Got a seriously disappointing phone call (voice mail message) from Disney yesterday afternoon...Disney has decided to close Garden Grill (the Land/Epcot) for lunch, beginning in early October (I think they said 10/5, but not sure I'm remembering the exact date correctly)...we had our T-giving meal reservation there, at 12:30, so they called us to tell us we no longer had a T-giving meal reservation and suggested we call Disney Dining to replan.
It will surprise no one to hear that there was very little to choose from...almost everything is already booked on T-giving Day. I tried to remain pleasant and "nice," but did tell the Disney Dining folks how very disappointed I was, and how "un-Disney-like" it was to shut down a popular spot on Thanksgiving Day, at a time when alternatives are close to non-existent.
The CMs (I talked to two) at Disney Dining said they were sorry but also said there was nothing they could do. I did book an alternative which is not in any way comparable to the Garden Grill experience I had chosen (and booked at 180 days, or close to it)...
I tried to tell myself that at least they'd called me ahead of time--it would have been much worse to find out when we check in in November! And at least we did get something (Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club, at 1:30)...
I also had a couple of other dining plans I had to deal with (for a different trip), but I was so disappointed, I decided I'd just call back later to deal with my August trip issues.
When I did call back, I decided to go thru MS instead of Disney Dining.
The CM who took my call has to be the nicest CM I've ever dealt with (and I've dealt with a big number of really nice CMs!)...she was incredibly sympathetic, and took a whole lot of time trying to work things out for me...
We left it that the Garden Grill manager would contact me by the end of the week to tell me if/what she could work out so that we could have our T-giving meal there ... of course, it's very possible that it will turn out that there's nothing that they can do--I obviously don't want to "kick out" someone else (even if Disney would be willing to allow that, which I sincerely doubt)...and I can't imagine why they need five days to figure it all out...
But this CM (I wish I'd gotten her name...she was "Disney Magic Personified") made me feel SO much better. I've never experienced anyone who tried so hard to make things right...and I concede that as "disasters" go, this one is pretty minor. It is by no means the end of the world as we know it--altho I also admit that at first it felt that way!
I don't know how this will work out...and I still believe that closing down a popular spot for an entire meal time frame on Thanksgiving Day at a time when almost all other alternatives are already sold out is a very "Un-Disney-like" thing to do. But I just have to give huge kudos to that wonderful CM at MS...she really did help me re-find the magic after some (admittedly not life-threatening!) bad news...
Anyway--if anyone has lunch reservations at Garden Grill at Epcot (any time after 10/5 or so), it's a good idea to call (dining or MS) to make alternative plans...
Happy day everyone...
It will surprise no one to hear that there was very little to choose from...almost everything is already booked on T-giving Day. I tried to remain pleasant and "nice," but did tell the Disney Dining folks how very disappointed I was, and how "un-Disney-like" it was to shut down a popular spot on Thanksgiving Day, at a time when alternatives are close to non-existent.
The CMs (I talked to two) at Disney Dining said they were sorry but also said there was nothing they could do. I did book an alternative which is not in any way comparable to the Garden Grill experience I had chosen (and booked at 180 days, or close to it)...
I tried to tell myself that at least they'd called me ahead of time--it would have been much worse to find out when we check in in November! And at least we did get something (Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club, at 1:30)...
I also had a couple of other dining plans I had to deal with (for a different trip), but I was so disappointed, I decided I'd just call back later to deal with my August trip issues.
When I did call back, I decided to go thru MS instead of Disney Dining.
The CM who took my call has to be the nicest CM I've ever dealt with (and I've dealt with a big number of really nice CMs!)...she was incredibly sympathetic, and took a whole lot of time trying to work things out for me...
We left it that the Garden Grill manager would contact me by the end of the week to tell me if/what she could work out so that we could have our T-giving meal there ... of course, it's very possible that it will turn out that there's nothing that they can do--I obviously don't want to "kick out" someone else (even if Disney would be willing to allow that, which I sincerely doubt)...and I can't imagine why they need five days to figure it all out...
But this CM (I wish I'd gotten her name...she was "Disney Magic Personified") made me feel SO much better. I've never experienced anyone who tried so hard to make things right...and I concede that as "disasters" go, this one is pretty minor. It is by no means the end of the world as we know it--altho I also admit that at first it felt that way!
I don't know how this will work out...and I still believe that closing down a popular spot for an entire meal time frame on Thanksgiving Day at a time when almost all other alternatives are already sold out is a very "Un-Disney-like" thing to do. But I just have to give huge kudos to that wonderful CM at MS...she really did help me re-find the magic after some (admittedly not life-threatening!) bad news...
Anyway--if anyone has lunch reservations at Garden Grill at Epcot (any time after 10/5 or so), it's a good idea to call (dining or MS) to make alternative plans...
Happy day everyone...
