Really Disney Guest Services?

[FunTimeMom]

After the fail that was making ADRs at 180 days I spoke to 2 representatives who both swore up and down everything had been released and was simply booked solid. I doubted that was the truth and now with large blocks at various restaurants I KNOW it wasn't true. Even if I assume they held back reservations for a good reason I am very angry that they lied to me. Disney is not cheap and I expect better service. I am excited to have the reservations I wanted but I am really upset with Disney right now. Maybe if making ADRs online wasn't such a cluster on my 180 day I wouldn't have sat on hold for an hour when I called for BBB and I would have gotten something.

 

[ldauksch]

I understand your frustration but from what I understand when tables are added like this it is because they increase the staff at those restaurants based on what they think crowds will be like. It's aggravating but they don't/can't have an accurate idea of how many people will be visiting 6 months out since people are constantly booking/changing their plans. I'm sure when you called all the tables which might be the bare minimum were booked. Also, my guess is that only the restaurants themselves can know if they are fully booked for sure and the people on the dining phone line can only see what we see really.

 

[FunTimeMom]

I could respect it if I was told that. I was told in no uncertain terms everything had been released, they would not hold anything back, and clearly they did.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I'm sure that the 2 you spoke with were telling you, to the best of their knowledge, the truth. All they can tell you is what is in the system when you call. I guess they could have said that something may or may not open up in the future, but you would still have to wait and watch for that to happen. I called yesterday morning to see if I could get a person added on to an ADR at BOG, the answer was sorry there is nothing available. About an hour later I found out that tables opened up and I was able to book what I needed.

Also know that the CMs answering the phones are notorious for giving out bad information on many subjects not just dining.

 

[ldauksch]

I hear you. I called and told a CM i had heard they held back tables and asked him if there was any truth to that and he told me he didn't think so and that he didn't see the advantage of doing so. I honestly think the CMs on the dining line just don't realize that that's what happens so they tell you everything is booked because that's all they know. Trust me I've frustrated as well but it's mostly my fault because I decide to upgrade to the deluxe plan a couple weeks ago instead of before my ADR day so I've made things harder on myself. I just hate to see people hating on CMs because I really am not sure they know much more than how to search for tables. I had a CM try and tell me to get up once a week at 6 AM EST to search for BOG because that's when the system resets. Now we all know that if someone releases something it goes back into the system right away she clearly did not know that. Super nice lady just obviously doesn't know much about how the system works

 

[FunTimeMom]

These conversations weren't with cm on the dining reservation line. I spoke to two different guest service representatives. At that level they should have known the situation.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I could respect it if I was told that. I was told in no uncertain terms everything had been released, they would not hold anything back, and clearly they did.

Where's your documentation Disney released large blocks of tables? Please post your proof or official Disney press release so we can agree with you. Pictures work too.

 

[FunTimeMom]

Where's your documentation Disney released large blocks of tables? Please post your proof or official Disney press release so we can agree with you. Pictures work too.

Oh, yes, it is much more likely that everyone who had reservations at BOG and H&V all released at the same exact time yesterday and today. Yep, that sounds like something that would happen. What is your explanation for the sudden availability of so many tables if it wasn't Disney releasing them?

 

[KristiK]

Where's your documentation Disney released large blocks of tables? Please post your proof or official Disney press release so we can agree with you. Pictures work too.

I check ressies daily looking for a few......Monday BOG opened a TON of dinner reservations in Nov (because I saw and snagged one)! Today, H&V, which had NO availability opened a TON of breakfast, lunch, and Fantasmic pkgs in Nov, as well as Coral Reef dinners (snagged those too lol). I've been looking for two months now. They unequivocally have not been there before these "mass releases"...they may just be opening more due to forecasted traffic, but they are definitely NOT all there at the 180 day mark. Added: I don't think guest services knows and is deliberately deceiving.....but if you call a restaurant they will tell you they are nowhere booked to capacity even though there would be no open ressies for it.

 

[ldauksch]

Where's your documentation Disney released large blocks of tables? Please post your proof or official Disney press release so we can agree with you. Pictures work too.

I definitely agree with her that they did release a ton of tables. I'm just not sure guest services deliberately lied to her. I guess since it doesn't look like you have a trip in November you wouldn't have seen all the tables but their is no other explanation. It's actually been happening randomly all month with different restaurants.

 

[FunTimeMom]

Customer service should know the policies on releasing tables, and they should be in a place to resolve guest issues even if that resolution is saying to wait for a later second release. Best case, the representative didn't know, and in that case she should have looked into it and followed up. If this is how the company does business they are showing me they want me to spend my money elsewhere for my next vacation. I paid a lot of money for a hotel on property that we booked more than 180 days in advance to take advantage of booking dining at 180 days and Disney has shown me that perk does not actually exist.

 

[kamik86]

Honestly I doubt the CMs lied to you. If you want to be mad about disney customer service be mad at the company policies not the individuals. If you were told X by your boss and the system agrees then you would tell X to the customer that called you too and would think you knew the right answer.

Disney guest service reps on the phone generally aren't even near WDW. Many times they give out wrong information. It seems that the company as a whole is doing a terrible job in training and communication with them.

 

[kamik86]

Oh as for the other option? Disney's awful IT system had a glitch that caused the system to somehow show things as booked that weren't really booked. So you saw no availability the CMs saw a fully booked restaurant and then the glitch got fixed and everyone's system showed the truth. Again a failing of Disney management, but again the people you spoke to wouldn't have lied to you.

 

[ldauksch]

I guess I'm just confused why you called guest services regarding dining reservations. I only ever call the dining line regarding ADRs.

 

[FunTimeMom]

Again for clarification, I spoke to representatives from Guest Services whose job it is to help guests having issues, not the CM who make reservations. When we were on the phone the second rep and I went round and round about it. While I was on the phone she looked at her reservation site, which she said has far more information than we see, and assured me everything had been released and the week was going to be very busy.

 

[FunTimeMom]

I guess I'm just confused why you called guest services regarding dining reservations. I only ever call the dining line regarding ADRs.

I sent an email to guest services about the tech issues and the difficulty I had booking reservations and they called me. On my 180 day I had serious issues on the computer for over an hour, waited on hold for over an hour on the phone and in the end was only able to get one out of the seven reservations I was trying for. I couldn't get a reservation for the other six at any other time during our trip. Not a different day than I hoped or an off time, nothing.

 

[Andrea1973]

I understand your frustrations, but remember the guy on the phone is just an employee, when you called they could have been booked, and then 20 minutes later the powers that be that control everything release other discounts, rooms, dining reservations etc...

I only suggest this because I know what it is like to be front and center on the switchboard, we are often the last to know, or know very little.

NOW I am not saying this is the case but just remember that the little person that picks up the phone is not the decision maker. That would be someone that gets paid the BIG Bucks.

I do hope that you are able to get what you need and end up having a really great trip

 

[ldauksch]

Again for clarification, I spoke to representatives from Guest Services whose job it is to help guests having issues, not the CM who make reservations. When we were on the phone the second rep and I went round and round about it. While I was on the phone she looked at her reservation site, which she said has far more information than we see, and assured me everything had been released and the week was going to be very busy.

I'm clear on that. It's obvious we are never going to agree but I stand by my first post and I don't think they intentionally lied to you. Yes, they might know that sometimes more tables get released due to the fact that they increase the staff but why tell you that when they don't know for sure and have you get your hopes up and then if it doesn't happen you're angry because they told you they would release more tables and then they didn't. I'm starting to realize that they are very careful about not telling people something until it is written in stone because I think they get too many people complaining because a CM told them a rumor and then it didn't come to fruition. I just spoke with a CM on Monday regarding the Minnie's Holiday Dine at H&V and she repeatedly told me this hasn't been released things could still change most likely because she didn't want me calling back and screaming because she told me something was happening and then it didn't.

 

[FunTimeMom]

With the new releases the past few days, some help from Dining Scout and the Cancellation thread our ADRs are coming together and I am very excited. My son has food allergies and Disney goes so above and beyond for him that it is a huge part of the magic for us. It is a big reason why we go to Disney. We could easily plan a vacation somewhere else, but we go to Disney for the awesome food experiences with my son. If you take that away from us we lose the reason we booked the trip. I am excited and we will have a great time, I just feel their guest service with regards to this has been dismal and not very magical.