Evacuated from dinner at Cinderella Castle

[Nancyg56]

i would have used them as snack credits to take home

1 TS Credit = 3 Snacks
10 TS Credits = 30 Snacks

It sounds like it was her own fault for leaving credits "on the table" so to speak - even though they were "free"

She was not out anything, even if she did not know to replace teh credits with snacks. She was refunded in kind, so a bonus 2 credits per person, rather than the cash she wanted.

Things happen. A few years ago I took a "bonus" trip with my DDIL and my friend to see the last Osbourne Lights. We stayed at CSR. My DDIL and I saved our last CS credit for a lunch before the flight at Pepper Market. Well, the entire resort was rented out to a business. No one was told. When that happens, guests cannot use the restaurnats, they are taken, so to speak. Are you kidding me????? We return to the resort and we cannot eat? Now what? I spoke to the manager because I felt that some sort of warning should have been provided. WE just wanted a means to get food. She gave us each a stipend for lunch at the airport, and we traded our CS credits for snacks, which my DS was going to benefit from once DDIL got home. TO be honest, I woudl have preferred the option to get that bacon burger at pepper market and enjoy it out by the pool, however that was not on the table.

The thing is we all have something that we want, but if it is not what the business feels is a either equitable, or is impossible, they give something back. In teh case of your friend, I think she as compensated by having her meal replaced with hot fresh food. (My hungry family would have said "SCORE!" If they got a bonus pork belly!) Safety concerns always trump ann uninterrupted meal.

 

[Shanti]

My friend was having dinner with her family on Saturday when the fire alarm went off. Everyone was evacuated from the restaurant. When they were let back in the tables were cleared and everyone got new food. They were also given back the 2 credits for each person (5). Since it was their last day and the flight was going at 7am the next day, they were unable to use those 2 (10) credits.

They booked on free dining at a value and paid to upgrade to the DDP. She was at least hoping that she would be credited for the difference between the free and what she paid to upgrade. They checked with guest services back at the resort and they were told there was nothing they could do about it. She called when she got home and was also told there was nothing they could do. However, they gave her an email address to send a note to.

What are the chances that she will get some kind of reimbursement? She was really sad as they saved the credits to be able to have their last meal at the castle.

She still got the DDP that she paid for. I don't see why she'd expect a refund. The family also did get their meal at CRT, with fresh food after the fire alarm, even. So they would have had plenty of time to eat and meet princesses.

Disney doesn't owe them anything.

 

[Shanti]

Yet another reason in the exceedingly long list of reasons why no one should ever get the DDP. Everyone else who paid OOP likely had their meals refunded but for some wildly bizarre and irrational twist of logic the OP is just supposed to be happy that their meal was ruined.

I absolutely agree with the part about paying cash being preferable to the dining plan, but not the part about the meal being ruined. They were inconvenienced, but nothing was ruined. It was nice of Disney to give refunds, but no one is owed anything here as fresh food (& therefore more time to eat it with the princesses in waiting) was provided. If the extra 10-20 minutes the meal took conflicted with someone's FPs, I could see them getting comped an anytime FP, but that's it.

But yes, cash is the way to go. If you pay with cash, you get refunded cash. If you pay with credits, you get refunded credits, and there is no compensation for unused credits. (Another point against the dining plan- most inexperienced visitors leave credits unused.)

 

[LovesTimone]

If she and her family, had to exit due to the fire alarm, and then re-enter... and a total fresh meal was served. I really don't understand the point. She used up all the entitlements. Disney was gracious enough to give a extra meal credits, which they did not have to considering that they did get the full meal, and experience. So why would she feel that a refund was even necessary. She used up all the credits that she paid for, I really don't understand... her math.

On a sidebar note... After dinner before returning to the resort....They could have used the extra credits for items to take home with them, or breakfast on the go the next morning. We have used dinning plan credits, for items for the next morning. Once we had quite a few left over credits and snack credits, I had tummy troubles while we were there, luckily not bad enough to keep me in the room, I really just drank more to stay hydrated, and nibbled very selectively. We grabed some muffins /donuts, yogurt, and juice from the food court at our resort for the next morning for an in room breakfast, Before we left the park we also picked up some bags of snacks, and those banded together lollipop for DD to share with her class. As well we did get some cookies, and other sweets to enjoy when we got home.

 

[smiths02]

My friend was having dinner with her family on Saturday when the fire alarm went .off. Everyone was evacuated from the restaurant. When they were let back in the tables were cleared and everyone got new food. They were also given back the 2 credits for each person (5). Since it was their last day and the flight was going at 7am the next day, they were unable to use those 2 (10) credits.

They booked on free dining at a value and paid to upgrade to the DDP. She was at least hoping that she would be credited for the difference between the free and what she paid to upgrade. They checked with guest services back at the resort and they were told there was nothing they could do about it. She called when she got home and was also told there was nothing they could do. However, they gave her an email address to send a note to.

Disney doesn't generally reimburse for unused dining credits...that is part of the risk of the dining plan versus paying cash for your meals.

The restaurant had no choice but to refund to original form or payment.

They got their meal, they were just delayed/inconvenienced? I would not expect payment for that, I would have maybe asked for a FP+ if my meal took longer than expected.

 

[nkereina]

Yep, I'm in agreement with the rest. Had the fire alarm not gone off, they would have used those credits anyway. Sure its an annoyance, but they got to finish their meal so nothing gained, nothing lost. Had they not been able to go back in the restaurant, that would be a different story. It wouldn't have even occurred to me to seek alternate compensation just because I didn't have time to use the dining credits they refunded as a goodwill gesture.

She was at least hoping that she would be credited for the difference between the free and what she paid to upgrade

On what planet would this be reasonable compensation? They used all the rest of the credits through the course of their trip, so how does this even make sense?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

She’s probably more upset the other people got more than them in the refund. Meaning the people who paid OOP got a full refund. People with more days got an extra dinner or two.

I would let it go and move on. She didn’t lose out on anything.

 

[Nancyg56]

On what planet would this be reasonable compensation? They used all the rest of the credits through the course of their trip, so how does this even make sense?

And this is why I sometimes cut Disney slack at times. They ran into a "technical" issue that inconvenienced their clientele. They not only made them whole in terms of what they paid for, but they gave them a gift, in essence giving them their meal and experience free of charge. If the guest was not happy with the "gift" all they needed to do was ask for something else, such as a FP. No...this guest wants money because others got cash. What the guest did not understand was that Disney made each family whole by reimbursing their form of payment, much like a department store reimburses an exchange. Same payment method.

IMO, this kind of "complaint" is greed, pure and simple.

 

[Sparkly]

And this is why I sometimes cut Disney slack at times. They ran into a "technical" issue that inconvenienced their clientele. They not only made them whole in terms of what they paid for, but they gave them a gift, in essence giving them their meal and experience free of charge. If the guest was not happy with the "gift" all they needed to do was ask for something else, such as a FP. No...this guest wants money because others got cash. What the guest did not understand was that Disney made each family whole by reimbursing their form of payment, much like a department store reimburses an exchange. Same payment method.

IMO, this kind of "complaint" is greed, pure and simple.

I agree. They got their meal, they got back the credits so what else were they possibly expecting??? This is another example of entitlement ruining magic, not Disney.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Would they have rather stayed and risk potentially burning? What else should have been done?

 

[Elle23]

This is interesting. We will be paying OOP for a few TS meals, and now I’m thinking I should plan it for the last few meals. Coincidentally, CRT is going to be our last TS meal as well.

On a side note, if everyone got reimbursed, did the servers not get tipped for those meals since tips are included in the cost?

 

[Nancyg56]

This is interesting. We will be paying OOP for a few TS meals, and now I’m thinking I should plan it for the last few meals. Coincidentally, CRT is going to be our last TS meal as well.

It is always a good idea to save OOP for the end unless the meals are those that are very very good values on the DDP. WE tend to book a few extra meals, and never know if we will end up sharing during the trip. We use the TS first, unless there are meals toward the end that I know I want to use credits on.

We learned this the hard way over ten years ago when we were worried we had more planned than we had credits for, and paid OOP for extra CS meals. Now back then it was hard to lose money, and we did not, however we did take the lesson and use our credits first moving forward, and then if we needed t pay for something OOP we did when the credits were gone.

 

[nkereina]

This is interesting. We will be paying OOP for a few TS meals, and now I’m thinking I should plan it for the last few meals. Coincidentally, CRT is going to be our last TS meal as well.

On a side note, if everyone got reimbursed, did the servers not get tipped for those meals since tips are included in the cost?

There has to be an anomaly for them to fully refund a meal, including dining credits. So I wouldn't be too worried that something like this will happen causing you to have leftover credits at the end. To me, I still prefer to plan it so that I'm paying OOP for my least expensive meals, regardless of when those are during my trip.

 

[goofyintoronto]

They gave her a replacement meal...the meal was interrupted, but they did dine at CRT. Why would she expect money back? Is this a joke? Disney was nice enough to credit them back 2 TS pp. Its not disney's fault the family couldn't use it. Sorry but it seems to me that she's just being greedy at this point.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is interesting. We will be paying OOP for a few TS meals, and now I’m thinking I should plan it for the last few meals. Coincidentally, CRT is going to be our last TS meal as well.

On a side note, if everyone got reimbursed, did the servers not get tipped for those meals since tips are included in the cost?

In the vein of, "last performance does not indicate future results" - no, you should not adjust your dining plans on the miniscule chance that there may, in all the history of CRT and all the meal events ever offered, might possibly be another true or false fire alarm during your specific meal.

Yes, the servers got tipped. No, I am not a server. I know no servers. Just common sense

 

[Elle23]

In the vein of, "last performance does not indicate future results" - no, you should not adjust your dining plans on the miniscule chance that there may, in all the history of CRT and all the meal events ever offered, might possibly be another true or false fire alarm during your specific meal.

I’m not saying that exact thing is going to happen to me, just that things do happen. That is all.

Also, I’m not adjusting any dining plans. Just trying to decide which to pay for OOP.

Yes, the servers got tipped. No, I am not a server. I know no servers. Just common sense

How did they get tipped?

 

[goofyintoronto]

Yet another reason in the exceedingly long list of reasons why no one should ever get the DDP. Everyone else who paid OOP likely had their meals refunded but for some wildly bizarre and irrational twist of logic the OP is just supposed to be happy that their meal was ruined. Honestly, I feel terrible for the OP and can only hope anyone who reads her cautionary tale will take head and think twice before ruining their vacation with the DDP

The people who paid cash got reimbursed IN CASH. The people who used DP credits were reimbursed with DP CREDITS. Makes complete sense to me. But what makes zero sense to me is why she would want (or expect) disney to give her a portion of her MONEY back when her family did in fact dine there! They gave everyone a fresh replacement meal for crying out loud. To expect cash on top of the 2 credits? Thats wrong. The mentality of some people continue to surprise me.

She’s probably more upset the other people got more than them in the refund. Meaning the people who paid OOP got a full refund. People with more days got an extra dinner or two.

I would let it go and move on. She didn’t lose out on anything.

The people who got cash back did in fact pay in cash. It wouldn't make sense to pay them back in dining credits. Why would she expect money back if she paid in dining credits? Again, its not Disney's fault that she couldnt use them. I agree with you though...move on. She didnt lose out at all.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

The people who paid cash got reimbursed IN CASH. The people who used DP credits were reimbursed with DP CREDITS. Makes complete sense to me. But what makes zero sense to me is why she would want (or expect) disney to give her a portion of her MONEY back when her family did in fact dine there! They gave everyone a fresh replacement meal for crying out loud. To expect cash on top of the 2 credits? Thats wrong. Again, its not disneys The mentality of some people continue to surprise me.


The people who got cash back did in fact pay in cash. It wouldnt make sense to pay them back in dining credits. Why would she expect money back if she paid in dining credits? I agree with you though...move on. She didnt lose out at all.

I agree. She shouldn't expect money back but I guess in her mind it wasn't "fair" that she couldn't take advantage of the extra credits so she wants the cash.

She was reimbursed in dining credits which is fair. It's not Disney's fault her vacation was ending. She also completed her meal with new food and I would guess a good experience. Had they cancelled everything and they weren't able to return I would probably speak up.

I'm of the mindset of "crap happens." Yes being evacuated mid meal sucks but crap happens. You have to roll with it or you'll always be upset. IMO this isn't something to waste anymore time on.

I was at a restaurant about 10 years ago when all of the power went out due to a car accident not far from the restaurant. They told everyone they had to leave mid meal. We didn't have to pay for anything since they had to evacuate immediately. Well we weren't done our food and we couldn't go back so we had to find somewhere else to eat since we were still hungry. I never contacted the restaurant for any additional compensation.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Also, I’m not adjusting any dining plans. Just trying to decide which to pay for OOP.

We had more TS scheduled than credits, so we paid OOP for the cheapest ones... Even down to splitting some meals with credits and paying OOP if someone ordered a really cheap meal. We also paid OOP for things like a soda / fruit since they wouldn't have been a great snack credit value.

Well, we ended up cancelling 2 TS meals at the end of the trip because we just weren't in the mood for them, and DH missed a meal because he wasn't feeling well. In the end, we had 8 TS meals left, several QS and like 30-something snack credits (it was a 12 nt trip with 5 ppl on the DDP). I really wish we would have used credits for all those things we paid for. I would have saved probably $300 and not ended up taking home 2 huge carry-ons full of candy that we didn't really want. If we get the DDP in the future, I will definitely be using all my credits before paying OOP for anything.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I agree. She shouldn't expect money back but I guess in her mind it wasn't "fair" that she couldn't take advantage of the extra credits so she wants the cash.

She was reimbursed in dining credits which is fair. It's not Disney's fault her vacation was ending. She also completed her meal with new food and I would guess a good experience. Had they cancelled everything and they weren't able to return I would probably speak up.

I'm of the mindset of "crap happens." Yes being evacuated mid meal sucks but crap happens. You have to roll with it or you'll always be upset. IMO this isn't something to waste anymore time on.

I was at a restaurant about 10 years ago when all of the power went out due to a car accident not far from the restaurant. They told everyone they had to leave mid meal. We didn't have to pay for anything since they had to evacuate immediately. Well we weren't done our food and we couldn't go back so we had to find somewhere else to eat since we were still hungry. I never contacted the restaurant for any additional compensation.

Yes exactly. All very good points which i agree with. And you're right, "rolling with it" while on disney vacay is essential for your own sanity. Otherwise you'll be bothered by everything that happens.