Do you HAVE to book reservations?

AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

Active Member
Hello fellow Mickey Maniacs.

So, I have a question, and looking for guidance. I haven't been to Disney in 4+ years, which means there are a LOT of things that will be different this visit.

No meal plans, no Fast Passes, a Genie + App that half say is the worst thing ever, while the other half say it's a Life Saver...

My biggest concern is I leave in 4 days, taking 3 teenagers who aren't really big into character meets, etc. Most focused on rides and shows. But, what about eating?

Is it imperative to book dinner reservations? What's the new frontier look like for eating? Can you still walk into your mid-tier restaurants to eat? Or MUST you reserve specific times and plan your day at the park around eating?!

Thanks for your input, folks.
 
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RememberWhen

RememberWhen

Well-Known Member
Are you looking to eat in sit-down places? Possibly if you’re incredibly flexible you might be able to walk up, but I would make a couple reservations if there’s anywhere specific you want to go. Though with 4 days to go I’m not sure what options will be available.

We were there a couple weeks ago and even quick service was slammed and had to be mobile ordered ahead. But that was a holiday week, so maybe it’ll be lighter crowds now.
 
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JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Its gotten harder to just walk up and get a dining spot, with crowds now, especially at the places that are most popular. Some folks still do it that way, refusing to let Dis dictate that part of their trips by making them plan ahead and they want to be totally spontaneous. They swear they never get shut out. If theres certain dining spots you have your heart on dining at a reservation will ensure you get a table when you want it. If you dont mind just walking up and hit or miss getting a table then dont reserve. Some restaurants are much harder to get seated at than others. If your teens arent fussy then one place may be just as good as another and youll do fine. I know exactly where and when I want to dine so my spots are always planned out so I never get disappointed.
 
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Y

yensid1967

Well-Known Member
I suggest taking a mid-day break and head OUT OF THE PARK to get a decent priced and quality meal! There is a McDonald's near AK, Hotel Plaza Blvd (just outside the gate} are many FF restaurants! Save money and take a break and then head back to the park
 
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W

We love Edna Mode

Active Member
We have been pretty lucky in the past with a walk up, usually right when the restaurant opens. I do however recommend reissies for the super popular( BOG, Cinderella). I too am a fan of leaving the park and going to one of the hotels. WL has Geyser Pointe,Yacht Club has Ale and Compass. They can usually fit you in, especially if it is off hours. If there is something you really want to do though, then try to get that ressie!
Enjoy your trip!
 
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AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

Active Member
Original Poster
Thanks so much, everyone. We have been laser focused on what park, what did to hit what ride, blah, blah, blah that I texted then about eating and they are all saying "wherever, whatever" so I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

We are hopping on one day (at least) so dining away from the park is a great suggestion!

Thanks so much everyone!
 
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Sbk1234

Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
If you don't want to do reservations, I'd recommend that you try to eat at times away from the meal rushes. Go for an early lunch before 11 or 11:30, or late lunch after 2:30 or so. Same with dinner. We booked late lunches in the 2-3 hour, so we will be able to get a late dinner after the parks close, or grab quick service at a later time, but will most likely still have to order ahead of time.
 
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ppet

ppet

Well-Known Member
I was there 2/10-2/19 and there were vary few day of ADRs available and walk up was spotty. Even ordering mobile for over the counter sometimes meant an hour wait.
 
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Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
AVeryDifferentDisneyDad said:
Hello fellow Mickey Maniacs.

So, I have a question, and looking for guidance. I haven't been to Disney in 4+ years, which means there are a LOT of things that will be different this visit.

No meal plans, no Fast Passes, a Genie + App that half say is the worst thing ever, while the other half say it's a Life Saver...

My biggest concern is I leave in 4 days, taking 3 teenagers who aren't really big into character meets, etc. Most focused on rides and shows. But, what about eating?

Is it imperative to book dinner reservations? What's the new frontier look like for eating? Can you still walk into your mid-tier restaurants to eat? Or MUST you reserve specific times and plan your day at the park around eating?!

Thanks for your input, folks.
Click to expand...
Don't forget, you must make park pass reservations too.
 
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ppet

ppet

Well-Known Member
yensid1967 said:
I think they should get rid of Mobile Ordering! It was great in the pandemic, but not so much anymore! Seems to cause more trouble than anything!
Click to expand...
I agree. I like the idea of mobile ordering, but the actual execution can leave a bad taste in your mouth that's not Pecos Bill's tacos.
 
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M

MissViv

Well-Known Member
I always do walk up because I hate making dinner reservations and letting that determine my trip.

I have had luck getting in most of the restaurants I wanted even when they show no availability on the app. Go figure!
 
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tpoly88

tpoly88

Well-Known Member
Make sure you download the App, as someone mentioned look 24hrs before as a lot of people cancel because they dont want to get charged. stuff opens up like you can believe. Also once in the park when you walk up you can use the app to join the que at the restaurant. ive had luck with this in Epcot at a bunch of places and Hollywood brown derby. Their online reservation system is similar to open table as only so many can be made via online and they save some for walkups. MK is always tough but you can order at the different walk up places like Pecos Bills.
 
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Y

yensid1967

Well-Known Member
AVeryDifferentDisneyDad said:
Ok... we're back.

If anyone is wondering: we did not book a single reservation anywhere at anytime, and did just fine.

Reminder - I took two 17 year olds and a 19 year old. We ate breakfast at our resort (Pop Century) and did Quick Service at various restaurants over the 3 days we were in the park.

No issues.
Click to expand...
GREAT NEWS! How were the crowds? Did you get GENIE? If NOT, how was the wait times?
 
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AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

AVeryDifferentDisneyDad

Active Member
Original Poster
We did not use Genie or Genie + on Friday or Sat. But we did have Hoppers. Quick Summary:
Fri - started at AK. Hit Flight out the gate (arrived 30 minutes after rope drop), had to wait 45 minutes. Lines after that were what I would call "normal". Shows were walk-in ready, nobody got stopped at the door unless the show had already started. Safari was about an hour wait. Next, we hopped to EPCOT around 3:30. We hit Soarin, Figment, Seas, and Mission Space by 7:30. Then hopped to MK to watch the fireworks. After Fireworks it was 30-40 minutes for Space Mountain, Dwarves and Big Thunder. Shut it down (11pm).

Sat - started at MK about 30 minutes after Rope Drop. Worked the shows and middle tier rides since we hit the big one's Friday night. I'd say the crowds were "heavy" but not crazy. Had a bad line of storms roar through around 10am or so. That kept some people at the resorts until after lunch. We hopped to EPCOT again to hit Frozen, Test and wanted to do Remy, but it was closed for tech issues. Hopped back to MK and shut it down again (11pm).

Sun - all day grind from Rope Drop to closing. Largest crowd, roughest day. Resistance broke down at 9am. We were in line watching the app as the times kept climbing. Decided to get out and take a chance. Rough going so around 11am I bought Genie +. It was no help on the big 3 (Resistance, Tower and Slinky) but we were able to grab LPs at numerous smaller rides/shows so it was worth it for me. We sat in line over 2 hours for Resistance mid-afternoon and over an hour and a half for Tower. But, we hit everything we wanted to hit, except Slinky. Just ran out of time.

Hope this helps.
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
The last time the family and I went, I recall seeing multiple families being turned away at the sci-fi restaurant in Hollywood Studios. This was 4 or 5 years ago, and from what I've been reading about the parks, crowds have grown exponentially. My point is, if you don't have a reservation, then you'll be waiting excessively long time at the very least and turned away at worst (though I would think waiting for 2, or 3 hours worse then being turned away).
 
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