Made a mistake on 'Ohana reservation

jolynne28

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
My family is a party of 4, with one being my 20 month old daughter. I just realized that our 'Ohana reservation for the last night of the trip is for only 3! I have no idea what I was thinking back in June when I did this. Was it just a mistake and I didn't click the plus sign enough times for the party, or did I just think, oh she's not on the dining plan so we only need 3. I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night so none of this should surprise me. Either way, I screwed up. Is this a situation where we can show up and it not be an issue because our daughter will sit in one of our laps? Or is this going to be a capacity issue, so we will be turned away? I don't want to cancel just yet, I've been messing around with reservations on other nights for the last 6 months and 'Ohana doesn't pop up very often. I wanted to ask on here before I called the reservation line since the wait is so long.
And can I just say, that the man hours that go into planning a Disney trip are insane?! If I paid myself for all the time I've spent, I could probably pay for the trip itself. And I am not a newbie, we had resident passes when I was a child for a couple of years, and even though things have changed, I still know the layout of most of the parks very well. I mean, having to select what park you will be in each day based on dining reservations 6 months in advance, and then having to work fast passes into that 60 days out, it's not an easy thing. But I am so excited to go, this is my first trip with my children, so I cannot wait to see their little faces when we walk in to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow afternoon.
Anyway, thanks everyone for your help!
 
Keep trying to get a reservation for one adult. Then just change the other reservation from an adult to an infant. I have had good luck close to the trip- a lot of cancellations a few days before. Also, I've done the free Touring Plans dining reservation finder- they have come trough every time!
 
'Ohana has tables for three. It's very possible you'll be turned away or face an extended wait.
 
Thanks! Yeah I’m on reservation finder, so far I’ve had better luck on my own than with them, but I’m looking for hard to get reservations, so it makes sense that they get snatched up before I can get to them!
I’ve looked for one a few times, so I’ll keep trying that.
 


I know, but my 20 month old doesn’t need a seat and will be eating off of our plates.
Yes, the 20-month old needs a seat. There's not enough room for a child that age to sit on you lap for an entire meal. Disney keeps tables very close together.
 


Yes I understand, what I'm saying is that she won't sit in a seat, or a high chair for that matter. She will be in our lap at every restaurant we dine at, which I'm sure is preferable to her running around.
 
Yes I understand, what I'm saying is that she won't sit in a seat, or a high chair for that matter. She will be in our lap at every restaurant we dine at, which I'm sure is preferable to her running around.
They still have to take the child into account for other reasons.
 
Thanks, that was what I was asking in the original post. I wasn’t sure if it would be a capacity issue for say the fire code.
It will be a problem, as you said due to capacity issues.

Also, if they can't seat you, you will be charged the no show fee, unless at least one of you stays and orders.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Just show up to the reservation and I would almost guarantee they accommodate you. It happens. It was an honest mistake. I think you'll be fine.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Just show up to the reservation and I would almost guarantee they accommodate you. It happens. It was an honest mistake. I think you'll be fine.
This type of “honest mistake” has frequently been used to overcome a lack of available reservations. Disney has started to push back in this type of situation.
 
This type of “honest mistake” has frequently been used to overcome a lack of available reservations. Disney has started to push back in this type of situation.

Fine line to toe, if you are in Disney's shoes. I'm sure for every honest mistake, there is someone trying to game the system, who doesn't care if it affects diners with valid dining times.
 
I will start this post by saying that for sure YMMV but for what it is worth when we were there last month (Dec 13th to 18th) I went to the concierge and asked them to help see if they could find an Ohana reservation for our party of 5, I said even if you can find one for a party of 4 I can hang back and let everyone else go, she found a reservation for 4 and secured it and said to just tell them at the hostess stand and they would accommodate us. I asked if she was sure as I had heard otherwise and she assured me that they would. She suggested that we arrive 15 minutes early just to account for the change.

It just so happened that I got back from the park early that day (we were staying at the Poly) so I went up to the hostess stand about 30 minutes early explained the situation and said the rest of our party was not ready but I wanted to be sure that it would be possible and to give them more time for the change. They assured me that the additional person would be absolutely no problem and to just let them know when the rest of my party arrived. When everyone else arrived I let them know and they seated us immediately.

Again I know this hasn't been everyone's experience and I totally get wanting to play within Disney's rules it is something that I always go out of my way to do. That being said if you are unable to add another person (a week before to the day before is probably the time you are most likely to find one) I wouldn't cancel I would just explain the situation and hope for the best. Good Luck
 
If you show up for the reservation for 3 with the child, you're now a party of 4, not 3 - they have to mark you down and enter you as a party of 4 as soon as you show up with 4 people instead of 3.

If the restaurant is completely unable to accommodate a party of 4, they will tell you that. For the most part they will be able to, but there's an outside chance they won't, especially one as popular as Ohana.

Some restaurants do have tables for 3. Ohana is one of them.
 

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