Reservations soon required at all TS

[AndyFL]

BTW, my Wife and I were just discussing this thread and I double checked with her as to when this new policy begins and she remembered hearing next Thursday as well...Dec 19th. Why Thursday? Then it hit me, we are FL Seasonal Passholders and next Thurs begins the blackout time for x-mas/new years.

 

[wvaspartan]

Wait a sec...Was the only place that this was mentioned B&C? If so next week is when they go to taking ADRs as a location. I am thinking they got the idea of accepting ADRs confused with needing an ADR in order to get a table if there are openings. Think their managers worded something wrong or took what was written to them about B&C being on the ADR availability in a manner different from what is the truth.

 

[AliceandAriel]

I reserve the right to return to this thread, say a week after next Thursday, and tell the OP "no reason to be such a gullible-butt." Sorry, there is just no chance this is gonna happen. Disney has tens of thousands of hotel guests arriving to stay on property next week, several thousand of whom haven't made dining reservations, and they are simply not gonna tell them they can't have any sit down meal. I'd put money on it. A lot of money.

It's not really as far-fetched as everyone is making it out to be. We've been told, flat out, at Rose & Crown they had no space for walk-ins, while their dining area was partially empty. But, I pull up MDE app, check the restaurant, and behold! A reservation in 20 minutes. So is it really that hard of a 'gullible-butt' thought, or does it make sense with the way Disney continues to push everyone to utilize their ADR system on the MDE app like they are with FP+?

Just a thought.

 

[AndyFL]

Wait a sec...Was the only place that this was mentioned B&C? If so next week is when they go to taking ADRs as a location. I am thinking they got the idea of accepting ADRs confused with needing an ADR in order to get a table if there are openings. Think their managers worded something wrong or took what was written to them about B&C being on the ADR availability in a manner different from what is the truth.

Nope, they were very clear....ALL TS restaurants will be reservation only....all.

 

[wvaspartan]

Nope, they were very clear....ALL TS restaurants will be reservation only....all.

Just so you know I didn't say that isn't what they told you. I merely said they may have been told wrong by managers or the managers themselves didn't understand clearly the facts of what is happening next week. Also, seems kind of strange the start date for this coincides directly with the date the location that said this is going to ADRs. I take this as a wait and see approach....

 

[Mousemom234]

<sigh>
"If you can dream it, then you can do it": W.Disney
"If you can book it, then you can do it": J.Rasulo
Good thing Uncle Walt is in the Freezorium -- keeps him from spinning too fast

 

[sonofanarchy]

Nothing against OP, but there is simply no way this is true.

There are several restaurants at Disney that without an ADR (policy or not) you won't get a table. Ohana, Cinderella's, V&A. I'd say the average WDW restaurant runs at around a 70% ADR average. However, again, a restaurant like Marrakesh runs at around 20%. Are we to believe that Disney plans to leave the restaurant 80% empty? That would be no different than telling someone who pulls up to the Polynesian looking for a room. If there's one available, would Disney ever say "Sorry, but you don't have a reservation." It's just leaving money (lots of it) on the table.

Financial reasons aside, this would piss people right off of property. Again, why would Disney do that?

 

[HookdonWDW]

Nothing against OP, but there is simply no way this is true.

There are several restaurants at Disney that without an ADR (policy or not) you won't get a table. Ohana, Cinderella's, V&A. I'd say the average WDW restaurant runs at around a 70% ADR average. However, again, a restaurant like Marrakesh runs at around 20%. Are we to believe that Disney plans to leave the restaurant 80% empty? That would be no different than telling someone who pulls up to the Polynesian looking for a room. If there's one available, would Disney ever say "Sorry, but you don't have a reservation." It's just leaving money (lots of it) on the table.

Financial reasons aside, this would piss people right off of property. Again, why would Disney do that?

No idea if this rumor is true or not, but Marrakesh isn't owned by Disney is it? Therefore, they could obstensibly choose to have a different policy on ADRs...

 

[lovin'fl]

<sigh>
"If you can dream it, then you can do it": W.Disney
"If you can book it, then you can do it": J.Rasulo
Good thing Uncle Walt is in the Freezorium -- keeps him from spinning too fast

LOL...I so agree!!

 

[sonofanarchy]

No idea if this rumor is true or not, but Marrakesh isn't owned by Disney is it? Therefore, they could obstensibly choose to have a different policy on ADRs...

Many of the restaurants on Disney property are not owned by Disney. Most (if not all) of the World Showcase restaurants aren't. Most (again, if not all) of the restaurants at Downtown Disney and Boardwalk aren't.

 

[AndyFL]

Nothing against OP, but there is simply no way this is true.

No offense taken. If I hadn't heard it myself I wouldn't have believed it either.

You folks have to realize that I was simply talking to the staff at B&C and when I mentioned that we wouldn't be back until Jan or Feb they informed me of the upcoming policy. Once again, I didn't ask....I was informed....there IS a difference.

We'll all know this coming Thurs.

Personally, I hope they were all strung out on drugs and heard it wrong. All of them however were very sober and very perplexed. If we had shown up earlier when they were more busy then perhaps the conversation would have never come up. Didn't happen.....we were there after closing and they were free to chat.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I don't believe that they will never allow anyone into any restaurant who doesn't have a reservation. forever and ever. Not buying that one. and there's been no announcement, this is the ONLY place I've heard it.

Beaches and Cream has only 10 tables - if you want to get in there, and don't want to sit at the counter, then you will probably need to have a reservation. I can buy it when referring specifically to Beaches and Cream. But not every single restaurant. CMs and servers are often the purveyors of incorrect or misstated information anyway.

And tables don't sit empty when they have a no-show, the next person with an ADR for a table that size moves up.

 

[lovin'fl]

No offense taken. If I hadn't heard it myself I wouldn't have believed it either.

You folks have to realize that I was simply talking to the staff at B&C and when I mentioned that we wouldn't be back until Jan or Feb they informed me of the upcoming policy. Once again, I didn't ask....I was informed....there IS a difference.

We'll all know this coming Thurs.

Personally, I hope they were all strung out on drugs and heard it wrong. All of them however were very sober and very perplexed. If we had shown up earlier when they were more busy then perhaps the conversation would have never come up. Didn't happen.....we were there after closing and they were free to chat.

We arrive Thur...flight lands around 7pm. We are staying AKV-Kidani and plan to do walk-up at Sanaa...so we'll see if we can. If not, I wonder if we can sit at bar/lounge and have some food?

 

[FencerGirl]

FWIW, Sci Fi was accepting walk ins on Wednesday.

 

[AndyFL]

Anyone able to do a walk-in at a TS today? I'm hoping I got bad information.

Anyone staying at BC or YC, if you happen to walk by B&C see if they would accept a walk-in for a table or booth. Inquiring minds would really like to know.

 

[Colleen27]

Spoke to one of our favorite servers tonight and he mentioned to us that starting some time next week that you will no longer be able to just walk up to a TS rest, you will HAVE to have a ressi.

Interesting. It has been my experience that this was policy, albeit unofficial/unwritten, at several parks restaurants in the past but on this trip we saw that change. I have, in the past, been turned away at The Plaza podium only to hop on my phone and make an immediate ADR. This trip, they were actually seating walk-ups so I didn't have to bother with that absurdity.

Now just a cotton pickin' minute! If the restaurant looks kinda empty, can't you go away, perhaps 50 feet to some bushes or 100 feet to the next building outside, and call on your cell phone and make a reservation, say, half an hour from "now"?

No, you can't. At some point between March and December the ADR booking engine was updated to incorporate a block-out period - you cannot use the app or the website to book an ADR less than 90 minutes in advance. I didn't try calling so I don't know if that is subject to the same time constraint but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it is.

As a previous poster said, I don't think this is all that far fetched. Not saying it is true, but just that I wouldn't be shocked if there is at least some truth to it. Everything Disney is doing right now is all about locking people into their vacation plans well in advance and corporate has stated that intention very openly. One of the guest responses to the new ADR CC policy is to do just the opposite - not to book in advance but rather to rely on walk-ups and last-minute ADRs, which runs entirely contrary to Disney's goals for guest behaviour. Eliminating walk-ups and curtailing last-minute ADRs would likely have the effect of forcing many reluctant guests back into the pre-planning "mold" that Disney wants us in because it is the lesser evil when weighed against a trip of only counter service dining. I sincerely hope this isn't the case but I don't think it is as implausible as some would like to believe.

 

[AndyFL]

Interesting. It has been my experience that this was policy, albeit unofficial/unwritten, at several parks restaurants in the past but on this trip we saw that change. I have, in the past, been turned away at The Plaza podium only to hop on my phone and make an immediate ADR. This trip, they were actually seating walk-ups so I didn't have to bother with that absurdity.

We rarely eat at TS in the parks and have tried once in a while and usually were told that there was no room. However, we have been able to walk up and get a table at CRT twice and Tutos is usually no problem if we go shortly after they re-open for dinner. If they do go to this new policy, my main complaint will be at Beaches and Cream, we really like to end the day there but rarely know exactly WHEN that time will be because sometimes we like to stroll around the WS and take pics.

 

[wvaspartan]

I can see where this issue of walk ups not accepted occurring at B&C due to its size.

 

[maxiesmom]

It seems to me that if Disney wants to charge $10.00 a head as a no show fee, they need to show some sort of loss of revenue. If the table is immediately filled by a walk in, what is Disney's loss? It is really hard to legally justify this fee if the table is filled. Just a thought.

They don't need to show a loss of revenue. You are agreeing to the terms when you make the reservation. They are made very clear before you hit that accept button.

I don't see what difference it makes if they fill your spot or not. Think about it. Airlines not only will not refund your money (unless you pay the high cost of a refundable flight) but will resell your seat if you don't show up. No different, except you are eating the full cost of your ticket instead of just 10 bucks a head.

 

[lovin'fl]

We arrive Thur...flight lands around 7pm. We are staying AKV-Kidani and plan to do walk-up at Sanaa...so we'll see if we can. If not, I wonder if we can sit at bar/lounge and have some food?

We did a walk up lunch for Sanaa on 12/21. No problem.