Wait your turn!! New seating rules for CS restaurants at WDW...

[dqpowell]

I guess it all depends on where you have had ADRs. I have waited 20 -30 minutes in very tight quarters with no seating for ADRs at LeCellier and Mama Melrose. SciFi is tight as well. Not trying to argue here, just drawing a parallel that might make you feel a bit better about the new CS policy

I think you're still misunderstanding me. When I wait for the table at Le Cellier, my wife and children are checking out the foliage outside, or visiting the attractions in the Canada or UK pavilions, or even in the nearby sections of Future World. When the table is ready, they come to the restaurant.

David

 

[Snow_White]

The problem is that my children look just like anybody else. The CM isn't going to allow them to sit at a table unless we make a point of calling out their disabilities.

That's where your GAC will come in handy. Very discreet. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. Disney doesn't make a habit of screwing the disabled.

 

[Snow_White]

The "safe places" at most of the eateries are at the tables and chairs for eating.

Well, yes, of course if the only available place to sit is a table and chair I'm sure the CM would let the disabled people sit there. Do you really think otherwise???

 

[Princess Stitch]

I think you're still misunderstanding me. When I wait for the table at Le Cellier, my wife and children are checking out the foliage outside, or visiting the attractions in the Canada or UK pavilions, or even in the nearby sections of Future World. When the table is ready, they come to the restaurant.

David

So, they can do the same thing outside the CS restaurant, then when you get the food, they come to the restaurant.. same thing really.

Besides, as I said earlier, I'm sure if you have a GAC (which it sounds like you need if your kids are not able to stand in line) that the CMs will go out of their way to accomodate you.

I don't see it as being treated like cattle any more than it is when they herd us behind parade routes, direct us into lines or seats in a theater etc.

 

[Geoff_M]

Somebody bookmark this thread.... it's an instant "DIS Classic" thread.

- One person pops on to say that WDW appears to have the a new policy. They've seen it firsthand, it seems to work like a charm under the exact conditions it was designed for and will be used in, a long standing general headache is gone, there didn't appear to be secondary problems that were created by the change (even though they had small kids with them at the time), and the firsthand report from the on-site management is that the guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

- And then... Lots of people that haven't experienced it firsthand proceed to explain that none of this will work, chaos will reign, suggest that arthritic grandmothers might be made to stand for extended periods by CM table police, CMs will accuse them of lying about their children's special needs or tell them "tough toe nails", and put forward all sorts of scenarios to try and take the change to an extreme. etc.


This all reminds me of what happened a couple of years ago in my home state of Indiana. After toying around with the ideas for years, the state legislature finally voted to adopt Daylight Savings. Oh my goodness... you should have read the letters to the editors from down there. You'd have thought the World was about to end. People argued that dairy cows would go dry, children would get lost in the dark on their way to school in the mornings, July 4th firework displays wouldn't happen until midnight because it wouldn't be dark enough, children wouldn't sleep enough, etc. (I'm not making these up, folks! We're talking 2005!). Meanwhile, those of us up north of Indiana in Michigan and down south in Kentucky were just scratching our heads in amazement. We've been doing it for decades with no ill effects (except for occasionally showing up early/late to Church). I tried to explain to my friends back in Indiana that once that'd actually tried it like we have, you'll find it's not a big deal and it's got some nice benefits. Well, fast forward to today and Indiana is still there.... I'm sure there are still some disgruntled Hoosiers, but I haven't heard a peep about DST since now that they're using it.

 

[panthergirl]

So, they can do the same thing outside the CS restaurant, then when you get the food, they come to the restaurant.. same thing really.

Besides, as I said earlier, I'm sure if you have a GAC (which it sounds like you need if your kids are not able to stand in line) that the CMs will go out of their way to accomodate you.

I don't see it as being treated like cattle any more than it is when they herd us behind parade routes, direct us into lines or seats in a theater etc.

That's a great plan. Everyone who does not need to be in line can be outside enjoying the park ambiance or just relaxing on a bench. As soon as the food is ordered call on your cell phone (or keep someone with you who can let the others know to come on in) then everyone can meet up at the entrance to the seating area. If the new plan works as intended you should have an open table waiting for you. Sounds like it could work!

 

[jodifla]

That's a great plan. Everyone who does not need to be in line can be outside enjoying the park ambiance or just relaxing on a bench. As soon as the food is ordered call on your cell phone (or keep someone with you who can let the others know to come on in) then everyone can meet up at the entrance to the seating area. If the new plan works as intended you should have an open table waiting for you. Sounds like it could work!

So, you are assuming that everyone has multiple cell phones in their party? And if you're holding a tray full of food and drinks, how does one make a call?

 

[dqpowell]

So, they can do the same thing outside the CS restaurant, then when you get the food, they come to the restaurant.. same thing really.

That may be what we'll have to do, but it's still inconvenient. At Le Cellier, you look at the menu and order after you're seated. At CS, they'll have to come inside, look at the menu, tell me what they want, then leave again. I'm going to have to contact them via radio or cell phone while trying to carry trays, etc. It's still a pain in the tuckus.

If the seating area isn't crowded (i.e., if there are plenty of empty tables) the CMs should be willing to be flexible and let my family sit down while I wait in line anyway, without us having to call attention to my kids' disabilities. I will grudgingly admit that during peak times when tables are scarce, the new policy will be better for some families. But if they are inflexible about it, applying the policy even when there are adequate available tables to dispense with it, I will be very unhappy.

Besides, as I said earlier, I'm sure if you have a GAC (which it sounds like you need if your kids are not able to stand in line) that the CMs will go out of their way to accomodate you.

The GAC is okay, but we shouldn't have to whip it out to be treated like human beings. I'm sorry, but telling people they have to stand in a waiting area until they have food in their hands is just wrong.

David

 

[panthergirl]

At most CS places you place your order then you have a small wait while they put together your order so that would be a great time to call. If you only have one cell phone either use a "messenger" or just make an educated guess at how long the wait should be and come on back in. Just so you know I have always been in the "save the table" camp but that was only because i thought that was the only way I could get a table for our group. If I knew I would be seated and would not have to walk around with a tray of hot food I could become a believer in the new policy pretty quickly. At this point I'm just keeping an open mind!

 

[Snow_White]

If the seating area isn't crowded (i.e., if there are plenty of empty tables) the CMs should be willing to be flexible and let my family sit down while I wait in line anyway, without us having to call attention to my kids' disabilities. I will grudgingly admit that during peak times when tables are scarce, the new policy will be better for some families.

The OP stated that this policy was just for crowded times of the year. If there are plenty of tables, that wouldn't be a crowded time of the year and therefore the policy wouldn't be in effect. No one is asking anyone to call attention to disabilities. You can discreetly show the CM the GAC.

 

[Snow_White]

Double post

 

[eemmie1]

Disney is all about waiting. I wait in line for busses and rides. I would think if it was working in July it will work anytime.

 

[kribit]

Then you're in luck! It wasn't posted that your whole group had to go through the line. Members of your party that aren't needed to order/carry food merely need to wait for you in the common area behind the registers. Once you have your food in hand, you simply need to alert them to join you and you'll be off to an open table!

Thanks, I don't need to ask my question now.

 

[stagemomx3]

I still don't understand why/if your entire party has to be present before you can sit down. If half of us have our food and the other half haven't received their's yet or like I said they are in the bathroom will we be allowed to sit down or must we stand there with our food getting cold until our entire party is present?

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

That may be what we'll have to do, but it's still inconvenient. At Le Cellier, you look at the menu and order after you're seated. At CS, they'll have to come inside, look at the menu, tell me what they want, then leave again. I'm going to have to contact them via radio or cell phone while trying to carry trays, etc. It's still a pain in the tuckus.

David

But that's where the new policy is so great. From what we experienced, the food lines were so much more organized, the wait was actual wait for food was about 5 minutes tops. Before the new policy, you had to mill around the restaurant, judging which guests looked like they were ready to leave, and as you sat eating, you had people bumping you as the circled your table, hoping against all reason that you might be thinking about taking your tray to the garbage can. It could easily take 10 minutes to find a table, and 15 minutes to get your food. It's much more streamlined and a lot faster now.

Truth be told, it's not like the family not waiting in line had to get into some alternate "loser's" line or was restricted in any way. They simply weren't able to enter the dining area. It really was very well organized. Maybe it's just me, but I would think that a family with 2 special needs kids would be better served waiting a much shorter time for a table in a designated area until their dad got the food, then were wisked into the dining room to eat, rather than have their mom carting them all over the restaurant, hawking over tables until someone got up, then going back to find dad to tell him where the group has found a spot.

 

[panthergirl]

This is just a guess on my part but it sounds like if you have food you can get a table. OP can you confirm this is the way it works?

 

[dqpowell]

No one is asking anyone to call attention to disabilities. You can discreetly show the CM the GAC.

*Sigh* You're still not getting it. I shouldn't have to tell the CM anything about my kids. Do you have any idea what it makes a 9 year old girl feel like when you repeatedly have to say, "Pssst... give us special treatment, because she's different." My kids understand that if they want to ride some of the most popular attractions at certain times of day, that revealing their disabilities might be necessary. That's their decision. But we shouldn't have to do that just to eat lunch, especially when the old method worked so well. They avoided the situations that made them uncomfortable and edgy by finding a table with Mom. I brought the food five or ten minutes later to a relaxed, happy table.

What do you think will happen when we use the GAC to get a table before the food arrives? However discreetly we present the card to the CM, they're still going to be sitting there in plain view of others without food, who can't get tables. Do you honestly think that hot, tired and hungry patrons who aren't sitting down yet aren't going to notice, or ask why my kids get special treatment? You wouldn't believe some of the rude comments people have made when we used the GAC to bypass a super-long line on a few occasions before. At least in those situations, we're out of sight and on the ride before long. That won't happen at the tables in a CS location.

David

 

[stagemomx3]

This is just a guess on my part but it sounds like if you have food you can get a table. OP can you confirm this is the way it works?

Here is what OP said in 1st post:

In order to sit down at a table, you need to 1) have your entire party together,

We will have 8 people in our group 4 adults 4 kids(12-8 so no little ones.) I really don't mind the wait til you have food to be seated thing, though I think it's silly, but the part about the entire party needing to be together to sit down could potentially cause some irritation if we have our food and are being told to wait until all 8 of us are standing there.

 

[panthergirl]

Here is what OP said in 1st post:



We will have 8 people in our group 4 adults 4 kids(12-8 so no little ones.) I really don't mind the wait til you have food to be seated thing, though I think it's silly, but the part about the entire party needing to be together to sit down could potentially cause some irritation if we have our food and are being told to wait until all 8 of us are standing there.

Yes, I agree. UPDATE: Please see post from OP - #102 below

 

[dyna]

Count me in as in favor of the table saving. I don't need to be told where to sit usually as I've sat an waited at a table I've often moved several times before food arrived tryin to get to a better location.

Maybe disney just needs to do the CS meals just like the school field trip sack lunches a choice of P/J sandwich or cheese with a bag of chips an a cookie give us each one as we walk in the door.

There has to be a better way than sending everyone thru the line or having ppl standing taking up space with screamin hot hungry kids runnin everywhere.

Not to mention the fact that some of likes hot food an we get our condiments etc ready before the food arrives so we can actually eat hot food.

Remember when we was kids an couldn't wait till we grew up an could do anything we wanted when we wanted the older I get the more RULES there are lol