Saving Tables....A Complaint

[DLBDS]

Why is it wrong? Because you said so? I don't think so. As many others have posted, splitting a group up and having one person go order while another finds a table is an eminently sensible and efficient thing to do. In retrospect, I am sure you wish you had gone to stake out a table while your husband ordered. Had you done this, as many, many others do, you would not have had the issue that you had.

Actually, you're wrong about that. As I stated in the OP, I already knew this was an issue at CS. I'll say this again and this will be my last reply for awhile (too busy right now)....It's wrong for someone without food to occupy a table when someone with food needs it. Nuff said.

 

[dcgrumpy]

It's wrong for someone without food to occupy a table when someone with food needs it. Nuff said.

Because you say it is?

 

[LISAMWDW]

We always have our kids sit at the table while we order our food. If that is saving seats, then yep we do. We don't consider it holding up anyone or taking anything away from other families. We just alway plan ahead. It's just less stressful w/kids.

 

[bytheblood]

Your poll options are very black and white. I picked yes.

If somebody is in line, then whoever in the party that does not want to wait in the food line should be able to grab a table and sit their tired bottoms down and wait for the rest of their party to show up with food.

During this time, those people can grab condiments, napkins, straws or whatever until the food comes.

Honestly, if a family comes up behind me with 3 or 4 kids, I would much rather somebody in their party go grab a table and take the kids with them instead of the kids dancing around behind me, swinging around on the bars in the line, etc. That is best for all involved.

On the flipside, if you are done eating, but now you are in a carb-coma and can't shake the sleepies off, you should really pry your bottom out of the seat and let somebody who needs a table sit down. I think that behavior is much worse than saving a table for somebody who is in line.

 

[madalex]

Actually, you're wrong about that. As I stated in the OP, I already knew this was an issue at CS. I'll say this again and this will be my last reply for awhile (too busy right now)....It's wrong for someone without food to occupy a table when someone with food needs it. Nuff said.

If you knew it was going to be an issue, why didn't you do something about it, instead of putting yourself in the situation you did and then coming her to complain about it?

In addition, it's not wrong, just because you say it is. Nuff said.

 

[bytheblood]

........we have to eat our $50 chicken strips outside or standing up.....

 

[Rustysmom]

We split up and I grab a seat with the kids while DH orders. The only people searching for seats that I would feel sorry for is if someone is there by themselves with a young child and they couldn't do the same thing. Other than that, it makes sense for everyone to split up if they can. It's silly to be standing around with a tray full of food looking for a seat when one person could be looking while the other one orders, this way everyone gets out quicker to make room for more people.

 

[BillSears]

Personally I agree with the OP. The tables are meant for those eating not for those who will be eating in half an hour. The OP said the line for food was half an hour long. Assuming that everyone saved a table and that eating the counter food normally takes half an hour each party occupied a table for an hour. If you waited until you had your food to find a table the tables would be occupied for half an hour per party. By saving tables you're using the table for twice the needed time and the restaurant would need twice as many tables. If you just sat at the table for the time you were eating it would be the equivilent of Disney doubling the seating at counter service places.

 

[MzDiz]

We don't even bother thinking about standing in the line until we find a table. That's just the way it is at WDW. We've left one place for another because there were no available tables because we don't want to stand there with trays of food without a place to put them.

 

[Anke]

My answer is yes. After we have decided what we are going to order a few of us are going to look for a table while the others wait in line. It depends on the amount of food we order if one or more persons are going to have to stand in line to be able to carry it back to the table. I doesn't make sense to me for everyone in your family/group to stand in line while only one places the order for the family/group. That area would become very crowded.

 

[inloveindisney]

I have to say that sometimes it is just necessary to save a seat. One time I split up with my family to find a table at Pizza Planet. I waited probably 30 minutes while my husband stood in line. I'm sorry, but if we would have done that AFTER we got our food, the meal would have been cold.
NOw, there is a nice and not so nice way of doing it. I watched some people actually sit down at a table with a couple while they finished their meal. I would have been furious if someone did that to me. You should have seen the look on those people's face.

 

[fla4fun]

Since I'm usually traveling to the World solo, I don't have the option of saving a table while ordering food. But if I go inside a CS restaurant and it looks really busy, I either wait until later or go somewhere else.

I have to agree though that it's better to have as few people in the ordering lines as possible. Those lines are really hard to navigate, especially when you are trying to exit with your food. They should have made the exit lines about twice as wide as the order lines. I can't tell you how many people I've seen covered in soda when a tray gets knocked to the side.

 

[LilGMom]

what do you do as you look around and see folks with food struggling to find somewhere to sit down and there's table after table occupied by folks such as yourself...with no food. Do you feel sorry for them? Ignore them? Do you just not care? Or do you feel guilty because you know that you're sitting at a table that they could be using to eat their lunch?

We "save seats" at CS and will continue to do so. All four of us (ds-6, ds-2, dh & I) get in line to figure out what we want and when dh is about three from the front I take the youngest, grab napkins, straws, and flatware and we start scouting around for a table. I like to clean the table up (even though the CMs are usually right on top of the tables one does slip by them during busy times), get the youngest situated and make sure that I have a place for the four of us to eat. I would much rather get out of the way than have two very active youngsters dodging people carrying trays of food. When dh & the oldest ds deliver the food I start cutting up food for the youngest while they go get condiments. We are usually in and out in under twenty minutes. I don't feel sorry for people for people walking around looking for a table, I feel lucky that I'm not in that position with my two young children.

Here is a shock for ya.... we have even gone in and used a CS table just to relax.... Of course we go during off peak season, we'd never do that during a meal-time and if people were looking for tables we'd certainly leave.

 

[Talking Hands]

Because it's WRONG. Folks should be able to sit down to eat their food once they have it. Period. The dining room was half full of non-eaters. It was pathetic. We did 3 circuits around the dining room before we found a table. It doesn't take long to eat a CS meal, folks. Get up off your fanny and let someone with food eat. Everyone's tired (and hot during the summer) while in the parks. Not just you. Show a little compassion for your fellow park hoppers. We did. We split up our table and chairs so a young couple could sit down and eat beside us. If you're worried you'll lose your table, by all means, stand guard over it if you must but let that family quickly eat and be on their way. If that day was any example, they'll be gone before your food arrives.

I see nothing wrong with it. Since there are limited tables we can use (use a PWC) I grab at table while DH gets the food. Food service lines are rarely accessible anyway and the handicapped line is rarely open. What do you want us to do? Stand in the middle of the restaurant in everyone's way while we wait for our food.
Edited to add I don't ususally get the table until after we order. Might as well since the chair won't go in the lines there. So we are not waiting for 30 minutes but 5 to 10 at the most.

 

[mvazul]

We always look for a table before even thinking of getting in line. DH and DD usually get napkins, straws, etc, while I order and pay. Then, DS helps me carry the food.

I do not want to be standing in line with our entire family and clogging up the order area. Plus, DD is 5. She will not stand still for anything. I don't want her bopping and dancing around as someone turns around with a tray full of food. I would feel much worse if she accidentally tripped them and they lost their order than by holding a table. Also, what if they did trip over her and they had hot soup, etc, on their tray and it got spilled on her? I just don't see anything wrong with saving a table. I think it works better for all involved.

Now, if people are lounging around (during extremely busy times) once they're done eating....that's a completely different story.

 

[Princess Stitch]

We "save seats" at CS and will continue to do so. All four of us (ds-6, ds-2, dh & I) get in line to figure out what we want and when dh is about three from the front I take the youngest, grab napkins, straws, and flatware and we start scouting around for a table. I like to clean the table up (even though the CMs are usually right on top of the tables one does slip by them during busy times), get the youngest situated and make sure that I have a place for the four of us to eat. I would much rather get out of the way than have two very active youngsters dodging people carrying trays of food. When dh & the oldest ds deliver the food I start cutting up food for the youngest while they go get condiments. We are usually in and out in under twenty minutes. I don't feel sorry for people for people walking around looking for a table, I feel lucky that I'm not in that position with my two young children.

Here is a shock for ya.... we have even gone in and used a CS table just to relax.... Of course we go during off peak season, we'd never do that during a meal-time and if people were looking for tables we'd certainly leave.

I've bolded part of your comment. I think that's the more courteous way to do things (and don't give me the "why, because you say it is?" it's just my opinion). Me and DBF will do that as well. The table is only being held for 5-10 minutes, not 30 minutes.

Also, the "wait till later to eat" or "go somewhere else" doesn't always work. I don't have kids but I know that sometimes you can't just tell small children "oh well, we'll have lunch in about 3 hours when things settle down".

We'll sometimes linger at a table after we're done eating as well, but only if the restaurant isn't busy. If all the tables are full or there's people walking around looking for a seat it's time to get up!

 

[Disney4Drew]

I have no problem with other member of the family saving a table while one or two people order. We have done it plenty of times...at WDW and fast food places here at home. My DS is 4 (and was 3 during our last trip), so I told him and DH to sit down most of the time. They got napkins and other things while I ordered the food.

 

[Princess Stitch]

I see nothing wrong with it. Since there are limited tables we can use (use a PWC) I grab at table while DH gets the food. Food service lines are rarely accessible anyway and the handicapped line is rarely open. What do you want us to do? Stand in the middle of the restaurant in everyone's way while we wait for our food.

This is a different situation. If only people who had a specific reason to NEED to be at a table did this, there woudln't be any problems. I'm not saying someone should stand in line holding an infant, or with a fidgity toddler, but lots of people who are perfectly capable of waiting will save tables as well.

It's like when you're waiting to get on an airplane and they call pre-boarding for anyone with SMALL children. Everyone who has a kid under the age of 18 seems to get up and get on the plane, making it more crowded and harder for people to get their small children settled.

If everyone who was capable of waiting stood in line until they were at least half way, a big portion of this problem would be eliminated.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I see no problem with part of the family ordering while the other part holds the table. My family has been doing that for years and DH and I did it when we went to WDW with the nieces...when it is just the 2 of us we do not hold a table.

What I do have a problem with is people hovering over me making me feel like I have to rush.

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

Have to add another yes vote. And we use the similar technique of standing together to make a decision then splitting to get napkins, etc., and a table while the other (usually me) gets the food. My DKs (7 & 9) get more wound up the hungrier they are and I would be embarrassed if their fidgeting in line caused them to bump someone or have a tray accident as already mentioned.

Really nothing is as irksome as the family of 5 standing in line all willy-nilly about their order, changing things at the last minute. Honestly, you've been in line 20 minutes now. How do you get to the register and STILL not know what you want? Having DH & DKs go sit eliminates the last-minute switch DS likes to pull. Equally, once past the register and up at the counter waiting for an order, it just grosses me out the way some people's children will lay their arms and lean their bodies all over the counter. I do not want sweat with that!