Sorry... but we're going to blame free dining- not the rude behavior of people. ARE YOU SURE THAT THE PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE RESSIES HAD FREE DINING? DID YOU ASK? because I think people are rude, period. Free dining or no. And insinuating that free diners are causing your problems is sort of offensive. Dana

She wasn't saying that at all. The free dining has only exasperated the problem of double booking, because now people who wouldn't normally be able to afford to do a TS meal are now booking along with you. SERIOUSLY?

The free dining people are also finding ways to double/triple book and decide where they want to eat later. I thought this was travel agents- not necessarily free dining people.

I too hope that the new system upgrades dump you out of ALL your ressies if you try to double/triple book. For instance, to ensure that I got to all the places I wanted to, I booked at the 180 day and I am going ALONE. Good for you- my mother had a stroke and we could not book 180 days out. Does that mean I don't get to eat?

I'm not going to argue about it. The fact is I read the post- I thought the poster was saying it was due to free dining. OP said they were saying it was free diners. BTW, depsite what you're saying- we don't have free dining. I don't feel like I should have to defend it, even if I was. Dana

Your posts come across as hostile.

 

[DG-12]

Sorry Rosie, They weren't meant to be hostile. I was truly offended by the idea that somehow people who use free dining are clogging the dining system. I usually never visit these threads- for some reason I opened this one. My take on this whole situation is that it would be great if disney would institute some kind of system to avoid letting people book more than one adr at a time. However, I also felt in the responding posts a certain elitism that just rubs me the wrong way. I might think something like "people who could never afford a table service meal are eating one because of free dining" but I would certainly never say that out loud. I believe the whole "Free dining" issue is odd because the majority of people are taking some kind of deal on this trip. If you choose a room discount, gift card, free dining etc... So I guess I would have to blame to onslaught of deals for the huge demand at disney, not necessarily one deal in particular. I'm sorry if I offended you Rosie- it was never my intention. Dana

 

[rosiep]

Sorry Rosie, They weren't meant to be hostile. I was truly offended by the idea that somehow people who use free dining are clogging the dining system. I usually never visit these threads- for some reason I opened this one. My take on this whole situation is that it would be great if disney would institute some kind of system to avoid letting people book more than one adr at a time. However, I also felt in the responding posts a certain elitism that just rubs me the wrong way. I might think something like "people who could never afford a table service meal are eating one because of free dining" but I would certainly never say that out loud. I believe the whole "Free dining" issue is odd because the majority of people are taking some kind of deal on this trip. If you choose a room discount, gift card, free dining etc... So I guess I would have to blame to onslaught of deals for the huge demand at disney, not necessarily one deal in particular. I'm sorry if I offended you Rosie- it was never my intention. Dana

As someone who has to save for my Disney trips I appreciate your defending Free Dining.

Thanks for coming back and not being offended by MY post!

Happy Thanksgiving

 

[Colleen27]

Oh...no....I didn't mean that she in particular was a free dinner (i don't know that). But the free dining itself that is offered fills the restaurants beyond their limit. The girl at Le Celliar told me that do actually overbook the restaurants when it's offered.

They overbook Le Cellier year round, FWIW, and for some reason they cannot seem to accurately account for the low no-show rate. We've never eaten there because of the long waits. The last time we had an ADR there they were running so far behind that they didn't have a pager to give us and told us to come back and check in again in 45min. And this wasn't during free dining or a busy time/day; it was a Wednesday night in mid-January a couple years back, when free dining was still the hurricane season special and discounts weren't as good/common as they are now.

 

[clanmcculloch]

IMO the problem in this situation had nothing to do even with double bookings. The problem IMO is that the CM was able to be bullied into seating somebody out of order rather than following the rules. The CM should have just politely said that there are people waiting who have ADRs before this guest and ask for her ADR info so she could cancel her LC ADR and recommend she go enjoy herself at CR. No way should she have been seated. That's the part that bothers me. Why should guests who have waited patiently have to wait longer because there's a rude, obnoxious bully checking in?