What happens when you drop diners from ressies?

[robndani]

Hi! I have a few reservations that are going from 6 people to 4 people. When I switch the reservation, would that allow 2 people to grab a reservation for 2 if we coordinated?

I have a couple popular restaurants that this would apply to (Akershus, CM, CP, BOG) and would want to offer them to people.

Thanks!

 

[figment_jii]

Hi! I have a few reservations that are going from 6 people to 4 people. When I switch the reservation, would that allow 2 people to grab a reservation for 2 if we coordinated?

I have a couple popular restaurants that this would apply to (Akershus, CM, CP, BOG) and would want to offer them to people.

Thanks!

My inclination is to say not necessarily. A table for six is not always the same as a table for four and a table for two. Basically, if you're seated at a table for six, the system isn't going to put a group of 4 and a group of 2 together to fill that table.

 

[kmb584]

Also, keep in mind that it's not exactly easy to call and say you'd like to go from a party of 6 to a party of 4. Being able to do so will solely depend on whether or not a 4-top table is available, so it might be better to keep your ADRs for 6 and show up with 4. You won't be charged a fee for doing so.

 

[purple figment]

If you call the dining reservation line to modify your reservation from 6 to 4 you would be keeping the same res number so there is no way that you could coordinate with someone else for them to get 2 additional seats.

If you look online and find a new reservation for 4 and book it, one of 2 things can happen. You will be asked if you want to keep your old res (for 6) or cancel it and take the new res for 4. At that point you would have to choose and the table for 6 would be cancelled. There's no way to coordinate with someone else. If the system doesn't ask you to choose and you end up with both reservations, then you could coordinate with someone else.

 

[Mikie]

I think it would be a courtesy to release the extra people. When I booked for my large party the dining CM encouraged me to book for everyone, then go back and reduce numbers if anyone wanted different plans. Admittedly, one experience doesn't prove anything, but when I called to redo my numbers the call was fast and easy and the dining CM thanked me for adjusting the numbers even though you aren't charged a "no show" fee as long as at least part of your group shows up.

 

[lizard1]

Also, keep in mind that it's not exactly easy to call and say you'd like to go from a party of 6 to a party of 4. Being able to do so will solely depend on whether or not a 4-top table is available, so it might be better to keep your ADRs for 6 and show up with 4. You won't be charged a fee for doing so.

It is that easy. You aren't cancelling and making a new reservation, you are modifying your existing reservation (I modified more than a dozen reservations for my last trip because my husband wasn't able to find out whether or not he was approved for vacation until 30 days prior to our scheduled trip). While you may not be able to coordinate with someone else getting a reservation, it may allow someone who has a party of 5 to add a 6th person to their reservation or may really allow another party to book. I figure that for all of those people who are looking for that ONE extra spot for a ressie that I would be kind enough to release the spot that I know I am unable to use in hopes they are able to add to their reservation.

 

[robndani]

I'm definitely going to adjust my numbers. We don't travel until the end of January, but I booked for 6 and I know two aren't coming. I thought maybe since a table for six is different then a table for four, that would make a table for two show up! In my head it made sense!

 

[kmb584]

It is that easy. You aren't cancelling and making a new reservation, you are modifying your existing reservation (I modified more than a dozen reservations for my last trip because my husband wasn't able to find out whether or not he was approved for vacation until 30 days prior to our scheduled trip). While you may not be able to coordinate with someone else getting a reservation, it may allow someone who has a party of 5 to add a 6th person to their reservation or may really allow another party to book. I figure that for all of those people who are looking for that ONE extra spot for a ressie that I would be kind enough to release the spot that I know I am unable to use in hopes they are able to add to their reservation.

My experience has been just the opposite. I almost always book for 5 as my best friend usually joins us for a couple of days, and when she's let me know in advance (1-3 weeks out) that she wasn't able to, Disney Dining was only able to reduce my party size from 5 to 4 once citing that going from a 6-top to a 4-top was solely based on availability (and they had none).

 

[robndani]

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Disney Dining. They told me that in most cases, as long as you tell them soon enough, they can easily switch your reservation from 6 to 4. She said for the very popular restaurants, you may have to keep your reservation for 6 people and just show up with 4.

The closer you get, and the more popular the restaurant, the harder to switch, but you'll never get "closed out" or penalized for showing up with 4 people to a reservation for 6!

Now we know!