The Plaza--no more ADRs

[3DisneyFanz]

I'm really curious why they can't seem to figure out how to do both? On our last visit to the Plaza they were turning people away even though there were ADRs showing available on the app. When we finally got inside there were 4 empty tables and no one else waiting outside. Of course the restaurant was also a quarter empty and they were still running 30 min behind on ADRs so maybe since they understaffed for the ADRs they had they couldn't handle walk ups as well.

 

[Princess Kendra]

So will you actually have to walk to the Plaza or will you be able to do it with the app on the day of. I feel like I'm stepping back in time. When we first started going to WDW you actually had to go to city hall and make reservations when getting into the parks. I remember sending my fastest runner to get in line for a reservation at Diamond revue. It was not fun. AT epcot there were kiosk that you had to go to to make your dining reservation. I found the whole thing stressful.

OMG yes! Definitely stepping back in time! I remember as a kid, we would all run to Big Thunder Mountain at rope drop, and my Dad would run to Diamond Horseshoe with all the other fathers to get a reservation for lunch! I totally forgot about the Epcot kiosks... that was way back before Soarin' and Test Track even existed. I vaguely remember they had a kiosk with some phones right behind Spaceship Earth, and you just picked up a phone and talked to a CM who could get you a reservation in any of the countries.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

So will you actually have to walk to the Plaza or will you be able to do it with the app on the day of. I feel like I'm stepping back in time. When we first started going to WDW you actually had to go to city hall and make reservations when getting into the parks. I remember sending my fastest runner to get in line for a reservation at Diamond revue. It was not fun. AT epcot there were kiosk that you had to go to to make your dining reservation. I found the whole thing stressful. Heck, make your dining reservations and cancel them if you're not using them....at least 24 hrs in advance.....I do this every trip. And to choose one of the smallest places....do it with Crystal Palace, or set aside a percentage for walkins. MK at least has some of the better quick service places to eat, so it's all good.

I think the thought process of just make your ADR and then cancel it if you don't want it is part of the problem with the ADR system along with the double and triple booking because people don't know where they will be because they can't get FP for another 120 days. When you have so many people false filling restaurants you're potentially losing real customers. Sure if you cancel then it opens a slot to someone else who is essentially now making a same day ADR which was apparently a problem long ago.

 

[Princess Kendra]

Of course the restaurant was also a quarter empty and they were still running 30 min behind on ADRs so maybe since they understaffed for the ADRs they had they couldn't handle walk ups as well.

We haven't eaten at The Plaza for a while, but we've seen some similar weird things! We like to eat dinner early, many times we make a last minute ADR or we will just walk up to a place that's completely empty and they always ask if we have an ADR.

Recent trip we tried to make an ADR for Grand Floridian Cafe that evening but the dining system was down! So we just headed over. CM asked if we had ADR, we told him we couldn't make one because the system was down all morning, he didn't believe us! Then I thought for sure he wasn't going to seat us, even though the restaurant was 90% empty. He acted like they were so busy, but he gave us a buzzer and we waited 15 minutes.

I think you are right about the understaffing. Disney wants you to make ADRs, then they know how many customers they are going to get. But does it really make that much difference whether I walk up, or if I checked the app and booked the ADR an hour earlier?

 

[happy2012]

I love my ADRs! I much prefer having them booked weather I'm paying out of pocket or on the DDP. (I don't like waiting for a table on precious Disney time) I would think you can get a walk in at lunch at LTT & Tonys sometimes. I see wanting to accommodate everyone & that's tota understandable. I'll be more likely to book an ADR & be certain that I'm getting in. If you go.......The Plaza has the Best banana split!

 

[happy2012]

If WDW turns away tons of walk ins, then I'm all for more incredible Disney restaurants! Just a thought.

 

[Princess Kendra]

If WDW turns away tons of walk ins, then I'm all for more incredible Disney restaurants! Just a thought.

I know, right? If there are restaurants completely full 180 days in advance, and most places you can't walk in without an ADR, maybe they need more restaurants!

 

[n2mm]

As small as this place is, I just don't see how it's really going to help. People will still be waiting for a table to open. And large groups will be SOL. They have pretty good burgers and sandwiches, but not worth the wait. I'd head to columbia house before I spend a long time waiting for a table. Glad I got my ADRs for my August and October trips already.

 

[AliceIn]

We have an ADR at the Plaza in July for dinner. I'm wondering how they will manage doing both walk-ups and ADRs at the same time without excessive waits. We try not to over schedule ourselves these days, and I don't do the multiple ADRs thing as it just gets too confusing to me to try to remember why I was thinking of one vs. another. LOL. We don't necessarily do the same park in the morning as we do in the evenings. The one thing that does bug me is that you don't know what times the parks will be open in the summer until very close to the actual dates, and all the new early and late special tickets make it hard to plan.

 

[happy2012]

Doing both will require putting people who show up with ADRs next in line, then squeezing walk ins between the ADRs. I actually think Disney might be on to something having ADR places & walk in places. Again, I prefer ADRs but I'm a planner! It sounds like another Disney test thing.

 

[Mickeymouse1171]

Wow, one restaurant that doesn't accept reservations... and everyone loses their minds! I say hallelujah and there needs to be more like this. In fact, why don't we just go back to the way it was when no restaurants took reservations, and I didn't have to plan what I was going to eat half a year ahead of time.

I can't even begin to tell you how upset I was when B&C started allowing ADR's and now its next to impossible for me to get in there. Case in point we have been going to B&C after the last 3 Space Coast Marathon's (Sunday after Thanksgiving) and I just checked... FIVE MONTHS OUT, and there is no availability at all. Chances are I will be able to get a ressie between now and then, but seriously?!

Jennifer

I couldn't agree more. I remember going to MK in the 80's with my family and going right to City Hall, Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern to make same day reservations.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Wow, one restaurant that doesn't accept reservations... and everyone loses their minds! I say hallelujah and there needs to be more like this. In fact, why don't we just go back to the way it was when no restaurants took reservations, and I didn't have to plan what I was going to eat half a year ahead of time.

I can't even begin to tell you how upset I was when B&C started allowing ADR's and now its next to impossible for me to get in there. Case in point we have been going to B&C after the last 3 Space Coast Marathon's (Sunday after Thanksgiving) and I just checked... FIVE MONTHS OUT, and there is no availability at all. Chances are I will be able to get a ressie between now and then, but seriously?!

Jennifer

First, I don't think anyone is losing their minds.

Second, I don't like the thought of standing in line for a couple of hours, for a sit down meal. That is what will happen if they do away with reservations.

 

[JerseyJanice]

It's a casual restaurant with a burger/sandwich type menu. Not the kind of place you'd ever likely have to make a reservation at in your hometown. It seems reasonable for Disney to keep such a place open for guests who didn't plan to be in the MK that day.

As to the posts that mentions guests making multiple ADRs, is that possible with the cancellation fee policy? I was last at WDW in 2012. I think only signature restaurants required CCs back then and could charge it if you were a no-show.

In any event, my understanding is that all ADRs are now subject to a $10 per guest no-show charge. Is my understanding incorrect? Or does that policy not apply to places like the Plaza or Beaches & Cream?

 

[laughinplace199]

I guess that explains why there were no ADRs available for dinner in November. I tried to make one right at my 180 day mark and couldn't figure out why there was nothing available.

 

[n2mm]

It's a casual restaurant with a burger/sandwich type menu. Not the kind of place you'd ever likely have to make a reservation at in your hometown. It seems reasonable for Disney to keep such a place open for guests who didn't plan to be in the MK that day.

As to the posts that mentions guests making multiple ADRs, is that possible with the cancellation fee policy? I was last at WDW in 2012. I think only signature restaurants required CCs back then and could charge it if you were a no-show.

In any event, my understanding is that all ADRs are now subject to a $10 per guest no-show charge. Is my understanding incorrect? Or does that policy not apply to places like the Plaza or Beaches & Cream?

You're right. A no show of $10 pp. Yes I too was baffled by the multiple ADRs comment. When I make an ADR and if I have one for that day, it always prompts me to cancel that one before letting me make a replacement one. Someone would have to go through alot of effort to have multiple ADRs, most likely booking with a second or third MDE account. Way too much work for me. Plus given you have your cc attached to said ADR, if you forget to cancel one, you get dinged with the no show fee.

 

[Jennasis]

It didn't go over too well at Skipper Canteen. Plaza is too small to make a difference. They need to go to walk-up or day-of/before ADR's for all restaurants for it to matter.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

People already have multiple MDE accounts for various reasons and selecting multiple ADRs per day has been discussed here often. Sometimes you have a better shot at getting ADRs at about 45 days than you do 180 as people are dropping them following making FP+ reservations. There have been multiple threads here where people have acknowledged setting up accounts just to grab BOG dinners for every night of their trip with the intention of cancelling almost all of them once they know when they get their best 7dmt or A&E FP.

 

[n2mm]

People already have multiple MDE accounts for various reasons and selecting multiple ADRs per day has been discussed here often. Sometimes you have a better shot at getting ADRs at about 45 days than you do 180 as people are dropping them following making FP+ reservations. There have been multiple threads here where people have acknowledged setting up accounts just to grab BOG dinners for every night of their trip with the intention of cancelling almost all of them once they know when they get their best 7dmt or A&E FP.

Wow, way too much work for me. Since we go so often now, I can count on one hand the places we still eat at. We seem to cross places off our short list every trip now. Just our last trip (last month), whispering Canyon and SciFi seemed to drop off our list.....it had been awhile since eating there and we remembered why after leaving. I guess with such a short list, we never have a problem getting any of our ADRs and I seldom book at the 180 window, except beaches and cream when we are a party of 6. That one is just too darn hard to get into.

 

[maxiesmom]

I couldn't agree more. t remember going to MK in the 80's with my family and going right to City Hall, Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern to make same day reservations.

You mean back in the day when there were only 2 parks, fewer hotels, and attendance wasn't thru the roof?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We really like the Plaza but I don't see it working at such a small place with only walk-ups. We have an adr in August and that may be it for a while there. I wish they had done this at Tony's instead.