Tusker House reservation issue :(

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

in this particular case, i bet this happens all the time. Yes ANYTHING is possible. Someone could pull the fire alarm when you were supposed to be seated and you'd miss the ADR all together. I can't see the CMs at TH blowing a hole in a huge party's vacation because they forgot to count the baby. It's not like it's a table for 4 and you show up with 6 or 8. It was a simple mistake and I bet one that happens quite often, especially to parents who are not disney experts and don't get that while their infant doesn't count as a person for park admission or for dining plan pricing or for hotel room pricing, they suddenly DO count for dining reservations... and even if they get it, the chance parents who are caring for a baby to space every once in a while is pretty much 100%. I just cannot imagine disney taking a hard line in this scenario... it would be VERY undisneylike. It is obvious the OP is not trying to "get away" with something or cheat the system but rather made an honest mistake and I would bet she is not the first who has done it.

True. But then let's all be honest.

Did someone with a party of 13, really forget about the baby? Didn't realize that the baby counted as a person? Or could they not find a reservation with 13, but could find it with 12? Well, since she mentioned back in July that she had a party of 13, chances are she didn't forget.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

It is obvious the OP is not trying to "get away" with something or cheat the system but rather made an honest mistake and I would bet she is not the first who has done it.

THE QUESTION OF AN EXTRA PERSON or EXTRA PEOPLE (the "411"):
1) Disney is getting wise to the "but, they decided to join us" or "I miscounted".
2) People can't always get the ADR they want.
3) So, they under-count to get a table.
4) Then, they show up with "unexpected" additional people.
5) In a team meeting, CM's have been told to warn guests against this.
6) If there is room, WDW will not turn away revenue.
7) But, if busy, they will turn away the additions.
8) Go ahead and arrive with the extras, if you like.
9) Just be prepared to have someone stand around while you eat.
10) I have heard explanations such as . . .
. . . "but, Aunt Suzy decided to join us and we need an extra seat"
. . . "but, two friends from off-site decided to join us and we need two extra seats"
. . . "but, brother-in-law decided to join us and we need an extra seat"
. . . "but, the entire Boy Scout Troop decided to join us and we need 14 extra sets"
. . . "but, my baby is so small that I didn't count her in the number of eaters"
.
NOTE1: It is far easier going from an odd-number to an even number, such as from 7-people to 8-people, adding a person to an even number of diners, such as going from 6-people to 7-people. Adding odd person can mean adding a table, and this might not be possible. Going from an odd-to-even might only mean adding a chair or using an empty seat. So, if going from even-to-odd, you might not get the extra person a seat. It is always better to get another ADR with the proper people-count.
.
NOTE2: Frequently a party-of-two will try to add a third person at the podium. This can be risky, because many eateries do have tables-for-two. If the guest was slated for one of these, there simply might not be a table available to seat the third person - even if an infant. The extra chair location might extend into an aisle and block access for other guests or Servers.
.
NOTE3: Sometimes it is a threesome adding a fourth. Unfortunately, there are many eateries that do have 3-top tables - usually against a wall or pillar. They can't add a fourth chair, since that would invade the aisle and be unsafe for SERVERS.
.
NOTE4: The final question is that of how many people are in the eatery. There are Fire Codes which dictate the maximum amount of people. If the capacity is exceeded, there are some big fines possible. And, Disney will not violate the max-capacity of an eatery.

 

[wrmiller13]

We are in the same boat as far as an "extra" .... We planned our trip and made our ADRs for 8. We are foster parents and it looks like our little guy That we thought was going to be returning home, will be joining us...so, he makes number 9. I,was able to change some reservations to 9, but not all ( Chef Mickeys, Rose and Crown, Akershus, Ohana bfast, and Tusker House still stand at 8) he will be turning 1 on our trip. I am honestly just going to ask if they can possibly accommodate him, or could we hold him on our laps. We are prepared for them to say no, and one of us will just go get some solo park time...its DH and I travelling with the 7 kids, so that may be rough, but we are just trying to plan the best we can! We are prepared to be turned down, but hoping for the best!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Awesome! Well now I'm really looking forward to it!!!

Any have success adding another person at the restaurant? I'll be nervous!

We've done this a few times at different restaurants and never had a problem. Don't sweat it. You're not going to be turned away. Just tell them you forgot to add the baby. Have fun!

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

True. But then let's all be honest.

Did someone with a party of 13, really forget about the baby? Didn't realize that the baby counted as a person? Or could they not find a reservation with 13, but could find it with 12? Well, since she mentioned back in July that she had a party of 13, chances are she didn't forget.

Let's all be honest, its pretty lame to get on a message board and accuse somebody you don't know, of lying. We have 13 people going on our trip, yes. Yes, one will be an 8 month old. No, this baby won't be eating at the restaurant because she will be eight months old and eating what her mother brings her. So NO, nobody forgot about the baby, but simply didn't count them as a person eating at the restaurant.

If you don't have anything nice to say, how about don't say anything at all?

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

THE QUESTION OF AN EXTRA PERSON or EXTRA PEOPLE (the "411"):
1) Disney is getting wise to the "but, they decided to join us" or "I miscounted".
2) People can't always get the ADR they want.
3) So, they under-count to get a table.
4) Then, they show up with "unexpected" additional people.
5) In a team meeting, CM's have been told to warn guests against this.
6) If there is room, WDW will not turn away revenue.
7) But, if busy, they will turn away the additions.
8) Go ahead and arrive with the extras, if you like.
9) Just be prepared to have someone stand around while you eat.
10) I have heard explanations such as . . .
. . . "but, Aunt Suzy decided to join us and we need an extra seat"
. . . "but, two friends from off-site decided to join us and we need two extra seats"
. . . "but, brother-in-law decided to join us and we need an extra seat"
. . . "but, the entire Boy Scout Troop decided to join us and we need 14 extra sets"
. . . "but, my baby is so small that I didn't count her in the number of eaters"
.
NOTE1: It is far easier going from an odd-number to an even number, such as from 7-people to 8-people, adding a person to an even number of diners, such as going from 6-people to 7-people. Adding odd person can mean adding a table, and this might not be possible. Going from an odd-to-even might only mean adding a chair or using an empty seat. So, if going from even-to-odd, you might not get the extra person a seat. It is always better to get another ADR with the proper people-count.
.
NOTE2: Frequently a party-of-two will try to add a third person at the podium. This can be risky, because many eateries do have tables-for-two. If the guest was slated for one of these, there simply might not be a table available to seat the third person - even if an infant. The extra chair location might extend into an aisle and block access for other guests or Servers.
.
NOTE3: Sometimes it is a threesome adding a fourth. Unfortunately, there are many eateries that do have 3-top tables - usually against a wall or pillar. They can't add a fourth chair, since that would invade the aisle and be unsafe for SERVERS.
.
NOTE4: The final question is that of how many people are in the eatery. There are Fire Codes which dictate the maximum amount of people. If the capacity is exceeded, there are some big fines possible. And, Disney will not violate the max-capacity of an eatery.

Thanks for providing the information without being condescending or accusing a stranger of lying. You are appreciated.

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

Thanks all!! Going to continue to try to add the baby, but we'll see what happens! I'm sure it'll be fine either way.

 

[Lisa F]

True. But then let's all be honest.

Did someone with a party of 13, really forget about the baby? Didn't realize that the baby counted as a person? Or could they not find a reservation with 13, but could find it with 12? Well, since she mentioned back in July that she had a party of 13, chances are she didn't forget.

wow, you are very invested in the dishonesty of others. Like I said, since the baby is not counted in any other sense at WDW, I bet this happens a lot. And I have never seen a review where an entire party was turned away because they forgot to count the baby in an ADR when the baby doesn't count for any other aspect of booking your trip. I guess we'll see. When I was planning my last trip I saw a lot of finger wagging from "experts" on the DIS about the way they felt things SHOULD go down but it never went down for me like that. Of course anything is possible and it's good for the OP to be aware they may need to scramble to make a change at the last minute... but I don't think it is likely based on all of the reports I've read about this in the past.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

And I have never seen a review where an entire party was turned away

1) The entire party is never turned away.
2) When the rules are enforced, only the EXTRA people are excluded.

 

[robl45]

I don't think that would work very well. The baby will need a space at the table for a high chair.

Does an 8 month old sit in a high chair? Aren't they in a baby seat or something? I honestly don't remember since its been a few years since my kids were that small, but I can't imagine this being any problem. Another reason we aren't going next year, Disney is so stupidly inflexible along with 6 month pre books. Like adding that baby will really blow their fire codes like they claim when you try to add an extra person or switch a reservation.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

After reading the 200th post post about someone "forgetting." Then yes, it gets tiresome. Especially since I'd previously read about the same poster needing reservations for 13.

I really hope that they can seat everyone. There is a chance that they can't. I'd be prepared for it, regardless of how likely it is or isn't.

 

[BabyPiglet]

Does an 8 month old sit in a high chair? Aren't they in a baby seat or something? I honestly don't remember since its been a few years since my kids were that small, but I can't imagine this being any problem. Another reason we aren't going next year, Disney is so stupidly inflexible along with 6 month pre books. Like adding that baby will really blow their fire codes like they claim when you try to add an extra person or switch a reservation.

Yes, at 8 months my son sat at a high chair and was starting to eat table food. It sometimes is a problem because most restaurants at Disney don't allow you to stick the high chair at the end of the table or squeeze it in somewhere.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

It sometimes is a problem because most restaurants at Disney don't allow you to stick the high chair at the end of the table or squeeze it in somewhere.

1) True.
2) The end of a table can protrude into an aisle and be a hazard for SERVERS, let alone other patrons walking to/from the buffet line.
3) The tables at most WDW eateries do not allow a lot of room between them or have wide aisles.
4) If you try to squeeze the high into the table, it crunches everyone else, and sometimes those on the end stick into the aisle.

NOTE: In many cases, a group of twelve (12) people requires 4-to-5 tables
. . . five 4-top tables pushed together
. . . four 6-top tables pushed together
. . . the end of the tables don't seat anyone if they stick into an aisle
. . . also, at Tusker, seating 12-people at one table long is rarely done, due to the current arrangement of tables and aisles
. . . if you look at the ADR confirmation, it states that the group may be split-up or seated at different tables
. . . they can do eight (8) people together, but not twelve (12)

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

Does an 8 month old sit in a high chair? Aren't they in a baby seat or something? I honestly don't remember since its been a few years since my kids were that small, but I can't imagine this being any problem. Another reason we aren't going next year, Disney is so stupidly inflexible along with 6 month pre books. Like adding that baby will really blow their fire codes like they claim when you try to add an extra person or switch a reservation.

Depends on the baby! Haha! My first wouldn't get near a high chair, always sat in our laps. My second loves a high chair.