Rumor Alert: ADR's

[WickedWench]

I understood what lunut33 was saying and I repeat....you should read my email. You'd see things differently.

People in wheelchairs / ECV's (and the people assisting them) are writing and telling me that the problem of people being rude / offensive / thoughtless / mean / insensitive etc. is widespread and needs to be stopped.

And to anyone that thinks this is exaggeration.....I challenge you to spend a day in or pushing a wheelchair and report back as to how easy your day really was.

Um, I'm agreeing with you Kevin, not argueing with you. And I think the other poster meant the same.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Kevin - 1% of 250,000 is 2,500. I make similar mistakes all the time.

I only bring it up because 2,500 people making duplicate reservations is pretty significant. Evan 1/2 of 1% - 1,250 is a lot.

Math was never my strong point.

I was much better with slander and innuendo.

But thank you....you have made my point even better than I did.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Um, I'm agreeing with you Kevin, not argueing with you. And I think the other poster meant the same.

Then I apologize for misunderstanding.

I must have read it wrong.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I think like somebody else pointed out, these multi-reservation people are few and far between. I doubt it's a giant problem, but taking a CC hold would create a giant problem I don't really want to be a part of. Yeah, one more ressie for you!!!

This sort of reminds me of the people complaining about wheelchairs and ECV's, it's a problem that is getting blown out of proportion.

I've gone back and re-read this a couple of times.....and if I am mis-reading it, then I still apologize.....but I'm not sure I am.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I've gone back and re-read this a couple of times.....and if I am mis-reading it, then I still apologize.....but I'm not sure I am.

I think what lugnut was trying to say was that the people who complain about wheelchairs and ECVs being misused are blowing the misuse out of proportion.
I hope nobody would think that standing up for the rights and comfort of those who use these devices is in any way blowing the problem of mistreatment of those people out of proportion.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I think what lugnut was trying to say was that the people who complain about wheelchairs and ECVs being misused are blowing the misuse out of proportion.

If this is the case, then I did indeed misunderstand what was written and I apologize.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

If this is the case, then I did indeed misunderstand what was written and I apologize.

Now that I've defended it, I hope I interpreted it the way the poster intended!

 

[DisneyKevin]

Now that I've defended it, I hope I interpreted it the way the poster intended!

Others have pointed out that I may have been mis-reading this.

 

[TyRy]

I actually don't see this as a bad thing...it might free up ADR's for those who like to relax on vacation (like DH) and not have every minute planned.

I will say we had a few meals on the last trip that required a CC gurantee and I was told that I would be charged a small amount per person (think it was 10 or 20 dollars) if we did not show up. I ended up getting terribly sick and it was almost an hour by hour thing if I could/would go with the rest of my group. For the couple ADR's I did not make, they did and explained that I had gotten sick. We had no charges for me not showing up. So I think they may be willing to make certain exceptions.

Ty

 

[Uncle Remus]

While many of you present some scenarios for an exception to the ADR CC hold, I'm still strongly in favor of the hold requirement 'n penalty for no shows w/o as much as a cancel call. I totally agree there is an abuse by some folks who make 6 ADRs for one meal only to choose at the last minute where they'll actually show 'n this is more than rude, I don't like anyone gettin' in the way of me 'n my food. I'm glad Disney is finally addressin' this problem.

 

[DVCsince02]

HEY, have some

 

[SnackyStacky]

My $.02...

I think it's a great idea in theory.

But my opinion of it will be based on how they put it in place. It's hard enough to figure out what you're going to be hungry for 3 months in advance. It just makes it all the harder knowing that you're pretty locked into that dining time if anything comes up during the day or two before.

When I was traveling in September, we had one of those resort photo sessions. For whatever reason - it EXHAUSTED the two toddlers in our party and we had to wait at the resort for them to take a nap. Instead of their normal two hour nap at noon, they were hard out sleeping at about 10:30. We didn't get out and moving again until 3 pm, and our reservation was for 5. Were a cancellation penalty in place, we would have had to choose between a $90 - $135 fee ($10 - $15 multiplied by 9 people) or missing Hollywood Studios. What a fabulous decision to have to make!

Yeah, I'm responsible for my own party - but as I mentioned, we traveled in September and I had to make that reservation in March! How was I supposed to know then that a 20 minute photo shoot at 9:00 am would have thrown off our entire day?

Anyway - my point is that life happens. Especially on vacation, and ESPECIALLY on a vacation with kids. I just hope that Disney can provide some flexibility for those who need it while cracking down on those who abuse the system.

 

[Sparkie]

I think its a good idea too.

But that disclaimer on the WDW dining page from each individual resturant- the one that states: "cancellation policy applies and may result in charges if you cancel with insufficient notice" has been on their page at least since summer 2008. Sometime back there was a thread that discussed this very topic over on the dining board. We went to Disney July 2008 and I remember reading that disclaimer when I was researching resturants.

So when ever it will happen or if it will happen will remain to be seen.

 

[crazydisneyman]

I support the use of CC holds on ADRs.

I believe that this will allow for more people to do a walk up ADR. I tried to get into Chef Mickey's for 40 days this last Dec. I actually called each of the 40 days before MF in Dec 2008. There was no availability. NOT AT ALL!

I believe that had the CC hold been in place, I could have gotten an ADR. Because we have a toddler, we decided that a walkup would be risky as she probably couldn't wait very long for a table to open up.

I just called about Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast, and I was able to reserve two tables for 6 at 815 on a Wed with a CC hold. I couldn't believe it! I think that this policy will help, not hurt.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I guess I dont see the CC hold for a restaurant reservation as being any different than any other reservation which requires a deposit and imposes a penalty for late cancelation.

You are agreeing to a penalty in order to have the security of knowing your place has been saved.

This happens when you book a hotel, airfare etc.

Other things carry even stiffer penalties...if you cancel a cruise 45 days prior to departure, you lose 50% of your deposit. It you cancel within 7 days of departure, you lose everything you have paid.

And still other events force you to pay the entire amount in advance,,,sporting events, theater tickets, concerts etc. If life gets in the way...oh well....give the ticket away or sell it, but there are no refunds.

All of these are money making ventures in the same way that Disney restaurants are money making ventures. Ensuring that all tables are filled at all times is the way to make the most profits and that's Disney's (and any other business) goal.

As Disney fans, we have learned how to circumvent whatever system or policy Disney puts in place. People make multiple ADRS so as to have a choice of dining options. We've told folks that if a table for two isnt available, book for three.

All of this is counter to Disney's bottom line goal of filling every seat.

As we all know....if Disney notices a crack, they will eventually fix it and it sounds like this is their answer.

Are there going to be issues and extenating circumstances? Of course.

Is Disney going to work with guests? I'd guess up until excuses become too frequent.

Will it change the way guests book dining? Probably

 

[DVCJones]

I do like the idea of holding CC#s for the all the reasons already posted. However, I do hope they implement a policy that allows you to cancel even if it is only an hours notice. Things do happen...Children/people do get sick on vacation. I think it would be fairly easy for Disney to figure out who is abusing the system. If I was to implement a fair policy for canceling ADRs it would go something like this.

If you call to cancel an ADR on short notice and the CM can see you have one reservation for that time then you should be able to cancel with no penalty.

However,

If a CM goes in to cancel an ADR and sees many ADRs for the same general time and day....Sorry, you are obviously abusing the system and you should be charged.

just my $ 0.2

 

[wilde_oscar]

I guess I dont see the CC hold for a restaurant reservation as being any different than any other reservation which requires a deposit and imposes a penalty for late cancelation.

You are agreeing to a penalty in order to have the security of knowing your place has been saved.

This happens when you book a hotel, airfare etc.

Other things carry even stiffer penalties...if you cancel a cruise 45 days prior to departure, you lose 50% of your deposit. It you cancel within 7 days of departure, you lose everything you have paid.

And still other events force you to pay the entire amount in advance,,,sporting events, theater tickets, concerts etc. If life gets in the way...oh well....give the ticket away or sell it, but there are no refunds.

All of these are money making ventures in the same way that Disney restaurants are money making ventures. Ensuring that all tables are filled at all times is the way to make the most profits and that's Disney's (and any other business) goal.

As Disney fans, we have learned how to circumvent whatever system or policy Disney puts in place. People make multiple ADRS so as to have a choice of dining options. We've told folks that if a table for two isnt available, book for three.

All of this is counter to Disney's bottom line goal of filling every seat.

As we all know....if Disney notices a crack, they will eventually fix it and it sounds like this is their answer.

Are there going to be issues and extenating circumstances? Of course.

Is Disney going to work with guests? I'd guess up until excuses become too frequent.

Will it change the way guests book dining? Probably

are there seats going unfilled because of current policy? are walk ups that rare? Airlines take the money, over book and count on people not showing up. A concert or sporting event ticket is not the same as going to diner. It is a matter of missed opportunity, supply and demand. There is high demand for meals at Disney, walk ups are frequent, there are some locations that due to demand carry a weight of penalty. Many do not. At what point should there be a penalty for missing a reservation at 7 dragons?
Taking the CC for all reservations has an associated cost where you have to keep people on the phone longer, and are unable to help other customers, so you have to hire more staff to process the reservations, increased computer capacity etc.

1% or even 1/2 a % seems like a very high number for those multi booking... out of the 200,000 registered on this site, how many are active, how many are regularly active? I see people with thousands of posts asking questions about where to find the park hours... if you have thousands of posts on a site dedicated to WDW, should you have an idea where to find park hours? Same principle applies to multi booking. 250 sounds more realistic, but out of how many tables at WDW? and so you think that is someone doesn't show up for a reservation that table just sits empty? or that they might be over booking? There are a lot of unintended costs associated with going to this system that are already fixed in the real world. I goto Applebees and wait for a table, on tuesday night, I get seated right away, on friday night I wait about an hour... does this surprise anyone?

on multiple vacations with multiple reservations per day over 10 days... at the busy restaurants I waited longer to be seated than at the not so busy places, if I ate breakfast before 8am... no wait to be seated, at 9am a wait to be seated. Hm, kinda like at waffle house.

the people that are bothered that they can't get the reservation they want at the time they want should either not go to WDW at all, or eat somewhere else. Vote with your feet, go someplace else. The cost to "fix" this problem for the small number of people effected is greater than the cost of a table that is not sitting empty in the first place. BECAUSE WDW IS ALREADY OVERBOOKING AND EXPECTING A GIVEN NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO NOT SHOW UP AT MOST OF THE RESTAURANTS. For some locations, the costs associated justify a CC hold to ensure the reservation... but that would also mean, that when I show up at CAli Grill, at my reservation time, I should be seated immediately if they are holding that table just for me... does that happen? no.

Keep trying to justify the policy, but it is a rumor that probably came from Jim Hill while he was eating at the new AC in a new park that started construction in someplace I like to call, Fantasyland with out Cindy's Castle.

 

[wilde_oscar]

This debate reminds me of a conversation I had with an intern at Disney Imagineering years ago about a project he was working on, to provide a device that could be handed out to cars as they pay for their parking that would give some voice guided instructions on how parking works and where to find the tram to the park and some general info about what is going on at the parks that day... he had the costing of the device at about $1000, it would need to be recharged twice a day, and they would have to stock them at the hut where you pay for parking, the weight was about a pound, I could go on... my question was, isn't that what the guide that they hand out covers? Followed by the question... how many people are getting lost while parking, then can't find the park? It was a solution in search of a problem that is already solved with high cost and no ROI.

Taking CC hold for every restaurant is a solution to a problem that is already solved. The cost would be high, and there is no ROI.

 

[DisneyKevin]

are there seats going unfilled because of current policy? .

Yes. We've explained this before. There are times when you can not get a reservation at a given location, yet you show up and the place is empty. It actually happens frequently.

Are walk ups that rare?

At certain places...they are very rare. Try walking up to Le Cellier or Chef Mickey's.

Airlines take the money, over book and count on people not showing up.

And compensate you if they cant privide the service for which you've paid.

A concert or sporting event ticket is not the same as going to diner.

Correct. You pay for the privlesge of going prior to the event. You are not allowed a ticket "just in case" you have nothing to do that night.

It is a matter of missed opportunity, supply and demand. There is high demand for meals at Disney.

Correct again...that's why they feel they can charge more for the same meal during busier times.

walk ups are frequent,

In some places. As already stated....try walking up to Le Cellier or Chef Mickey's

At what point should there be a penalty for missing a reservation at 7 dragons?

When someone is turned away from dining there due to someone not keeping or canceling the reservation they made.

Taking the CC for all reservations has an associated cost where you have to keep people on the phone longer, and are unable to help other customers, so you have to hire more staff to process the reservations, increased computer capacity etc.

As a travel agent, I spend a great deal of time waiting on hold with Disney. There was a 36 minute hold for dining today and a 69 minute hold for Disney Cruise LIne. In an effort to save money, Disney has cut the number of of telephone operators. Disney seems unconcerned about letting a customer wait, only about losing money.

1% or even 1/2 a % seems like a very high number for those multi booking

Pick any number with which you feel comfortable. Disney will plug any hole that leaks money. We have seen them do this repeatedly. A great example of this is the Candlelight Processional package. In years past, you could see the show and then have a leisurely dinner. Recently, Disney changed this. You now have dinner and then the show. This does multiple things. It insures that you dont dawdle over coffee thereby occupying an expensive seat that can be refilled and it fills in the less desirable dining times. If you want to see the 5:15 Candlelight, you have dinner (and yes...you pay dinner prices) at 2:30 or 3:00pm

.. out of the 200,000 registered on this site, how many are active, how many are regularly active? I see people with thousands of posts asking questions about where to find the park hours... if you have thousands of posts on a site dedicated to WDW, should you have an idea where to find park hours? Same principle applies to multi booking.

I guess I'm a little slow. I dont understand this at all. I've been at Disney and seen adults ask a CM where the nearest bathroom might be. There are free maps and signs. According to this logic, shouldn't they know how to find a bathroom?

250 sounds more realistic, but out of how many tables at WDW? and so you think that is someone doesn't show up for a reservation that table just sits empty?

As stated earlier...we've seen this happen. I called Disney Dining to get a reservation for Spoodles on a weekday afternoon. I was told there were no reservations available. None! we decided to go see for ourselves and Spoodles was EMPTY. One other table was being used. The manager's explanation was that this happens all of the time. People make reservations and any number of things can cause them to not show. Good weather, bad weather....anything....but the outcome is an empty restaurant that Disney dining is stating should be full.

I goto Applebees and wait for a table, on tuesday night, I get seated right away, on friday night I wait about an hour... does this surprise anyone?

During a good portion of the year, every night is Friday night at WDW. The economy might change that, but this is how it's been recently.

on multiple vacations with multiple reservations per day over 10 days... at the busy restaurants I waited longer to be seated than at the not so busy places, if I ate breakfast before 8am... no wait to be seated, at 9am a wait to be seated. Hm, kinda like at waffle house.

Again, I'm confused as to what this has to do with making reservations. If you do not want to make an ADR and are willing to fly by the seat of your pants and / or eat at off peak times....then this should not be a problem at all. If you arent making a reservation then there is no penalty.

the people that are bothered that they can't get the reservation they want at the time they want should either not go to WDW at all, or eat somewhere else.

Hmm. I'm betting that there are some people that wont agree with this.

The cost to "fix" this problem for the small number of people effected is greater than the cost of a table that is not sitting empty in the first place. BECAUSE WDW IS ALREADY OVERBOOKING AND EXPECTING A GIVEN NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO NOT SHOW UP AT MOST OF THE RESTAURANTS.

I'm not sure where that information comes from and I'm not sure I agree with it.

For some locations, the costs associated justify a CC hold to ensure the reservation.

My dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table (prepaid) was less costly them my dinner at Narcoossee's (just an ADR).

.. but that would also mean, that when I show up at CAli Grill, at my reservation time, I should be seated immediately if they are holding that table just for me... does that happen? no.

Dont give Disney ideas or they may start putting meters on tables. Some folks eat slower than others.

Keep trying to justify the policy, but it is a rumor

First...it's not yet policy and second, I'm not trying to justify it. simply stating why I think it's a good idea. And you are correct again, currently, this is a rumor.

that probably came from Jim Hill while he was eating at the new AC in a new park that started construction in someplace I like to call, Fantasyland with out Cindy's Castle.

I'm just leaving that alone.

 

[wilde_oscar]

executive summery: those locations that can demand and get the CC hold for a reservation already do


Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
are there seats going unfilled because of current policy? .
Yes. We've explained this before. There are times when you can not get a reservation at a given location, yet you show up and the place is empty. It actually happens frequently.
sounds like a management issue, I just don't see anyone being will to take a $20 hit per person for missing a reservation at 9 dragons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
Are walk ups that rare?
At certain places...they are very rare. Try walking up to Le Cellier or Chef Mickey's.
I was referring to the number of people that walk up and ask, not the number of people that actually get walk ups. And again, Chef Mickey and Le Cellier could command the CC premium, Spoodles or 9 Dragons not so much

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
Airlines take the money, over book and count on people not showing up.
And compensate you if they cant provide the service for which you've paid.
then the same would have to hold true for the restaurant reservation guaranteed with the penalty, you can pay extra to get a ticket that cannot be bumped on the airlines... so it should be that when I arrive at my guaranteed time I should be seated immediately with out hesitation, my reservation held that table just for me, right? Like I can make a car rental reservation that holds me a car, or the sporting event ticket holds me the seat? I should even be able to show up late and be seated immediately, because they just took my money for holding that seat right, so if I am 5 min. late, 10 min. late, 20 min. late, that seat should still be held? Boarding for the airplane starts 30 min prior to departure, at 9 min. to departure all seats are released to stand by, at 5 min. the doors are closed. Again, in the locations where they take CC hold to guarantee your seat you are not promptly seated... the amount of time it takes other patrons to eat is not my concern. But they don't do this, they get behind and seat you at the next available table, because that is how restaurants in the real world work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
A concert or sporting event ticket is not the same as going to diner.
Correct. You pay for the privlesge of going prior to the event. You are not allowed a ticket "just in case" you have nothing to do that night.
ya pays your money, you takes your chances

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
It is a matter of missed opportunity, supply and demand. There is high demand for meals at Disney.
Correct again...that's why they feel they can charge more for the same meal during busier times.
and if you don't want to pay the premium don't eat there. complaining about it won't help when there is already an audience willing to pay that premium

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
walk ups are frequent,
In some places. As already stated....try walking up to Le Cellier or Chef Mickey's
as already stated, the number of people walking up and asking are large, the number of people who get seated as walk ups are small at high demand locations. if someone missed their reservation at a high demand location, they can fill the table easily

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
At what point should there be a penalty for missing a reservation at 7 dragons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
Taking the CC for all reservations has an associated cost where you have to keep people on the phone longer, and are unable to help other customers, so you have to hire more staff to process the reservations, increased computer capacity etc.
As a travel agent, I spend a great deal of time waiting on hold with Disney. There was a 36 minute hold for dining today and a 69 minute hold for Disney Cruise LIne. In an effort to save money, Disney has cut the number of of telephone operators. Disney seems unconcerned about letting a customer wait, only about losing money.
and if they have to take a CC for every dining reservation, how much will that increase the hold time? heck when I make multiple reservations in one phone call they repeat back something about allowing travel time and what not for every reservation booked and they have a history of not getting reservation systems to work very well, and what about the mixed and split family where grandma and grandpa wanna put certain meals on their card vs. mom and dad on theirs for others, and explaining that the card holds the reservation and doesn't need to be the same card to pay for the meal, etc. I am guessing your hold time would increase, a lot

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
1% or even 1/2 a % seems like a very high number for those multi booking
Pick any number with which you feek comfortable. Disney will plug any hole that leaks monet. We have seen them do this repeatedly. A great example of this is the Candlelight Processional package. In years past, you could see the show and then have a leisurely dinner. Recently, Disney changed this. You now have dinner and then the show. This does multiple things. It insures that you dont dawdle over coffee thereby occupying an expensive seat that can be refilled and it fills in the less desirable dining times. If you want to see the 5:15 Candlelight, you have dinner (and yes...you pay dinner prices) at 2:30 or 3:00pm
that's just good management of a high demand event, the increased demand means you have to figure out how to jack more people through, like adding additional ticket takers in the morning when the parks open vs. the number of ticket takers in the afternoon. If you don't like the price or the policy, don't go... the more people that don't go will reduce demand, reduced demand means lower prices.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
.. out of the 200,000 registered on this site, how many are active, how many are regularly active? I see people with thousands of posts asking questions about where to find the park hours... if you have thousands of posts on a site dedicated to WDW, should you have an idea where to find park hours? Same principle applies to multi booking.
I guess I'm a little slow. I dont understand this at all. I've been at Disney and seen adults ask a CM where the nearest bathroom might be. There are free maps and signs. According to this logic, shouldn't they know how to find a bathroom?
it is the law of large numbers, people think the because so many people are at WDW at any given time that kids must get snatched from parents everyday. the reality is significantly less. People think that stadiums being built with money from a bond passed a year should be able to spend that money to cover the short fall in property taxes for basic local government services, I think the bond holders would be upset. I find it very difficult to believe that there are that many people double booking reservations. And I don't think Spoodles has the drawing power to command a $20 penalty for missing your reservation. and I often have to ask for directions to the bathroom in my own house, I get lost easy... something to do with loosing my hair I think

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
250 sounds more realistic, but out of how many tables at WDW? and so you think that is someone doesn't show up for a reservation that table just sits empty?
As stated earlier...we've seen this happen. I called Disney Dining to get a reservation for Spoodles on a weekday afternoon. I was told there were no reservations available. None! we decided to go see for ourselves and Spoodles was EMPTY. One other table was being used. The manager's explanation was that this happens all of the time. People make reservations and any number of things can cause them to not show. Good weather, bad weather....anything....but the outcome is an empty restaurant that Disney dining is stating should be full.
that's just bad management, and if it were a nice day I wouldn't goto spoodles either even if the food were free (well maybe free)... if it were a nice day, you can bet I would make a Le Cellier Reservation

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
I goto Applebees and wait for a table, on tuesday night, I get seated right away, on friday night I wait about an hour... does this surprise anyone?
During a good portion of the year, every night is Friday night at WDW. The economy might change that, but this is how it's been recently.
yup, and you wait for a table at peak times at peak locations. Even with that reservation. and you wait less at non peak times, supply and demand

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
on multiple vacations with multiple reservations per day over 10 days... at the busy restaurants I waited longer to be seated than at the not so busy places, if I ate breakfast before 8am... no wait to be seated, at 9am a wait to be seated. Hm, kinda like at waffle house.
Again, I'm confused as to what this has to do with making reservations. If you do not want to make an ADR and are willing to fly by the seat of your pants and / or eat at off peak times....then this should not be a problem at all. If you arent making a reservation then there is no penalty.
again... even with the reservation, you are made to wait for a table at peak times. if they were booking one reservation to a table at peak times it would be spaced such that I am seated immediately (meaning a very short wait) when I walk up. The amount of time a 4 top takes to eat at a given location can be determined with a high degree of accuracy and wait staff are trained to turn over a table in that amount of time, therefore if the reservation system is one to one, the table should be waiting for me, not me waiting for the table. this is not what they are doing, peak demand and peak location you wait... these locations where (due to demand) it is possible to incur the penalty for missing the reservation already have it in place. Spoodles and 9 Dragons not so much

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
the people that are bothered that they can't get the reservation they want at the time they want should either not go to WDW at all, or eat somewhere else.
Hmm. I'm betting that there are some people that wont agree with this.
that is like saying people might not agree with gravity? I don't think Cirque de So lame is worth $250 a ticket, so I don't go... some people think it is worth that and more, they can have my seat (if that seat is near the clowns with BO i'd be willing to fork over a $20 to not go). It is supply and demand, if you don't think the cost is worth the product, don't buy it... if there are people waiting to buy the product at the higher price, don't expect the price to come down. That just the economics of the situation. you can not like it, but products rarely get cheaper when demand increases

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
The cost to "fix" this problem for the small number of people effected is greater than the cost of a table that is not sitting empty in the first place. BECAUSE WDW IS ALREADY OVERBOOKING AND EXPECTING A GIVEN NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO NOT SHOW UP AT MOST OF THE RESTAURANTS.
I'm not sure where that information comes from and I'm not sure I agree with it.
it has to be true, peak demand = peak wait times even with reservations. if the reservation system were one for one, there would be no wait time when you arrive. or given the difference in the amount of time it takes to eat for some parties, a short wait time i.e. less than 5 min. Hotels do it, the airlines do it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
For some locations, the costs associated justify a CC hold to ensure the reservation.
My dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table (prepaid) was less costly them my dinner at Narcoossee's (just an ADR).
yup, and I am guessing that it is very rare anyone misses a reservation at Cindy's royal table... the product has the cache to demand the CC hold. The cost here is opportunity cost, how do you measure in dollars dressing your daughter as a princess to eat in a castle? They could serve burnt spam at $100 a head and still have the place booked 90 days out. CRT is not worth it to me, Narcoosee's would be, but I don't have a 6 year old in a princess dress screaming daddy in the way that little girls do that make you cringe a little. Comparing the demand elasticity of the two is comparing poison apples to ruby slippers (not the same move, not the same studio).

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
.. but that would also mean, that when I show up at CAli Grill, at my reservation time, I should be seated immediately if they are holding that table just for me... does that happen? no.
Dont give Disney ideas or they may start putting meters on tables. Some folks eat slower than others.
you can predict fairly well how long it will take most patrons to eat, and how often the table will turn over, no meter required

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
Keep trying to justify the policy, but it is a rumor
First...it's not yet policy and second, I'm not trying to justify it. simply stating why I think it's a good idea. And you are correct again, currently, this is a rumor.
if you think it is a good idea, then in some way you are justifying it... I don't think the costs to implement would recover the costs from loss, given that I don't think there is loss. If Spoodles had open reservations how busy would they be on a nice day, vs if le Cellier had open reservations on a nice day? there just is not the level of demand to justify the cost at most locations... a more believable rumor would be that they are going to expand the CC hold program to peak times at peak locations... oh wait, they already do that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wildeoscar View Post
that probably came from Jim Hill while he was eating at the new AC in a new park that started construction in someplace I like to call, Fantasyland with out Cindy's Castle.
I'm just leaving that alone.
I have friends in management at WDW as well... lots of ideas get discussed that never see the light of day, but when you have to sell advertising to make a buck to pay the bills... a sensational story sells a lot more than a boring one... that is why everything will kill you dead and maim your children during sweeps week, and that is why Kevin always has the good rumors, cause he filters the stuff that is just being discussed from the stuff that is being implemented. So in a round about way I am saying that's why the info on disunplugged carries more weight, no advertisers they have to satisfy with ratings. Others that have to carry ratings to sell advertising need to attract a crowd... which is where a lot of these rumors come from.

technical summery: there is no ROI for implementing CC hold for all reservations across all restaurants. Implementing such a policy would drive down demand at the low demand restaurants and not change demand for the high demand restaurants.