WARNING: few minutes late to ADR where they charge a no-show fee you may be charged

[DizneyDogs]

Had reservations for Ohanas on 12/8 at 9:25pm we arrived at 9:30pm, group of 4 and now that I am back home I see I was charged a $40 no-show fee. Just called billing after being re-directed several times and finally was given the right # which is 407-828-5630 and waited on hold for 20 minutes. Was told they would reverse the charge as it's supposed to have a built-in time allowance but their system is charging as soon as your reservation time has passed and you are not there. Anyway just wanted to give everyone a heads up on this and be sure to check your credit card when you get back home it was charged as "WDW Dine Tickets"

 

[DaisyMaisie]

So you ate there and got charged for the meal as well?

 

[ConnieB]

So you ate there and got charged for the meal as well?

Yeah, hmmm...maybe the argument should have been that if I didn't show up and Disney charged $40, then what's the $200 charge from Ohana? I think I'd ask that the $150 charge be removed since they seem to feel I didn't show up! LOL

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Wow - thanks for the heads up!!!

 

[DizneyDogs]

Yeah, hmmm...maybe the argument should have been that if I didn't show up and Disney charged $40, then what's the $200 charge from Ohana? I think I'd ask that the $150 charge be removed since they seem to feel I didn't show up! LOL

LOL true!

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

Truly this sucks!! What I want to know is if I arrive the 15 mins early and there is a long line, can the check in people delete this charge if I finally arrive at the desk after my ADR time?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Truly this sucks!! What I want to know is if I arrive the 15 mins early and there is a long line, can the check in people delete this charge if I finally arrive at the desk after my ADR time?

1) If you are in line, then tell the podium you are there.
2) They have no way to know if you just stand around.
3) CHECK-IN AT PODIUM at/before ADR time, you are in good shape.

NOTE: I am glad they started the penalty. Too many people do not
have enough courtesy to be on time. Or cancel if they won't make it.
It seems money is the only way to reach some folks.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

1) If you are in line, then tell the podium you are there.
2) They have no way to know if you just stand around.
3) CHECK-IN AT PODIUM at/before ADR time, you are in good shape.

NOTE: I am glad they started the penalty. Too many people do not
have enough courtesy to be on time. Or cancel if they won't make it.
It seems money is the only way to reach some folks.

I totally agree!..........

 

[Hopefully]

1) If you are in line, then tell the podium you are there.
2) They have no way to know if you just stand around.
3) CHECK-IN AT PODIUM at/before ADR time, you are in good shape.

NOTE: I am glad they started the penalty. Too many people do not
have enough courtesy to be on time. Or cancel if they won't make it.
It seems money is the only way to reach some folks.

I agree as well!!!

 

[DizneyDogs]

oh I agree too, and if we didn't have to rely on Disney transportation and wait 40 minutes for a bus to show up we would have been on time but I don't think 5 minutes late was bad when it's supposed to have a time allowance built in and not charge

 

[Mkrop]

Given that Mama Melrose made us wait and hour because they were backed up, I would be furious if WDW charged me for any ADR I was late for.

This policy is totally ridiculous.

 

[*TheWigs*]

Hopefully they get the kinks worked out...the implementation of any new policy has a period of time where "glitches" are common. It is a good reminder to check your credit card statements and be careful..prompted me to check mine!

 

[supersuperwendy]

Oh man...now I'm even more nervous about making our ADRs in a few days. We have a group of 14 going to 'Ohana and 11 to every other meal. It will cost me a ton if they don't check us in on time. I hate this new policy so much. I wish there was someway they could search our phone numbers and say..Oh yes..we see you DID show up for your ADRs in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. So no CC hold needed. But I know that will never happen. Ugh.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Given that Mama Melrose made us wait and hour because they were backed up . . .

1) As long as you go up and check-in, you should be fine.
2) If you didn't/don't check-in on time, then it should be your fault.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . We have a group of 14 going to 'Ohana and 11 to every other meal . . .

1) Tell them to be on time.
2) People need to be responsible.

. . . if we didn't have to rely on Disney transportation and wait 40 minutes for a bus . . .

1) Get in line earlier?
2) Take a taxi?

 

[miprender]

Had reservations for Ohanas on 12/8 at 9:25pm we arrived at 9:30pm, group of 4 and now that I am back home I see I was charged a $40 no-show fee. Just called billing after being re-directed several times and finally was given the right # which is 407-828-5630 and waited on hold for 20 minutes. Was told they would reverse the charge as it's supposed to have a built-in time allowance but their system is charging as soon as your reservation time has passed and you are not there. Anyway just wanted to give everyone a heads up on this and be sure to check your credit card when you get back home it was charged as "WDW Dine Tickets"

I hope you get it resolved soon.

 

[Colleen27]

1) As long as you go up and check-in, you should be fine.
2) If you didn't/don't check-in on time, then it should be your fault.

There are reports of people waiting 45+min just to check in at Ohana, and I personally have been told that Le Cellier was too busy to check us in at our ADR time and to come back in an hour... Disney needs to have a "grace period" in place to account for the fairly common occurrence where someone will arrive at the restaurant on time and experience a long delay at the podium.

This policy is looking more and more like a big ol' money grab to me. So far we've seen two reports of people being charged despite being there for their ADR and another that the fee won't even be waived for a documented medical issue that necessitated having the front desk arrange transportation to urgent care. Meanwhile, dining line CMs are still giving out incorrect information on the cancellation deadline so I'm sure there will be plenty of less savvy Disney guests who end up paying fees through no fault of their own.

Unless something changes, January is the end of signature and character dining for my family and that's a shame... Dining is a big part of our Disney vacation experience and when you take that away other destinations start looking better and better. But no meal is worth having to keep an eye on my CC for fraudulent charges or paying $50+ for nothing if one of my kids happens to get sick on our trip.

 

[havoc315]

1) As long as you go up and check-in, you should be fine.
2) If you didn't/don't check-in on time, then it should be your fault.

I'm all for individual responsibility, but that's an over broad generalization. There are plenty of times a person could be late due to no responsibility of their own. You can't just say, "they should have gotten to the bus stop earlier."

For example, let's say someone is going to the California Grill from the Polynesian. 7pm reservation, and they leave their hotel a full hour early.
Let's say they are 5 minutes late, because the monorail went offline for repair just as they got to the stop. Is that their fault?
Or what if they knew the monorail was down, so they went to the bus super early -- 5:30, but the bus didn't show up for over an hour?
Or what if they got on the bus, in plenty of time, but it got a flat tire?
Or what if they arrive at the Contemporary 20 minutes before the reservation, but the elevator breaks down, trapping them inside for 30 minutes?

I suppose you always arrive at 7 am, for a 7 pm reservation, just to be safe?

 

[disny_luvr]

I'm all for individual responsibility, but that's an over broad generalization. There are plenty of times a person could be late due to no responsibility of their own. You can't just say, "they should have gotten to the bus stop earlier."

For example, let's say someone is going to the California Grill from the Polynesian. 7pm reservation, and they leave their hotel a full hour early.
Let's say they are 5 minutes late, because the monorail went offline for repair just as they got to the stop. Is that their fault?
Or what if they knew the monorail was down, so they went to the bus super early -- 5:30, but the bus didn't show up for over an hour?
Or what if they got on the bus, in plenty of time, but it got a flat tire?
Or what if they arrive at the Contemporary 20 minutes before the reservation, but the elevator breaks down, trapping them inside for 30 minutes?

I suppose you always arrive at 7 am, for a 7 pm reservation, just to be safe?

I agree with this; unfortunately things happen that you have no control over. On our last visit to WDW we were headed to O'hana. We left WL 90 minutes before our scheduled ADR. We hopped on a boat from WL to MK. From there we took the monorail to the Poly. Right after we got on the monorail they pulled one of the monorails off for repair. We waited, and waited, and waited some more. We were almost 30 minutes late for our ADR at O'hana. We weren't the only ones; several others were in our same situation. When I checked in, the CM was very nice and said she had heard that the monorail had been down. With this new policy, all of us would have been charged a no-show fee. Now, I totally agree that people should be held accountable and I don't like that people make reservations and then don't show but I just think that there has to be some type of exception for situations that we have no control over.

 

[Marshay]

I suppose you always arrive at 7 am, for a 7 pm reservation, just to be safe?

That's a good one.