[IlluminatEpcot]

So for the 2nd year in a row, 50's kind of blew it. We showed up for our dinner ADR 15-30 minutes early, and they said we wouldnt be seated early.... which is totally cool and I understood that, however we were then told we'd be waiting at least an extra 30 minutes for dinner. And the same thing happened last year as well, and when I asked the hostess about it, she really seemed like that this was a normal thing for them and that they really didnt care that they were running behind and overbooked and that was really odd.

I found this odd because the other 5 places we had an ADR that week (Le Cellier, Yachtsmen, France, Via Napoli and the Wave) We showed up 15-30 minutes early and even tho it was during that "peak" lunch or dinner rush, we were still seated well before our original ADR time.

I didnt know if this was normal for 50's to be running behind and overbooked or if the attitudes that the CM's had were normal. We passed as we were aiming to make Fantasmic so we got in line and I ran over and got dinner from Rosies and really enjoyed it.

[The Dark Lord of the Sith]

The curse of the Free Dinning program at a popular family location. Sometimes it is the fact that they have fallen behind, but this happens with much more frequency in the time (which is now a few years) that this plan has been offered.

[QuickGold]

Sorry to hear about your experience! Bad dining experiences like this are the worst, especially considering how much we pay to dine there. I haven't run into a situation like this before in my experience.

[The Dark Lord of the Sith]

I had one mild case of this at 50's. The worst was over at Magic Kingdome, Crystal Palace where this happened twice. Once so bad that I cancelled the reservation, the other we stuck out for lack of a satisfactory option.

The Cast Members handle it as best they can. It doesn't take a lot for one of these type of situations to snow ball.

[HDLady]

I think WDW "overbooks" to some extent because they know a certain number of people double book 2 or more ADRs at different restaurants (with no intention of going to both) or are plain no shows. If they estimate incorrectly by just a table or 2 (or a couple of tables take a bit longer than expected), it causes their table availability to get messed up. On one level it's annoying but on the other side, you can't blame them for wanting to seat as many people as possible not only to maximize cash flow but also to give the most guests the option of dining at their restaurant of choice. It just now means you can't count on being seated at exactly the time you reserved on occasion - especially at the more popular restaurants. It also pretty much eliminates the ability to "walk in" and get seated which Claude and I used to do all the time but recently have found walk ins are available less and less. Just the nature of the beast so to speak.

[Master Gracey]

For any ADR you are told to arrive 15 minutes early......I personally try to avoid some of the restaurants due to the promotions that are offered out there, I tend to dine more at the resorts because of this issue. I plan the day accordingly.

I remember back in the day, when there was NO ADR'S if you wanted to eat at the Castle or Crystal Palace you had to go to the rest the morning you arrived.

[lostinthought]

will the new credit card requirement at some restaurants help this situation?

does anyone see the requirement expanding to more restaurants?

[darthstich]

Actually this is a common problem and is caused by a misunderstanding between both Disney's system and the guest. The way Disney's "Reservations" work is kind of like the way a fastpass works. You get put ahead of the bulk of people. But then it's comparing Star Tours' fastpass line to Toy Story's. At Star Tours, which can handle more people at a quicker pace, you are likely to go right up to the next available ride vehicle. However, at Toy Story, which can handle much fewer people, and on top of that gives fewer passes, you are still likely to wait another 30-60 minutes. 50's leans more to the likes of Toy Story than other restaurants. They have less seating then other places and is more popular than a lot of them so it is normal to wait even with a reservation.

This happens regularly which is what the average guest doesn't understand, this SHOULDN'T happen is what Disney's system doesn't understand.

[QuickGold]

lostinthought, on 19 October 2011 - 04:22 PM, said:

will the new credit card requirement at some restaurants help this situation?

does anyone see the requirement expanding to more restaurants?

Prime Time will be unaffected by the credit card requirement. At least, as of now.

[Rachel]

QuickGold, on 20 October 2011 - 10:41 AM, said:

Prime Time will be unaffected by the credit card requirement. At least, as of now.

That's really odd about 50's. I've never had that experience there. We usually arrive 15-20 minutes early and are usually seated by our ressie time.

[Figaro]

We always had this happen at Prime Time which is another reason why we stopped going there. I think we are in the minority but this is one of our least favorite restaurants. We almost always show up at least 15-20 minutes early...if not more...to our ADR's. Usually we eat at off hours (early lunches, early dinners)

Waits here are way too long. The service use to be outstanding & fun years ago but the past few times we went we got CM's who were good at taking orders & serving but were not in character at all. And it wasn't just us...we did watch them with their other tables. They were just not into the whole Mom, Cousin etc thing. Food used to be great now I'd rather eat at the diner around the corner from my house for a lot less money. (& that's in NY dollars! )

[QuickGold]

Figaro, on 27 October 2011 - 06:33 AM, said:

We always had this happen at Prime Time which is another reason why we stopped going there. I think we are in the minority but this is one of our least favorite restaurants. We almost always show up at least 15-20 minutes early...if not more...to our ADR's. Usually we eat at off hours (early lunches, early dinners)

Waits here are way too long. The service use to be outstanding & fun years ago but the past few times we went we got CM's who were good at taking orders & serving but were not in character at all. And it wasn't just us...we did watch them with their other tables. They were just not into the whole Mom, Cousin etc thing. Food used to be great now I'd rather eat at the diner around the corner from my house for a lot less money. (& that's in NY dollars! )

It's weird because I really enjoy Prime Time, but my wife doesn't care for the food there.

I do agree it seems the "schtick" seems to be much less in use and/or less over-the-top as it once was. Not sure if it's poor training, guest feedback or what.

[IlluminatEpcot]

QuickGold, on 27 October 2011 - 10:48 AM, said:

It's weird because I really enjoy Prime Time, but my wife doesn't care for the food there.

I do agree it seems the "schtick" seems to be much less in use and/or less over-the-top as it once was. Not sure if it's poor training, guest feedback or what.

I don't recall them using it like they did in the past when we ate here before. When we ate at Sci Fi there was a crowd waiting but we showed up at our usual 15-30 minutes early and were seated quickly as we were with all of our ADR's that week.