Same Day Reservations

[DisneyStarWisher]

I know you have to cancel ADRs 24 hours in advance to avoid a cc charge. What happens if you make a same-day ADR and you have to cancel or don't show up?

 

[Cloe Colton]

I know in my experience if I am in the park/resort where my reservation is and we decide its just not a fit for us I will go and talk to the hostess and let them know that we won't be able to use the reservation and they cancel without the charge. From my understanding this allows them to offer the table to someone else so they are not losing money by holding a reservation you just don't show up to.

I think you can also call the restaurant to let them know and they will cancel without a fee. But I'm sure that can depend on the mood of the CM.

And if you just can't make the time you can modify same day reservations through MDE.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I know in my experience if I am in the park/resort where my reservation is and we decide its just not a fit for us I will go and talk to the hostess and let them know that we won't be able to use the reservation and they cancel without the charge. From my understanding this allows them to offer the table to someone else so they are not losing money by holding a reservation you just don't show up to.

I think you can also call the restaurant to let them know and they will cancel without a fee. But I'm sure that can depend on the mood of the CM.

And if you just can't make the time you can modify same day reservations through MDE.

For clarification, I'm wondering if all of this will work for ADRs that you make the same-day. For example, what if I make an ADR one morning for later that night and end up needing to cancel? Can I call the restaurant and they waive the fee? I assume if you call Disney Dining, the fee would not be waived?

 

[Cloe Colton]

For clarification, I'm wondering if all of this will work for ADRs that you make the same-day. For example, what if I make an ADR one morning for later that night and end up needing to cancel? Can I call the restaurant and they waive the fee? I assume if you call Disney Dining, the fee would not be waived?

I don't really see how it would be any different, you're still calling to let them know and they can offer the table as a reservation to someone else or a walkup. They just dont want to hold a table for a no show and lose out on money someone would spend on dinner.

I actually accidentally made a reservation for yesterday at 11:45am when I was trying to make a reservation for July 27th at 11:45am (didn't realize the date had reset after a different reservation). I didn't notice this had happened until like 1:30PM yesterday. Called the disney dining number they had next to the reservation and was able to switch the reservation to July 27th and didn't pay a no show fee. I can still cancel that reservation now and will not incur any cancellation fees. So you could always do that, adjust for a different date/time and cancel it then.

There are many ways around paying the cancellation fee.

Hope that helps!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

But is the official rule if you cancel within 24 hours you will be charged a fee or is it only if you don't show?

 

[goofyintoronto]

Just an FYI, i dont think you can actually call the restaurant directly. Im guessing the previous poster meant "disney dining" and not the actual restaurant.

@DisneyStarWisher I believe if you cancel LESS than 24 hours, you will be charged the $10pp fee. But perhaps if you call disney dining and are trying to replace the ADR with a different restaurant the same day, they wouldnt charge you the fee. But overall cancelling the same day, yes i think you'd be charged.

Perhaps someone else can chime in with more info....

 

[DisBuckMan]

Just an FYI, i dont think you can actually call the restaurant directly. Im guessing the previous poster meant "disney dining" and not the actual restaurant.

@DisneyStarWisher I believe if you cancel LESS than 24 hours, you will be charged the $10pp fee. But perhaps if you call disney dining and are trying to replace the ADR with a different restaurant the same day, they wouldnt charge you the fee. But overall cancelling the same day, yes i think you'd be charged.

Perhaps someone else can chime in with more info....

Agree with all of this.

A no-show is a no-show...regardless of when the reservation was made. Disney ADR cancellation rules still apply, and since you're making the ADR within 24 hours, you'd be considered a no-show.

Also agreed that you cannot call the Disney owned restaurants directly.

Some have reported being able to stop by the restaurant's hostess stand and getting it cancelled that way, but that's still taking a chance, and only convenient if you're going to be in that park anyway.

 

[Hopefully]

I think you can also call the restaurant to let them know and they will cancel without a fee. But I'm sure that can depend on the mood of the CM.

How? There are no direct restaurant telephone numbers published.

 

[gillep]

Just an FYI, i dont think you can actually call the restaurant directly. Im guessing the previous poster meant "disney dining" and not the actual restaurant.

@DisneyStarWisher I believe if you cancel LESS than 24 hours, you will be charged the $10pp fee. But perhaps if you call disney dining and are trying to replace the ADR with a different restaurant the same day, they wouldnt charge you the fee. But overall cancelling the same day, yes i think you'd be charged.

Perhaps someone else can chime in with more info....

Agree with all of this.

A no-show is a no-show...regardless of when the reservation was made. Disney ADR cancellation rules still apply, and since you're making the ADR within 24 hours, you'd be considered a no-show.

Also agreed that you cannot call the Disney owned restaurants directly.

Some have reported being able to stop by the restaurant's hostess stand and getting it cancelled that way, but that's still taking a chance, and only convenient if you're going to be in that park anyway.

I agree with these, I would expect to be charged. You can also try and modify your reservation to a future date if you can't make it, and then cancel that reservation, but you are at the mercy of Disney IT and whether the system is working correctly or not at that time.

 

[gharter]

i don't think when you made the reservation makes any difference in the cancellation policy. If you can't make the ADR, then you need to call or show up at the restaurant to cancel the ADR. Otherwise you will get charged a no-show fee. Last week, I was checking in at Sci Fi. for lunch. The person in fornt of me was cancelling an ADR that he made that morning. The staff thanked him, told him he would not be charged since he cancelled and offered him a later time if he wanted.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Ok, so I now understand it doesn't matter when you make the ADR. I just had it in my mind that I've read somewhere on here people making same-day ADRs to avoid the cancellation fee. Maybe it's just they are booking them same-day to lessen the likelihood that they would cancel it. But I'm also having trouble understanding if the $10 fee is if you are a no-show or if you cancel within 24 hours or both.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Ok, so I now understand it doesn't matter when you make the ADR. I just had it in my mind that I've read somewhere on here people making same-day ADRs to avoid the cancellation fee. Maybe it's just they are booking them same-day to lessen the likelihood that they would cancel it. But I'm also having trouble understanding if the $10 fee is if you are a no-show or if you cancel within 24 hours or both.

Disney policy is "both".

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Ok, so I now understand it doesn't matter when you make the ADR. I just had it in my mind that I've read somewhere on here people making same-day ADRs to avoid the cancellation fee. Maybe it's just they are booking them same-day to lessen the likelihood that they would cancel it. But I'm also having trouble understanding if the $10 fee is if you are a no-show or if you cancel within 24 hours or both.

I think this is the case. People wait until day-of so they have a better idea of where they will be that day and when they would like to eat. At least, that's what we do. I look on the app about 2-3 hours before we want to eat and make the ADR then. I want to avoid putting a cc hold on any ADR as much as I can to maintain flexibility in scheduling.

The $10 fee is for both, but, as others have said, you can always try to modify a reservation by re-scheduling it for a future date and then cancelling it to avoid the fee.

 

[gharter]

Their official policy is :
Restaurants offering advance reservations charge a per- person cancellation fee for reservations cancelled after the designated cancellation period, or for no shows. Each restaurant at the Walt Disney World® Resort maintains its own cancellation policy, so be sure to confirm the policy before finalizing your reservation.
In my experience and what I've seen, if you cancel your ADR instead of just no showing, it is unlikely you will be charged.