Priority Seating: It has to change.

[ksjayhawkfan]

ITA. It is so annoying to hear people talk about having 4 PS 30 minutes apart at 4 different places or at the same place for that matter....just in case. They can try and justify it any way they like but I still think its rude and I wish Disney would change the policy.

 

[escape]

Does anyone remember the good ol' days when you could only reserve the sit-down restaurants the day you visited? I think the exception was for the on-site guests...they could reserve 3 days in advance. However, there weren't nearly as many on-site rooms available then.

Back to the problem now....

The CM helping me with my reservations the other day told me that if you do not show up for the time you reserved, the restaurant would skip over your name. They do not hold tables. Assuming this is true, it stands to reason that if a restaurant is less than full, then it's due to lack of staff. Obviously, the restaurants accept more AR's than there is room for knowing that there will be people not showing up.

However, the current system punishes those who want to make changes in their reservations or those who walk up hoping to get in eventually. If you were to change the system by limiting the number of reservations accepted at a particular restaurant, then you would run the risk of never getting a reservation....too many people competing for the few slots. If you were limited to only 2 reservations, then like a previous poster said, you would start making up names or putting the reservation in another family member's name.

The solution? Geez, I dunno. Maybe Disney should do away with the reservation system and let people battle it out at the restaurants. Throw in some evil ducks from the Wilderness Lodge along with the space monkeys from Boardwalk and you could have enough material for a "Shocking Dining Moments at WDW" forum for years to come.

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

I would like to see them require a credit card or a resort room number. If you don't want to leave a credit card number for priority seating, then don't make a priority seating. It's that simple. There is far too much abuse of the current system. When we go, we do make some arrangements before we go. But, I don't make all of them because our park days can change, especially with the new ticket pricing and EMH and trying to adjust park days to avoid crowds.

Under the current system, there is no motivation for people to call and cancel PS when they know they are not going to make it. It isn't that difficult to do. All you have to do is call 407-wdw-dine. You don't even have to call the restaurant.

Priority seating isn't much different than having a reservation at a restaurant. We have had to wait up to 20 minutes after a reservation time at a busy restaurant before. The busier the restaurant, the more apt you are to have to wait some time for your reservation.

If they require a credit card, we would be SOL. We dont have any, nor will we ever have them. I did ask dining about CC deposits and was told that you can also send check or money orders within 14 days of making the PS....I dont know how true it is

 

[civileng68]

Okay, take it or leave it, here's my 2 cents............ We went to Chef Mickey's for dinner last Saturday of June and to MGM the next day (Sunday). I had made 2 PS's....Sat.'s @ CM's and SciFi on Sunday. We were early for CM's (didn't realize they opened at 5:00--our PS time) and wondered why they were giving "beepers" to everyone with all the empty tables. (Turns out, you get a pic taken and they "beep" you while doing that & all the empty tables were because they just opened! ) The next day at SciFi, we were about 10 minutes early and checked in. While waiting, I saw numerous people come in (w/o PS) and were turned away. They said their "walk-in" tables were full and it was an hour wait to get one.
Fast forward to later that nite...... while sitting in the baby care area (recharging our video camera battery), from where I was sitting, I could see out into the Guest Service area. This lady came in a ripped a poor CM dude up and down. She had a map and pointed out every sit-down place in MGM. She said, "I tried to eat here and here and here....... I was told there was nothing available or there was at least an hour wait. There is absolutely no way anyone should have to wait an hour to eat!" (Um, does she not eat out at home?? ) Anyway, I really couldn't hear the CM, but she really laid into him. Guess nobody told her of PS?? So, whatever he said, she rebuted, "Well, I am going to try to get a reservation for "this place" tomorrow. So, now that I've told you all this, where's it going to go??" I looked at DH and said, "Guess her complaint is going straight to Eisner!"
I guess something needs to be done about PS....maybe not enough people know about it or they need to limit.....altho, if you're off-site, not sure how they are gonna do that???..... but, a good post, and I agree.....

well in the situation of someone not knowing about a PS. That's neither the guests fault, nor Disney's fault. Disney puts in their advertising information but if someone doesn't order the video, or if they don't read up on Disney they may never know.

We saw a family turned away at Liberty Tree tavern because they were not accepting walk-ins, but the family didnt know why and never heard of a PS.

I think they do an ok job of letting people know about it, though i do feel bad for those on such an expensive vacation who are turned away because they dont know about PS. As much as we all know, we all have to understand that everyday are thousands of people entering those parks for the first time ever and they are not as informed as we are.

The no-shows are what drives me nuts though.

 

[civileng68]

The CM helping me with my reservations the other day told me that if you do not show up for the time you reserved, the restaurant would skip over your name. They do not hold tables. Assuming this is true, it stands to reason that if a restaurant is less than full, then it's due to lack of staff. Obviously, the restaurants accept more AR's than there is room for knowing that there will be people not showing up.

Well that sounds right except they don't exactly follow things like that.

If they are COMPLETELY full on PS's they will tell any walk-ups that they are not taking walk-ins instead of having them wait. Also if PS's for a slot are full and nobody shows up, they can't just skip to the next time slot, because those people have not shown up yet, because they are not scheduled yet, and no walk ins are coming in because they were turned away earlier.

 

[Tanuki]

If the people who make multiple PS lose their table if they are X number of minutes late, then that slot opens up for the next walk in. If this was happening as much as you seem to think - walk ins should be getting in on a regular basis. Which, as I understand it just not happening.

No restaurant would sit there and lose money on an empty table (think about it - losing hundreds of dollars per table) unless there was a really good reason they couldn't seat people at the table.

This is peak summer season so they should be able to know the number of staff they need. It isn't that hard to train a waiter. Cooks may be harder to come by. Possibly it is some disruption in the supply chain of the actual food they serve (a broken freezer or something)

A lot of factors play in to it - and they may know 90 days in advance that their kitchen can't handle the normal load due to rennovations or something that you don't even see. Backstage stuff is carefully hidden at Disney.

 

[tlbwriter]

I think they do an ok job of letting people know about it, though i do feel bad for those on such an expensive vacation who are turned away because they dont know about PS. As much as we all know, we all have to understand that everyday are thousands of people entering those parks for the first time ever and they are not as informed as we are.

Well, things are usually easier for people who are willing and able to plan ahead. The world just works that way. If the current PS system is resulting in empty tables, I'm sure Disney will do something about it.

 

[civileng68]

Well, things are usually easier for people who are willing and able to plan ahead. The world just works that way. If the current PS system is resulting in empty tables, I'm sure Disney will do something about it.

I completely agree. if it happens enough it will change, but sometimes it takes them a while to make these changes because they try to find the least detrimental way to make the change.

I agree that the planning ahead is the best way. I planned ahead and got the most important PS's. however, I park hop and dont always know 90 days out which park I'll be in each day. I think sometimes overplanning can hurt a vacation. I called NOT EXPECTING to get a table, and was not upset if I didnt. However, the problem is not that I called too late but that people dont use the PS's they reserve.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

If they require a credit card, we would be SOL. We dont have any, nor will we ever have them.

Then good luck getting a reservation in many big cities around the US. I know that here in NYC, you are required to give your CC at most 2 star and better restaurants. If you call and cancel 6 hours before your reservation, you have no problem, but if you just don't show, they charge your card $50-100. It a matter of common courtesy for your fellow human beings who just might want to get a seat at the fav restaurant of their choice. Those guests who do not exhibit this small amount of decency are penalized.
If you don't have a credit card and are required to wait for a seat, don't blame the restaurant or possibly, Disney...blame those who just don't show and ruin it for the rest of us.

 

[ccgegg]

I think the same people who complain about an hour wait because they don't have a PS/AR are the same people we Fastpass experts blow past in the standby line. There is a large number of people who don't utilize Disney's perks to their fullest. But those same people also don't spend the time researching and planning, so I can't say I feel sorry for them. It's like anything else... you gotta plan. You're not going to get Celine Dion tickets once you arrive in Vegas... you can't walk up to the ticket office for Superbowl tickets... and you're not going to get dinner reservations on the morning of Valentine's Day.

I agree with some other posts that the solution is simple. Disney knows how many people are in your travel party and how many ARs you have. It would be pretty easy to limit the ARs to one per meal IMHO.

 

[tlbwriter]

However, the problem is not that I called too late but that people dont use the PS's they reserve.

Oh, I agree with you. I think it's a selfish thing to do. I was only responding to the posters who think things need to be made easier for people who can't or won't get PS.

 

[lillygator]

I think the same people who complain about an hour wait because they don't have a PS/AR are the same people we Fastpass experts blow past in the standby line. There is a large number of people who don't utilize Disney's perks to their fullest. But those same people also don't spend the time researching and planning, so I can't say I feel sorry for them. It's like anything else... you gotta plan. You're not going to get Celine Dion tickets once you arrive in Vegas... you can't walk up to the ticket office for Superbowl tickets... and you're not going to get dinner reservations on the morning of Valentine's Day.

I agree, and most restaurants around here are 1-2 hour waits, especially during season!!

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

Then good luck getting a reservation in many big cities around the US. I know that here in NYC, you are required to give your CC at most 2 star and better restaurants. If you call and cancel 6 hours before your reservation, you have no problem, but if you just don't show, they charge your card $50-100. It a matter of common courtesy for your fellow human beings who just might want to get a seat at the fav restaurant of their choice. Those guests who do not exhibit this small amount of decency are penalized.
If you don't have a credit card and are required to wait for a seat, don't blame the restaurant or possibly, Disney...blame those who just don't show and ruin it for the rest of us.

I hope Im just taking the tone of your post wrong, because Im feeling a bit put out by it.

I had to re-read my post to try and see where I said anything about blaming anyone...because I didnt. I have alot more courtesy than alot of people since I DID call to cancel when we know we werent going to use the PS.

.

 

[civileng68]

I hope Im just taking the tone of your post wrong, because Im feeling a bit put out by it.

I had to re-read my post to try and see where I said anything about blaming anyone...because I didnt. I have alot more courtesy than alot of people since I DID call to cancel when we know we werent going to use the PS.

.

No, I think he was just saying that CC reserving is just becoming status-quo in today's society. There's NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING wrong with no using CC's. TRUST ME THAT MANY OF US ENVY THAT! However, to get many things in today's society you have to have one.

Hotel reservations (in most all cases)
Many Restaurant reservations
Rentals (such as car)
Airline tickets online

Laughs was just saying that CC reserving is just part of society and without it you dont get much these days.

 

[daisax]

There is no way in hell that Disney is letting tables languish without paying behinds sitting in them. Empty tables don't always mean "available" tables, due to the staffing issues mentioned above.

If you show up and can't walk in, perhaps there simply were 2-3 other families who "just walked in" ahead of you.

Local family restaurants around here routinely make you wait a half hour or more (your choice if you want to eat there).

I'd say it's far more a staffing complaint than a procedural complaint. And I wouldn't put it past Disney to restrict the number of diners in one popular restaurant to fob off diners to a nearby less popular restaurant at peak dining hours. They're paying the staff at the other restaurant as well, and most people turned away from one will move on to the next closest. Maybe not US, but most people.

I can't speak for people offsite, but as I recall, the whole dining reservation thing is described ad nauseum on the tv channel as well as the daily schedule and room books. Like fastpass, they can't assign somebody to stop and explain it to every person on entry to the park.

 

[missypie]

A couple of points:

As far as I can recall, I think that the Unofficial Guide still has it in their touring plans to make a PS for a meal later that day. They may well - in the restaurant section - encourage people to make earlier PS, but a lot of people only read the touring plans and may think that a same day PS is the only, or best, way to go.

It may be a good compromise to charge a small fee - maybe $5 for no-shows. Lots of people would think it worth $5 to make a phone call to cancel.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

No, I think he was just saying that CC reserving is just becoming status-quo in today's society. There's NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING wrong with no using CC's. TRUST ME THAT MANY OF US ENVY THAT! However, to get many things in today's society you have to have one.

Hotel reservations (in most all cases)
Many Restaurant reservations
Rentals (such as car)
Airline tickets online

Laughs was just saying that CC reserving is just part of society and without it you dont get much these days.

Thank you!! I didn't mean anything personal towards any particular post, just the state of restaurant reservations today. Sorry if I offended anyone, for it was not my intention.

 

[goofy4tink]

When I first traveled to WDW back in '99, I really didn't do as much research as I should have. I made a few PS but not too many. I just figured I would eat when and where I wanted. There were a few places we were turned away from, but not many. It was in late Oct so crowds weren't huge. Now, after many trips, I always make one PS (ADR) per day. On our last trip, 6/18-26, I saw a lot of people being told there was a long wait, over an hour, for walk-ins at the popular restaurants. At only a few places did I see any empty tables. WCC was one, but it was around 3:00 at that point.

I don't think that many people are holding several PS for the same time slot at several restaurants. Most people just are not that savvy. There are a lot more people that don't even get the PS system and just try walking up. I do know that when they changed the June hours back in mid-May, I was among the group hustling to revise my PS's. I did find that Dining had not canceled two different PSs that I had and had canceled several weeks prior. THey did ask me if I was stilll needing PS for the same time frame in different parks. WHen I said of course not, they asked why I had one for 50's and one for LTT at the same time!!! Told them I had canceled the 50's PS two weeks before. THey also had two others that I had called cancelled and changed to different days. So, while I didn't have them anymore, Disney Dining still had them in their system!!! According to them, I had a total of 18 PS's. About 4 of them I had already cancelled!!! Good thing I called and double checked.

I would hate it if they changed to cc for all seatings. I really think the system works pretty well now. I would hate to be 'penalized' because there are people out there who don't do their homework before a trip and don't know about the existing system! If I choose to make my dining plans 90 days out, then that should be okay. Please don't ask me for a cc to secure them or do away with PSs completely and make it all walk-up. I suppose I am in the minority of people that actually calls the restaurant and cancels if we aren't going to make it. And that is usually early in the day because of an illness.

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

Oh good, cause I was feeling sad lol. I totally understand that most things mentioned require a CC. We just do with out or try to do it a different way. If everywhere in the world becomes CC only, we would get them trust me. But right now, we are just against it.

 

[Magickndm]

But Disney points out that PS's are NOT guaranteed reservations. Why would I put a hold on my CC for something not guaranteed?
I do agree that Disney should put a limit on PS's...there will always be people who will take advantage and find a way around it, but I think the majority of people would oblige and follow the rules. Some people may be oblivious to the fact that by making back up PS's that they're keeping others from eating there.