New credit card guarantees. Restaurant list, policy & common questions in 1st post

[Euphoria027]

Completely on board with this. I don't see how anyone could not be.

 

[thej]

I hate to say it, but I think for the most part this is a good thing. It was just too easy to abuse the system. My biggest concern is having to enter my CC number multiple times if we do several character/signature meals.

I will be curious to see how incomplete parties are handled, as we did have my mother along on our last trip and she didn't feel well enough a couple of days to go to several meals. It would have been very frustrating to have to pay a $10 no-show fee for her.

 

[Colleen27]

So does this mean I can call and cancel them off a reservation, but still keep the seating for the rest of us (the other 6 people on our vacation), or do I have to scrap dinner altogether?

I guess I'll just be avoiding those restaurants, or I'll have to really read them the riot act about showing up on time. This stresses me out!

Right now, more likely than not you'd have to scrap the ADR altogether. I asked this on another thread and it seems there are isolated reports of being able to modify ADRs, but the more common response is that there's no way to modify, you have to cancel and rebook. So if there's no availability for your new party size you just lose that ADR.

It stresses me out too, for the same reason. We travel with extended family and often don't know our party size for sure when we make our ADRs. Right now I've got 10 ADRs at restaurants on that list, all for 7 people, but it is probably 50/50 as to whether my brother will join us and if he can't there's a slight possibility that my mother will decide to drop out as well. Fortunately we're grandfathered into the old policy because there's no way for us to change those ADRs from 7 to 5 (or 6), and since ADRs for 5 aren't easy to get I don't think we'd be very likely to get Le Cellier, Ohana, Chef Mickey, etc. if we had to cancel and rebook when we finally know for sure.

 

[kenny]

Read through the chain here quickly and cand understand both sides. At this point I am not sure which side of the fence I sit.

I always make ADR's 180 days out so I never really had an issue getting what I initially wanted. However, there have been times 1 or 2 months out that we change our mind on something but can't get what we want.

While we don't generally make ADR's every day we do make many per trip. However, having little kids there is always a day per trip that things change. When we know in advance we always cancel our ADR's. However, there have been times when we end up at a different park then we thought one day and won't make our ADR. While I cancel, this will now mean I am charged because it is less then one day. Also we have been literally on the way to the restaurant when one of the kids had a complete meltdown and turned around and went back to the room. Again, we'll be charged.

While I don't think this is necessarily unfair, it does make it harder now to make as many ADR's as I would have. I agree with others that even when people don't show, their table gets used by walk-ups. I have tried many times to walk-up the day of. Sometimes I get it sometimes not. Maybe I will get more now.

However, overall I will think twice about my ADR's. Knowing that there is a good possibility of missing at least one ADR per trip and being charge $40 (4 people) for it I will probably book less of them and just do more counter service.

I don't think that Disney will make more $$ from dining/seating now as I am sure they fill up every night regardless, but they definitely will make more from the cancellation fees and receive less complaints from guest as well.

We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before making a yea or nay.

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm not sure if people notice the new policy doesn't apply to all restaurants at WDW (because it does apply to all the uber-popular and uber-expensive ones).

The policy can be avoided entirely by booking restaurants that aren't on the list. and as Cheshire Figment pointed out when he first posted the list, it doesn't include any World Showcase restaurants other than Le Cellier and Akershus (which had a guarantee already). The World Showcase restaurants are still popular.

 

[rachel09985]

I don't like this.

Do you they test your card to make sure it is valid, meaning do they temporarily charge you $10 and then refund it a couple days later?? If that is the case, I can't afford to have all of those $10 charges on my debit card.

And can a debit card be used as the credit card? I don't have a credit card, only debit card.

I just don't like this, I am sure it will help with ADRs but personally this runs too much risk for me- getting accidently charged, losing a reservation (either personally or the system losing it and getting charged.

And plus, I do not like giving my card number out over the internet!!

 

[rachel09985]

Also, would this apply to non character meals that are on that list??? i.e. Cape may Dinner, Ohana Dinner???

 

[lugnut33]

Meh, not a big deal for me, we don't eat on property that much anyways.

 

[Cafeen]

I don't like this.

Do you they test your card to make sure it is valid, meaning do they temporarily charge you $10 and then refund it a couple days later?? If that is the case, I can't afford to have all of those $10 charges on my debit card.

And can a debit card be used as the credit card? I don't have a credit card, only debit card.

I just don't like this, I am sure it will help with ADRs but personally this runs too much risk for me- getting accidently charged, losing a reservation (either personally or the system losing it and getting charged.

And plus, I do not like giving my card number out over the internet!!

The test is usually a standard test to see if the card is valid, not a full charge then refund. The example listed earlier of a $1 non-charge thingy is pretty much it. It shouldn't even balk if you're over the limit or anything.

They do accept debit cards for these holds too (at least under the current system), as I have used my own several times.

And for the bolded, while it doesn't bother me too much, I certainly feel for those who it does, and it bothers me that they're either going to have to "get over it" or be excluded from ALL character meals (sigs as walk-ups are pretty easy, except CG).

Also, would this apply to non character meals that are on that list??? i.e. Cape may Dinner, Ohana Dinner???

Chances are, yes. It'd be a lot harder to separate out the different meals at the different restaurants than it would be just to list out the restaurants. Besides, 'Ohana dinner is the #1 most popular restaurant/meal combo right now, so it really makes sense for it to fall under the policy.

 

[TDC Nala]

Also, would this apply to non character meals that are on that list??? i.e. Cape may Dinner, Ohana Dinner???

From what is written it will apply to ALL meals at ALL listed restaurants, as Disney itself did not refer at all to "signature" or "character" in its announcement (it's in the quote that the restaurants all feature signature or character dining, but that was a postcript observation thrown in by CF and it's a good one)

 

[nkereina]

The easiest way out of paying these fees is to either show up or cancel as soon as you know you won't need the reservation.

Therein lies the problem. If you don't know you won't need the reservation until that morning or a few hours prior, you will be charged. There's a whole slew of reasons why you may not be able to cancel 24 hours out or earlier.

Has this question been asked before.

I'm "winging Wanda", I never can figure out where I want to eat 6 months out. I read this policy and think. OK, no problem, I still make 2 TS ADR's a night to have a choice and Now I simply set my Iphone to alarm me say 2 days before the charge kicks in.

So in reality "Planner Pauline" is still stuck. She still can't get the easy adr and now since a lot of planners, plan their entire day around 1 adr, it's not like she's going to change up when Winger calls 24 hours ahead.

Result: people still making 3 adrs a night.

Am I missing some thing?

I agree, and mentioned something like this earlier in the thread. And if "Winging Wanda" really wanted to, she could book one credit card hold ADR and one non-credit card hold ADR and then be a no show for the non-credit card hold ADR if she needed to. It doesn't have much of an impact on the people who hoard ADRs, but it does have an impact on those of us who like to play things by ear depending on how we feel or have things come up frequently.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

We travel as a large group alot. It would cost us $70 to cancel now... no way will be even entertaining making them. We will no longer be doing deluxe for sure and I'm not sure we will do ddp at all. There was some flexibility with it before in that if I needed to cancel I could and still be ok. It also meant that if I wanted to change parks I could and not worry about that credit I'd do cs. But now it will be an expenditure to us if we have to cancel. It could easily cost us $200 over the course of our normal 10 trip ... no way!

 

[Neverneverland]

The only way this will cost you money is if you don't show up - I love this , and it would only encourage me to DxDP .... It seems like a lot of people on this thread have a lot of health problems in their Disney experiences - I always keep my family hydrated, sun screened up and liberally dole out handsanitizer - never had a serious illness - I'm sure they could happen but people in this thread seem to be implying that they are struck down with immobilizing illnesses like every trip .....

 

[wdw4rfam]

I really hope there are "exceptions". As everyone else stated, I hope it takes care of the "lets book a few each day, so we don't have to commit to any 180 days out" people. But on our way to Chef Mickey for dinner last year, my daughter threw up all over me, and her, and the monorail!! The entire family was already upset since this is their favorite character dinner, I would have been fuming had I been charged $50 for a dinner we couldn't get to. It really stinks now that we are forced to decide what parks and dinners we will do 180 in advance when the park hours aren't even posted yet. But I hope they take certain situations into consideration.

 

[Pats Dragon]

I don't like the idea because we make many adr's (but only one per meal most of the time) and we won't make many at all if we have to leave a card. Vacations need flexibility, not sitting outside a restaurant for an hour in case you run late and lose money. Between this and the dining plan you will need to carry a cpa with you to figure it all out!!!

 

[NLD]

And if "Winging Wanda" really wanted to, she could book one credit card hold ADR and one non-credit card hold ADR and then be a no show for the non-credit card hold ADR if she needed to. It doesn't have much of an impact on the people who hoard ADRs, but it does have an impact on those of us who like to play things by ear depending on how we feel or have things come up frequently.

Bingo!

I'm honestly in shock how many people are in favor of this. I think it's horrible and doesn't solve anything, it just creates more issues.

 

[nancytoby]

I think the people who are concerned about not making their reservations (or not knowing within 24 hours if they can make it) should simply book at one of the long list of restaurants that apparently will not be subject to this policy. Problem solved.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42924421&postcount=43

 

[CandleontheWater]

The only way this will cost you money is if you don't show up - I love this , and it would only encourage me to DxDP .... It seems like a lot of people on this thread have a lot of health problems in their Disney experiences - I always keep my family hydrated, sun screened up and liberally dole out handsanitizer - never had a serious illness - I'm sure they could happen but people in this thread seem to be implying that they are struck down with immobilizing illnesses like every trip .....

If you are traveling with a small group like a family of 4, it is very possible that no one will get sick, but when I travel with my whole family, eight to ten people (which we do once a year), without fail one of us gets sick, hurt, tired, cranky, hungover or otherwise indisposed at least once during a vacation.

When I plan our trips I plan on one sit down meal a day, and we frequent the popular restaurants on the list. I can think of very few times when we have scrapped an ADR entirely, but I can think of lots of times that at least one of our group didn't make it to a meal. I am just not keen on being charged when one person out of ten can't make it, or having to give up on the meal entirely.

It is going to make our vacations less fun if I have to play the bad cop role and force everyone to adhere to the dining schedule or be hit with a big penalty.

My 25 year old brother can have all the best intentions of joining us for a 9 am breakfast at chef mickeys when I ask him 6 months prior, but all that might fly out the window when he gets a few beers in at Jellyrolls the night before the ADR.

 

[MELSMICE]

I don't like it. I am a big planner and make ADRs for one meal per day of our trip. At least one day of a week-long trip we will get up and decide to change our plans for the day so I call and cancel that ADR (yes, I actually cancel so that someone else can take our spot). Now that will cost me $40. And I do not believe my table will go unused--these are the most popular restaurants and they are always full (even during the "slow" week in January when we travel).

I only understand this as a money-making effort. Otherwise, why not allow cancelling 3 hours in advance which then allows more walk-ups to be seated--plenty of people wish more they could walk up?

Anyway, I'm going online now to make the rest of my January ADRs so I can get grandfathered in. Flame me now!

In the situation bolded, you'll just have to decide the evening/afternoon before if you are going to change your plans the following day. It's just a little change in the way you do something on your vacation.

But if they take a firm stance they're alienating all the families who genuinely DO have a sick kid, and what's worse they're pushing those families to keep their ADRs when they should be staying in their room which means the rest of us are more likely to end up with sick kid issues too.

I would imagine that Disney has weighed the pros & cons of this many times over. It would seem to me that they have concluded that there will be less people affected by a sick child than there are walk up families who are unable to eat a sit down restaurant because of non-cancelled ADR's.

My guess is they believe they'll be making more guests happier with the change than they will be making guests unhappy in case a child (or member of their party) should get sick.

Sometimes business need to take a stance on things & then they need to follow through with them. If they don't follow through then what does it show the guest...........it shows them that they are not serious about their policy and there is a way to get around it. Soon, there will be many sick guests in WDW unable to make their ADR's.

If you are traveling with a small group like a family of 4, it is very possible that no one will get sick, but when I travel with my whole family, eight to ten people (which we do once a year), without fail one of us gets sick, hurt, tired, cranky, hungover or otherwise indisposed at least once during a vacation.

When I plan our trips I plan on one sit down meal a day, and we frequent the popular restaurants on the list. I can think of very few times when we have scrapped an ADR entirely, but I can think of lots of times that at least one of our group didn't make it to a meal. I am just not keen on being charged when one person out of ten can't make it, or having to give up on the meal entirely.

It is going to make our vacations less fun if I have to play the bad cop role and force everyone to adhere to the dining schedule or be hit with a big penalty.

My 25 year old brother can have all the best intentions of joining us for a 9 am breakfast at chef mickeys when I ask him 6 months prior, but all that might fly out the window when he gets a few beers in at Jellyrolls the night before the ADR.

I don't think that hurt, tired, cranky or hungover would fall under the "sick" category. My guess is that this is one of the reasons that Disney has made this change.........guests cancel because they may be hurt, tired, cranky or hungover.

I can understand what your saying about your brother, also. If it were me I would probably tell him, "We have ADR's at Chef Mickey's at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. I know right now you'd like to join us, but who knows what's going to happen. Because of the new Disney policy with regard to dining how about if we just meet up with you afterward & you'll get the morning to sleep in."

Of tell him that if he decided he doesn't want to go then he owes you the $10.

 

[NLD]

I think the people who are concerned about not making their reservations (or not knowing within 24 hours if they can make it) should simply book at one of the long list of restaurants that apparently will not be subject to this policy. Problem solved.

Except that there are NO character restaurants on that list.