Reservation Change Policy

[keys2kingdom]

Also, I don't know what app you're using but mine allows me to search using all kinds of parameters. Locations including parks, resorts, water parks, downtown Disney. Heck it even allows me to search by dining experience and cuisine and also a place to search for places that take reservations and then aggregates them for me into lists of which ones are fully booked and which ones have availability. The app makes you log in or create an account before you book dining and then makes you add a credit card before you book. Just for kicks I searched Epcot for dinner on April 12th and it brought back a list of every single restaurant that was divided into available or not available and for the ones that were the available times were right next to them. So your claim of not being able to see everything in one place is bogus.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

It is a stupid rule and very much NOT customer friendly. OK.. I can see a cancellation fee for no shows... although I don't know of any restaurant at home that does that.... but canceling one ADR and making another at the same time? That should be no penalty. And it's dumb business sense. Cancellation fee = $10- per person. Dining at another restaurant about $30-40 income to Disney per person. Some executive at Disney doesn't know their math......

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm a bit hesitant to post but.....I am surprised there is a cancelation fee for canceling less than an hour or two after making the reservation. How else would you go about looking up times for dinner for the same night? (I mean I am an over planner and have my dinner reservations at the 180 mark but I get how some people don't want to do that) meaning I might be looking for availability and I see something that might work so I would want to snag it before it disappears and then maybe discuss with my party and keep or cancel the reservation 10-30 mins later.

On the other side I do think the cancelation fee is fair for people who are canceling the day of their reservations if they have had the reservation for days/months.

My 2 cents

The fee is only charged if you no-show or don't cancel the day before. You can make and cancel ADRs before then as many times as you like. You just have to cancel them the day before they are scheduled to avoid the fee.

 

[maxiesmom]

It is a stupid rule and very much NOT customer friendly. OK.. I can see a cancellation fee for no shows... although I don't know of any restaurant at home that does that.... but canceling one ADR and making another at the same time? That should be no penalty. And it's dumb business sense. Cancellation fee = $10- per person. Dining at another restaurant about $30-40 income to Disney per person. Some executive at Disney doesn't know their math......

It is customer friendly in the way that it has made it much easier to snag ADRs to begin with. Before the fee was rolled out for all ADRs it was almost impossible to get certain restaurants unless you were at your computer the day you were 180 days out.

I would also wager that Disney knows better than any of us exactly how the math does work.

 

[catra121]

The penalty is there to prevent people from no-showing...a common practice prior to the cancellation fee if reservations were not cancelled at least 24 hours before the reservation. How much money do you think Disney lost every single day due to people not showing for reservations and them not being able to take walk ups because they were completely booked...only for a lot of people not to show? And how frustrating for guests...not being able to book reservations they want because someone else booked it and then just decided not to show up? Those guests gladly would have given Disney their money for those meals...had there been reservation space available for them to dine that day.

So while SOME people may not think it is a customer friendly policy...I believe it is a VERY customer friendly policy because I think a greater number of customers benefit from the policy compared to those who are negatively impacted by it.

It's sad that no matter what the system is...people have to find a way to "work" the system at the expense of others (be they other customers or the business itself). When companies start losing money...they are forced to put policies in place to prevent such a loss...and while it saves them money and works in overall theory...there will always be exceptions...the people who aren't trying to "scam" anything but are hurt by the policy. It's sad...and it sucks sometimes...but it's just something that needs to be dealt with and the blame doesn't fall on the company who came up with the policies but on the people who ruined it for everyone else by scamming the system. Disney is NOT unique in this sense at all...we've had to make lots of changes where I work that impact our ability to provide great customer service because the "scamming" got so out of hand that it seriously impacted our bottom line.

OP...I'm glad you were able to get the situation worked out and I'm glad the manager was able to resolve the situation to your satisfaction. I'm sorry that you had to wait a while for them to get on the phone...but often there are not a bunch of managers or supervisors just sitting around waiting for someone to need them...they might have been with another customer or handling some other situation and got to you as quickly as possible. I don't know how long your conversation lasted...but every second he spent on the phone with you was time he was NOT spending with someone else so there very well could have been another person waiting on the phone for him to pick up while her was handling your situation. If I had to guess...that would have had more to do with him waiving the fee than anything else...though I'm still happy he did it for you.

There are lots of times in my job where I would love to be able to give customers what they want...but the technology has advanced to the point where I CAN'T in many situations. I know sometimes people don't believe me when I tell them this...but when a company reaches a certain size...they may feel they have to take certain abilities away from individuals so the decision is not up to them...because if it was we would want to make the customer happy every time. The poor guy on the phone in the beginning was just doing his job and reinforcing the policy that IS in place (and that is in place for very good reasons).

And FWIW...which I know is not much...I rarely read the terms and conditions when I sign up for internet things just like I never read the backs of coupons that I use. BUT...I accept the consequences for that and don't think it's right to EVER say, "Well I didn't read that." as an excuse for now wanting to accept the consequences of my actions. It might suck...but I have no one to blame but myself for it and it is the risk I take. It goes a long way with people when you do not take on a sense of entitlement and instead admit that you made a mistake and that you are hoping they can help you out instead of demanding that they give you what you want. I have no way of knowing how YOUR conversation went...but given that you don't feel like the manager did you a big favor by waiving the fee...I would suggest you maybe rethink the situation and how you approached the problem. Yes...you got what you wanted in the end...but...well...what was the cost (and I don't mean $$)?

Just my opinion...wasn't meant to be rude of judgmental...just wanted to throw out another perspective into the mix. I am genuinely happy that they were able to help you out in this situation...hope that didn't get lost in the midst of everything else I said.

 

[ColoradoDisney]

Also, I don't know what app you're using but mine allows me to search using all kinds of parameters. Locations including parks, resorts, water parks, downtown Disney. Heck it even allows me to search by dining experience and cuisine and also a place to search for places that take reservations and then aggregates them for me into lists of which ones are fully booked and which ones have availability. The app makes you log in or create an account before you book dining and then makes you add a credit card before you book. Just for kicks I searched Epcot for dinner on April 12th and it brought back a list of every single restaurant that was divided into available or not available and for the ones that were the available times were right next to them. So your claim of not being able to see everything in one place is bogus.

I was using the My Disney Experience Mobile App on an iPhone. It is completely possible that I was not using it correctly. I am not intentionally trying to promote a bogus or false claim. I am just sharing my experience. I appreciate you pointing out that there are methods to prevent this from happening. However, this does not negate my personal experience. I've already had people pointing out maybe I shouldn't have been using a mobile app on a 4 inch screen in the middle of a theme park. Disney is the one who created the app and provides WiFi nearly everywhere with this specific intent.

 

[kaybird]

I am glad the OP was able to get the fee waved, just surprised that it wasn't viewed as Disney magic, or great customer service. As far as changing to a different restaurant, that would still make you a "no-show" at the original location. If I get a gift of $60, I usually say Thank you!

 

[ericasatx]

If I am understanding correctly, you made this reservation morning of? I do think there should be some type of work around for this. Surely the CM on the phone should have been able to see when this reservation was made and not make such a production of it.

I do not mind the fee and understand the unfortunate need for it. I know someone that a few years ago held 2-3 reservations for every lunch and dinner for an 11 day trip under multiple email addresses. She wanted to have "options" while she was there.

 

[redrosesix]

If the change is made over the phone, there will typically be no charge. The right strategy in the scenario here would have been to call to make the second reservation while cancelling the first in the same call. (But nothing is "guaranteed" along these lines.)

Agreed. But what the OP did was technically holding 2 ADRs at the same time, and then cancelling one of them by phone.

She could have also changed the unwanted ADR to a different day, by phone, for free... and then cancelled it, for free.

I'm a bit hesitant to post but.....I am surprised there is a cancelation fee for canceling less than an hour or two after making the reservation. How else would you go about looking up times for dinner for the same night? (I mean I am an over planner and have my dinner reservations at the 180 mark but I get how some people don't want to do that) meaning I might be looking for availability and I see something that might work so I would want to snag it before it disappears and then maybe discuss with my party and keep or cancel the reservation 10-30 mins later.

On the other side I do think the cancelation fee is fair for people who are canceling the day of their reservations if they have had the reservation for days/months.

My 2 cents

ITA with this too -- there should be some leniency to make day of CHANGES -- even with the new fee, people will be changing their ADRs right up until meal time. So a preferred location could become available at the last minute. And the guest is still eating at WDW so I don't see the problem with that.

But maybe the system doesn't show the CMs when an ADR was cancelled?

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

1. I am happy for you that your fee was waived. I have been in your exact shoes and thankfully they helped me with it. (In my case a very uninformed friend made a random reservation without me knowing) I have also been guilty of not reading all of huge terms and conditions, but when that happens it is only my fault. I can't blame the company because I didn't read it.

2. I have no idea HOW the manager spoke with you, and you could be well within your rights to say it wasn't appropriate, but maybe they were having a rough day w ith a lot of people trying to cancel same day reservations. I know in customer service for my own job, if I encounter the same exact problem all day long by the time I take the last call I'm frazzled. Is that an excuse? No. But they're human so they can have shirt tempers or an inability to regulate their tone. In the end you got what you wanted and that's the key.

3. You also canceled a character meal. The rotating restaurant at Epcot is the Chip and Dale character meal. I've booked several reservations utilizing MDE and when you make the reservation before you click confirm there is a brief statement one sentence long that informs you of the cancelation policy. Then you have to click "confirm"'you were in a rush, standing in a line, so you could have just clicked confirm and been done with it. But unfortunately it doesn't negate what you did. I know it's frustrating but there is nothing else the app can do to warn you.

4. Also, if your party wanted a later reservation why didn't any of them step up and make it? You were making the plans and they were content with it, so they should not have been so critical of the reservations you found for them.


5. I like this system. It is loads better than people just not showing up. I went to the contemporary just to see if there're was an ability to get a walk in for chef mickey and I watched as several tables were left empty because people didn't show up for their ADR. It upset me so much I asked the hostess about it. She told me there was nothing. That could be done because people made the ADR, they can do what they want with it. Not this isn't what you did, but it is to reason for the policy that gave you such a hard time.


I am in on own way trying to flame you for Your post. It must have been very frustrating and again I truly am happy that it got worked out. I hope the rest of your trip was truly magical.

 

[cigar95]

Agreed. But what the OP did was technically holding 2 ADRs at the same time, and then canceling one of them by phone.

Yes, we're in agreement on that one - the difficulty was caused by the process used to make the change. Streamlining that change process in the app might be a good idea if it is indeed policy that same-day *changes* are not the same as same-day *cancellations*.

And now that you describe it that way, holding two simultaneously, it's curious that the system didn't notice the existing reservation and flag it for cancellation. Perhaps it works differently for same-day changes.

 

[JW9DVC]

Next time. Show up, get seated, order water, maybe share an appetizer for your entire party. Then leave. No minimums are placed on what you order. You did your obligation to show up. The restaurant still loses some, but they required that you just show up.

 

[JudyAL]

My suggestion would be to go to one of the Guest Relation counters to see what ADRs are available. They can look up all of the restaurants in a park and see what times are available. We've used their help a few times when we didn't plan our trips as well as we should have. I know you were waiting in line for a ride, but you could have gone after you were done.

Not passing judgment, just suggesting an alternative for next time.

 

[Eastern]

Next time. Show up, get seated, order water, maybe share an appetizer for your entire party. Then leave. No minimums are placed on what you order. You did your obligation to show up. The restaurant still loses some, but they required that you just show up.

Can't really do that with Garden Grill. It is a per person charge.

I like that the policy opens up dining ADRs but I still think you should be able to cancel the day of. Maybe with a few hours notice. I don't know of any normal restaurant that won't let you do that.

 

[LilyWDW]

Can't really do that with Garden Grill. It is a per person charge.

I like that the policy opens up dining ADRs but I still think you should be able to cancel the day of. Maybe with a few hours notice. I don't know of any normal restaurant that won't let you do that.

I don't think it really matters what a "normal" restaurant would or would not do. Nothing about Disney is done in a "normal" manner. They have always done things differently then the real world. So I don't see how this is any different.

They do allow same day cancellations depending on the reason. Now if this gets abused, I can see them putting an end to that as well... but for the moment if you have an illness or whatever, they will normally not charge the fee. However, I see nothing wrong in general with the way things are now.

And if people don't read the rules... well, that is their problem, not Disney's. It is right there. They don't hide it. It is not 10 pages long. It's a paragraph.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Can't really do that with Garden Grill. It is a per person charge.

I like that the policy opens up dining ADRs but I still think you should be able to cancel the day of. Maybe with a few hours notice. I don't know of any normal restaurant that won't let you do that.

But how many "normal" restaurants charge a $10 fee for a no-show? Or require a credit card to hold a reservation?

 

[CinderElsa]

But how many "normal" restaurants charge a $10 fee for a no-show? Or require a credit card to hold a reservation?

Where I live, plenty of them.

 

[ttintagel]

You didn't "change" you reservation. You canceled your reservation and made a different reservation at a different restaurant. Disney charges a fee for cancelling a reservation on the same day - that's why they take your credit card when you make a reservation. It's nice that they refunded the cancellation fee for when you cancelled your reservation, so everything worked out perfectly for you.

 

[darthminnie]

Wow- I've been a year's long lurker; the judgement and downright anger some of you have towards the OP is eye opening.

This aspect if the ADR policy is moronic. If I find a different place to eat, I have to be charged 10$ if I don't cancel within 24hrs.....if something happens (as it always does) and I cancel 4 hrs before my ADR, Disney can charge me $10.

And get this- if we make ADR's, we have no choice but to accept those conditions. Or- be left to counter service.

While I understand why the cc# is required and the booking problems of the past. ...this isn't even resembling close to good customer service.

And yeah.....some of you should be ashamed of how you treated the OP - how you all attacked her was so un-Disney. I guess if one has a difference of opinion on on some aspect of Disney, this clearly isn't the place where one can express that opinion.

Wow. Just wow.

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow- I've been a year's long lurker; the judgement and downright anger some of you have towards the OP is eye opening.

This aspect if the ADR policy is moronic. If I find a different place to eat, I have to be charged 10$ if I don't cancel within 24hrs.....if something happens (as it always does) and I cancel 4 hrs before my ADR, Disney can charge me $10.

And get this- if we make ADR's, we have no choice but to accept those conditions. Or- be left to counter service.

While I understand why the cc# is required and the booking problems of the past. ...this isn't even resembling close to good customer service.

And yeah.....some of you should be ashamed of how you treated the OP - how you all attacked her was so un-Disney. I guess if one has a difference of opinion on on some aspect of Disney, this clearly isn't the place where one can express that opinion.


Wow. Just wow.

If something is always happening and you are changing ADRs all of the time at the last minute you are exactly why we now have the fee. I think expecting to be able to shuffle ADRs at will up until you walk in the door is ridiculous.