Disney to expand cancellation fees to all table service restaurants at Walt Disney World

[ExtinctJenn]

Obviously, I don't either. But in 2012, I was forced to switch reservations unless I used multiple e-mails. If you were doing that, you would not have gotten the pop-up. If you used the same e-mail or the reservations were tied into a hotel reservation, you would have gotten the pop-up.

People who are making multiple reservations - whether they later cancel them or not - are circumventing the system. That's going to continue.

Just to test the theory, I went to the website to book some reservations. The interface has obviously changed to tie into MM+. The system crashed on me twice while I tried to set up a lunch reservation. Just sayin'.

Under the new system, there is no pop-up. The system ties the reservations to your MM+ account. Once you have a lunch reservation, it won't let you search availability for another one for that day. The obvious workaround is to open another account. But then, that has always been the work around back when they had the pop-up. So really, not much of a change.

Yeah I've only ever used one account because I'm a mega planner and would go bonkers to have them in multiple places. Again though, in my case I wasn't TRYING to have multiples, I just happened to change my mind on where I wanted to eat, booked the new location first (to be sure I could before giving up the old) and then cancelled the duplicate. I'd LOVE to know why it works/worked one way for some and another for others.

 

[lebeau]

Yeah I've only ever used one account because I'm a mega planner and would go bonkers to have them in multiple places. Again though, in my case I wasn't TRYING to have multiples, I just happened to change my mind on where I wanted to eat, booked the new location first (to be sure I could before giving up the old) and then cancelled the duplicate. I'd LOVE to know why it works/worked one way for some and another for others.

I have no explanation for that. Disney's website and reservation system has historically been unreliable (raise your hand if Disney has lost your dining reservations). But why you would not have gotten the pop-up in 2013 is a mystery to me. I can't imagine they did away with it.

All I can tell you is I changed reservations several times for our 2012 trip. I got the pop-up every single time. The only way I could have gotten multiple reservations and had to cancel them manually would be to circumvent the system with another e-mail address. I have helped others plan their trips and seen the same thing over and over again.

Frankly, I have never heard of anyone not getting the pop-up since around 2011 unless they went to some effort to get around it. But I suppose it is possible Disney disabled the pop-up as they prepared to switch to the new MM+ system. I can't imagine why they would, but I can't deny it is a possibility.

 

[aladdin2007]

I have no explanation for that. Disney's website and reservation system has historically been unreliable (raise your hand if Disney has lost your dining reservations). But why you would not have gotten the pop-up in 2013 is a mystery to me. I can't imagine they did away with it.

All I can tell you is I changed reservations several times for our 2012 trip. I got the pop-up every single time. The only way I could have gotten multiple reservations and had to cancel them manually would be to circumvent the system with another e-mail address. I have helped others plan their trips and seen the same thing over and over again.

Frankly, I have never heard of anyone not getting the pop-up since around 2011 unless they went to some effort to get around it. But I suppose it is possible Disney disabled the pop-up as they prepared to switch to the new MM+ system. I can't imagine why they would, but I can't deny it is a possibility.

They lost mine just last week for chefs de france. Went to check in and there was no record of it, luckily had the number with me but she said she believed me and it wasnt a problem. But I bet it could have been an issue at other locations that are harder to get into.

 

[Hot Lava]

They lost mine just last week for chefs de france. Went to check in and there was no record of it, luckily had the number with me but she said she believed me and it wasnt a problem. But I bet it could have been an issue at other locations that are harder to get into.

This! It is exactly why I always have a paper copy (and nowadays, b/c I have a fancy phone now, in there as well). Any important reservation - hotel, car, airline, etc. I have been burned and try never to let that happen again.

 

[SteveAZee]

If everyone making dining reservations needs to work through MDE (i.e. use an account that would, at some point, require park passes to be linked to them) rather than via email addresses, it would cut down on multiple bookings via multiple email addresses. Perhaps this is where they intend to go in the near future. Ultimately, one can't use a park dining reservation unless there are park tickets associated with it, so Disney COULD set it up so... unless you have park passes linked to a dining reservation (let's say within 24 hours of said reservation) then the reservation gets cancelled.

Just spit-balling here.

 

[willtravel]

Was this cancellation fee printing out on ADR's from the beginning of this implementation?

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Was this cancellation fee printing out on ADR's from the beginning of this implementation?

The implementation has been put on hold but I'm not sure what you mean by printing out on ADRs. That said however, this isn't something new, it's just new that it'll be at all TS restaurants... so it will be in the terms and conditions you have to agree to in order to continue your reservation (after entering your credit card information) I'd presume as it is today.

 

[willtravel]

The implementation has been put on hold but I'm not sure what you mean by printing out on ADRs. That said however, this isn't something new, it's just new that it'll be at all TS restaurants... so it will be in the terms and conditions you have to agree to in order to continue your reservation (after entering your credit card information) I'd presume as it is today.

I was just wondering when booking ADR's, when this policy came into effect this year, it said that you will be charged $10 for no show for TS. Maybe with this new policy they did not want to start till after the holidays are over.

 

[ABQ]

@ExtinctJenn I think @SteveAZee may be referring to something along these lines. This comes up for a few of my reservations. Some further detail was presented when I first booked them, this is what I see now on previous booked details.

 

[willtravel]

If everyone making dining reservations needs to work through MDE (i.e. use an account that would, at some point, require park passes to be linked to them) rather than via email addresses, it would cut down on multiple bookings via multiple email addresses. Perhaps this is where they intend to go in the near future. Ultimately, one can't use a park dining reservation unless there are park tickets associated with it, so Disney COULD set it up so... unless you have park passes linked to a dining reservation (let's say within 24 hours of said reservation) then the reservation gets cancelled.

Just spit-balling here.

I am confused. So you are suggesting they are linking park passes with ADR's. What if you are not going to the park' s but just DD and have an ADR?

 

[Texas84]

What if your reservation is for five and only three show up? Do you get charged?

 

[ABQ]

What if your reservation is for five and only three show up? Do you get charged?

When credit card guarantees expanded back in 2011, a call to the Mouse asking your very question resulted in a statement of "You will be charged for any members of your party who are no shows" however, this is all up to the restaurant itself to enforce or not. In most cases, I would expect that if 3 of 5 show, it will not be a problem. 2 of 5....probably a different story. It may depend on the restaurant table configuration, if the part of 3 would be seated at the same table as the party of 5 or not.

 

[SteveAZee]

I am confused. So you are suggesting they are linking park passes with ADR's. What if you are not going to the park' s but just DD and have an ADR?

I was just thinking that with MDE it would be simple (well, apparently the programmers aren't finding ANYTHING simple, but...) to prevent multiple (at the same time) dining reservations in the parks by have their MDE account linked to tickets (to show that they can actually get into the parks to do the dining) and then, since there is only one MDE account associated with those tickets, it's easy to stop two or more dining reservations to be made at the same time.

For those just dining at resorts... it will still be dog-eat-dog, but perhaps those with MDE accounts get preferential reservations somehow (like a much greater lead time) since they won't be overbooking across the complex.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Too many people lock up reservations and not show up, keeping others out. Good move.

 

[ford91exploder]

I have no explanation for that. Disney's website and reservation system has historically been unreliable (raise your hand if Disney has lost your dining reservations). But why you would not have gotten the pop-up in 2013 is a mystery to me. I can't imagine they did away with it.

All I can tell you is I changed reservations several times for our 2012 trip. I got the pop-up every single time. The only way I could have gotten multiple reservations and had to cancel them manually would be to circumvent the system with another e-mail address. I have helped others plan their trips and seen the same thing over and over again.

Frankly, I have never heard of anyone not getting the pop-up since around 2011 unless they went to some effort to get around it. But I suppose it is possible Disney disabled the pop-up as they prepared to switch to the new MM+ system. I can't imagine why they would, but I can't deny it is a possibility.

Raises hand dozens of times for Dining Reservations Lost, Including one for HDDR where I had paper printout, no listing on computer, would not let me in but billed for 'no show' raised H-l for that one.

In fairness Disney DID remove charge and get me a new reservation for the show which I paid for (they did bump category up for free though)

 

[ford91exploder]

I was just thinking that with MDE it would be simple (well, apparently the programmers aren't finding ANYTHING simple, but...) to prevent multiple (at the same time) dining reservations in the parks by have their MDE account linked to tickets (to show that they can actually get into the parks to do the dining) and then, since there is only one MDE account associated with those tickets, it's easy to stop two or more dining reservations to be made at the same time.

For those just dining at resorts... it will still be dog-eat-dog, but perhaps those with MDE accounts get preferential reservations somehow (like a much greater lead time) since they won't be overbooking across the complex.

Or perhaps they could implement a CHANGE feature, So if you wanted to swap for another restaurant you could swap your reservation instead of creating multiples. Naaaahhhh makes too much sense and people would actually like a feature like this.

 

[lebeau]

Or perhaps they could implement a CHANGE feature, So if you wanted to swap for another restaurant you could swap your reservation instead of creating multiples. Naaaahhhh makes too much sense and people would actually like a feature like this.

Guests would love it. Disney would HATE it. The entire point is to know what you're going to do in advance so they can staff accordingly.

 

[ScoutN]

I was just thinking that with MDE it would be simple (well, apparently the programmers aren't finding ANYTHING simple, but...) to prevent multiple (at the same time) dining reservations in the parks by have their MDE account linked to tickets (to show that they can actually get into the parks to do the dining) and then, since there is only one MDE account associated with those tickets, it's easy to stop two or more dining reservations to be made at the same time.

For those just dining at resorts... it will still be dog-eat-dog, but perhaps those with MDE accounts get preferential reservations somehow (like a much greater lead time) since they won't be overbooking across the complex.

This. Is. Hilarious.

 

[SteveAZee]

This. Is. Hilarious.

Hilarious?

 

[ScoutN]

Hilarious?

I don't think even TDO is thick enough to stab a large source of guest spending like that.