Should fee be charged for not cancelling ADR's?

[nolagirl]

I will say this again, the empty tables were not due to lack of staff!!! Their were 6 cast members at the podium talking to people and playing with my son. The tables were clearly empty because people with ADR's who were not going to be there that evening, didn't do the considerate thing and cancel them.

Just because there was an abundance of host staff does not mean that the restaurant wasn't understaffed. Hosts may not be trained to wait tables and like wise hosts and servers certainly can't do a whole lot in the kitchen. There may have been a lack of servers or perhaps a large number of tables had just turned over putting a lot of demand on the servers or creating a backup in the kitchen. Sometimes it's necessary to hold off on seating customers to prevent different staff members from becoming overwhelmed or behind and to maintain the high standards (food and service wise) of the restaurant.

Regarding charging for no shows, I see your point but it really seems unnecessary. Disney takes reservations 6 months in advance and thanks to the popularity of the dining plan many of the restaurants are booked up months in advance. I am sure they do have a procedure for handling no shows and most likely do overbook somewhat. The real difficulty in handling such a high percentage of reservations vs. walk-ups is that you don't know how long it will take a party to eat their meal. All you've got is an "average" time. Some of those tables may have opened up due to some fast eaters. If they had gone ahead and taken some walk-ups to fill them, those walk-ups might have taken a longer than the average time to eat and caused longer wait times for those coming in with reservations. It's a system, and considering they are dealing with restaurants that are booked to capacity everyday, I'd be willing to bet that they know what they are doing.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney overbooks. An ADR isn't actual reservation, rather you're put on a list for the next available table. Disney should stop double bookings, guests shouldn't be allowed to make reservations they can't physically make. Disney is a theme park. Guests change their plans. Disney should reserve deposits and pre-payments to those few meals that seem to need it, CRT and CG for example. No-shows aren't a problem. No-shows that are more or less then was projected can be.

 

[gottalluvmickey]

I think we all need to be careful of what we wish for If they have tables that are empty, there is probably a valid reason...such as:

1.) The ADR for that table might be scheduled for in the next 10 minutes! If you walk in and the restaurant has people at every table, you'll have to wait for your ADR! I can just imagine all the upset people that have an ADR and then they have to wait 20 minutes or longer for a table to clear because all the tables are full ! Ouch!

2.) There might be wait staff at the podium...I'm sure they'd rather have tables making tips than greeting people. You never know what's going on behind the kitchen doors. Along with a chef possible calling in sick, maybe the kitchen is producing what they can at that time. If all the tables are full and you have to wait an hour for your food because the kitchen can't handle the amount of tables in the restaurant, we'll have upset people for having to wait for their food.

3.) We all know with our obsessive compulsion to plan, an ADR may slip our mind. I originally planned a trip for Aug. 20 - 28. We changed that to Aug. 26 - Sept. 3. I know that I called back twice to make sure all my ADR's for the first week were cancelled, but people would be upset if they somehow got charged for one of the cancelled ones that still showed up in the computer or they forgot to cancel.

4.) I agree that it would be nice for them to check when people have multiple ADR's on any given night. But, then we'll have people upset that they have to be on hold longer while waiting to make ADR's.

I could keep going with this list, but hopefully you understand my point. Disney does a wonderful job at accommodating thousands of guests everyday. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but I'd rather let the professionals do their job while I focus on all the wonderful things that happen at Disney. I'm sure they work everyday improving things, but there are always many factors that the rest of us don't think about while ranting.

As I said, we must be careful of what we wish for. Hopefully I don't upset anyone with this post.

 

[Disney Ron]

Just because there was an abundance of host staff does not mean that the restaurant wasn't understaffed. Hosts may not be trained to wait tables and like wise hosts and servers certainly can't do a whole lot in the kitchen. There may have been a lack of servers or perhaps a large number of tables had just turned over putting a lot of demand on the servers or creating a backup in the kitchen. Sometimes it's necessary to hold off on seating customers to prevent different staff members from becoming overwhelmed or behind and to maintain the high standards (food and service wise) of the restaurant.

Regarding charging for no shows, I see your point but it really seems unnecessary. Disney takes reservations 6 months in advance and thanks to the popularity of the dining plan many of the restaurants are booked up months in advance. I am sure they do have a procedure for handling no shows and most likely do overbook somewhat. The real difficulty in handling such a high percentage of reservations vs. walk-ups is that you don't know how long it will take a party to eat their meal. All you've got is an "average" time. Some of those tables may have opened up due to some fast eaters. If they had gone ahead and taken some walk-ups to fill them, those walk-ups might have taken a longer than the average time to eat and caused longer wait times for those coming in with reservations. It's a system, and considering they are dealing with restaurants that are booked to capacity everyday, I'd be willing to bet that they know what they are doing.

nola, first of all I talked to the CM's at the podium and they are all trained to be greeters and waitstaff, so therefore they were not under staffed if 6 of them were outside talking to people.

Secondly I just talked to an ADR CM on the phone and brought up this issue and she told me that on New Years Eve ADR's are held with a CC incase of cancellations!!! If they can do it NYE why can't that system be in place all year?

BTW, alot of people don't know until a couple of months before, if they will be able to go on a WDW vacation. Why should they be penalized for it by not being able to get some ADR's they'd like, just because others didn't cancel ones they weren't going to use?

 

[gr8tdame]

Hi,
We cannot book 6 months in advance due to not knowing when my dh can take vacation. We are travelling from Texas so we need to also book flights to orlando....airlines do not have flight info posted 6 months in advance.
We have been to WDW many times in the past 30 years and never been able to eat @ Le cellier for dinner.
I find many people I have talked to say they travel with other couples and make multiple reservations and only decide at he last minute wher to go and have so many ADRs so they get to pick or choose and have no remorse at their selfishness.
Bad karma. What goes around comes around.
I remember our last trip was spoiled because of the time we spent trying to find someplace to eat.

making multiple reservations or not cancelling ADRs is as bad as adults pushing children out of the way to get front row spots at parades.
I could go on and on about how some people have no class.....
but what the hey....
Nobody or nothing is going to ruin this trip.... we have some ADRs even if they are late at night .... we will just have to decide.. fireworks or dinner.

 

[Dictator]

My thoughts on the topic are ADR's should only be available for a select few restaurants for reservations more than 1 day in advance. Everything else should be either 1st come 1st served or you make your reservations that day at the park entrance. It's ridiculous for Disney to basically ask that families plan every moment of their vacations in order to eat a meal at a TS restaurant.

 

[eeyore_is#1]

I agree. I think a fee should be charged for no shows. I also think they need to crack down on multiple reservations for the same meal time. If you have 4 in your party and 2 reservations of parties of 2 then that is reasonable, but not 2 reservations of parties of 4. It would be easy enough to check this when reservations are being made. The CM then should gently remind them they already have a reservation and that one will need to be cancelled right then.

Bingo. Free source code:

if( sum of number of seats reserved > number of folks in party )
then print "ERROR: reservation must be cancelled".

Two four party ressies around the same time should never be allowed in your example.

Attack the problem, not the symptom. The problem is folks making multiple ressies, not the occasional time someone misses their ressies because they were in a different park, couldn't make it, etc.

Charging for missed ones gets some of the perps, but some innocent folks too.

 

[kribit]

If people don't show up, the various restaurants can seat walk-ups. I don't think it's a big deal. Plus, how could a person know by sitting there that the open seats were no shows?

We walked up to Mexico and were seated right away last trip without an ADR. The place was empty, but the server asked if we had a previous reservation. I highly doubt there were that many no shows.

 

[highoctane]

I agree with the OP Disney should have some kind of no-show policy. We were once late due to standing in line, and they seated us no problem, we were inconciderate and should have called and either changed our reservation or cancelled. I think 15 Minutes would be too close considering you could be stranded due to a bus or a ride break down. but maybe 30minutes and then give the table to a walk up guest.

 

[Vijoge]

I really think there should be a certain number of seats set aside for walk-ups. Maybe 25% or so. A little flexibility and spontaneity never hurt anyone.

 

[Disney Ron]

If people don't show up, the various restaurants can seat walk-ups. I don't think it's a big deal. Plus, how could a person know by sitting there that the open seats were no shows?

We walked up to Mexico and were seated right away last trip without an ADR. The place was empty, but the server asked if we had a previous reservation. I highly doubt there were that many no shows.

kribit, you're talking 2 different animals when you try to compare San Angel Inn with LeCellier. LeCellier is always sold out and very rarely will they seat walkups.

I wish someone could explain to me how the entire time we were eating at LeCellier their were at least 6 tables open the whole time while walkups weren't being given tables? My guess is that a few people with ADR's were no shows!!!

 

[highoctane]

Hi,
We cannot book 6 months in advance due to not knowing when my dh can take vacation. We are travelling from Texas so we need to also book flights to orlando....airlines do not have flight info posted 6 months in advance.
We have been to WDW many times in the past 30 years and never been able to eat @ Le cellier for dinner.
I find many people I have talked to say they travel with other couples and make multiple reservations and only decide at he last minute wher to go and have so many ADRs so they get to pick or choose and have no remorse at their selfishness.
Bad karma. What goes around comes around.
I remember our last trip was spoiled because of the time we spent trying to find someplace to eat.

making multiple reservations or not cancelling ADRs is as bad as adults pushing children out of the way to get front row spots at parades.
I could go on and on about how some people have no class.....
but what the hey....
Nobody or nothing is going to ruin this trip.... we have some ADRs even if they are late at night .... we will just have to decide.. fireworks or dinner.

On our last trip while I was checking in I had my DW go to the concierge desk and check on ADR for Le Cellier and there was a cancellation and we were able to get a lunch resi for our trip so don't give up hope.

 

[diskids2]

Opinions please, should Disney charge a fee for those who don't cancel an ADR?

Here's why I bring this up. In March we had an ADR for dinner at LeCellier. While we were waiting to be seated 3 different families without an ADR inquired about the chances of receiving a table but were told that without an ADR they were out of luck. We then get seated and the entire time we are eating their were 6-8 tables that were empty at all times, apparently because people that had cancelled trips hadn't cancelled their ADR. Here were people outside being turned away because they didn't have an ADR while they could have been given one of the empty tables.

Maybe when making ADR's Disney could ask for a credit card to hold it and charge a fee if one doesn't use that ADR.

We always cancel ADR's that we know we won't be using to be considerate to others.

Thoughts?

I absolutely do not want to see WDW charging for ADR's not cancelled. I would rather see them "let the table go" after a short waiting period.

I cancel my ADR's and I have also been able to make them at the last minute at various times. Actually, I like the system just the way it is.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

As I noted on an earlier thread, I think a CC guarantee for ADRs is a great idea. I think they should only charge a fee to the card, if you are a no show. Charging the fee at the time of making the ADR wouldn't be necessary. It can be a pain to get charges removed at a later date.

 

[Oceana]

Yes and no... I remember when it was priority seating rather than a reservation and if you were not their they took the next person and I liked that.

Our last trip we would have ended up fined for a reservation issue which was out of our control. My son fell at the pool and rather than return to the parks we just wanted a quick dinner when we got back. we also would have never made it back in time for our reservation I called... 5 min before when we were suppose to be there and did cancel but would that have counted? I would have been very angry had we been fined for not showing ya know or cancelling so late

I would like the priority seating thing back... that way I could walk in and be given at least a chance in heck ya know

julei

 

[dreamergirl78]

My answer is no. Like other people have said, there are MANY things that can happen on any given day to throw off your schedule. And no offense, but if I missed my ADR time due to a transportation break down or something else completely out of my control, and I got charged, I would be so upset! I think the problems that charging a credit card for a no show would be greater than Disney would want to deal with.
It is a very frustrating situation, because it is hard to plan out your trip to the hour 180 days in advance. I really feel for the people that don't know about those reservations and can't get in anywhere good to eat.
I am not sure what the perfect solution is, but charging a fee for not showing up would be bad business, in my opinion.

 

[pmiranda]

I don't think the OP was really wanting an honest response to the question stated as the thread topic. She does not seem to be listening to anyone that does not share her opinion. Too bad, as many valid points were made. Hosts/greeters are generally NOT trained as wait staff, and even if there were food servers in the past, they have a particular job to do NOW. It is doubtful they are trained in the knowledge of the particular food items being served, or have the experience/training necessary to take over for a missing food server in a restaurant of this calibre. I'm not not saying I don't believe you that they may have told you they were trained to serve as well as host, but that is NOT normally how things work. They may have meant they knew how to serve or have served in the past. However unlikely it may be, I suppose there could extraordinary circumstances here, and I am mistaken in this case.

As others have said, it may have also been a shortage or backup in the kitchen, in which case the kitchen manager would convey to the general manager or front of house manager to take it easy on seating until things are caught up. There are many, many reasons for open tables that have nothing to do with no-shows or server shortages. Your lack of restaurants operations should be brought to light.

In any case, ADR's are NOT reservations that will hold tables open for people anyway, they only give you next available seating, and if more people don't show up than they have overbooked (and be aware they do overbook), then they WILL take walkups. Also, Disney does call you to cancel any same-time reservations now. People have already reported this. That problem will now be partially solved, since I suppose you still could lie and make up a valid reason for having both at the same time.

Charging for no-shows will only cause more problems than it will solve. There will be numerous valid reasons for no-shows, especially when you have restaurants located in amusement parks. They have a system in place to account for this anyway, so enough said.

 

[Disney Ron]

My answer is no. Like other people have said, there are MANY things that can happen on any given day to throw off your schedule. And no offense, but if I missed my ADR time due to a transportation break down or something else completely out of my control, and I got charged, I would be so upset! I think the problems that charging a credit card for a no show would be greater than Disney would want to deal with.
It is a very frustrating situation, because it is hard to plan out your trip to the hour 180 days in advance. I really feel for the people that don't know about those reservations and can't get in anywhere good to eat.
I am not sure what the perfect solution is, but charging a fee for not showing up would be bad business, in my opinion.

Tia, I'm sorry but to me there is no excuse for not cancelling an ADR. Your hotels Guest Services desk could do it for you or you could just call yourself and cancel. I was an hour late for an ADR at Boma two years ago because of a storm and they still sat us.

This is all about being considerate to others. If you can't make an ADR then cancel it. It's funny but when people have to cancel a trip to WDW they cancel their hotel reservation because they would lose their deposit. I'll bet if it would cost people money they'd find a way to cancel an ADR they couldn't use.

 

[Disney Ron]

I don't think the OP was really wanting an honest response to the question stated as the thread topic. She does not seem to be listening to anyone that does not share her opinion. Too bad, as many valid points were made. Hosts/greeters are generally NOT trained as wait staff, and even if there were food servers in the past, they have a particular job to do NOW. It is doubtful they are trained in the knowledge of the particular food items being served, or have the experience/training necessary to take over for a missing food server in a restaurant of this calibre. I'm not not saying I don't believe you that they may have told you they were trained to serve as well as host, but that is NOT normally how things work. They may have meant they knew how to serve or have served in the past. However unlikely it may be, I suppose there could extraordinary circumstances here, and I am mistaken in this case.

As others have said, it may have also been a shortage or backup in the kitchen, in which case the kitchen manager would convey to the general manager or front of house manager to take it easy on seating until things are caught up. There are many, many reasons for open tables that have nothing to do with no-shows or server shortages. Your lack of restaurants operations should be brought to light.

In any case, ADR's are NOT reservations that will hold tables open for people anyway, they only give you next available seating, and if more people don't show up than they have overbooked (and be aware they do overbook), then they WILL take walkups. Also, Disney does call you to cancel any same-time reservations now. People have already reported this. That problem will now be partially solved, since I suppose you still could lie and make up a valid reason for having both at the same time.

Charging for no-shows will only cause more problems than it will solve. There will be numerous valid reasons for no-shows, especially when you have restaurants located in amusement parks. They have a system in place to account for this anyway, so enough said.

pmiranda, first off my name is Ron so I'm not a she.

Secondly, I was told by the CM's at the podium that they are greeters and waitstaff. Disney rotates them all the time so they don't do the same job daily.

My original point was that I believe there isn't an excuse to not cancel an ADR one won't be using. It's only being considerate. If you have to cancel your trip when you call to cancel the CM can also cancel your ADR's for you.

If you are at WDW but will not, for whatever reason, be able to use an ADR you have for that day, then cancel it. To me their is no reason short of an emergency that should stop someone from cancelling an ADR.

 

[lilyv]

The "valid" reasons for being a no-show are extremely few. Unfortunately, most of the time, it's just rude and selfish. If you find you can't make a reservation, call. It's not that big a deal to keep a cell phone and a small paper with the dine number on it. Our last trip I could tell we'd be cutting it close, so I called. I was lucky they were able to slip our reservation an hour, so we'd be able to make it in time. Had they not been able to, though, I would have canceled.

.........And obviously, if you're in some kind of medical crisis, totally understandable...but I don't believe for one minute that every no show has some family member in the ER.