What happens if you are late to your ps?

[KarlaG4Kids]

Has anybody had any experience with being a few minutes (10 or so) late for their ps for dinner. We are supposed to pick up our cousin for dinner at Ohana's and he may not be able to be ready in time for us to be there early or exactly on time. The next seating available is LOTS later (too late for 4 yr old grandson). Will they cancel our ps if we are late? Will they work us in? I HATE being late, but I don't know how to work this one out?

 

[SpideyHulk24]

It depends how late you are and how full the restaurant is, but you can lose your ps. Ohana is one of the most busiest restaurants at WDW and the demand is high.

 

[jann1033]

i would say with ohana you will have a problem...we were 5 mins late for our PS to Ohana called them when we realized we were going to be a few mins. late ( called long before the 10-15 mins they told us to be there to check in as we called when we realized we might to have to wait for the second boat at MK to take us to the poly ( we did), & told them where we were). they told us on the phone no problem, they hold the ps for 20 mins but i really think when we got there put us on the end of the ps for what ever the next time was as people that had ps after ours were given seats long before us ( we actually probably would have been on time but there was a long line waiting to check in when we got there and the hostess was not at the station .) we were only 2 and husband asked about the seating when we saw this was happening, they claimed they had earlier ps than us but they did not cause i heard a few groups talking about what time their ps was for ect. in relation to wanting to see the fireworks while we were waiting.we ended up waiting for over an hr. they were full but that was kind of ridiculous...the whole staff seemed crabby and they were having sound problems so maybe that is why but i sure wouldn't be late. this was in Jan btw, not a real busy time

 

[dawgfan]

I made several PS's in July and we were late for every one of them. Disney transpoortation and weather at times seemed to keep getting in our way. We were as much as 30 -40 minutes late for Chef Mickeys on a busy night due to a monorail malfunction. We never had a problem and got in quickly. I am sure that there is a limt to this but we just did not have a problem. We could have been just lucky but I think that a great deal of things could happen here. We were on time for our Crystal Palace breakfast and had to wait the longest wait time of the whole trip despite the PS.

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by jann1033
they told us on the phone no problem, they hold the ps for 20 mins but i really think when we got there put us on the end of the ps for what ever the next time was as people that had ps after ours were given seats long before us

But, isn't that how PS is supposed to work? PS doesn't guarantee a table at a particular time; it just puts you in line to get the next available table. Thus, even if someone has a later PS time than you do, if they show up at the restaurant before you do, they will get in the PS line ahead of you and will get a table before you. Or am I wrong about this?

 

[jann1033]

you are right about that but we had checked in before them ( saw them arrive and check in, this was probably 4-5 groups who had ps and we were seated after all of them although we had been there anywhere from a few mins to probably a 1/2 hr before the last of them arrrived) they treated us like we did not have ps in other words which if we were past the 20 mins , fine but we weren't anywhere close to it. which is why if i were the op i wouldn't be late to Ohana's ( never been late to any other one so do not know how they would act or if because they were having other problems and crabby already, they just felt like being creepy, I don't know)

 

[doodle]

Hi KarlaG4Kids, I also would be concerned about Ohana. When we have been there for dinner - twice - they were very backed up. With a PS we were okay but I think being late for your PS could result in a long wait. Is there any way some in your party can get to Ohana on time and get the table? Also, be sure to keep checking back with dining - tables do sometimes open up. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Being a little late is really not too much of a problem, aside from a very LARGE (>7) party. Many guests have problems with Disney Transportations, or bad directions, or even traffic. If you have a PS it should be honored and you should be placed into the cue like any other PS. But, with a large party it is not so easy, since large tables are usually few and far between.

The other side of the coin is when you arrive VERY early. Example: you have a 9:30pm and you arrive between 7:30-8:30pm (peak at most). On a very busy night you can expect to wait even with a PS. This is common on very busy nights when all that is available is the later PS's, so the guest books the later PS and them attempts to arrive "early" Again, depending on the party size you may or may not be able to be seated promptly.

 

[ILUVDXL]

This has only happen to us once due to a flight delay (if anything we're always way early) We had a 7:00 p.m. PS for Flying Fish and never arrived at the resort until 6:55. I called FF and when we did arrive (about 25 minutes late) we were seated immediately. The same applys if your early. Usually they will take you in a matter of minutes.

 

[DANAW]

We had a PS last November at O'Hannas. There was a huge line, just to check in. We had a wait of almost an hour, which was not fun with tired, hungry, kids. Many, many people were complaining of the long wait as well. To top it off, the waiter was horrible, and much of the food was over cooked. We have been to Ohana's many times before and loved it, but we hit it on a bad night. To make matters worse, when we kept asking how much longer the wait would be (because we were thinking of cutting our losses and going someplace else), they kept saying 10 more minutes, which eventually turned into an hour. If we knew it was going to be an hour wait, we would have just left. I know we hit it on a bad night, but it makes it hard to want to go back. We have no plans to go there again in April (even though I know many people --including us--have had great experiences there in the past)

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Crazy Hakim
Being a little late is really not too much of a problem, aside from a very LARGE (>7) party. Many guests have problems with Disney Transportations, or bad directions, or even traffic. If you have a PS it should be honored and you should be placed into the cue like any other PS. But, with a large party it is not so easy, since large tables are usually few and far between.

actually i wonder if this is true at Ohana's since it seemed ( at least where we finally sat, back in the damp dark corner right beside the service entrance) they had a lot of large tables but not many smaller ones. it could be different in the main dining room but i couldn't see it since i forgot my binoculars ..since we obviously were being punished for our 5 mins. tardiness i am just glad we didn't have to eat with our noses in the corner!