Changes to table service dining cancellation policy - credit card requirement expands

[disneyrcks]

That the staff member probably makes minimum wage? That's like leaving it to the stock boy to make customer service decisions at your local grocery store.

In all seriousness, I understand your point - and I have a feeling we will see very quickly how this situation is handled. I have a feeling the customer won't always be right anymore tho...

Just because the staff member makes minimum wage does not mean they cannot make an educated decision about whether or not you should cancel your reservation. Let's be honest here, the majority of people who cancel will make up bull e reasons for it. If you cancel ahead of time, I am sure they will work with you, if you do not cancel or show up, then you will get charged.

 

[menamechris]

Just because the staff member makes minimum wage does not mean they cannot make an educated decision about whether or not you should cancel your reservation. Let's be honest here, the majority of people who cancel will make up bull e reasons for it. If you cancel ahead of time, I am sure they will work with you, if you do not cancel or show up, then you will get charged.

I am not disagreeing. The scenario you presented is ideal - that there will be flexibility. Point being - that flexibility has not always been used in other areas of reservation, like tours or even dinner shows. My only experience has been with having to cancel the tour - in which I was NOT shown leniency due to circumstances. You have read from other posters who have said the same thing has happened to them for having to cancel dining plans. And again, your point is well taken that a nice cast member has the power to determine a cancellation charge is not warranted. But be assured there will be some who will feel more compelled to charge regardless - this mentality has been seen in posts in this very thread - there have been a few "no-exception" people. I am sure there will be individuals like that answering phones at the reservation center, as well.

 

[AEfx]

I have had similar experiences. Disney's operates in shades of gray vs black and white when it comes to cancellations. When there is a legit excuse that is out of your control they tend to wave the fees if you give them the opportunity to do so.

Yeah, I agree this is a good change and also that we will have to see how it works in practice.

I think the 24-hour thing is there like the Fastpass return window. It's the policy, but...

If you call up the morning of, say you are very sorry to have to cancel so late but XXX happened so your family/group cannot make it, I don't think they are gonna charge you.

That's what it says, I know, but I have a hard time thinking it will work like that in practice.

My only concern with this has always been simply the increase in time it will take to make a ressie now. I hope they have some way to keep a card on file so every time I call or go online I don't have to enter my CC info. I'm sure online they will have something like this, but I also hope that when making phone reservations they can also access a card on file that you have previously given. I just don't want to be finding a card and reading off all the info every time i call.

 

[draybook]

We cancelled our CRT reservation at the waiting area. We showed up at 6:45pm for our 7:10pm reservation and were told we couldn't check in until 7pm. When we checked in at 7pm, the lady told me that we could wait at the benches and that someone would call us into the waiting area to get our Cindy picture made. After waiting for ten minutes and watching 5 families go ahead of us, I wandered in and found out that we could have gone in the whole time.

At this point we were already po'd because park closing was at 9 and judging by the line to get in it would be 9 or later by the time we got done eating. I goofed and didn't notice until we got to WDW that the closing had gone from 10 to 9, so we wouldn't have any time to catch MSEP and do our traditional last ride on HM. Add to this that is was hot, humid, and too crowded and we decided we weren't going to wait 2 hours for semi-meh food in the castle.

I asked the fellow at the front of the waiting room to speak to a manager. This lady came up and I asked her the same thing to which she replied that she was a manager. I explained to her our predicament and that we would not be dining there. She was extremely understanding and apologetic. I told her that it wasn't Disney's fault, just that I had done poor planning on the last day and that the situation wasn't working out for us. I sure wish I had gotten her name because she was so nice.

The point to my rambling is that although it wasn't anything on Disney's part, nor was it an emergency, sometimes there will be cancellations within 24 hours. And just like with FP's, we know that Disney won't enforce it. I will say that we don't make multiple reservations and with the exception of my story we always make any cancellation waaaaaaay in advance.

 

[Disaddict]

.....sometimes there will be cancellations within 24 hours. And just like with FP's, we know that Disney won't enforce it.

You mean they didn't enforce it on you. Two of my friends have had the charges added to their cc for missing that table. And I'm sure that they will enforce this policy every time now otherwise every jerk that booked multiple ADRs will have a sob story trying to get out of the fee. Besides, I doubt that Disney would allow multiple bookings for the near same arrival times on the same cc. So unless a person used 4 or 5 cards to book the ADRs then they may (if Disney goes this far) get refused multiple ADR bookings.

 

[wdw71fan]

you do realize that this just brings dining in line with most other things... paid 8,000 dollars and missed the ship at the cruise terminal? Oh well, there goes 8,000 dollars.. Can't arrive at your hotel (ANY hotel ANYWHERE for that matter) until 3 days after you said you would, and the hotel stay starts today? Sorry , but that money is hone..

Thats the way the world works people... Disney held up their side of the deal, the restaurant was open and ready to receive you, if you don't show up, or you are late.. It's not their fault, and they shouldn't have to lose revenue because you can't be there as promised.

Get over it.

 

[lebeau]

So you've never seen this before:


Hmmm. You must not eat out very often. I've seen messages like that one quite a few times. Heck, I found that one by Googling and selecting my first hit.

Found at: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/04/should-restaurants-charge-no-show-fees.html

It's true. I've never seen that before. But I'm not talking about 5-star restaurants in NYC. I'm talking about theme park food with characters going from table to table. Apples and oranges.

Although if Disney is able to get away with this, why shouldn't they?

------

Even if they do double book (I'm sure Disney will auto track the CC number to prevent this anyway) they will still be canceling in enough time for you to get a walk up in that spot they vacated. That is unless you intend on sitting outside the place all night.

No, you're totally missing the point on how this is bad for walk-ins.

Without the cc hold, Disney has no idea whether or not the reservation will be kept. If someone doesn't show, there is a table available for a walk-in. This is GOOD for walk-ins.

With a cc hold, Disney has an additional 24 hours or more to fill that table. There will be fewer available tables for walk-ins as a result. BAD for walk-ins. Good for people who check at the last minute for reservations. They have a slightly higher chance of getting lucky.

As for tracking the cc numbers, that will only help if someone books two overlapping restaurants that require cc holds. Which I doubt many will do.

 

[SMZ MD]

I am usually against and increased regulations like this, but I am hopeful that this new rule will be a type of prevent defense. Meaning preventing some people from making multiple ressies to start with. I was in line to give my ADR number at Via Napoli in August this yr during the free dining period(which I did not have as DVC member) and a family in front of us in line was still deciding whether to use their ADR there, at crystal palace or Cape May. That would frustrate anyone. They certainly had no plans to cancel any of these. Meanwhile they were turning walkups away from Via Napoli right along side of us. I think Disney wants guests to just take the process of ressies a little more seriously than they currently do

 

[lebeau]

If you do not mind my asking, which restaurant at Disney did this? If you do not want to post here I understand but I am curious to know which restaurant on property charged you and if, by any chance, you had another reservation (or ate) at another restaurant on property during that time?

I did not even realize they started charging for missed ADR's already, forgive me, I did not read through the entire thread.

No, I'm happy to share! I've been singing this story from rooftops since it happened.

(My apologies to those who have read this story multiple times now.)

We had reservations for dinner at Akerhus. No other ressies that day. We got caught in a day-long rainstorm at Epcot. Early afternoon, the kids were soaked. The stroller was drenched. Everyone was cold and shivering and wanted to go home. Staying would have meant miserable and possibly sick kids.

I decided to cut my losses. I called several hours before our reservation. I asked if it could be moved up at all. I knew that was a long short and sure enough they couldn't help me. I explained the situation with the rain, but I was fully prepared to pay a cancellation fee of $30 for my wife, myself and our 5-year-old. It stung, but it was what I had agreed to. I didn't expect an exception to be made.

The cast member at the dining phone line told me it would actually be $40 because we also had a 1-year-old. I argued that the 1-year-old didn't pay for a meal, how could she be considered part of the cancellation? The cast member put me on hold several times. Finally he came back and told me there was nothing he could do.

I looked at my family. I saw nothing but misery and desperation. It was worth $40 to go back to a dry hotel room to them. So I bit the bullet and forked it out.

Had they charged me $30 instead of $40, this story would have a different tone. I still would have been gun shy about scheduling meals with cc holds, but I wouldn't be angry. I'd feel like Disney made an effort to be reasonable.

Now, I feel like Disney liked reaching into my pocket and they are creating opportunities to reach into more pockets more often.

Also, I have read similar stories on the forums. Maybe Disney has a better track record than this story would indicate. But it is not an isolated incident.

 

[Disaddict]

It's true. I've never seen that before. But I'm not talking about 5-star restaurants in NYC. I'm talking about theme park food with characters going from table to table. Apples and oranges.

Although if Disney is able to get away with this, why shouldn't they?

------





No, you're totally missing the point on how this is bad for walk-ins.

Without the cc hold, Disney has no idea whether or not the reservation will be kept. If someone doesn't show, there is a table available for a walk-in. This is GOOD for walk-ins.

With a cc hold, Disney has an additional 24 hours or more to fill that table. There will be fewer available tables for walk-ins as a result. BAD for walk-ins. Good for people who check at the last minute for reservations. They have a slightly higher chance of getting lucky.

As for tracking the cc numbers, that will only help if someone books two overlapping restaurants that require cc holds. Which I doubt many will do.

Fair points. I can see that. Ultimately, this is a bad situation no matter how it is handled. Unfortunately they have no real solution then. If they do away with the DDP then more people will eat only at QS or will go off property to save money. If they do this cc hold thing then they run into the issue that you explained. Either way some people are going to be p*ssed. :shrug:

 

[lebeau]

It is a blanket statement, but will they take specific circumstances into consideration? Most likely, they will. That is what this charge is all about. If you call and say my kid, me, my wife is sick and we just cannot make it, most likely they will not charge you. However, if you happen to have an ADR at another restaurant at the same time; maybe they will charge you.

I wouldn't be so sure of that!

Let me know how it works out for you when you find yourself in a similar position. If this policy holds, I think there will be a lot more angry stories like mine around here.

 

[BeanSz]

Aplause, Aplause --- finally. May not be perfect option -- but nothing will satisfy everyone. I don't think Disney will try to hold the screws to people, but hopefully will demotivate the folks that book lots of ADRs and never plan to use them or don't at least make an effort to cancel.

Shame on Disney for using the term "signature" -- seems to confuse a lot on this site. I only interpretted this as these are restaurants that are popular, have a high ressie rate, and/or have a signaficant no show. Never thought it was DIsney's plan to turn these into 2 credit restaurants.

 

[lebeau]

Exactly. I had to cancel a tour with my little nephew because he got sick and couldn't go. I called the night before, explained the situation, and basically was told "sorry to hear that" and was quickly read the policy I had agreed to about being charged for not calling within 24 hours. Maybe some CM's... (are they CM's? I think they are in Tampa or something)... may cut a break for excuses, but I am sure there will be some who will enjoy the new power...

In my story, the cast member put me on hold several times. He clearly WANTED to make an exception. At least on the $10. He apologized several times. I assume while I was on hold, he was checking with supervisors or at least co-workers. He came back and told me there was nothing he could do.

Maybe he could have made an exception and didn't know it. I think if it had been within his power to at least cut me some slack on the baby, he would have. But he was convinced he was not allowed to do that.

I probably should have hung up and called someone else. But most people won't think to do that. Especially in the pouring rain on a miserable (and expensive) vacation day surrounded by cold, shivering kids. After already waiting on hold for 10 or 15 minutes, mind you.

So, we've heard some testimonials from people who called in advance, played by the rules, and got hit with fees anyway. Any stories out there of Disney doing right by the customer? :shrug:

 

[lebeau]

What do you mean by "enjoy the new power"? It is unfortunate to get charged for something you do not get to experience. And while illness, travel delays, etc. does happen, the fact that you commited to being there should hold. Like I said, they may take specific issues into account. Most likely they will and not charge you if your kid is sick, you are sick, etc. It sounds as if they are only looking to charge those who do not cancel at all or maybe do not cancel but have a ressie across property at the same time.

Where are you getting this when all the stories shared so far point to the opposite?

 

[lebeau]

Yeah, I agree this is a good change and also that we will have to see how it works in practice.

I think the 24-hour thing is there like the Fastpass return window. It's the policy, but...

If you call up the morning of, say you are very sorry to have to cancel so late but XXX happened so your family/group cannot make it, I don't think they are gonna charge you.

That's what it says, I know, but I have a hard time thinking it will work like that in practice.

Let me know how it works out for you. The one time I had bad luck, Disney kicked me while I was down.

And I gave them every opportunity to cut me a break.

 

[lebeau]

I asked the fellow at the front of the waiting room to speak to a manager. This lady came up and I asked her the same thing to which she replied that she was a manager. I explained to her our predicament and that we would not be dining there. She was extremely understanding and apologetic. I told her that it wasn't Disney's fault, just that I had done poor planning on the last day and that the situation wasn't working out for us. I sure wish I had gotten her name because she was so nice.

The point to my rambling is that although it wasn't anything on Disney's part, nor was it an emergency, sometimes there will be cancellations within 24 hours. And just like with FP's, we know that Disney won't enforce it. I will say that we don't make multiple reservations and with the exception of my story we always make any cancellation waaaaaaay in advance.

I'm glad it worked out for you. And maybe this will be the case for the majority. Maybe even 90%. But it sure sucks when you're in that 10%.

My point is, don't assume you will be granted an exception if you have a good reason. Sometimes the policy will be enforced. People are going to get burned.

And the upside? A very minor obstacle for those who double book? One that can be easily worked around. And people who double book have already shown they are willing to put in the effort to do so.

This is not a guest-friendly policy.

 

[Master Yoda]

In my story, the cast member put me on hold several times. He clearly WANTED to make an exception. At least on the $10. He apologized several times. I assume while I was on hold, he was checking with supervisors or at least co-workers. He came back and told me there was nothing he could do.

Maybe he could have made an exception and didn't know it. I think if it had been within his power to at least cut me some slack on the baby, he would have. But he was convinced he was not allowed to do that.

I probably should have hung up and called someone else. But most people won't think to do that. Especially in the pouring rain on a miserable (and expensive) vacation day surrounded by cold, shivering kids. After already waiting on hold for 10 or 15 minutes, mind you.

So, we've heard some testimonials from people who called in advance, played by the rules, and got hit with fees anyway. Any stories out there of Disney doing right by the customer? :shrug:

Had to cancel a room only reservation at 5:00 PM on our day of arrival due to a medical emergency and was never charged a dime.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Yes, I think you're correct there! It's the signature plus the places that tend to book up around the 180 day mark!

Really? I managed to get a reservation for Yachtsman next month, and Citricos in December, both made yesterday, no problem.

I can see Ohana, Le Cellier, and the character meals being difficult to book and therefore requiring this guarantee, but in all honesty unless you're booking for a peak period, most of those restaurants that are outside of the above 3 listed aren't that hard to get a reservation at most other times of the year.

 

[lebeau]

you do realize that this just brings dining in line with most other things... paid 8,000 dollars and missed the ship at the cruise terminal? Oh well, there goes 8,000 dollars.. Can't arrive at your hotel (ANY hotel ANYWHERE for that matter) until 3 days after you said you would, and the hotel stay starts today? Sorry , but that money is hone..

Thats the way the world works people... Disney held up their side of the deal, the restaurant was open and ready to receive you, if you don't show up, or you are late.. It's not their fault, and they shouldn't have to lose revenue because you can't be there as promised.

Get over it.

Got any apples to apples comparisons you'd like to try out?

Cause a cruise ship or a hotel room is not remotely like a table at a theme park restaurant.

Unless you're talking 5-star dining, there's not a single restaurant in my neck of the woods that could get away with cc holds on reservations and fees for cancelling. Not fees for no shows. (I don't know why people are lumping those together.) Fees for calling in advance and cancelling because something unexpected happened.

 

[Master Yoda]

I'm glad it worked out for you. And maybe this will be the case for the majority. Maybe even 90%. But it sure sucks when you're in that 10%.

My point is, don't assume you will be granted an exception if you have a good reason. Sometimes the policy will be enforced. People are going to get burned.

And the upside? A very minor obstacle for those who double book? One that can be easily worked around. And people who double book have already shown they are willing to put in the effort to do so.

This is not a guest-friendly policy.

With the old system there was no real extra effort to circumvent the system. All you needed was an additional name, email or phone number and you were done. Now in addition to that you are going to have to give up a CC number, possibly 2 for double bookings, and keep track of it all and make sure you cancel to avoid paying. I think that additional bit of work will discourage most. Nothing will discourage all.