WDW cancelled our castle dinner?

[Jenny Sanders]

So happy everything worked out!!!

 

[ellie05]

Nope they definitely crossed the being a jerk line by cancelling the reservations in the first place.
The non jerk move would have been to blocked out this dinner time 181 days ago so these people weren't able to book it in the first place, let's face it had Disney done that even if they decided not to go ahead with the special event they could have likely sold out CRT on short notice.
Otherwise Disney could have had this special event as an after hours event.

I really don't understand why they wouldn't move the CRT dinner to pass 180 window and use some of the other venues that are planned for I believe are 12 special events or switch some events around! The events weren't announced very far in advance no way that they couldn't come up with a better solution.

But beyond that lie to their guest... really ?

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Lunch is in fact EXACTLY the same thing at CRT. The same menu, the same cost, the same experience. It's just a different time. That time didn't work for the OP because of the BBB reservation, and he stated so to the first line CM who called him. My impression was not that he had to "push past the corporate rhetoric"... the first line CM said "I can't do that for you but I will have someone else call you." (paraphrasing). It seems like it was offered freely. The someone else had the authority to move around whatever needed to be moved in order to make it work for the OP. Really not sure why the anger and outrage on behalf of someone who admittedly ended up with something better than what he had before, and he didn't have to fight for it, just ask for what he wanted and what worked for him. Sounds like he was accommodated willingly by someone who had the power to move more things around.

I don't think lunch is the same experience as dinner just because its the same food. I cannot eat that way at lunch so it would have been wasted on me.

It isn't just this one incident that has people reacting so strongly, its Disney in general doing more and more of this. I am seeing over and over again Disney canceling something last minute for a high dollar event or shaving off value from something that is selling well to save a few bucks. If no one speaks up about it, they will just continue doing it. In the case of the Highway in the Sky event we had booked, enough people complained or cancelled that Disney reversed the changes they had made to make it cheaper to operate. They thought that since it sold out within 24 hours of opening people would just accept the changes and count themselves lucky to have gotten in. If no one had voiced their complaint, nothing would have changed. None of this should be happening at all. Disney needs to quit trying to shortchange people for a buck. It isn't ok that over and over people book and prepay for these things expecting one thing, only to get something else down the line because Disney decided that they were going to cut corners or accommodate someone with more money.

Yes, the OP had to push past "here's what we can offer" to get everything else fixed. They should have asked "what can we do to fix this" rather than offering something less than that because this was 100% their decision and their fault. The impetus is on THEM to fix it and fix it right, not throw someone a bone and hope they bite.

 

[maxiesmom]

This thread has turned into Who Can Be The Most Indignant.

What would "fix" this probably differs from guest to guest. If a guest wishes for something other than what is offered then yes, it is up to them to open up their mouth and ask. Disney can't read minds. Not saying this was a good situation at all. But no way could they call people and ask what they wanted with no offer on the table. People would say they want a night at the Grand Floridian in return, because that is how a lot of people are. They don't want to be made whole or even to gain a little, they want to grab whatever they can.

I'm just happy the OP got a solution that worked well for them. All the pitchforks and torch carrying is a bit much.

 

[grimley1968]

This is not exactly the first time Disney has taken something from people in order to give it to others willing to pay more, but it sure is sad to read of new ways they do it. I'm glad it eventually worked out, OP, but it sure sucks that your plans had to be completely rearranged when you had them all laid out 6 months in advance.

 

[LSLS]

Maybe it's just me, but this has me a bit worried. For probably a year now, the mantra has been "Sure they are doig all of these money saving measures/add ons, but it's not really affecting the guest." That has officially changed here. I'm very happy it worked out well, but I do have a fear of this being the next step in that progression. I am probably reading more into this than I should, but being upset by this isn't just because someone's plans got changed, it's because they have now decided they can interfere with people's plans and reservations if they feel they can squeeze more money out of others.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Also a bunch of us here have been emailing our dislike in this situation. WDW Guest Services <guest.services@disneyworld.com> if you have something to tell disney as well

Loved it and emailing now.

 

[Lisa F]

I don't think lunch is the same experience as dinner just because its the same food. I cannot eat that way at lunch so it would have been wasted on me.

It isn't just this one incident that has people reacting so strongly, its Disney in general doing more and more of this. I am seeing over and over again Disney canceling something last minute for a high dollar event or shaving off value from something that is selling well to save a few bucks. If no one speaks up about it, they will just continue doing it. In the case of the Highway in the Sky event we had booked, enough people complained or cancelled that Disney reversed the changes they had made to make it cheaper to operate. They thought that since it sold out within 24 hours of opening people would just accept the changes and count themselves lucky to have gotten in. If no one had voiced their complaint, nothing would have changed. None of this should be happening at all. Disney needs to quit trying to shortchange people for a buck. It isn't ok that over and over people book and prepay for these things expecting one thing, only to get something else down the line because Disney decided that they were going to cut corners or accommodate someone with more money.

Yes, the OP had to push past "here's what we can offer" to get everything else fixed. They should have asked "what can we do to fix this" rather than offering something less than that because this was 100% their decision and their fault. The impetus is on THEM to fix it and fix it right, not throw someone a bone and hope they bite.

While not your preference, that does not mean that they downgraded the OP. What they offered was the same food, the same princesses, the same cost... the same everything at an earlier time. Personal preference about when your eat your biggest meal aside, they did not offer a "substandard replacement." They offered the same exact experience at a different time. Get mad at Disney for what they do that is wrong, but blowing up about something that they actually did NOT do does not help anything. It just makes people (Disney included) disregard what you are saying because what you are saying is false. Maybe the first line CM should have had the authority to give the OP anything in the world he wanted but the fact that it escalated to someone who did have that authority is not automatically a horrible handling of it. Most organizations, especially the size of Disney, have different levels of authority.

I am not following the highway in the sky thing because something like that is out of reach to me at this point in my life... so if I were to get all bent like you are, it would be more "catering to rich people" ... people with dual incomes and not working single mothers of special needs kids. There is ALWAYS someone more fortunate than you are and there is always someone less fortunate than you are. If I spend all of my life being bitter about people who can afford things that I cannot, that's a lot of wasted time. Rather I will enjoy what I can afford. I just had the trip if a lifetime with my 8 year old son, and did not feel shortchanged by any premium elite stuff I could not afford. Most of that stuff that I can't afford has no impact on me and it seems like Disney made it right when it DID have impact on someone. So no harm, no foul.

 

[SamPaul]

One question. For those saying "Disney made it right" and gave them earlier reservations. Isn't CRT hard to get...booked up even for the earlier reservations? Are they adding more tables. Or just canceling other people that booked an early time, people that perhaps won't complain, to give the people that complain a table?
If they're just moving the problem downhill, is that really making it right?

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know the titles for these kinds of jobs, but let's just say that Sally works at DW as an events coordinator. She and her team are put in charge of this food event. They plan it out months in advance, then send these plans out to the appropriate people; chefs, restaurants, managers, etc. One of those people is the one who loads restaurant availability into the system for ADRs. Someone has a job like this, or it is part of their job, as availability fluctuates throughout the year depending on crowd levels and how much wait staff they are going to bring in. Let's just pretend that this person forgot to load no availability for CRT that night. Or maybe Sally forgot to tell him. Oops! It doesn't get caught for quite awhile. ADRs have been made, but this event, which has already had lots of money sunk into the planning of it, cannot be cancelled. What should Disney do?

How is this not an operational issue due to human error?

I think they handled it admirably. If all those families are being moved to different days and being given park hoppers, Disney is putting out a bit of money to make this right. They will have to bring in extra wait and kitchen staff on those days to turn tables over faster, as the restaurant is actually booked solid and they are finding ways to squeeze them in, which means they now have to pay more employees when they hadn't planned to. They are now putting themselves out to fix their own mistake.

I'm confused. What money is Disney putting out to make this better? Did they decide to comp all those meals that got moved or something?

 

[Accident]

Douchy is to present this as if they threw the guests out with nothing. Nothing of the sort happened.

I rewatched several times to make sure I didn't hear this wrong but I disagree and Pete didn't say that at all and you should go rewatch. He was complaining they would take a coveted location to dine and cancel reservations for a more expensive dinner party with short notice. He made no other point in that video except to say he thought that was not acceptable guest service and I agree with him.

I don't really care what the resolution was, it was that it happened in the first place and some had to complain that BOG is not the same that pisses me off...

 

[AngiTN]

I rewatched several times to make sure I didn't hear this wrong but I disagree and Pete didn't say that at all and you should go rewatch. He was complaining they would take a coveted location to dine and cancel reservations for a more expensive dinner party with short notice. He made no other point in that video except to say he thought that was not acceptable guest service and I agree with him.

I don't really care what the resolution was, it was that it happened in the first place that pisses me off...

I'll disagree. I believe if he ranted about people loosing their reservation he should have pointed out that they were contacted with a chance to obtain a new reservation.
Douchy - cancelling and not doing anything. The Disney way - working with guests to find a viable replacement.
Now, many a argument can be made that it should have never happened in the first place. Of course it shouldn't have. But it did and they did what they could to make the best of the situation. And isn't that what's important?

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I'm confused. What money is Disney putting out to make this better? Did they decide to comp all those meals that got moved or something?

If a restaurant is booked solid this time of year, that usually means it's not booked to capacity, but to the projected number of guests. Disney doesn't hold tables back when, say, for example, (because this happens a lot), all of a sudden a bunch of BOG ressies appear. There was increased demand that/those day/s, so extra staff is added to increase turnover. If they did indeed switch all 30ish ADRs to other days, they very well likely will have to bring in additional wait and kitchen staff to accommodate the increased demand. They now have to pay those extra people.

This is as it should be when Disney royally screws up.

 

[grimley1968]

I'll disagree. I believe if he ranted about people loosing their reservation he should have pointed out that they were contacted with a chance to obtain a new reservation.
Douchy - cancelling and not doing anything. The Disney way - working with guests to find a viable replacement.
Now, many a argument can be made that it should have never happened in the first place. Of course it shouldn't have. But it did and they did what they could to make the best of the situation. And isn't that what's important?

"Making the best of the situation" would have been cancelling the money grab event that was more recently added than those people's reservations, moving the money grab event to a later date outside of the 180-day ADR window, and then calling those people who had their reservations and telling them that they would honor the reservations they staked out 6 months ago.

Disney handled this whole thing poorly from the beginning.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'll disagree. I believe if he ranted about people loosing their reservation he should have pointed out that they were contacted with a chance to obtain a new reservation.
Douchy - cancelling and not doing anything. The Disney way - working with guests to find a viable replacement.
Now, many a argument can be made that it should have never happened in the first place. Of course it shouldn't have. But it did and they did what they could to make the best of the situation. And isn't that what's important?

No. I think that is what is causing 2 sides in this. One side believes that Disney correcting the issue they singlehandedly created absolves them of any upheaval they created and optimistically believe they made all those 30 families perfectly happy. The other side believes it was morally repugnant for Disney to class citizens and decide families paying less are less worthy and second class and easily displaced. What they did to correct it doesn't change the attitude that made this acceptable in the powers that be's heads.

That's the way it seems to be spit in my opinion.

 

[ellie05]

If a restaurant is booked solid this time of year, that usually means it's not booked to capacity, but to the projected number of guests. Disney doesn't hold tables back when, say, for example, (because this happens a lot), all of a sudden a bunch of BOG ressies appear. There was increased demand that/those day/s, so extra staff is added to increase turnover. If they did indeed switch all 30ish ADRs to other days, they very well likely will have to bring in additional wait and kitchen staff to accommodate the increased demand. They now have to pay those extra people.

This is as it should be when Disney royally screws up.

But they are also bringing extra revenue since they are adding more people and at the crazy margins for the food I hardly doubt it that Disney is loosing any money. In fact charging $500 pp and still charging the displaced guest full price.

 

[AngiTN]

I don't know about y'all but if I found a company morally repugnant in their actions I would never, ever go there and give them money in my life. There are a few out there that fit this category for me and you can bet I have never given them a dime.

 

[gina2000]

This is an in-your-face money grab move. It's telling the customers that they are less valued than others. There are plenty of situations in the hospitality business when reservations are cancelled but you never know precisely why. Advertising a special, premium ticket event that caused your reservation to be bumped is totally douchy. It blatantly informs the bumped customer that they are not valued.

Reserving a restaurant 180 days out was WDW's idea. It's up to them to honor those reservations. And if they can't, please let it be for a private event that is not offered at a premium price to anyone who can afford it.

 

[grimley1968]

I don't know about y'all but if I found a company morally repugnant in their actions I would never, ever go there and give them money in my life. There are a few out there that fit this category for me and you can bet I have never given them a dime.

Not that they're there yet, but this is just the latest move by Disney toward being that kind of company.

Not good!

 

[Accident]

Now, many a argument can be made that it should have never happened in the first place. Of course it shouldn't have. But it did and they did what they could to make the best of the situation. And isn't that what's important?

I can see your point and yes if everyone displaced is finally happy than great for them. I'm not happy and they haven't resolved my problem with this. This is a precedent that any of my ADRS can be canceled short notice because disney wants to use the space for something else. This is not the restaurant needs to be closed, there is some problem and they can't serve dinner that night. This is canceling and forcing plan changes because disney wanted to sell dinner for more money. This is not guest service.. this is not i'm important to them..

They can adjust the event and publicly say they really screwed up and this will never happen again and I'll be happy again. Right now, and I'm surprised your defending this because next time and the time after that, and the time after that it might be you

EDIT TO ADD: I'll even call right up and book 2 tickets to whatever they adjust the event too as a thank you for really making this right including that it will not happen in the future and they get it.