WDW cancelled our castle dinner?

[Allison]

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?

Hmmm..what you wrote got me thinking. I think at the core for me that isn't what is important here. I would agree with this if this was something beyond their control that happened and Disney had to reach out to make changes-for instance, a structural problem is found and an unexpected repair must be made. But to proactively displace people for the reason they did just isn't sitting well with me. Disney could have easily prevented this from happening by simply not doing it.

It is an interesting discussion to see other's viewpoints.

 

[MamaBelle4]

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.

believes it was morally repugnant for Disney to class citizens a

Please take a moment to note that I did not call Disney morally repugnant, but their action was. There is a difference between the two.

But if this sort of behavior continues, you bet your bottom dollar I won't be bringing my family of 6 to WDW any longer. I believe we are all equal and should be treated as such.
These 30 families were treated as second class citizens because more money speaks apparently. THAT is unethical and immoral.

 

[AngiTN]

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

Maybe, but see, I guess we are different than the avg poster here.
We don't get up and make ADR at 180 days. I make our ADR the day of, or maybe the day before
There isn't a thing on property that would impact my trip if I loss it
Had we had a CRT for this night and gotten a phone call I wouldn't have cared at all. We'd have taken any other slot they offered, or worked to find another option that worked.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

But that is only one, very narrow, hypothetical situation. Allow me to pose one.

2 months ago, not happy with the current profits, a higher up came up with a suggestion. "Let's start the Chef series early and start at CRT, since the castle holds a special spot for a lot of people. We can have a reception and primo fireworks viewing."
"What about all those people with ADRs?"
"They can be moved. After all, that's how it's done in the hospitality business. Everyone knows a reservation isn't a guarantee. Work on the press release and details of the plan, then we will figure out what to do with those 30 families."

Isn't that JUST as likely?

Yours is only one, narrow hypothetical as well. My point is nobody really knows what happened behind the scenes, but chances are it was an honest screwup by average folks who happen to work for Disney, and not a nefarious plot hatched by Scrooge McDuck.

This thread has turned into a witch hunt without knowing all the facts.

 

[Accident]

Maybe, but see, we are different than the avg poster here.
We don't get up and make ADR at 180 days. I make our ADR the day of, or maybe the day before
There isn't a thing on property that would impact my trip if I loss it
Had we had a CRT for this night and gotten a phone call I wouldn't have cared at all. We'd have taken any other slot they offered, or worked to find another option that worked.

I dine very much like you do. However there have been situations where there is no wiggle room, the date, time and place is important. I don't want there to be a precedent that any plans at any time can be canceled because someone is willing to pay more. This is why I don't think pete is jaded or missing any information. The issue he has which is the same I have is that it happened because they wanted to sell higher priced tickets in that time slot.

 

[perditax]

Maybe, but see, I guess we are different than the avg poster here.
We don't get up and make ADR at 180 days. I make our ADR the day of, or maybe the day before
There isn't a thing on property that would impact my trip if I loss it
Had we had a CRT for this night and gotten a phone call I wouldn't have cared at all. We'd have taken any other slot they offered, or worked to find another option that worked.

It's weird how often you see this scenario playing out on travel forums; people who don't care about something being taken away from them by the megacorps refusing to be sympathetic to those who do care.

Keep in mind the next time it could be something you *do* care about .

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I dine very much like you do. However there have been situations where there is no wiggle room, the date, time and place is important. I don't want there to be a precedent that any plans at any time can be canceled because someone is willing to pay more. This is why I don't think pete is jaded or missing any information. The issue he has which is the same I have is that it happened because they wanted to sell higher priced tickets in that time slot.

But this has been my point. You and many others are assuming they cancelled those dinner ADRs just to sell higher priced tickets because of how recently the event was announced.

Correlation is not causation.

 

[Accident]

But this has been my point. You and many others are assuming they cancelled those dinner ADRs just to sell higher priced tickets because of how recently the event was announced.

Correlation is not causation.

Then please correct me.

I am seeing special dinner, $499 a head 9pm at cinderellas castle 1/31. I am seeing peopl who had an adr at cinderellas castle 1/31 being canceled, offered BOG for dinner (not the same, there is no equivalent location to dine) and after complaining a lot got a call for someone with power to shift everything in their schedule around find a solution that worked for them....

Where am I wrong and how is this not canceling $150 per head dinner for a $499 per head dinner?

 

[AngiTN]

It's weird how often you see this scenario playing out on travel forums; people who don't care about something being taken away from them by the megacorps refusing to be sympathetic to those who do care.

Keep in mind the next time it could be something you *do* care about .

While we no longer do ADR that are critical to our trip we have and I know how it feels to have to rearrange things.

I dine very much like you do. However there have been situations where there is no wiggle room, the date, time and place is important. I don't want there to be a precedent that any plans at any time can be canceled because someone is willing to pay more. This is why I don't think pete is jaded or missing any information. The issue he has which is the same I have is that it happened because they wanted to sell higher priced tickets in that time slot.

While anything can change, just how often has this happened? 1 time does not a precedent set, to me
If this becomes a habit that's one thing. This one time, I'm giving them a pass, because they worked with guests to relocate them. They didn't HAVE to do that.

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe, but see, I guess we are different than the avg poster here.
We don't get up and make ADR at 180 days. I make our ADR the day of, or maybe the day before
There isn't a thing on property that would impact my trip if I loss it
Had we had a CRT for this night and gotten a phone call I wouldn't have cared at all. We'd have taken any other slot they offered, or worked to find another option that worked.

You could have just caught it on your next trip. But not everyone has a next trip scheduled any time soon. For many this is a once in a lifetime trip.

 

[Accident]

You could have just caught it on your next trip. But not everyone has a next trip scheduled any time soon. For many this is a once in a lifetime trip.

Or a dying wish last trip. Something many go to disney for.

 

[Accident]

While anything can change, just how often has this happened? 1 time does not a precedent set, to me
If this becomes a habit that's one thing. This one time, I'm giving them a pass, because they worked with guests to relocate them. They didn't HAVE to do that.

I just see it as the next thing they lowered customer service to do. I also don't think they would have done anything more than BOG if those few guests didn't speak up and I think it was a larger outcry that very might have only been pete canceling because of this that made them realize what they did in the first place.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Or a dying wish last trip. Something many go to disney for.

If it's a dying wish last trip, there are usually ways to get some help with that.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Ok my hypothetical time for those that are all "meh it's just a reservation no biggie."
What if it IS a biggie for....
...the boyfriend/girlfriend planning to propose because this is the date/time/location of your first Disney meal/ts/etc
....the elderly couple celebrating their anniversary because their proposal happened here? Or wedding? Or always wanted to but FINALLY CAN.....and they know in their heart it's their last anniversary together
....the person NOT there on MAW/GKTW that this IS their last trip
....the family of a deployed loved one cheering up a family/kids
....the family of a recently KIA deployed taking the trip because it was planned before as a family trip

While these probably all are rarities, I feel those bosses saying it's ok the cancel or move and just throw some form of compensation their way SHOULD think about situations like there. CRT is NOT just a trip down to MCDonalds, ChuckECheese or even a top notch steak house. This is a place we FIRST have to have a $100+ park ticket to get to AND prepay ~$100 per person to eat there AND make plans WAY in advance to make it happen.

 

[jtwibih]

Here is the update...

I received a call from the proprietor of CRT this morning. He worked with me to move our BBB and CRT dinner reservations to 1/30. He was very helpful and seemed to be sincerely sorry for the incident.

I explained that I had learned why we were bumped and understood the reasoning. He said that 30 parties were unconvinced. I asked him to whom I could express my comments / concerns about these actions and he referred me to Guest Services. I will be writing them a letter shortly.

In the end, I feel that I was provided an acceptable replacement for what I had lost. I am disappointed that this was allowed to happen and will express my disappointment. I really don't expect to receive anything more.

I want WDW to know that as a guest, a stockholder and big Disney fan, that I am disappointed in the way that this was initially handled, when I had done everything to ensure my family had a great experience.

Thanks for sharing information and your comments.

Jason

I haven't read through the whole thread so pardon me if this has been said.......when you send a letter/email, make sure Bob Chapek and George Kalogridis are recipients. Seriously, whether Disney CAN do this doesn't mean they should and you need to let your voice be heard. You will most likely get some kind of response after emailing them. I did it once and got a call two days later from someone.

 

[mummabear]

How is "the same meal at a different time that day or if it must be dinner another highly coveted MK restaurant" substandard? I'm guessing most people with little girls who had late dinner ADRs were happy to have an earlier one... some people like to eat late but for most little kids, eating that late is not really ideal. The big deal was the BBB reservation but when the first CM couldn't handle moving it to another date, it was escalated to someone who did and it seems like with zero pushback.

Still not sure what is so substandard about what was offered.

Because the OP had he other highly coveted reservation already on another day. If they hadn't wanted BOG for that day that is what they would have booked.
Is Disney legally entitled to cancel the reservation? I would assume yes that it is in their small print. Part of me wonders whether there would be a case for a prepaid booking being cancelled for something well within their control (not leaky pipes etc) I don't see it as any different than the previous posters example of a wedding venue.

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.

Except I don't know about you but I don't have as large of a meal at lunch, tends to be a cold sandwich and a piece of fruit, dinner tends to be people's main meal of the day. And so a dinner reservation provides better value for money.

 

[TeresaWen]

Reading through I gather there was an issue with the Highway in the Sky event that caused guests to email guest relations. No idea what this is about but why not just go with the flow and be flexible about that issue?

 

[mom2rtk]

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.

That's ridiculous. Of course they would would have more overhead to serve more customers. But they have all that additional revenue from the up sell they booted people out to make room for.

 

[Nancyg56]

Maybe, but see, I guess we are different than the avg poster here.
We don't get up and make ADR at 180 days. I make our ADR the day of, or maybe the day before
There isn't a thing on property that would impact my trip if I loss it
Had we had a CRT for this night and gotten a phone call I wouldn't have cared at all. We'd have taken any other slot they offered, or worked to find another option that worked.

You have that flexibility and that mindset. For others who have an investment in the time and place they booked a special meal, it's not that simple. I can see why there is a sense that Disney let people down, although the outrage is kind of surprising to me.

It's weird how often you see this scenario playing out on travel forums; people who don't care about something being taken away from them by the megacorps refusing to be sympathetic to those who do care.

Keep in mind the next time it could be something you *do* care about .

Yes, and that's why I do sympathize. I don't approve of the way Disney handled this, the folks they displaced were just as important as the people that were attending the chef dinner event. I know Disney works to make things right and I am happy the op was left better than whole. I bet many others were as well, with adrs that actually worked for them.

 

[jrmasm]

Hmmm..what you wrote got me thinking. I think at the core for me that isn't what is important here. I would agree with this if this was something beyond their control that happened and Disney had to reach out to make changes-for instance, a structural problem is found and an unexpected repair must be made. But to proactively displace people for the reason they did just isn't sitting well with me. Disney could have easily prevented this from happening by simply not doing it.

It is an interesting discussion to see other's viewpoints.

And displaced people that prepaid for their dinner.