The problem we had with Ohana

[Srbright]

However, the fault lies with Disney. I find it hard to believe that all the large parties had been sitting there that long past their allotted time. I think the more likely scenario is Disney released too many ADRs hoping the people eating in the restaurant could be rushed out by bringing the food and cheques as quickly as possibly.

This is the part I don't understand. I am American and I go to dine. If I want to eat we will go to a counter service place. I was not ever aware that there was an "allotted time" that I had for a meal.

I have an allotted time for:
1 Hour massage
Scheduled meetings with start and stop time (ie 1 to 2 PM)
Training sessions

Simply because they were "given their checks" is not the universal symbol for "You been here too long, you go now".

Stacy

 

[morethananyonex]

This is the part I don't understand. I am American and I go to dine. If I want to eat we will go to a counter service place. I was not ever aware that there was an "allotted time" that I had for a meal.

I have an allotted time for:
1 Hour massage
Scheduled meetings with start and stop time (ie 1 to 2 PM)
Training sessions

Simply because they were "given their checks" is not the universal symbol for "You been here too long, you go now".

Stacy

You're misunderstanding me. Disney has an allotted time for each party, it allows them to decide how many ADR's they can schedule in a night for different size parties. When these parties exceed the allotted time Disney has budgeted for them, you start running into problems. Over the years it has been very clear they have issues at Ohana with this. They try to rush people through there in order to fit more in, but there are frequently people who just don't leave as quickly as Disney thinks they should.

I am not implying that I think people should be kicked out, but I do think there is fault to be had on both sides, with the majority going to Disney. If you are at a busy restaurant, it is the nice thing to do to leave when you are done instead of lingering. Not required, but nice. However like I said, Disney runs into this issue frequently at certain restaurants, and it's completely unacceptable IMO now that they have started charging people if they walk away. They need to decrease the number of Ohana ADRs if they cannot get people out the door fast enough.

 

[Caseheidi]

I thought that if you show for an ADR and decide to leave due to a delay in seating that they do not charge? You met you obligation by showing. The restaurant did not by not seating you in a timely manner, so it is not your fault if you do not eat there.

 

[wdwloverz]

I thought that if you show for an ADR and decide to leave due to a delay in seating that they do not charge? You met you obligation by showing. The restaurant did not by not seating you in a timely manner, so it is not your fault if you do not eat there.

Interesting, is this an actual policy or on a case by case basis?

 

[morethananyonex]

I thought that if you show for an ADR and decide to leave due to a delay in seating that they do not charge? You met you obligation by showing. The restaurant did not by not seating you in a timely manner, so it is not your fault if you do not eat there.

Everything I have read has said that if you are not seated you are a no show. I hope that is wrong.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Some people go to a restaurant to eat. Others go to dine. They prefer a slow, leisurely meal and enjoy taking time to savour the food, beverages and conversation with their table companions. Of course we would not pay the bill until we were ready to leave. If someone was so ill mannered as to hover behind my chair, or to cast unfriendly looks my way, I would be very inclined to order another bottle of wine...

 

[Huff]

You reserve your time, you pay for and receive the service (movie/meal), and when it's over, you leave.

I disagree 100%! When I go out to dine it is NOT just a function of slamming down a meal as fast as possible and leave. I go there to relax and enjoy the people I'm with. The food is simply part of that experience. If I just wanted the food I'd order our meals to go. I do not enjoy dining at restaurants who choose to rush people through to increase turnover. Not a very enjoyable relaxing dinner and thats what I'm after.

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

We come from England to Disney once every 2 or three years. To be able to afford our holiday we scrimp and save to have our magical time together, which means when at home we do not go out for meals, and I mean ever! So our time together is special. We do not travel thousands of miles and spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to feel rushed or made to feel uncomfortable because we want to enjoy our EXTREMELY hard earned time together. Basically you just might of come across a family like us.
Probably the best way round it is to reserve an earlier ADR to safeguard against such and other eventualities.

 

[Runnergal]

I will admit to having been that inconsiderate table on a few occasions. Its a tough issue though. Both times my party did not realize how long we were there. We were having such a good time chatting that the time just flew by. One manager handled it exceptionally well by asking us to move to the bar area where there was plenty of room and buying a round.

Exactly. This is the way most good restaurants handle it. Everyone is happy.

 

[disnut8]

You're misunderstanding me. Disney has an allotted time for each party, it allows them to decide how many ADR's they can schedule in a night for different size parties. When these parties exceed the allotted time Disney has budgeted for them, you start running into problems. Over the years it has been very clear they have issues at Ohana with this. They try to rush people through there in order to fit more in, but there are frequently people who just don't leave as quickly as Disney thinks they should.

I am not implying that I think people should be kicked out, but I do think there is fault to be had on both sides, with the majority going to Disney. If you are at a busy restaurant, it is the nice thing to do to leave when you are done instead of lingering. Not required, but nice. However like I said, Disney runs into this issue frequently at certain restaurants, and it's completely unacceptable IMO now that they have started charging people if they walk away. They need to decrease the number of Ohana ADRs if they cannot get people out the door fast enough.

ON the bolded part - I have to ask if you have received a notice from Disney saying "we have allotted you X amount of time to eat your meal and then we expect you to leave" (or however Disney would put it into their politespeak)?

I was on both sides of the coin on a dinner to celebrate my son's 20th birthday. Both sets of grandparents, his soon-to-be-wife and his new stepdaughter, his parents (my husband and myself) and other members of the family. Very important occasion as the almost wife and daughter met the members of our family for the first time. Son picked out restaurant, had everyone meet and........ we had to wait for our large party to be seated. The people who had finished their meal were having a nice time after the meal. A few grumbles but those people were having a good time and we wanted our time. We waited and were seated about a half hour later.

And with all the talking and laughing and eating, we stayed a lot longer than just an hour. If anyone had said something about leaving, that would have not been a good thing for our very enjoyable evening.

Yes, a special occasion should be celebrated. But it's YOUR special occasion. No one else except you and your party has a clue as to what you are doing. I had no idea what the parties before us were doing but to them, it was special. And I know no one else in the restaurant knew what we were celebrating but it was special to us.

I ask people to think about what could be happening at that table or tables. Is it someone else's special moment? How would you feel if you were celebrating and someone asked you to leave because your time "ran out"? It's a restaurant and the last time I knew, the only place I've eaten with a time limit was my high school cafeteria.

 

[Planogirl]

People should never be rushed however they could be courteous. I can spend quality time with fellow travelers in a restaurant or outside of a restaurant. I don't have to occupy a table to chat or have a good time, in fact most resorts have nice areas to just sit and relax and those can be perfect for conversation.

Of course, there is also the bar for those who indulge.

 

[katiee37]

I had breakfast at Ohana on the 11th and I wasn't wowed at all. The food was decent enough and I especially enjoyed the juice, but like many others I was there for the characters and I had to wait an additional full hour after I was finished eating to see all of them since they all were in my section when I was seated but skipped me, assuming I was still getting myself situated, so I wait for the full rotation of them and through three parades around the restaurant (those were cute, though.) I was seated close to 10 a.m. and I was a bit late to my 9:25 a.m. ADR because of half marathon road closures, and I bet I wasn't the only one. But I was overall disappointed with the character interaction and the fact I only saw my server when she brought out my food and check. She never once asked if I wanted more of anything, and I had to rely on other servers to get refills on juice and coffee. I do not plan on returning anytime soon.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I disagree 100%! When I go out to dine it is NOT just a function of slamming down a meal as fast as possible and leave. I go there to relax and enjoy the people I'm with. The food is simply part of that experience. If I just wanted the food I'd order our meals to go. I do not enjoy dining at restaurants who choose to rush people through to increase turnover. Not a very enjoyable relaxing dinner and thats what I'm after.

*The use of 'you' in the paragraph below is meant in the collective sense, not you personally.*

I'm not suggesting that anyone should have to choke down their meal as fast as possible and then be booted out the door. Pacing the meal properly is the restaurant's responsibility and giving up your table once you're done is the guests' responsibility. Once you've ordered your drinks, looked over the menu, shared an appetizer, had your first course, eaten your entrée, finished dessert, and had an after-dinner coffee or cocktail, you've had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the people you're with. By closing the check the guest is indicating that they are done with the service. So now it's time to finish your drink, wrap up the conversation, and head for the door in a reasonable amount of time. It's not appropriate to sit for another hour while other guests stand around hungry past their reservation time, unable to be served. It's inconsiderate to the next round of guests who are waiting, to the server who is unable to make tips on the table that is no longer ordering, and to the restaurant that is losing money by not being able to seat guests. Tables are for paying customers and you are no longer paying. None of this is an issue if the restaurant is slow and other tables are available but, when it's busy, I think guests need to be mindful of how they're affecting others.

 

[AJPPGH]

I personally 100% agree with the OP that this was wrong of these tables-plain and simple. Everyone who goes to WDW these days KNOWS the deal with these restaurants that are hard to get into. I can guarantee that each of you reading this as well as most people who eat in Ohana realize the difficulty of this reservation and that by lingering over a meal you are holding up other diners who are all also on a "WDW vacation schedule" where planning has been done far in advance. Anywhere else I would say that it is inconsiderate but much more understandable for many of the reasons many of you noted..but not at one of the most popular restaurants at one of the most famous vacation destinations in the world.

 

[Cassabella]

I had an 8:30 reservation the other night, the fireworks started at 8. I left the Magic Kingdom at 7:50ish, arrived at the Poly around 8:20. We were told due to the fireworks they were behind schedule, and we were finally seated around 9:20.

We enjoyed the food, but I doubt I will ever return. If so, I would schedule far before the fireworks and then miss a lot of park time. They should be aware that people sitting around during fireworks times delay their schedule, and just make less reservations during that period.This is not a new restaurant, and it's awfully embarrassing to me that Disney can't figure this schedule out.

 

[Cassabella]

Another point in response to AJPPGH - I think I'm in agreement with you. I feel like there's no need to rush through your meal, especially when you have sat around in the lobby half an hour to get a table. You paid for your trip and deserve a nice meal! However, it doesn't mean you should just sit and linger once you are done and paid!! Others deserve a nice time too, and now that you're done eating, you could just relax in the bar/lobby/hotel room/pool.

Another example is last week, when I was at the QS restaurant in Mexico. Mid-January is probably one of the slower times of the year. All tables were full, and as an adult couple, we just stood around hoping for a table to open. We watched tables open, and as we walked toward them, saw them offered to families with kids who arrived way after us (which I don't fault, I agree kids deserve it first). However, there were several tables tied up by one 30-40ish adult on their cell phone. We finally got a table after it slowed down a little and our food was cold, yet by the time we finished, some of those people were still hogging tables.

 

[Huff]

Pacing the meal properly is the restaurant's responsibility

I feel thats the guests that do the pacing. The restaurant should follow the guests lead and not force the guest to follow the restaurants lead. In other words, there are some restaurants that bring the entree immediately after you've eaten the last bite of the appetizer. Just as you barely finish your entree the dessert is brought. Sometimes they bring the next course before you've finished the previous one. Pacing should be done by the guest.

That said, I'm not suggesting its proper to sit at a table for an hour or two after you're all finished. But I also want to feel I'm not in any way rushed as some restaurants, including Disney do.

 

[AJPPGH]

absolutely Cassabella! Nobody should ever be rushed through a meal but to sit and linger afterwards when you know there are people (and families with young children, no less) waiting is just bad form. And I totally agree with you about the QS as well. Whenever and wherever a dining situation is 'seat yourself' it is always good manners to vacate your table when you are done eating. I do this anywhere that I am where there is a wait for a table-be it the food court in my local mall or a QS restaurant in the world. I also want to add that singles and couples dining should make an effort to take a 2 top if at all possible.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think it is very rude to linger for an hour or more after you are done. But look at how many times people ask about watching fireworks from a restaurant and are told just to eat slow and stay at the table. Now I always think about that when I go to make a late night ADR--will I have to wait a long time because of fireworks backlog.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Servers I know--and I know many--suggest there is a difference between folks having a leisurely meal and what they call "camping out".

As far as Disney goes, they will rarely-if ever-admonish any guest who is having a good time.

Even if that "good time" is at your or my expense.