Question About Changing Dining Time After Boarding

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

We currently have late dining, but want to change it once we board. My husband asked me how they can switch so many people once you board under the theory that someone would have to give up early dining for late in order for you to be able to switch. So, does anyone have any insight how they can switch people? Do we need to be one of the first in line to have a chance?

 

[Dug720]

Do you have a request on your reservation already? I'd put that on there and you may get switched before.

That said, you are correct. There is a good chance that there are not enough slots to move anyone - if there are even any. There is no guarantee that even if you are the first person in line they'll be able to move you.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, we are wait listed for main dining. We were going to use DCL bus transfer to the port, but we’re considering getting private car service to get there earlier.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, we are wait listed for main dining. We were going to use DCL bus transfer to the port, but we’re considering getting private car service to get there earlier.

Unless you have the earliest PAT, getting there earlier will not help you get on board earlier. They assign the boarding groups based on the PAT and not your actual arrival time. Even when you could select a PAT when taking DCL transfers, it didn't matter. I was next to a family that had been on the first bus from MCO with me one time despite their PAT being something like 12:45 or 1 - they received a Boarding Group well into the 20s because that was what has been assigned with their PAT.

Some have said that sometimes calling periodically (I'd say no more than once a week) to make sure you are on the waiting list sometimes seems to grease the wheels.

But I would not spend the extra money on a private ride to the port UNLESS you cancel your DCL transfers and get an early PAT - because arriving earlier than that is not going to help.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

We are platinum, so the PAT time does not matter to us. We have done 17 cruises and only once got late dining. We did not like it. Unfortunately, we had to book our current cruise late because of school schedules, so late dining was our only option.

 

[Dug720]

Like I've said, call periodically to check on your wait list.

You can check when you get on board, but even if you are first in line there MAY not be any way to switch you. When I was on the Wonder Feb 17-21 the ship was only six passengers shy of being full and even the first person in line could not make any changes to their dining. It happens sometimes.

 

[Lilsia]

Unless you have the earliest PAT, getting there earlier will not help you get on board earlier. They assign the boarding groups based on the PAT and not your actual arrival time. Even when you could select a PAT when taking DCL transfers, it didn't matter. I was next to a family that had been on the first bus from MCO with me one time despite their PAT being something like 12:45 or 1 - they received a Boarding Group well into the 20s because that was what has been assigned with their PAT.

Some have said that sometimes calling periodically (I'd say no more than once a week) to make sure you are on the waiting list sometimes seems to grease the wheels.

But I would not spend the extra money on a private ride to the port UNLESS you cancel your DCL transfers and get an early PAT - because arriving earlier than that is not going to help.

Actually, the agents at the port said that they assign boarding number by your check in time. The earlier you do your on line check in, the sooner you get on the ship. I questioned them when I was one of the first to arrive to the port(Disney transfers) and got a later boarding number.

 

[Dug720]

Actually, the agents at the port said that they assign boarding number by your check in time. The earlier you do your on line check in, the sooner you get on the ship. I questioned them when I was one of the first to arrive to the port(Disney transfers) and got a later boarding number.

Within the PAT blocks, yes. That's how I was assigned 4 despite having the earliest PAT.

But there are numbers assigned to each PAT - you could select a later PAT as a Gold member, but you're not going to get Boarding Group 2; you would likely get the first Boarding Group for that selected PAT.

 

[Cheryl592000]

If you change your dining time, do they give you any kind of ticket or new KTTW card with the new info? Just so I won't forget what my table number is. LOL

 

[dprincessmom]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, we are wait listed for main dining. We were going to use DCL bus transfer to the port, but we’re considering getting private car service to get there earlier.

We were waitlisted on our last cruise and before paid in full date our dining moved to Early - fingers crossed you get it.

 

[Lilsia]

If you change your dining time, do they give you any kind of ticket or new KTTW card with the new info? Just so I won't forget what my table number is. LOL

They can make up another one for you.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

If you change your dining time, do they give you any kind of ticket or new KTTW card with the new info? Just so I won't forget what my table number is. LOL

We made a change to our dining assignment, not time just the server, on a cruise. They just crossed out the old information on the dining ticket and wrote in the new. I don't think they'd print a new KTTW card for it, probably just do what they did for us.

 

[MomOTwins]

There is no harm in waiting—see if you get off waitlist and if it is close to the cruise day and you still don’t have it switch to a private transfer. With platinum getting a PAT is irrelevant so there is no cost to waiting to making the switch.