Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing

mowgli's mom · 01-05-2007

We have a party of 9 traveling - 6 adults 3 kids -- called last night to make reservations for a character breakfast and fastasmic dining deal. Called the special number for grand gatherings for our "special travel agent" and pushed 1 for dining reservations and got put into the regular dining reservations who couldn't guarantee with any reservation that we would all sit together! None - not even the character breakfast highlighted under the grand gatherings. How disappointing!

Same goes with Hollywood and Vine - we have to sit separately.

I thought the deal with the grand gatherings was that disney was working to accommodate the larger parties traveling together.

What a bummer.

lovemysons · 01-05-2007

Hmmm, that does seem like a bummer. Perhaps someone who has experience with the grand gatherings will come along and tell us how things went.

jenbarnwell · 01-05-2007

I am so sorry maybe if you try calling again and talking to a different CM? I hope everything works out for you!

DereksMom713 · 01-05-2007

Yeah, I'd call back today and see if I could speak with someone else.

**DisneyTeacher** · 01-05-2007

Call back later and see if you can get it through the Grand Gatherings. If not don't worry too much, we have been told almost every time we book a table for 8 that we will be split up bet we NEVER are. The CMs at the restaurants are really good about moving tables together.

MerlinMatt · 01-05-2007

When is your trip?

Don't hesitate to call back. What many of us here have discovered is that not every call center has the same standard for CM training. It's not uncommon to talk to a CM who doesn't know everything there is to know about Disney.

Grand Gatherings are not used so often, so it's possible that the CM you spoke to had no idea of the "special status".

So, unless you're trying to make reservations for the next few days, you should be able to call back and get better results.

woohoo · 01-05-2007

im not going to be as optimistic as we had the same experiance and had the split tables for everything but Donalds Restrauntasaurus where we were stuck in a back room. Oh and we did sit together(all but 4 of us) for the whoop dee doo but we were stuck in the back of the room even though we had reserved our table a year in advance due to the table size.

mowgli's mom · 01-05-2007

We are heading down at the end of January. . .its funny that you all mention different CMs, I was just telling my cousin (who is going on the trip) that the CM was not very "disney". Almost like I was putting him out asking to make several reservations and many questions.

Absolutely no "have a magical day" from him!

MerlinMatt · 01-05-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mowgli's mom

We are heading down at the end of January. . .its funny that you all mention different CMs, I was just telling my cousin (who is going on the trip) that the CM was not very "disney". Almost like I was putting him out asking to make several reservations and many questions.

Absolutely no "have a magical day" from him!

Yup. Whenever you get that, politely say, "maybe I'll think about it." Hang up and call back.

woohoo · 01-05-2007

I have done that a few times this trip- someone told me that some of those on the other end are not even disney but a travel company outsourced by disney. On the other hand- imagine how depressing it must be to handle everyones trips and excitement when you yourself are not there and its not a trip for you- talk about a job that breeds jealousy?

tink74 · 01-05-2007

I hope this helps.....We weren't a Grand Gathering party, but there were 8 of us with a reservation at Hollywood and Vine for a Fantasmic pkg.

When I made the reservation, the CM told me that the tables may be sitting back to back or next to each other (meaning we were probably going to be split). I made the reservation anyway, and we ended up sitting at the same table.

Our table could have held 9 people, so maybe they're just covering thier bases by telling you that, just in case it's really busy that night.

ArielMom · 01-07-2007

We just did a grand gathering in November. We had a party of 15. At Chef's Mickey we had two tables, but they were right next to each other so it really was not bad. At the donald duck character breakfast, they were able to seat 12 of us at one table. I have also been on trips where there were 8 of us. They never had a problem seating us together.

Good luck.

Jen · 01-07-2007

On our last trip, we were a party of 10. We were told that they couldn't promise that we would all sit together, but at not a single time were we split up.

Cavey · 01-07-2007

You can call the restaurant directly and talk to the manager. That's what I did for CFII. I have 3 seperate ADR's for it, but the manager told me he was noting everything to keep us together.

01-05-2007	#1 (permalink)
mowgli's mom Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brewer, Maine Posts: 122	Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing We have a party of 9 traveling - 6 adults 3 kids -- called last night to make reservations for a character breakfast and fastasmic dining deal. Called the special number for grand gatherings for our "special travel agent" and pushed 1 for dining reservations and got put into the regular dining reservations who couldn't guarantee with any reservation that we would all sit together! None - not even the character breakfast highlighted under the grand gatherings. How disappointing! Same goes with Hollywood and Vine - we have to sit separately. I thought the deal with the grand gatherings was that disney was working to accommodate the larger parties traveling together. What a bummer. __________________ 2007 ~ Pop Century 2004 ~ Caribbean Beach Resort 2000 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1999 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1997 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1993 ~ Caribbean Beach Resort 1992 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1989 ~ Polynesian 1987 ~ Polynesian

01-05-2007	#2 (permalink)
lovemysons Single digits!! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: In my house Posts: 7,713	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing Hmmm, that does seem like a bummer. Perhaps someone who has experience with the grand gatherings will come along and tell us how things went. __________________ Dopey is the boss of us. Missing the madness. Peppy is still my partner in crime. Is that you, Pu? Fabulous avatar, courtesy of the fabulous Mr. R2Go! ´¨) x¸.•´ ¸.•´¨)xxxx¸.•¨) (¸.•´xxxxxx(¸.•`xxx´¨)Make just one person happy. ´¨) My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Holidays full of magic 9 days 2 hours 52 minutes

01-05-2007	#3 (permalink)
jenbarnwell I need to get a life besides MouseBuzz!! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,686	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing I am so sorry maybe if you try calling again and talking to a different CM? I hope everything works out for you! __________________ Jen # 2 http://www.myspace.com/jenvance1 2009 ~ Jan ~All Star Sports ~ On our Own! 2008 ~ Feb ~ Caribbean Beach and off-site ALL by ourselves!! 2007 ~ Sept ~ Coronado Springs Resort with family and Mom 2007 ~ Jan. ~ Pop Century with the family 2006 ~ Caribbean Beach Resort with DMIL 2005 ~ WDW ~ off-site with my sisters My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Back to the World! 68 days 19 hours 22 minutes

01-05-2007	#4 (permalink)
DereksMom713 Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 409	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing Yeah, I'd call back today and see if I could speak with someone else. __________________ DEREK's MOMMY is a.k.a. LUCIANA Avatar: Derek enjoying ice cream at Chef Mickey's. JULY 2006 (with family) - Hilton Grand Vacation Club, SeaWorld MAY 2007 (with family and friends) - Sheraton Vistana Villages, International Drive MAY 2008 (with family and friends) - POP Century AUGUST 2009 (with children and mom) - Animal Kingdom Lodge (+ Free Dining)...FINALLY! My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Free Dining at AKL

01-05-2007	#5 (permalink)
DisneyTeacher Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: WDW in my dreams Posts: 18,306	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing Call back later and see if you can get it through the Grand Gatherings. If not don't worry too much, we have been told almost every time we book a table for 8 that we will be split up bet we NEVER are. The CMs at the restaurants are really good about moving tables together. __________________ ~Stephanie~ 1993 Caribbean Beach Resort ~ 1996 Caribbean Beach resort ~1997 Caribbean Beach Resort ~2003 Wilderness Lodge ~2004 Beach Club Resort/Shades of Green/Pop Century~ 2005 Wilderness Lodge Resort/Beach Club Villas ~ 2006 Saratoga Springs Resort~2007 Port Orleans French Quarter/Beach Club Villas/Boardwalk Villas ~ 2007 Port Orleans Riverside~ 2008 Wilderness Lodge/Beach Club Villas~2008 Beach Club Villas~2009 Hilton Head Island~ 2009 Beach Club Villas My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Beach Club here we come 240 days 20 hours 22 minutes

		MouseBuzz.com > Walt Disney World > WDW Restaurants
Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing

01-05-2007	#6 (permalink)
MerlinMatt DC Grand Poohbah Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 3,495	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing When is your trip? Don't hesitate to call back. What many of us here have discovered is that not every call center has the same standard for CM training. It's not uncommon to talk to a CM who doesn't know everything there is to know about Disney. Grand Gatherings are not used so often, so it's possible that the CM you spoke to had no idea of the "special status". So, unless you're trying to make reservations for the next few days, you should be able to call back and get better results. __________________ Erin's still my favorite.

01-05-2007	#7 (permalink)
woohoo Newest DVC Neighbor!!!! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Twains World Parytime Excellent Posts: 3,752	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing im not going to be as optimistic as we had the same experiance and had the split tables for everything but Donalds Restrauntasaurus where we were stuck in a back room. Oh and we did sit together(all but 4 of us) for the whoop dee doo but we were stuck in the back of the room even though we had reserved our table a year in advance due to the table size. __________________ avitar a day at the castle with Mama "Dorkman" and her little "dorkmans" My Disney Countdown Counting down to: WDW Easter Basket Bonanza 125 days 9 hours 22 minutes

01-05-2007	#8 (permalink)
mowgli's mom Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brewer, Maine Posts: 122	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing We are heading down at the end of January. . .its funny that you all mention different CMs, I was just telling my cousin (who is going on the trip) that the CM was not very "disney". Almost like I was putting him out asking to make several reservations and many questions. Absolutely no "have a magical day" from him! __________________ 2007 ~ Pop Century 2004 ~ Caribbean Beach Resort 2000 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1999 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1997 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1993 ~ Caribbean Beach Resort 1992 ~ Dixie Landings Resort 1989 ~ Polynesian 1987 ~ Polynesian

01-05-2007	#10 (permalink)
woohoo Newest DVC Neighbor!!!! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Twains World Parytime Excellent Posts: 3,752	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing I have done that a few times this trip- someone told me that some of those on the other end are not even disney but a travel company outsourced by disney. On the other hand- imagine how depressing it must be to handle everyones trips and excitement when you yourself are not there and its not a trip for you- talk about a job that breeds jealousy? __________________ avitar a day at the castle with Mama "Dorkman" and her little "dorkmans" My Disney Countdown Counting down to: WDW Easter Basket Bonanza 125 days 9 hours 22 minutes

01-05-2007	#11 (permalink)
tink74 Mouse Meister Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Serka Zong Posts: 1,234	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing I hope this helps.....We weren't a Grand Gathering party, but there were 8 of us with a reservation at Hollywood and Vine for a Fantasmic pkg. When I made the reservation, the CM told me that the tables may be sitting back to back or next to each other (meaning we were probably going to be split). I made the reservation anyway, and we ended up sitting at the same table. Our table could have held 9 people, so maybe they're just covering thier bases by telling you that, just in case it's really busy that night. __________________ MBer's I've Met: alilmagical32 Off Site 1979 Off Site 1986 All Star Sports January 2003 All Star Sports August 2003 Pop Century January 2005 Coronado Springs June/July 2005 Port Orleans FQ December 2006 Port Orleans FQ December 2007 Coming Up....French Quarter October 2008 Grail, Grail, Grail, HUH! My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Celebrating My Cousins Wedding!! All Adults Trip!! Off to have my 1st Lapu Lapu!!

01-07-2007	#12 (permalink)
ArielMom Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: PA Posts: 161	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing We just did a grand gathering in November. We had a party of 15. At Chef's Mickey we had two tables, but they were right next to each other so it really was not bad. At the donald duck character breakfast, they were able to seat 12 of us at one table. I have also been on trips where there were 8 of us. They never had a problem seating us together. Good luck. __________________ 2007 Offsite 2006 Yacht Club & Port Orleans Riverside 2005 Contemporary 2004 Yacht Club 2001 Disneyland Hotel 1990 Offsite 1986 Offsite 1972-1986 (Can't remember how many trips to DL

01-07-2007	#13 (permalink)
Jen Go Navy! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kissimmee, FL Posts: 2,864	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing On our last trip, we were a party of 10. We were told that they couldn't promise that we would all sit together, but at not a single time were we split up. __________________ Defender of Chit Chat ...11 trips to WDW since 1981 Avatar of the Week: Wicked Step-sisters at the Pirate and Princess Party, 2007 MBer's i've met: erin, cavey, gingita, chastmastr, quakercub, soundgod, catfish1999, slartybartfest, cousin mike, jenbarnwell, lovemysons, val32, wishuponastar, princessalyssa, iluvwdw, mickaholic4077 and empressjenny My Disney Countdown Counting down to: Moving to Florida in... ...we're on our way to our new home in Kissimmee!!

01-07-2007	#14 (permalink)
Cavey MB's Rabble Rouser® Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Carlinville, IL Posts: 6,144	Re: Grand Gatherings Reservations Very Disappointing You can call the restaurant directly and talk to the manager. That's what I did for CFII. I have 3 seperate ADR's for it, but the manager told me he was noting everything to keep us together. __________________ . . Cavey, Tigger, BossMouse, Soundgod Erin, and Lil'pocohantas in association with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Juicy Juice are proud to present Cavey-Fest III December 13, 2008

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