Reschedule vs. Cancel of ADR

[foohpah]

I currently have a 4:05 reservation for dinner at 'Ohana on our arrival day - this was an important request from my family. Originally I was unable to get a reservation but I have since picked up the 4:05 time. We are driving in from Missouri and I am concerned that is going to be too early. I am hesitant to cancel outright since it is possible for us to make it but we of course will not know until that day when we see how traffic is moving, etc.. I am attempting to find us a later time which would be ideal but I am trying to consider all of my options if that does not happen. I know I can cancel the night before without penalty but I have seen some people say that on the same day you can just reschedule without penalty. Is that true? Does the reschedule have to be for the same restaurant or the same day?

Thanks!

 

[TiffanyA]

When people say that, it is because others also drop reservations and there is more availability. This is why rescheduling on the day of is very possible. All restaurants pretty much follow this trend, so you will find more availability across the board, but you shouldn't count on any specific restaurant - it's more of a general trend.

If you are asking about avoiding the no-show fee, I've heard that if you cancel 2 hours before the reservation time, you will not be charged. I've also done the reschedule through the dining line and not been charged (both same restaurant different time and different restaurant altogether so no matter).

 

[TheRustyScupper]

some people say that on the same day you can just reschedule without penalty. Is that true?

1) This does happen occasionally.
2) But, it is NOT policy.
3) It is a courtesy that some eateries and/or some CM's allow.
4) Ohana usually does not allow this, since it is such a popular restaurant with hard-to-get ressie.
5) It is unkind and rude to others who have tried hard to get an ADR to allow folks to cancel on-the-day-of a ressie.
6) Your decision:
. . . simply leave early enough to make certain you are at WDW in time for your ressie
. . . cancel the night before if you don't want to leave early enough to arrive in time
. . . take the chance you arrive in time, because if late, your ADR can be cancelled and you get the $10 per person No-Show-Penalty
7) You could always make an ADR for later during your stay at WDW . . . No ADR is so important that it ruins a vacAtion.

I've heard that if you cancel 2 hours before the reservation time, you will not be charged.

1) Canceling 2-hours before your ADR does not release you from the No-Show-Penalty.
2) The RULE is the night prior (longer for some eateries).
. . . it is the same for everyone
. . . it should not be changed because people do not want to leave early enough to make the ADR
. . . whether leaving their hotel, leaving their activity, or leaving a queue line at a ride
3) I have people almost every day come to my Concierge Desk and want me to reverse a No-Show-Penalty they THOUGHT was cancelled in time.
4) Nope.
5) It is the choice of the restaurant Manager (at the end of the day, when the restaurant has closed) if you are charged.
6) If I reverse the charge, I have to answer to my manager, because the penalty is now back-charged to my hotel, not the restaurant.
7) It is the guest's responsibility to be on-time, just like any other appointment.
8) Just because it is a vacation, the guest must still comply with the rules.

 

[TiffanyA]

Thanks for setting the record straight Rusty!

 

[foohpah]

1) This does happen occasionally.
2) But, it is NOT policy.
3) It is a courtesy that some eateries and/or some CM's allow.
4) Ohana usually does not allow this, since it is such a popular restaurant with hard-to-get ressie.
5) It is unkind and rude to others who have tried hard to get an ADR to allow folks to cancel on-the-day-of a ressie.
6) Your decision:
. . . simply leave early enough to make certain you are at WDW in time for your ressie
. . . cancel the night before if you don't want to leave early enough to arrive in time
. . . take the chance you arrive in time, because if late, your ADR can be cancelled and you get the $10 per person No-Show-Penalty
7) You could always make an ADR for later during your stay at WDW . . . No ADR is so important that it ruins a vacAtion.



1) Canceling 2-hours before your ADR does not release you from the No-Show-Penalty.
2) The RULE is the night prior (longer for some eateries).
. . . it is the same for everyone
. . . it should not be changed because people do not want to leave early enough to make the ADR
. . . whether leaving their hotel, leaving their activity, or leaving a queue line at a ride
3) I have people almost every day come to my Concierge Desk and want me to reverse a No-Show-Penalty they THOUGHT was cancelled in time.
4) Nope.
5) It is the choice of the restaurant Manager (at the end of the day, when the restaurant has closed) if you are charged.
6) If I reverse the charge, I have to answer to my manager, because the penalty is now back-charged to my hotel, not the restaurant.
7) It is the guest's responsibility to be on-time, just like any other appointment.
8) Just because it is a vacation, the guest must still comply with the rules.

As usual thanks for the answer with a snide lecture on the side - not really needed. I have planned enough time to get there but there are these strange things called weather, traffic and accidents that make travel from over 1000 miles away just a tad bit unpredictable. I have made the trip enough times to know that sometimes things just do not go to plan.

I am simply looking to avoid the $40 no show fee in case we get stuck on the road and cannot make our reservations. As soon as I know we will not make it I plan to cancel which should be hours in advance so I am sure someone else can pick up that ADR and use it. I likely will not know by midnight the night before if I am going to get delayed the next morning. I was hoping if that was the case I could get on MDE and reschedule the ADR to anything (not even 'Ohana or even for that same day) to free up the ADR for someone else and not get penalized by the no show fee. I simply wanted to know if MDE would let me do that.

 

[supersnoop]

I am simply looking to avoid the $40 no show fee

The only sure way to avoid the fee is to cancel the day before. If you call to cancel the day-of, they might be able to waive the fee if they feel your explanation is compelling.

If you’re trying to find a loophole to avoid the fee on the day of, read this: https://www.disboards.com/threads/discussion-of-circumventing-disney-rules-is-not-allowed.3610017/

 

[disneyvoice]

Umm, wow. Did everyone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?? The OP asked a legitimate question, doesn't seem like they were trying to find a loophole to work the system. You can do all the planning in the world and leave hours ahead of schedule and STILL get stuck in traffic or have a delayed flight.

@foohpah I totally get your concern. I also get worried about ADRs on arrival day since so many things that are completely out of your control can affect your ability to make your ADR. We typically fly there but I get concerned about delayed flights as well. We actually did have a situation, similar to what you are worried about, a few years ago. We were driving from Tampa and got stuck in horrible traffic due to a very bad accident and there was no way for us to make our ADR. I called WDW and explained the situation - they cancelled the ADR and waived the cancellation fee.

If you have a good reason for not being able to make your ADR, don't worry about it. The system does allow you to reschedule without penalty as opposed to simply cancelling (there are some restaurants that won't allow you to cancel or reschedule the day of an ADR on the website, but require you to call). That's not trying to find a loophole to work the system - that actually IS the system. If WDW decides they have too many empty seats due to people rescheduling the day of an ADR they can easily update the program to not allow same day rescheduling. We have used the modification feature several times to reschedule a same day ADR for various reasons, but all reasons that you would have no way of knowing about the night before - we can tell we won't be hungry yet when it's time for our ADR, we are exhausted and need to go back to the resort to rest, someone is ill. I will add that prior to having the modification option on MDE, these were all explanations we gave to CMs when cancelling a same day ADR. In almost every situation after apologizing for having to cancel, the CM expressed that they greatly appreciated that we took to the time to actually cancel the ADR because most people don't and we have never been charged a fee for same day cancellations. It's when people don't cancel or reschedule an ADR at all that tables could potentially go empty. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has been THRILLED when a last minute ADR pops up for a popular restaurant because someone else cancelled or rescheduled.

 

[kniquy]

To alleviate some of your stress I would stalk to find a reservation on a different day. If you snag it then cancel your day of reservation-- I have typically followed the advise of many on here and have not scheduled an arrival day reservation because you frankly don't know - driving or flying- what kind of delays you will have. You don't want to have to keep worrying if you are going to make it while you are trying to safely drive there - and then if you don't make it you are out the reservation your family wanted and you might get the no show fee. You may want to really do what your family wants but it might put a damper on your trip right from the beginning.

When is your trip? If i read it correctly you are going for thanksgiving? Look at touring plans reservation finder it might help you with getting something different

 

[foohpah]

To alleviate some of your stress I would stalk to find a reservation on a different day. If you snag it then cancel your day of reservation-- I have typically followed the advise of many on here and have not scheduled an arrival day reservation because you frankly don't know - driving or flying- what kind of delays you will have. You don't want to have to keep worrying if you are going to make it while you are trying to safely drive there - and then if you don't make it you are out the reservation your family wanted and you might get the no show fee. You may want to really do what your family wants but it might put a damper on your trip right from the beginning.

When is your trip? If i read it correctly you are going for thanksgiving? Look at touring plans reservation finder it might help you with getting something different

Our trip is Thanksgiving week - we leave in just two weeks and I am getting very excited.

Believe me I would prefer a different day - or really even not going there at all but this is our first stay at the Polynesian and for some reason my kids really have it in their heads that an arrival night dinner at 'Ohana is the perfect way to start the trip. Our traditional departure breakfast has been the 'Ohana breakfast and we have had that booked since our 180 day mark. They are teens so they will understand if it does not work out but I am a sucker and I am trying to make it work. I have had the TP reservation finder on since our 180 day mark. It took over 4 months to get the 4:05 reservation and I am really hoping something a little later pops up in the next few days. I honestly figured by now something would so it was really only recently I started to stress about it.

I am normally one to advise against arrival day ADRs too for this exact reason. In fact I am pretty sure after many, many trips this is the first one I have attempted. Silly kids get older and start getting all kinds of crazy ideas and opinions on WDW trip planning. In the end it is not a make-or-break situation but sometimes you just want to try to make your kids happy. I just wanted to make sure I understood all of our options because paying a $40 no show fee would make me very not happy.

 

[KenHutch]

Good luck either way. I also have the drive from Missouri (Kansas City) but I do the cowardly thing and schedule at 21:00 hours on our 1st night. Hope you have good luck getting it rescheduled if you need to.

 

[supersnoop]

The OP asked a legitimate question, doesn't seem like they were trying to find a loophole to work the system.

We seem to read that differently.

I have seen some people say that on the same day you can just reschedule without penalty. Is that true?

That’s essentially, “can I reschedule on the same day to avoid the penalty.” Which is asking for a loophole.

 

[maxiesmom]

As usual thanks for the answer with a snide lecture on the side - not really needed. I have planned enough time to get there but there are these strange things called weather, traffic and accidents that make travel from over 1000 miles away just a tad bit unpredictable. I have made the trip enough times to know that sometimes things just do not go to plan.

I am simply looking to avoid the $40 no show fee in case we get stuck on the road and cannot make our reservations. As soon as I know we will not make it I plan to cancel which should be hours in advance so I am sure someone else can pick up that ADR and use it. I likely will not know by midnight the night before if I am going to get delayed the next morning. I was hoping if that was the case I could get on MDE and reschedule the ADR to anything (not even 'Ohana or even for that same day) to free up the ADR for someone else and not get penalized by the no show fee. I simply wanted to know if MDE would let me do that.

Rusty is being factual, not snarky. They like to post all the info so guests can make informed decisions. No one accused you of anything.

 

[Allison]

Actually, you can reschedule the same day and not get charged. I believe it does need to be prior to the 2 hour mark.

Take what some people say with a grain of salt.

 

[KimBean]

On travel day since things are so up in the air you can always plan a QS meal and keep your ressies for days that you have more control of. Solves a lot of issues. We stayed at CSR last time and dinner at Pepper Market was great.

 

[cigar95]

Actually, you can reschedule the same day and not get charged. I believe it does need to be prior to the 2 hour mark.

It is part of the system, and even has its own name - "Bump and run". Not "cheating" in any way.
Sounds like you won't have any issues with coming up against the time limit, since you'll know several hours ahead.

(If you find problems rebooking 'Ohana, even pushing it out 180 days, remember that breakfast is less in demand. Modifying a res via MyDEx requires you keep the location, but doesn't appear to limit your choice of hours.)

 

[AngiTN]

As usual thanks for the answer with a snide lecture on the side - not really needed. I have planned enough time to get there but there are these strange things called weather, traffic and accidents that make travel from over 1000 miles away just a tad bit unpredictable. I have made the trip enough times to know that sometimes things just do not go to plan.

I am simply looking to avoid the $40 no show fee in case we get stuck on the road and cannot make our reservations. As soon as I know we will not make it I plan to cancel which should be hours in advance so I am sure someone else can pick up that ADR and use it. I likely will not know by midnight the night before if I am going to get delayed the next morning. I was hoping if that was the case I could get on MDE and reschedule the ADR to anything (not even 'Ohana or even for that same day) to free up the ADR for someone else and not get penalized by the no show fee. I simply wanted to know if MDE would let me do that.

It will. Disney CM is the one that first told me to do that when I needed to change an ADR that was close to time.
We had an unexpected and unavoidable delay while on property and called. We were several hours out from the ADR. The CM said all you have to do it move it to a later time and then cancel, or move it to a later time you can use, whichever best fits your situation.

 

[ForMyBoys]

OP I would keep the reservation. It does seem special as an opening vacation day dinner. I hope it all works out!

For the record I felt a bit yelled at by the replies too... be calm people.

 

[Farro]

We cancelled 2 reservations in one day the morning of - had to call the number given, she asked why, we were sick (really sick), cancelled it and no charge.

Just in case anyone worried about that scenario!

 

[Roxyfire]

OP, since you are staying at the poly, why not consider ordering the Twilight Feast room service? It's the 'Ohana stuff but delivered to your room which would probably have a similar cool factor to your kids. Plus you can cancel that ADR and just order it when you're ready.

 

[foohpah]

OP, since you are staying at the poly, why not consider ordering the Twilight Feast room service? It's the 'Ohana stuff but delivered to your room which would probably have a similar cool factor to your kids. Plus you can cancel that ADR and just order it when you're ready.

I actually looked into that but my husband has a legume (peanut) allergy. We have successfully eaten at 'Ohana in the past without issues but I worry about more confusion with a food delivery. We do not want to start our trip with a trip to the ER.

Thanks to everyone for the pertinent information. I will keep looking and hoping for a later time and if not then carefully watch the clock. I figure noon is my latest cut off for knowing if we will make it or not. If we think it is unlikely I can just call at noon and that gives 4 hours for some lucky person to snatch up the ADR. I don't think it will take that long for it to disappear.