Never had so much trouble getting into Chef Mickey's

[RogueHabit]

I have been trying to get Breakfast Ressies for Chef Mickeys; we have always managed to get them 5 weeks out in the past.

This year they have nothing. Completely booked 22-29 October every morning.

Any tips from anyone out there?

 

[djpoore94]

All I can say is keep trying and if possible be flexable with the time. We had a hard time getting in for the week of Oct 6, but finally managed for 9:30 on Thursday. It took us a few tries and it's later than we wanted, but we didn't have anything else scheduled that day so we took it. Good luck!!

 

[RogueHabit]

Well I offered them every day in our 10 day trip and was happy to take any time they would give me.

Unfortunately the whole place is booked solid. Never had this happen to me before.

I'll try again next week, but don't think I'll get anywhere. Probably end up trying for Donald's Safari instead, though that may be just as bad.

 

[djpoore94]

Wow, sorry to hear that. This will be our first time there!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Try for an 11 o'clock or so reservation and consider it a brunch.

 

[DisneyDad71]

Try for an 11 o'clock or so reservation and consider it a brunch.

Thats exactly what my family did. Get to MK early. Ride a few rides then have a nice brunch and go bck to the park later. Another advantage of doing it like this is that if you are on a budget a large meal in the middle of the day will help you save money on dinner and breakfast for that day.

 

[CMTinkerbell99]

keep trying...even after you check in

Chief Mickey's is very very popular. Even the slowest time of the year the restaurant is booked sold for the most popular dining times. If you don't mind eating after 9pm you might get lucky. I am eating there on Saturday and booked my reservation 6 months in advance (but I know that we go the Saturday in September closest to my husbands BDAY...we have been going for the past few years) Don't forget to call once you arrive and contact the concierge at your resort to check too. You never know what will open up.

 

[RogueHabit]

Try for an 11 o'clock or so reservation and consider it a brunch.

IS that the lunch menue then?

All breakfast sessions are completely booked. May try for dinner.

 

[Brwneyedgirl72]

When we were at WDW last month, we were able to secure a 10:50AM ADR at Chef Mickey's for a party of 6 about a month before our trip. This was the first time we had been back to Chef Mickey's for a few years and I must say how completely disappointed we were with the experience. The food was not very good - adequate at best- and the whole experience felt rushed and forced. We were told, quite forcefully, that the characters would be by the table once and that was it and when they were in our area we had to stay put as they would not come back by. While I do understand that this is a timing issue and they want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to see the characters, it made for a pretty stressful experience.

IMO, there are other dining experiences at WDW that are much more enjoyable (not to mention better food) for us to enjoy rather than waste our time and money on Chef Mickey's again in the near future. We were so disappointed because we used to love this restaurant - now, not so much.

 

[DisneyDad71]

IS that the lunch menue then?

All breakfast sessions are completely booked. May try for dinner.

Our reservation is for 11:30 a.m. and it will be the last seating for the breakfast menu. I don't believe they offer lunch.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Those dates are half term school holidays - that may have something to do with it :shrug:

 

[RogueHabit]

Those dates are half term school holidays - that may have something to do with it :shrug:

Well most schools have the 2nd week off, the week up to Halloween, in our area. We're lucky that our son goes to an Academy School which gives them 2 weeks off else we wouldn't even be going... lol

Anyway, feeling a little better now.

Rang back and managed to get a 8:15am for Donald's Safari on the 28th and, the one I'm really pleased with, 7:50pm on Saturday 25th at the Crystal Palace.

I couldn't get my 'YES, BOOK IT' out quick enough when she offered me that Crystal Palace time. Perfect dinner time for us!

 

[raven]

Remember it's Free Dining Month and anywhere you go without a ressie will be very difficult to get into. My advice would be to wait at the door for an opening if people don't show. That's really the only way to do it.

When we were at Epcot a few years ago and weren't on the free-dining plan we tried to get anywhere at Epcot. We went to Guest Services as soon as we walked in and the only thing open was immediately at France. So we practically ran all the way around the lagoon only to be turned away at the door. The hostess said that they had been booked all day.

 

[Scooter]

I remember before all the dining plans that my wife and I could walk from our Contemporary Wing room every morning when Chef Mickeys would first open and walk in and be seated immediately every morning with no reservations.

I really hate the dining plans

 

[wdwmagic]

Yep due to the dining plan, people make reservations the second that the 180 day window opens. A good percentage of them also just make reservations willy nilly and dont bother hsowing up. This has the effect of blocking out the place for people like you who really want to go, and it leaves Disney with a half empty restaurant on days when on paper it is sold out.

Good luck and keep trying, hope you get something!

Also try the Poly, I hear a lot of people like the Character Breky there.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Anyway, feeling a little better now.

Rang back and managed to get a 8:15am for Donald's Safari on the 28th and, the one I'm really pleased with, 7:50pm on Saturday 25th at the Crystal Palace.

I couldn't get my 'YES, BOOK IT' out quick enough when she offered me that Crystal Palace time. Perfect dinner time for us!

Every cloud has a silver lining............

 

[RogueHabit]

Remember it's Free Dining Month and anywhere you go without a ressie will be very difficult to get into. My advice would be to wait at the door for an opening if people don't show. That's really the only way to do it.

Yeah, I didn't know that at the time, p[lus we only booked 4 weeks ago so we were already well past the 180 day mark.

Unfortunately we're staying offsite this trip so I'm not sure how easy it would be to just walk up on Chef Mickey's. I suppose if we mark up and then take the monorail in then we could.

Is it easy to just walk up to Chef Mickey's and try our luck???