Articles | Disneyland | Walt Disney World
Results 1 to 18 of 18

Thread: New WDW Dining Reservations Policy

  1. #1
    Friend of Figment
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Poinciana, FL (20 miles from WDW)

    Whoa! New WDW Dining Reservations Policy

    Disney has just announced that effective October 31, 2013, the reservations guarantee policy that has been in effect for selected restaurants will be in effect for all tables service restaurants in the Parks and Resorts, and will include operating participants as well as Disney owned and operated.

    Here are some questions and answers:

    Why was my credit card charged?

    As of October 31, our cancellation policy expanded to all table-service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort (including operating participants). When booking a reservation at these restaurants, Guests are required to provide a credit card to hold a reservation and will be notified they will be charged $10 per person if the cancellation isn't made at least one day in advance. Other locations, such as Hoop-Dee-Do Musical Revue or Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, require pre-paid reservations. Guests are reminded that the restaurant will charge the full pre-paid amount for each person in the party if the Guest is unable to cancel the reservation at least the day in advance.

    What is your cancellation policy?

    Beginning October 31, all table-service locations will begin using the cancellation policy already in place at select restaurants on property. When booking a reservation at these restaurants, Guests will be required to provide a credit card to hold a reservation and will be charged $10 per person if the cancellation isn't made at least the day in advance. Pre-paid locations will continue to retain the full, pre-paid amount if Guests are unable to honor the reservation and are unable to cancel the reservation one day in advance. Special dining events and packages such as Fantasmic! packages, New Years Eve dinners, Victoria & Albert's reservations may have different cancellation requirements.

    When is the latest I can cancel my reservation without being charged a fee?

    Guests can cancel up to 11:59 p.m. the day prior to their reservation without being charged.

    Why have you expanded your cancellation policy?

    Our policy reduces the number of no shows at our restaurants and ensures all of our Guests will have more opportunity to dine at our table service locations.

    I am dining at a location after Oct. 31, but I booked it prior to the location utilizing the cancellation policy. Will my credit card be charged if I do not cancel within the cancellation window or do not honor my reservation?

    Reservations booked on or after October 31 will be required to adhere to the cancellation policy. Guests who booked reservations before Oct. 31 were not informed of the policy or asked for their credit card information; therefore, these Guests will not be charged if they do not honor their reservations or cancel outside of the cancellation window. However, if the Guest makes modifications to the reservation on or after October 31, he or she will be informed of the cancellation policy, asked for credit card information, and must adhere to the cancellation policy.

    How do I cancel a reservation?

    A special phone line that only handles dining cancellations is available for Guest convenience: 407-WDW-CNCL (939-2625). Alternatively, dining reservations may be booked or cancelled by visiting any table-service restaurant podium, Walt Disney World Resort Hotel concierge or calling 407-WDW-DINE (939-3163) or DVC Member Services (for Members only). Guests may also make and cancel reservations by visiting www.DisneyWorld.com/Dining

    Disneyland Trips: 13 trips for 49 nights.
    But I live less than 20 miles from Walt Disney World! And work there part-time.

    For more information about Disabled Access to Disney World and nearby areas, check this out. Or for tickets, check out my Everything About WDW Tickets post.

  2. # ADS

    Join Date
    Location
    Posts
     

  3. #2
    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    N.O. LA
    Blog Entries
    5

    Kind of figured this was happening since DL is starting it for all reservations.

    Cathy

  4. #3

    I wonder what the no-show rate for reservations is, and how it compares to the restaurants that already have the credit card policy in place.

    2017: Coco
    Future: The Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4

    Not an official spokesperson for the company

  5. #4
    Self-proclaimed Diz nut TinaMouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    My Old Kentucky Home

    This is a good change, overall......

    Working hard for that next WDW trip!

  6. #5
    Registered User fairestoneofall's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Temecula, CA
    Blog Entries
    1

    Maybe it will be easier to get the ressie you want now?

    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~Walt Disney

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by fairestoneofall View Post
    Maybe it will be easier to get the ressie you want now?
    I think so. I hope it defers people that make reservations "just in case" they happen to plan a trip in 6 months!

    Pixar, its 10.00 per person for a no show or canceling less than 24 hours in advance.

  8. #7

    New WDW Dining Reservations Policy

    I'm in favour of this. Will stop the selfish 'me, me, me' practice of people booking multiple restaurants for the same meal time which I have seen many people on many boards say they do.

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  9. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Blue House

    The only reason I'm not totally on board with this change is twice on out trip in May we cancelled dinner day of, due to change in plans. I would have hated to think I had to stay in the park I was in just to have dinner or be charged for it.


  10. #9
    Registered User littlej's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Wales, PA

    I think what Pixar was asking was what was the percentage rate of people that were no-shows to non-credit card restaurants to the rate of people who were no-shows to credit-card restaurants before the new policy. I'd be really interested to see what that was too. It must have been significant for them to go ahead and expand it.

    Personally, I'm for it too, but I wonder how lenient they'll be under certain circumstances. For example, a family who decided to ride Space Mountain before their Crystal Palace reservation, then the ride went down with them on it, causing them to miss their time. Or perhaps they underestimated the time it would take to get a bus to the park with their reservation. Will there be a grace period, say of 15-30 minutes? What if they called a few minutes before the reservation time to say they were coming, but were stuck somewhere and would be late? I assume that if there were legitimate emergencies, like a medical issue, that people would not be charged. I'm just wondering how this is going to play out.

    --jenny

  11. #10
    Registered User ericles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Maryland's Eastern Shore
    Quote Originally Posted by rph13 View Post
    The only reason I'm not totally on board with this change is twice on out trip in May we cancelled dinner day of, due to change in plans. I would have hated to think I had to stay in the park I was in just to have dinner or be charged for it.
    This is what I was wondering, too. I would assume that they've given the folks at the cancelation call center some leeway to allow last-minute cancelations? At least, I hope so.

  12. #11
    Read Everything-Assume Nothing GusMan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Chicago Area
    Blog Entries
    17
    Quote Originally Posted by ericles View Post
    This is what I was wondering, too. I would assume that they've given the folks at the cancelation call center some leeway to allow last-minute cancelations? At least, I hope so.
    It is my understanding that when the policy first came into play for the limited number of eateries, they did offer some leeway. However, they supposedly did track a guests cancellation record. Accommodations were usually made for things like transportation delays, illness, change in travel plans, etc.
    Disney-Inspired Author and Blogger
    CoHost of the Behind The Ears Podcast... Check it out on iTunes
    Admin of The WDW Community Facebook page.

    The search function is like the Force. It may take practice, but the more you use it, the more control you will have over it!

  13. #12
    Registered User ericles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Maryland's Eastern Shore

    Thank makes sense....in other words if I call and say little Sallie is to sick from eating to many Mickey Ice Creams/our bus was late/trampled during a parade....... they might let me cancel, but if I try that day after day I'll get a "reputation" during the duration of my stay and they'll be on to me.


  14. #13
    Hangin' with Mr. Cooper! Maus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    a whole new world

    I am in favor of this policy especially if it opens up more reservation times and walk-in times. We will have to think the day before whether the restaurant is more important than flexible touring and make a decision. Totally doable.

    Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. ~~Marcus Aurelius

  15. #14

    Sounds like a great policy to me, but there will be endless whining and complaining over why so and so needs their $10 back because they either forgot, phone fell in the lake, or whatever. It's inevitable. As long as they have enough staff on hand to cover the charge reversals, it should help.


  16. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by littlej View Post

    Personally, I'm for it too, but I wonder how lenient they'll be under certain circumstances. For example, a family who decided to ride Space Mountain before their Crystal Palace reservation, then the ride went down with them on it, causing them to miss their time. Or perhaps they underestimated the time it would take to get a bus to the park with their reservation. Will there be a grace period, say of 15-30 minutes? What if they called a few minutes before the reservation time to say they were coming, but were stuck somewhere and would be late? I assume that if there were legitimate emergencies, like a medical issue, that people would not be charged. I'm just wondering how this is going to play out.
    I imagine this will still function the same way it always has, there's a 15 minute grace period on all reservations. Beyond that, CM's can check for extended down times etc. No-shows aren't charged by the system until the end of the operating day... So if you show up you'll be fine. And Guest Relations can always override the cancellation policy if needed.
    The king and his men, stole the queen from her bed and bound her in her Bones. The seas be ours and by the powers where we will, we'll roam.

  17. #16

    There will always be some who believe they are not the ones the rules apply to, but overall I think this is a good step forward. We usually travel just the two of us so getting into a t.s. place isn't always a big deal breaker. If I really want to eat there I can sometimes score a spot at the bar, but for families or groups this will make things a little less frustrating at mealtimes. Just have to plan ahead within reason. We were at Yak & Yeti once, when the woman in front of us pulled out a fist full of ressies! She must have had one for every place in every park!

    TulaBelle
    Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.

  18. #17

    This is not exactly a new policy; there's been a similar policy in place for more than a year now, but so far it has only applied to "Signature Dining" and dining shows/events. Places like Le Cellier and the Hollywood Brown Derby have already had the credit card reservation requirement, and they threaten to charge you a no-show fee if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance.

    What appears to be "new" here is that the policy will apply to all table-service locations.

    I suspect that it will be fairly easy to get a charge removed, though. All you'll have to do is call and complain with any sort of excuse (little Susie was sick, we got stuck on a bus, our reservation wasn't for that day) and Disney will remove the charge. The system seems designed to just warn people that they need to be serious about their reservations.


  19. #18
    Ready for MA World Explorers! Drince88's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    N.O. LA
    Blog Entries
    5
    Quote Originally Posted by davidgra View Post
    This is not exactly a new policy; there's been a similar policy in place for more than a year now, but so far it has only applied to "Signature Dining" and dining shows/events. Places like Le Cellier and the Hollywood Brown Derby have already had the credit card reservation requirement, and they threaten to charge you a no-show fee if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance.

    What appears to be "new" here is that the policy will apply to all table-service locations.
    Correct - which is why Cheshire Figment wrote the first sentence that he did in the initial post:
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheshire Figment View Post
    Disney has just announced that effective October 31, 2013, the reservations guarantee policy that has been in effect for selected restaurants will be in effect for all tables service restaurants in the Parks and Resorts, and will include operating participants as well as Disney owned and operated.
    Cathy

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •