WDW is canceling Jan. 31st reservations at CRT to hold event for more $

draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
wdwfan22 said:
Again i don't feel it's necessary to compensate Guests for canceling a dining reservation. This world has become full of people thinking compensation is required for everything. The Disney Difference would be finding an alternative restaurant for your dining time.
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You're right. Tony's is just as good as Cinderella Table....:rolleyes:
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
wdwfan22 said:
Again i don't feel it's necessary to compensate Guests for canceling a dining reservation. This world has become full of people thinking compensation is required for everything. The Disney Difference would be finding an alternative restaurant for your dining time.
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My family has gotten 'compensation' for having a desert party canceled without even asking.. It's the kind of customer service Disney DID not because it was expected, but because they worked to wow their guests. It's why Disney got to where it was... over delivering and wowing customers.

Now you are settling for 'that 'ill do pig...' and chastising people for looking at Disney to match up to... Disney.

We all know the circus that is CRT reservations... this is a gut punch for anyone impacted.
 
GhostHost1000

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
Original Poster
George said:
I've done that a few times myself. I'm always completely embarassed when I finally come down. If possible, I will actually find the person I went nuts on and apologize personally. I've actually done this a few times. In your case, I could see me doing the exact same thing and I would've felt terrible once Krakatoa was done erupting.

I'm pretty certain cancellation of my CRT reservation several weeks before my trip would've caused an eruption. If it was the year I was going there for my daughter's 4th birthday......all bets would've been off.

This is becoming typical of the way they run. You need to plan waaay in advance, but maybe nighttime shows won't be every night...maybe theme parks won't be open late or they will. Now we can add the small, but real possibility, that your dining reservation will overlap with some ridiculous last second event. Customer service just slowly becomes less and less a Disney thing. Of course, they now know there is no need since a large fraction of their fan base will defend any action and actually pay a premium for any crap they throw out. The onus is on the customer. If you're hosed, you need to be flexible. Your problem, get over it. Don't expect anything. That dude over there is paying $50 for the realistic Frontierland Dysentery experience and any normal consumer expectations have gone by the boards.
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Truth
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
George said:
I've done that a few times myself. I'm always completely embarassed when I finally come down. If possible, I will actually find the person I went nuts on and apologize personally. I've actually done this a few times. In your case, I could see me doing the exact same thing and I would've felt terrible once Krakatoa was done erupting.

I'm pretty certain cancellation of my CRT reservation several weeks before my trip would've caused an eruption. If it was the year I was going there for my daughter's 4th birthday......all bets would've been off.

This is becoming typical of the way they run. You need to plan waaay in advance, but maybe nighttime shows won't be every night...maybe theme parks won't be open late or they will. Now we can add the small, but real possibility, that your dining reservation will overlap with some ridiculous last second event. Customer service just slowly becomes less and less a Disney thing. Of course, they now know there is no need since a large fraction of their fan base will defend any action and actually pay a premium for any crap they throw out. The onus is on the customer. If you're hosed, you need to be flexible. Your problem, get over it. Don't expect anything. That dude over there is paying $50 for the realistic Frontierland Dysentery experience and any normal consumer expectations have gone by the boards.
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Would you wait to blow until after alternatives were offered? I'd like to think that Disney would handle this in the right way, reschedule, move things around. Change FPs if need be, BBB as well... I could be wrong, but it seems odd that they would just say "We're sorry. You're screwed. Enjoy your trip and good luck finding a good reservation."

flynnibus said:
yet they didn't offer that in their initial contact - bad CS... instead defaulting to the 'lets just see who makes a fuss and deal with them'. You shouldn't have to fight for proper treatment.
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I had a few hiccups recently, two I could have complained, one was bad luck, and one I should have complained. I received Pixie Dust at the most critical of times..without asking, without going to Guest Services, without anything. Just a random CM standing nearby and absolutely made our day. For no other reason than he must have heard us talking and decided to do an amazing act. Wonderful treatment does still exist... even surprise Pixie Dust.
 
Luxe

Luxe

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
I had a few hiccups recently, two I could have complained, one was bad luck, and one I should have complained. I received Pixie Dust at the most critical of times..without asking, without going to Guest Services, without anything. Just a random CM standing nearby and absolutely made our day. For no other reason than he must have heard us talking and decided to do an amazing act. Wonderful treatment does still exist... even surprise Pixie Dust.
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Phew, thats good to hear. I was worried for a second. Good thing your single experience translates to everyone that visits WDW. Disney must care so much about their guests to ensure that everyone at the WDW Resort receives the exact same experience and treatment that you get on your trips.

:rolleyes:
 
Laketravis

Laketravis

Well-Known Member
I think I heard a mic drop:

Minnie Mum said:
@21 stamps - which one of the posts that I quoted is full of exaggeration and unfounded assumptions? Hmm?
The OP stated that their post was based on reading this on other sites (which were quoted verbatim in later posts).
No where in the OP was it inferred that TONS of people were affected..
We know that at least 30 other parties were similarly affected.
We don't know what the cutoff time for ADRs was, and what the new closing time is for CRT on that night, and I'm not sure what difference this makes to those affected. They still had their pre paid ADR cancelled less than 2 weeks ahead of time.
You assume that this is a glitch? That the computer"knew" at the time of booking that CRT would be unavailable after a certain time on that date, but allowed the booking anyway? Is that also your experience with the ADR system? Or is it more likely that a month ago they dreamed up another upcharge event to begin ASAP and just bumped any affected ADRs.

I get it. I know you've never met an upcharge you didn't love. I know that in your eyes Disney can do no wrong. I know you like to assume that if it's not a big deal to you, then it shouldn't be a big deal to anyone else.

So please forgive me if I assume that this was a royal PITA and an unnecessary stressor for the 30 groups who were affected by Disney's latest money grab. And forgive me for assuming that not all of the 30 groups escalated their problem the way the guest who was quoted did. And forgive me if I assume that not every one of those 30 groups would be at WDW long enough or have paid extra for PHs to enable them to get another CRT reservation on another day (even if it was offered).
Those are my own assumptions, so can't claim them as facts.
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SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
yet they didn't offer that in their initial contact - bad CS... instead defaulting to the 'lets just see who makes a fuss and deal with them'. You shouldn't have to fight for proper treatment.
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Exactly. This wasn't the result of some oversight/ mistake, this is for a special upcharge event that Disney planned (poorly, obviously....Given that Jan 31 was the only CRT date for it, I can't believe that there was no way to avoid this issue). Disney should have readily comp'd affected guests with an equal or greater reservation, as any comps they are making should have been factored into the price of the chef dinner event.

One of the comments on the Parks blog is asking what happens to those who had their 180 days reservations, and the other is comparing the price to the annual pass...this might go over as well as the cabanas.
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
SorcererMC said:
Exactly. This wasn't the result of some oversight/ mistake, this is for a special upcharge event that Disney planned (poorly, obviously....Given that Jan 31 was the only CRT date for it, I can't believe that there was no way to avoid this issue). Disney should have readily comp'd affected guests with an equal or greater reservation, as any comps they are making should have been factored into the price of the chef dinner event.

One of the comments on the Parks blog is asking what happens to those who had their 180 days reservations, and the other is comparing the price to the annual pass...this might go over as well as the cabanas.
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The situation stinks. No doubt. I just went and read the post on the other site. In the original phone call a breakfast or lunch at CRT was offered as a replacement, the issue (understandably) was with BBB on the same day. Someone from Disney called the guest back, switched BBB and CRT to another day.
The OP actually said that the switch worked out better for them.

There was an oversight, a frustrating one, but it looks like Disney notified the guests and offered solutions. Not quite as sensational as the original post of this thread or as the posts claiming these people would now be dining at Pecos Bills or Tony's.

Bad situation made good.
 
Laketravis

Laketravis

Well-Known Member
What's disturbing is that Disney knew they would be causing a great deal of disappointment for the parties that had already made their reservations in good faith. Yet they chose to move forward with their plan by cancelling those reservations without any substantial form of consolation.

Whatever the motivation, Disney used to be the sort of company that would take soft factors into consideration. The parks were built on the basis of magical experiences. It's why people go. Had they even considered tampering with an event or venue when guest reservations already existed, they wouldn't have simply cancelled those reservations. No, they would have "upgraded" those parties with existing reservations at no additional charge by including them in the event. Already made reservations for that special evening? Have we got a surprise for you!

But that isn't the sort of company Disney has become. Now they'll ring the bell for anyone willing to pay more than you did, and are spending a great deal of effort looking for new reasons to do so.
 
SorcererMC

SorcererMC

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
The situation stinks. No doubt. I just went and read the post on the other site. In the original phone call a breakfast or lunch at CRT was offered as a replacement, the issue (understandably) was with BBB on the same day. Someone from Disney called the guest back, switched BBB and CRT to another day.
The OP actually said that the switch worked out better for them.

There was an oversight, a frustrating one, but it looks like Disney notified the guests and offered solutions. Not quite as sensational as the original post of this thread or as the posts claiming these people would now be dining at Pecos Bills or Tony's.

Bad situation made good.
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I'm glad it worked out for that person; I hope that the other were reasonably accommodated as well.

I still see this as a #Fail though. My premise is: If Disney double-booked the venue - that is their mistake, and the guest should be compensated adequately....given that the continuation of this event wasn't announced until January 4 (on the Parks blog), that means that someone had to make the decision that cancelling the existing CRT reservations (in favor of the upcharge event) was the best course of action. I find it hard to believe that Disney couldn't have found another appropriate venue for Jan 31 (as the majority of the other dates are being held off-site at Golden Oak).

ETA: When were the guests notified? If Disney notified them before announcing the upcharge event (vs ex post facto), and therefore knew that guests were being accommodated, I'd be willing to adjust my position.
 
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21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
SorcererMC said:
I'm glad it worked out for that person; I hope that the other were reasonably accommodated as well.

I still see this as a #Fail though. My premise is: If Disney double-booked the venue - that is their mistake, and the guest should be compensated adequately....given that the continuation of this event wasn't announced until January 4 (on the Parks blog), that means that someone had to make the decision that cancelling the existing CRT reservations (in favor of the upcharge event) was the best course of action. I find it hard to believe that Disney couldn't have found another appropriate venue for Jan 31 (as the majority of the other dates are being held off-site at Golden Oak).

ETA: When were the guests notified? If Disney notified them before announcing the upcharge event, and therefore knew that guests were being accommodated, I'd be willing to adjust my position.
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Oh I agree that creating a situation where you are cancelling reservations is a fail.
I think in the end all was good. Not every guest plans every moment of every day at WDW. I'm sure quite a few scheduled that dinner because it was the only time available when booking, and some of those people probably don't care what time of the day they go- as long as they get it. I think my second post on this thread said "I'd like to see the result". IMO the result was good. Can't change a time that is no longer available, but making sure you are accommodating the guests at another time is what I would expect...and it appears to be what happened..starting with the initial phone call...without demands or yelling. When the original offer wouldn't work, the guy explained his situation, and then shortly after a solution for that was found.

I just read your ETA. From what was said there it looks like the event was announced two weeks ago. Which is very strange. Obviously Disney knew the event was coming before the announcement. So I'm not sure why the call was just made now, or how they didn't realize there were other existing reservations in the restaurant ..during a time where setting up would be required.
 
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Nubs70

Nubs70

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
The person who posted about it said the manager told them that 30 other parties were not as understanding as he was. I'm not quite sure why the manager said that..not the smartest move.lol
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Maybe because the manager was embarrassed and was showing a degree of empathy for the customer .

Although this runs contrary to business theory when the expectation of the manager is expected to lie to the customer with a straight face.
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Nubs70 said:
Maybe because the manager was embarrassed and was showing a degree of empathy for the customer .

Although this runs contrary to business theory when the expectation of the manager is expected to lie to the customer with a straight face.
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I didn't say he should lie. I just think it was unnecessary and unwise info to volunteer. There's just no need for it.
 
NearTheEars

NearTheEars

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
The person who posted about it said the manager told them that 30 other parties were not as understanding as he was. I'm not quite sure why the manager said that..not the smartest move.lol
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Yikes, that's a lot of people. I knew you could get breakfast before park opening, but didn't realize you could stay that long after closing.

Hopefully adequate accommodations were made for the inconvenience.
 

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