WDW cancelled our castle dinner?

[Missyrose]

They need to find you another dinner at CRT on a night that works for you (even if that means giving you free park hopper to get there or another park day.) OR they need to provide your family seats to this special dinner. But, you should get CRT dinner one way or another.

No. Chance.

And even if, by some miracle, Disney agreed to this, I doubt the OP would even want this given what they had planned before (BBB, CRT character meal), a multi-course foodie meal with no characters isn't exactly family friendly.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

we had our castle dinner cancelled accidentally which was determined to be someone at disney. we didn't find out until we were driving to florida when we saw that what we paid was refunded back. we emailed and called customer service who said there was no availability. we were nice about it and just asked that they help find us a reservation. disney ended up going above and beyond. they found us a reservation, upgraded us to park hoppers so we could make the reservation while we were in another park, comped our meal, gave my daughter an engraved glass slipper and we received a $150 gift card.

^This^ sounds about right. Hopefully @J. Thaddeus Toad Esq. reads this before Disney calls back.

It's obvious OP did his due diligence when booking BBB and CRT. This was supposed to be a special evening for his DD. Disney has got to go above and beyond to make this right.

 

[AngiTN]

It's hard for me to believe that they would limit the event to that few. More money stands to be made through volume of guests vs. 10 guest x $500.

My mistake. It's not just 10, it's 60. Still can't offer it to all guests that were originally booked at CRT that night. If you can't offer it to all you can't offer it to any

 

[bumbershoot]

She had a reservation. They don't get to decide to take a full packed house of reservations that are made 6 months in advance and cancel them because they want to fill the place for $400 more a seat. If they want to do that then they have the plans done 181 days in advance and reserve CRT for this event and not accept any dinner reservations on that date. That is how a business operates.

That is how Disney works. It's a dinner reservation. That's it.

Let's say you rent a venue for a wedding. 2 months before the venue finds someone who will pay quadruple what you will for the event. So they cancel your event to take the other persons money. Nope, bad business and they would probably find themselves in court.

That's a contract. Not a restaurant reservation.

Actually they do. Every single thing we buy/expect from Disney is only ours if it is available to be ours. There is fine print all over. They change park hours all of the time. They can move you from your resort. They can tell you the restaurant you are booked at is suddenly unavailable. Doesn't mean any of us think it is right or nice to do. But they can absolutely do it.

Every single thing is Subject To Availability. Every. Single. Thing.

Yep.

 

[J. Thaddeus Toad Esq.]

No. Chance.

And even if, by some miracle, Disney agreed to this, I doubt the OP would even want this given what they had planned before (BBB, CRT character meal), a multi-course foodie meal with no characters isn't exactly family friendly.

If it was just the wife and I that would be great. The girls want BBB and CRT so that is what I want.

 

[AngiTN]

There is no reason Disney can't let them keep their reservation time, nearly a full hour before the "reception" is to start. This is their fault and it is terrible business to do this. All their failed high end endeavors (the cabanas, the after hours, etc) should show them that families are their bread and butter.

I hope it all works out for the very best OP. If you choose to go elsewhere or if Disney accommodates you, I hope you are happy and have a magical trip.

The reception starts at 7:45 and the OP's ADR was 6:50. Impossible for them to finish in time. If you have eaten at CRT you know you can't get through your meal and the Princesses in that length of time.

 

[AngiTN]

If it was just the wife and 8 that would be great. The girls want BBB and CRT so that is what I want.

I hope you can find a time to fit it in your schedule together.

 

[Lisa F]

we had our castle dinner cancelled accidentally which was determined to be someone at disney. we didn't find out until we were driving to florida when we saw that what we paid was refunded back. we emailed and called customer service who said there was no availability. we were nice about it and just asked that they help find us a reservation. disney ended up going above and beyond. they found us a reservation, upgraded us to park hoppers so we could make the reservation while we were in another park, comped our meal, gave my daughter an engraved glass slipper and we received a $150 gift card.

Before we draw and quarter the mouse, why don't we see what they come back with? It has been escalated, let the manager do their job and make magic. They are obviously quite capable based on this post, hopefully they will come through with something appropriate for the stress caused. The whole internet has your back, OP. Just to different degrees lol. But we all agree the mouse needs to step up and make this right for you and your princesses.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

If it was just the wife and 8 that would be great. The girls want BBB and CRT so that is what I want.

Adda-boy Thaddeus!!!

 

[TeresaWen]

I am absolutely disgusted by this. Shame on you Disney. We all know how coveted a dinner ADR is here and how incredibly special an experience it is for a little girl. It is truly once in a lifetime. By next trip some of the children being displaced will be too old to really enjoy it.

Families plan and save and do all the right things to make their vacation special. The powers that be at disney know how special this particular experience it. With only weeks to go I'm sure many of the children who were scheduled to go have been told and are looking forward to it.

OP - I truly hope something can be done for you to make this right in your eyes. Only you know what that is.

This was not something unavoidable for Disney. They chose to displace so many families that have been counting the days. They could have held it at golde oaks like the others.

I hope disney gets a lot of press on this. What they are doing should be out there in the news. It is deplorable

 

[AngiTN]

I am absolutely disgusted bu this. Shame on you Disney. We all know how coveted a dinner ADR is here and how incredibly special an experience it is for a little girl. It is truly once in a lifetime. By next trip some of the children being displaced will be too old to really enjoy it.

Families plan and save and do all the right things to make there vacation special. The powers that be at did vey know how special this particular experience it. With only weeks to go I'm sure navy of the children who were scheduled to go have been told and are looking forward to it.

OP - I truly hope something can be done for you to make this right in your eyes. Only you know what that is.

This was not something unavoidable for Disney. They chose to displace so many families that have been counting the days. They could have held it at golde oaks like the others.

I hope disney gets a lot of press on this. What they are doing should be out there in the news. It is deplorableg.

If they get everyone in to CRT at some point during their trips then it isn't quite that horrible. It may mean giving them all hoppers so they can get in but I bet they can find a way to get everyone seated at CRT.

 

[Micca]

we were nice about it

This is important. While J. Thad has gotten the short end of the stick, a little bit of "Is there any way you could help us?" goes a lot further than "I demand satisfaction." The CMs are human, try to position it so they want to help you. Put yourself in their position, would you want to help some irate person making demands? Stay cool, but firm. I think they'll work with you.

 

[TeresaWen]

If they get everyone in to CRT at some point during their trips then it isn't quite that horrible. It may mean giving them all hoppers so they can get in but I bet they can find a way to get everyone seated at CRT.

I hope you are right. Hopefully other families impacted will not cave it and will demand a resolution that makes sense for their particular situation.

We all should watch this closely and hold Disney accountable.

If not how far will the mouse push next time.

 

[senadler]

Actually they do. Every single thing we buy/expect from Disney is only ours if it is available to be ours. There is fine print all over. They change park hours all of the time. They can move you from your resort. They can tell you the restaurant you are booked at is suddenly unavailable. Doesn't mean any of us think it is right or nice to do. But they can absolutely do it.

Every single thing is Subject To Availability. Every. Single. Thing.

I get why the fine print exists, broken pipe, another issue with the restaurant, there are legitimate reasons why Disney could cancel a reservation. But to cancel someone that booked 180 days in advance because they added a special event within a month of the reservation is absolutely not acceptable. I understand why Disney does special events at a premium, I even participate in some of them, but to cancel those that already had a reservation so that you can make money on a premium event is really taking this to a new level.

Just because the fine print on the reservation allows them to do this doesn't mean they should.

 

[RachaelA]

I would lose my ever loving mind. Disney better freaking find you a new BBB and CRT that fit your schedule. ESPECIALLY since you can straight up say its not "an operational issue" its a "we decided to make more money doing something else" issue.

Holy moly. I cannot believe Disney thinks people will just be like sure whatever its cool.

 

[RachaelA]

And the whole "they can do this because its in the fine print" is BS. So what. Anyone can be a jerk, but that doesn't mean you should or that its okay to be one.

 

[AngiTN]

Being jerk would be to cancel and not offer them anything. They could have done this, folks do realize this.
So far, they are not being a jerk at all
Give them a chance before you throw the mouse under the mousetrap

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Absolutely unacceptable.

Make sure you explain that it's not just the reservation, it's the BBB reservation, it's promising your daughters the chance to be transformed into a princess then eat with them, etc.

We only complained to Disney once when we had a situation that absolutely warranted it. Disney comped us two nights for our next trip and gave us a 2-day park hopper. While that was a bit of an extreme situation, there's no reason why they shouldn't comp you the difference for the meal, find you another reservation or comparable experience and/or look into adjusting your BBB reservation.

I believe, having dealt with Disney, that they'll make right for it. Until they do so or let you down, I'll hold judgement.

 

[senadler]

Being jerk would be to cancel and not offer them anything. They could have done this, folks do realize this.
So far, they are not being a jerk at all
Give them a chance before you throw the mouse under the mousetrap

I completely disagree. I start planning my trips over 180 days out, I am on-line immediately to book ADRs, and then again to book FP+. I make a schedule according to where we want to eat, what attractions we want, and which parks to go to on what day. Since the OP even had a CRT reservation at a prime dinner time, I assume they did something similar. For Disney to do this within a few weeks of anyone's trip, when it is nothing more than what amounts to a "money grab", is just wrong.

Regardless of what they do to make this right, the OP should never had to have gone through this in the first place.

 

[Cinderella94]

I completely disagree. I start planning my trips over 180 days out, I am on-line immediately to book ADRs, and then again to book FP+. I make a schedule according to where we want to eat, what attractions we want, and which parks to go to on what day. Since the OP even had a CRT reservation at a prime dinner time, I assume they did something similar. For Disney to do this within a few weeks of anyone's trip, when it is nothing more than what amounts to a "money grab", is just wrong.

Regardless of what they do to make this right, the OP should never had to have gone through this in the first place.

I agree with you (and others sharing the same sentiment, just picked yours to quote). But, I don't think anyone here is saying that this is completely fine. They're just saying that Disney is within their rights to do it, even if it is morally wrong and not fair. I think people are just stating the realities - this has happened and it can't be changed so it's in OP's best interest to come up with a new plan that he can propose.

I am as much of a planner as you are and would be extremely upset.