Poll: pushy or acceptable?

[Ladyandthepuppies]

This is apparently a divisive topic going by the conversation that was started in another thread. If you have a hard-to-get FP reservation but the time interferes with your other plans and renders the FP inconvenient/unusable, do you think asking a CM to help change the time is acceptable?

I am honestly wondering if answers have anything to do with regional culture. I am from a big city so maybe I’m desensitized to what being pushy looks like! If you don’t mind posting your answer with your location in the comments, I would be really curious to see how it stacks up.

As for me, I don’t see anything wrong with asking. I wouldn’t expect the CM to change it and I wouldn’t argue about it, but I think it’s fine to ask. I’m open to hearing why this is such “bad behavior” though, maybe I will rethink my attitude before my next trip!

I’m from PA and live just outside of Philly

 

[JediBonas]

I wouldn't necessarily call it "bad behavior" more like no personal responsibility. YOU booked the FP and the other reservations, just because YOU could get a FP but not at the perfect time, how come it's on the CM to deal with? Going in you knew that the FP was not at an ideal time and had the option to try to change a reservation or cancel, it shouldn't be on anyone but yourself and the CM shouldn't be brought into it.

It's not being pushy, it's having no personal responsibility for something you booked because it's an "inconvenient" time, which you would have known well before your trip.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

What CM would you be asking in this scenario? Only a few CMs/departments have the power/ability to actually move a FP time for a guest.

Other than that, seems like a self-created scheduling issue that is not Disney’s problem, in my opinion.

I’d never even consider asking for relief if I made conflicting FP and dining reservations - that’s all on me.

I don’t think where I’m from really matters as to how I would handle such a situation.

Just my opinion!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Well, I would never find myself in that situation because I wouldn't schedule myself a conflict. But if it somehow happened, it would never have occurred to me to ask a CM to change the time.

 

[Lisa_M]

I don't think it's a problem if you ask to go in like 10-15 min early because it conflicts with another planned event, but more than that seems like asking for too much. I've only asked once for 10 min early on TSM because of a conflict where we needed to get to another park for a seminar. They said no, which was fine, but I don't think I was rude for asking.

 

[DisLiss]

I don't have any issue with asking CMs if there is any remote possibility that they can help with something IF my reason for needing/wanting to ask was not entirely caused by my own actions/decision.

But in the situation described in the OP, the reason for asking is because despite knowing you had a coveted FP and were lucky to have it, you decided to go ahead and prioritize something else for that same time frame instead. That was your choice. We all have to make choices when we're at WDW. Usually people simply cannot do everything they may want to do (Unless they are staying for quite a long trip.) and so they choose what's most important to them of the options available. If two things you'd like to do are only available at one time, then unfortunately, you have to either choose one of them, or keep working to try to secure new FPs or ADRs on your own for the other activity. I view FPs and ADRs as a guest's responsibility and I don't think personal responsibility goes away just because you are at WDW.

And I don't think this has anything to do with regional differences. But if I did, then I'd say folks living in/near big cities would be even less inclined to get on board with the idea that one person in the sea of humanity that is a big city should try to get someone to rearrange things for just them. I mean, imagine if we were talking about trying to get last minute adjustments made to a ticket for a showtime or a reservation for a popular restaurant. Everyone else did the hard work to secure those tickets/seats/tables. And if they had them, they didn't choose to try to keep alternate plans at the same time and hope they could sweet talk someone into letting them switch their times for one of those items at the last minute. I live quite near a city, too, and I imagine if something similar happened in the city, the response of people nearby hearing such a thing would "Heck, no! (Word choice altered due to the family nature of this board. )

Plus, having worked in a customer service position in my college years, I know how it feels every time someone comes up to you asking for something you cannot do. It feels kind of crappy. And it's a bit stressful, because you don't know how they'll respond to hearing "No.". Because some adults really are worse than toddlers when it comes to being told they can't have something, and no CM knows ahead of time which guest will take the "no" gracefully and which will pitch a fit. With something like this, if word got out that you could simply opt to talk to a CM to get yourself a prized FP, it would be bedlam with everyone hunting down CMs to do the very same thing.

So while I personally wouldn't have said a word to you about it if you hadn't asked, if I overheard the conversation between you & the CM, I would definitely have raised my eyebrows in surprise and walked away shaking my head over the situation. I wouldn't call it "pushy". But I would call it "entitled". Sorry.

(Now, had you been new to all of this FP/ADR/WDW planning stuff, and you simply made an honest newbie mistake, realized it, and apologetically went to a CM to find out if they had any advice on what you might do to correct your mistake, and they offered to try to help you out as a bit of extra Magic, I would feel very differently about the entire situation. I would have definitely empathized with you in trying to figure out the world of WDW pre-planning, and I would have thought it was sweet that the CM found a way to help you.)

 

[Wild4Walt]

I wouldn't consider it bad behavior, I just wouldn't count on them being able to do anything about it. I like as long as you are nice in asking and realize that they may not be able to accomplish your request, it's all good.

 

[poooh]

I'm from CT and I don't think it's pushy or bad behavior, as long as you phrase it politely and don't expect them to actually be able to change it. There's a big difference between demanding that a CM change your FP and asking if there's any way to help you out while telling them it's no big deal if they can't do anything for you and you just figured you'd ask. Just keep it positive.

 

[North of Mouse]

me-itis!!