Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
Nope. My 27th day has come and gone.
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BOG FP+ only?
- Thread starter tink33
- Start date
I called the Disney Dining this afternoon to express my frustration re getting an invitation but finding no times available the same day the invitation was received. (Staying 10/31 thru 11/9 but only 10/31-11/5 were offered.) I politely asked why they would send an advertise something that was unavailable and would there be standby availability during my visit. I am amazed at the reply I received. Rep 1 - Sorry. We hear this all the time. Nothing we can do to help you. No info on stand by lines. We're just contractors. So then I ask to speak to someone from Disney. Rep 2 - Sorry. There is nothing I can do as this is sent out from the restaurant itself. No one can help me. No one knows anything. And really neither rep could have sounded less interested. I was given a generic email address that goes to the 'executive offices'. I specifically asked to speak with Liz Clark head of MK Food and Beverage or Phil Holmes MK VP as advised by WDW1974 but both reps said they had never heard of them. Sad really.
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
MK's food capacity problem would be solved if they just opened all the restaurants. They're too cheap to pay for staffing, but if Tortuga Tavern and Tomorrowland Terrace were always open, they'd take a lot of the strain away.
Potus1976
Member
anytime a new attraction or restaurant opens there are problems with getting reservations or a FP. As someone who goes at least 2 times a year I like the fact of planning more before I go. I think planning, making reservations for dining, FP+, and hotel is a very fun part of the trip. The problem lies with first time visitors. I understand it can be frustrating.
I like the new system. I have not had one issue. I do think it needs to be more user friendly. It can be quite daunting at times. But over all, I like it.
As for BoG....I recieved the email invite about two weeks ago for my trip next week. I was happy to get it as I've been calling everyday for 3 months to see if there was an opening. Also, if you get the email invite it does not count toward one of your three FP+. A friend of mine was there this past week. There were many guest who were eating there through the email invite and many who were on standby and most were getting in.
I like the new system. I have not had one issue. I do think it needs to be more user friendly. It can be quite daunting at times. But over all, I like it.
As for BoG....I recieved the email invite about two weeks ago for my trip next week. I was happy to get it as I've been calling everyday for 3 months to see if there was an opening. Also, if you get the email invite it does not count toward one of your three FP+. A friend of mine was there this past week. There were many guest who were eating there through the email invite and many who were on standby and most were getting in.
Nmoody1
Well-Known Member
amen! if you ask really nice they might even give us ice!
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
'New" attraction you have got to be kidding it's been open 2 bloody years!!!!, Calling every day for 3 months for a COUNTER SERVICE restaurant the requirement to do that is absolutely INSANE, Please understand I know it's one of your favorites and I am explicitly not knocking your choice.
I am however knocking Disney F&B HARD for making the most convoluted restaurant system EVER, If I go to NYC the concierge can get me a reservation at Nobu http://www.noburestaurants.com in 1-3 days TOPS and that's a FAR more exclusive location than BoG will ever be.
The DEMAND is there - but since TDO simply wants to milk the cash cow they will not open any NEW restaurants or even open existing ones to take the strain off the system AND guests, And this is a big reason why we've stopped eating on property for the most part.
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Exclusivity and demand are two different things so your analogy is flawed.
With that said, the current system (or systems as it seems to change based on the day of the week) is absurd for a QS restaurant. In this case they are attempting to address an issue with the means they have rather than looking at external solutions that could alleviate the issue (convert to TS, open more QS at MK).
TRONorail12
Active Member
TRONorail12
Active Member
BOG has a completely different operating system than everywhere else on property. That is the reason why they have to have their own website. Due to the nature of the experience, the restaurant had to incorporate a different operating system for the ordering and FP service. The old system used everywhere else on property could not perform the same functions.
It boggles the mind (well, my mind at least) that they invite guests to something that has no open reservations. Change the marketing materials at least to reflect the very limited spots available. Is that too much to ask? We've done the BOG ADR experience and wanted to see what lunch was like. I'd like to be chill about the whole experience but WDW has upped the expectations by inviting me to make a FP (not FP+ by the way) for something I was willing to wait in line to experience. Then I find out there are no open spots during my entire 10 day visit. They literally went out of their way to make me dissatisfied. And no one that I can contact at WDE cares in the least. That is a problem. And now thanks to the info I've read here, I am wondering if standby will even be available.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Precisely - TDO really goes the extra mile to CREATE unhappy guests in this case.
One of my wife's favorite restaurants often has no open reservations. They also won't let you just show up and wait to see if you get in. It's like they go the extra mile to create unhappy guests. So what if the mere fact that they have a fairly fixed number of people that they can feed in a day so no matter who gets a reservation, someone else wouldn't get one? How dare I be left out?
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
MK's food problem would be gone if they'd open some high-caliber dining establishments. Truthfully, I'm not that picky about CS. I'd rather eat at Pecos Bill's for lunch than Tony's for dinner. And for dinner, I want full-service. Magic Kingdom is woefully lacking in sit-down dining establishments in which I would choose to eat. There's BOG and ... BOG, and, well, maybe BOG...
BrerJon
Well-Known Member
I don't know about the fast food joints near you, but near me you just turn up at a McDonalds or whatever and get in line, even if its a long one, no reservation needed, and that's how it should be everywhere.
I can understand having to make reservations for a sit down meal with a waiter and an expected duration of a couple of hours... , but for fast food? Having to reserve weeks in advance for a plate of quick service food on a tray that you wolf down while waiting for a Fastpass return time seems madness, especially when they have over a year of data to show people were quite happy to wait in line for it.
I see your point but I don't think it applies to this specific instance. This is my 5th or 6th trip so I know the drill. I comply and make my reservations early and suck it up if something I like is booked. I even haunt the WDW DINE number if my kids really want something that is unavailable. On top of that I've sweated out doing the ride FP+ around my ADR's (wish it could be done in reverse order). My issue here is that for some reason the people at BOG sent me an invitation to do a test of FP. I hit that opportunity as soon as I could and there was no availability over a 10 day vacation. Then I hear BOG may be FP only... I was planning to do standby from the get go. Because the website and dining info everywhere said I could. In fact in all official info there is no information about booking a FP. Will I get over not experiencing the BOG lunch? Heck yay. Will I get over WDW making empty invitations? And acting borderline rude when I called to figure out why it didn't work for me? Not offering me the chance to waste my time in line if I feel like it - they way they said I could? That could take a bit longer.
hopemax
Well-Known Member
Does this restaurant also limit reservations by zipcode or street address? Therefore denying residents of other zipcodes from even making a reservation in the first place? Because that's the current situation at BoG, where you sleep determines your ability to book.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
But I'll bet your DW's restaurant does not email her an invitation to make a reservation on days when they have no available tables - That's the key difference here.
TRONorail12
Active Member
You can't ditch something that is essential to the operation of the restaurant. The bottom line is that BOG was designed for MM+ technology. The other quick service restaurants were not. MM+ was simply added to their old operating system as a payment function.
Philharmagically
Active Member
My guess is that they will be changing systems. Possibly incorporating it into the rest of the FP+ selection.
Also, with CRT going down for refurb next year, they might be starting to plan breakfast stuff as well.