Was he within his rights as a resort guest?

[Pumbaa_]

Good point, that 180 booking window is great when you plan that far out. When you make last minute trip plans or shorter window plans, you are locked out of some options.

While the tantrum guy in the OP wwas prob very frustrated at how much planning goes into a disney vacation. I think we all know people who don't believe you have to make ADR's so far in advance.

People who do their research into a Disney vacation do much better than those that try to wing it, IMO. I cannot imaging spending thousands on a DIsney vacation and not doing even a little casual research into it.

Saying that, we are heading down in 12 days (not that I am counting, mind you ) and I don't have a single ADR planned. I know better, but we are doing a relaxed trip with no plans. Coin toss will decide what and where we go each day. My last trip was planned for 9 people and I am all planned out.

I know we will not be able to dine many places. I also know what has the best chance last minute. Should be interesting

 

[Sabor]

Sorry but the guy is Jerk

I have been in Retail Management for over 20 years and practices like this are getting more common everyday.
One can say that we in management are enabling them because eventually we have to wear down and give in just to keep the peace in our establishments.
But as whole the expectations to entitlement in this country are just getting ot of control.

 

[BeckWhy]

The only people who should get priority over anyone else is those who make ADRs. Again, if you were to travel to a large city such as New York, LA, or Las Vegas and you wanted to eat at one of the popular restaurants then you are only getting in if you have reservations. And I know some restaurants in NYC you need to make your ressies months in advance. And these places are not known for their customer service is either, like Disney. They will be snooty, snotty, and will call the police if you raise your voice or make any other threats. Disney wants to make sure all their guests are happy.

 

[Karnak]

It is my considered opinion that management, after a warning, should have called security and had the man removed from the restaurant at once. If he continued to scream and yell after being removed from the restaurant, he should have been escorted to the Orange County lockup, where he could explain his outburst to the judge the next morning.

Karnak

 

[sotoalf]

This is not what happened to the resort guest, who is the subject of this thread, but I just wanted to put forth that not everyone can take advantage of the 180 day booking window and have to deal the best they can.

But you can usually find seating during a less busy time of year. The OP said this incident happened during Xmas.

 

[slo]

I only read the first page.

It never crossed my mind that we should have first rights at Poly restaurants when staying there (or any resort for that matter). We always make ADR's for everywhere.

I wonder if other resorts do this (not WDW ones) for some people to assume this I don't vacation anywhere else, so I don't know. I guess if many other places do this, and then WDW doesn't, I could understand how a first time visitor would be confused. I don't understand lashing out about it (because I don't believe in that), but I do understand confusion.

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't think so. Rather, most hotel restaurants are so positively medicore that no one would bother going there, except that they have a room just upstairs and don't feel like going "out".

Such places are rarely busy.

 

[sandym718]

For the two posters above who said they often have to book last-minute - due to a variety of circumstances, it sounds like you handle it well, though. Sounds like you understand that it's a CHOICE to go to Disney, knowing that if you need to book relatively late, there's a good chance you'll miss out on some dining opportunities. I can understand that it kind of stinks, especially in the case of an illness, but it's still a CHOICE. Plenty of other vacation destinations out there (all inclusives, etc) that would require no ADR's and you could eat wherever, whenever. Sounds like you both understand that though, and make the best of the situation - if you are able to get some last-minute ADR's or walk-ups, great, if not, you do room service, CS, different restaurant or whatever else. You understand the way Disney restaurants work, make your choice accordingly or regardless and deal with the situation well.

It's refreshing to see posters who understand the above, so many on here act like they are FORCED to go to Disney last minute and are discriminated against or something. No one FORCES anyone to go to Disney. Yes, the dining system IS set up to reward earlier planners (as are a lot of things in life). It may not be fair, but it's the way Disney works. But if you know that in advance and still choose to go on a last-minute trip, please handle it like the above posters!!!

 

[itchin2go]

Utterly ridiculous. I know the CM has to make a judgment call quickly when faced with this situation, but you don't reward a child when he pitches a temper tantrum.

Resort guests should have priority? Why? I don't get it. Resort guests can make ADRs just like everyone else. They shouldn't have to plan ahead like everyone else just because they're resort guests?

If I'm seated WAY late because some jerk without an ADR pitches a fit, you better believe that me and my spreadsheet are going to have something to say about it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I just want to hear that she said she was sorry that she refused to listen to you.

Did your friends come home and explain why they refused to take your advice and how wrong they were and how they will listen to you in the future?

I want to know too! And did you tell him that he was being a doorknob for acting that way, and not listening to you?

 

[Harambe]

I just want to hear that she said she was sorry that she refused to listen to you.

Did your friends come home and explain why they refused to take your advice and how wrong they were and how they will listen to you in the future?

LOL!!!! No, there was no apology - as a matter of fact, my friend thought her husband was totally in the right about this. And then gave me the all too familiar speech "how can you guys go here all the time". I just politely explained that if you plan for it, nothing's better than WDW.

It's not worth losing a freindship over. This gal and I have been friends since we were 4YO! I'm by no means perfect, so I've learned to accept her (and the husband, **sigh**), but as I said earlier, we won't go on vacation with them. We did go on our very first trip to WDW with them, but we only saw them a few times since we went to the parks early (yep - I read the books!) and they stayed in bed til noon.

Anyway - I was intrigued by the idea of Disney going back to the 90 days. Maybe that would be a little more fair for all involved. I don't know. But I do know that when we've been turned away from a walk-up, we just shrugged our shoulders and found something else to eat. I never thought to lash out at anyone for it.

 

[sandym718]

Even as an obsessive planner (I'm planning for May 2009 right now, LOL!), who has had no issue making ADR's 180 days out, I,too, think 90 days might be a bit more fair!

 

[Native NYer]

It's unfortunate that he felt the need to lash out. Hopefully, he's learned from this experience and will make ADRs for his next trip. [FONT]

 

[alldiz]

Even as an obsessive planner (I'm planning for May 2009 right now, LOL!), who has had no issue making ADR's 180 days out, I,too, think 90 days might be a bit more fair!

I just realized all of my trips have been booked less than 180 days.....

just booked WLV for Oct....called yesterday for Chefs table at V&A's......
Cm said it wasn't time yet

Realized......all of my trips have been planned about 4 mths out....
never had a problem with getting any ADR's....and that is with
changing it 100 times 1 month or so out
Of course I never went duringChristmas week
Kerri

 

[Cee]

Everybody is paying big money to be at Disney. Who made him the "Big Kahuna"?

 

[Matt'sMom]

Her husband flipped out and demanded to see the manager. He insisted that since he was paying big money to stay at the Poly, he should have priority over all these other people (you know, the ones with ADRs)...

I did not read through all 5 pages of this thread, so forgive me if this point was already made... but...


Poly Resort Guests can eat food from Kona, without an ADR, even when walk-ups are being turned away--

it's called ROOM SERVICE!

No need for anyone to cause a scene.

 

[Nancyg56]

I understand why the manager gave this family a table, I don't agree but I do respect his call.

I do not understand why there are those who spend a great deal of money for a vacation, plan to go at one of the busiest times of the year, are offered some advice but choose to ignore it an then bully their way into getting what they want anyway. There must have been a let down though because this family did not leave feeling the pull to go back.

Waiting for tables in order to eat can be trying but travel during the Holiday Season is going to impact crowd levels. My family visited NYC the weekend before Christmas. It was very busy. We had reservations for dinner but not for breakfast. The wait at our hotel was quite long but the host never asked if we were guests. He seated us according to our place in line and table to accommodate us. We knew what we were going to face and planned time into our day for meals.

People have the choice to research and then make choices or to put blinders on and then be disappointed. A scene at a restaurant may have won a battle but I bet they lost the war, they are probable not going back and felt that their money was not well spent.

 

[ElizabethB]

Just my guess, but if WDW starts to hear regular complaints about hotel guests not being able to eat at their hotels, I think we'll start to see a certain amount of tables set aside for hotel guests booking late. WDW wants their resorts filled and if there are few if any "plusses" to staying on-site, people will stop doing it. One "plus" could be restaurant availability for on-site guests -- much like concierge guests often get reservations the rest of us don't. We were upgraded to GF RPC recently and, it seemed quite possible to get reservations last minute wherever we wanted them -- all we had to do was ask. Granted we weren't there at Christmas.

For those arguing that the only thing that matters is whether you made an ADR and not how much you are, or are not, paying to stay on-site, that is true only so long as WDW decides to keep it true. If WDW changes its policy to give priority to hotel guests at hotel restaurants, it will no longer be true and that will be that.

And, anyone who thinks money doesn't talk at WDW is naive!

 

[alldiz]

I could be wrong.....

but I'm sure every restaurant has some tables set aside for walkups....

they can't all be put aside for ADR's....

I think Disney wants to please it's base.....US who go ALL the time...
we make our ADR's....

those "once" in a lifetime trips.....I doubt they will NOT return because of
full restaurants.....they will plan better next time....
And if not.....buh bye....we call these people at work...
"the bottom 20%"....they usually cause 80% of the PROBLEMS
Kerri

 

[apostolic4life]

Just my guess, but if WDW starts to hear regular complaints about hotel guests not being able to eat at their hotels, I think we'll start to see a certain amount of tables set aside for hotel guests booking late. WDW wants their resorts filled and if there are few if any "plusses" to staying on-site, people will stop doing it. One "plus" could be restaurant availability for on-site guests -- much like concierge guests often get reservations the rest of us don't. We were upgraded to GF RPC recently and, it seemed quite possible to get reservations last minute wherever we wanted them -- all we had to do was ask. Granted we weren't there at Christmas.

For those arguing that the only thing that matters is whether you made an ADR and not how much you are, or are not, paying to stay on-site, that is true only so long as WDW decides to keep it true. If WDW changes its policy to give priority to hotel guests at hotel restaurants, it will no longer be true and that will be that.

And, anyone who thinks money doesn't talk at WDW is naive!

Does anyone really think people will start avoiding the resorts just because they do not get priority seating when the restaurants are already booked to capacity?? Nowhere in the resort information are any guests (value, moderate, deluxe, concierge) lead to believe they will be guaranteed restaurant seating just because they are staying in a particular place or spending a certain amount. With the volume of guests WDW entertains day in and day out, implementing such a policy is not likely. The restaurants are usually booked to capacity as things are now, so I would bet there will not be a policy change anytime soon.

If seats were set aside for resort guests, this could create another set of problems for management: seats that are often empty due to being available to resort guests only, arguments from resort guests who still do not get one of the limited tables (you know this will happen), guests with ADR's wondering why they can't be seated on time when there are empty tables sitting there, etc..

I think the way things go now works well enough that WDW will not make many changes........like you have stated, money does talk at WDW; that's exactly why they will always put a guest in the empty seat rather than holding seats for someone who may or may not choose to eat there.