News Reservations only Restaurants @EPCOT

[CAV]

On a recent visit to EPCOT we went to Via Napoli in Italy and was turned down as standby’s (and 3 other restaurants). For years, my wife and I have been able to sit standby at most restaurants for two people (based on availability and for whatever length of time it takes.) No longer. At every restaurant we were told they are reservation only and will not take standbys. Hmmmm. What a change! It was cold and the park was nowhere near capacity. In the summer during extremely crowded times, we have been able to wait up to an hour at most places and get two people in.
We are regulars and we come so often people at some places even know us by name. As DVC’ers & Annual pass holders we come frequently just to eat. Well, no more. We always try to book several weeks in advance and the reservations are always booked up which is why we just Stby. But they could usually get two people in versus a group of three or more which is understandable, with just cancellations.
So, in all fairness, we left the property completely to go eat. Since we are staying at Board Walk, the next day we decided to go to Yacht Club’s Crew Cup Lounge and eat at the bar. It was good except for one thing...Food Poisoning. I was sick the whole night! I won’t be back there. I’m guessing we will be taking a break from Disney for awhile since we can’t get into a regular restaurant inside the park and only quick serve is available. We don’t come here to eat quick serve, but we will eat it some.
We have called and complained to Disney at every level possible in order to try and get a message across that we are super unhappy at this new initiative to aggravate their frequent customers. We highly recommend you doing just the same. Disney told me if they got enough complaints it would get attention. Be polite and be respectful, but don’t hesitate to voice a complaint to Disney. Even to the managers at each restaurant you visit. They don’t make the rules, but they can push it up the latter from that end also. There’s no reason to make ‘reservations only’ at these restaurants. If you want to eat there, show up, get on a wait list. That’s the way it works on the outside world and it works pretty well. I’m sure there’s other arguments in favor of the Disney way and I have debated some of those and I see your point, but I still disagree.

Disney doesn't care. Enough people dont care that Disney doesn't care. They are going to do what they are going to do.

 

[wdisney9000]

Disney doesn't care. Enough people dont care that Disney doesn't care. They are going to do what they are going to do.

Dorian is gonna do what Dorian wants to do. Blame Dorian.

 

[LAKid53]

I've walked up to the podium at Raglan Road on a Saturday night. I was told we could wait, for nearly 2 hours, if we wanted to be seated. That's standard for any popular restaurant on a busy night that accepts reservations. You'll get in, but you'll have a long wait.

Never have been told "sorry, go away" at ANY restaurant at WDW. Just that I'd wait a long time to be seated if I didn't have a reservation.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I've walked up to the podium at Raglan Road on a Saturday night. I was told we could wait, for nearly 2 hours, if we wanted to be seated. That's standard for any popular restaurant on a busy night that accepts reservations. You'll get in, but you'll have a long wait.

Never have been told "sorry, go away" at ANY restaurant at WDW. Just that I'd wait a long time to be seated if I didn't have a reservation.

I have seen many people be told they were not accepting walk ups at various restaurants over the years because there was no availability for the rest of the day.
I have also seen people be told to come back to check later and I have also seen people be told they could wait and if there was a cancellation or no show they would be the next in line.
It really all depends on the day and restaurant.
This is why the best thing to do is hop on the app and get an ADR.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I've walked up to the podium at Raglan Road on a Saturday night. I was told we could wait, for nearly 2 hours, if we wanted to be seated. That's standard for any popular restaurant on a busy night that accepts reservations. You'll get in, but you'll have a long wait.

Never have been told "sorry, go away" at ANY restaurant at WDW. Just that I'd wait a long time to be seated if I didn't have a reservation.

I've seen sorry, no availability response at WDW. It happens to the most popular venues such as character dining.

If a restaurant can fully book in advance and not take walk-ups, why wouldn't they? It's guaranteed income. No long lines of people waiting outside antsy about getting in.

Also, if a restaurant is falling behind (current reservations have to wait), then they simply can not take walk-ups. It becomes impossible to seat all the reservations and, at the same time, squeeze in walk-ups.

Also, consider this... if you walked up to a restaurant and they told you a two-hour wait and took your name... you just made a reservation! So, technically, it was reservation-only all night!

 

[TrojanUSC]

I've seen sorry, no availability response at WDW. It happens to the most popular venues such as character dining.

If a restaurant can fully book in advance and not take walk-ups, why wouldn't they? It's guaranteed income. No long lines of people waiting outside antsy about getting in.

Also, if a restaurant is falling behind (current reservations have to wait), then they simply can not take walk-ups. It becomes impossible to seat all the reservations and, at the same time, squeeze in walk-ups.

Also, consider this... if you walked up to a restaurant and they told you a two-hour wait and took your name... you just made a reservation! So, technically, it was reservation-only all night!

All of this. Disney also overbooks their restaurants by a certain %, so if everyone shows they are already behind.

Having said that, I've been told "Nope sorry, no walk-ups available" at Liberty Tree. Then immediately went online, saw a spot on the app and walked back in five minutes later to be seated within ten.

 

[SourcererMark79]

Very inconsistent between different TS locations. One said MDE updates availability faster than at the check in podium, and wouldn't take walk ups. Another, like it's been said, will have you wait a few minutes and seat you. Both had no openings on MDE, completely different results.

 

[LAKid53]

I've never been told "no walk ups available", just "it's at least an hour's wait". But then I rarely do walk ups, as I've made an ADR. And I've gotten reservations the day of.

 

[unmitigated disaster]

And if the OP had actually gotten food poisoning , they would have been in the hospital. Getting an upset stomach is not food poisoning.

Depends on the type of food poisoning.

Also, if it really was food poisoning, it could have been from two days ago. Or two weeks ago. Generally speaking with food poisoning it's either immediate or it takes at least 4-6 hours.

 

[carolina_yankee]

I've often had very good luck getting an Epcot TS same day. I just start stalking the app when I enter the park if I didn't make any previous plans and snag the first reservation that interests me. There's also not a single TS at Epcot I would not eat at, though I do have my favorites. I don't get X Place at T Time, but I get several options for the desired window. Of course, I wouldn't try this on a busier day, but same day dining at WDW is possible. You just have to plan at least a few hours out. As always, if there is a specific place, day, or time desired - book in advance.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Also... Epcot TS reservations during the holidays become completely booked because of the Candlelight package, especially if there's a popular celebrity like NPH. I've seen all participating TS rezzies completely gone just two weeks ahead of time for such nights.

 

[tissandtully]

Just a heads-up, the third party restaurants sometimes accept reservations through Open Table, this might only be at Disney Springs though. But it's a separate group of reservations than what's on MDE.

 

[Jon81uk]

I'm inclined to believe the OP is hogwash. I Walked up to Via Napoli a week before Christmas without a reservation and MDE showed no availability. I Had a table within ten minutes.

I think both experiances are likely. Christmas week they would have a full complement of staff ready for the crowds, so if they don't get as many reservations as expected or people cancel then you can get a walk-up.
Slower time of year with fewer staff scheduled, but lots of guests making reservations, they won't take a walk-up.
Or they have two servers call in sick, so they don't have the staff to cover a section of the restaurant so can't take on any walk-up customers.

So at times you may experience a restaurant be reservation only and at other times, it might be easy to get walk-up, happens in Disneyworld and the real world.

 

[shernernum]

Depends on the type of food poisoning.

Also, if it really was food poisoning, it could have been from two days ago. Or two weeks ago. Generally speaking with food poisoning it's either immediate or it takes at least 4-6 hours.

Actually, if it's immediate, it's almost certainly not food poisoning, but a reaction. Unless things have changed since my ServSafe sanitation classes, all food poisonings have incubation periods of at least 4-6 hours if not longer. People who get sick at the table and blame it on food poisoning either got it at an earlier meal, or are having a reaction of some type, but not food poisoning. Staph infections could possibly show symptoms in 30 minutes, but that is not normal, it typically takes much longer.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think they must purposely stagger tables and/or are short staffed. We just returned from an 8 day trip and we ate a table service meal each day. Literally every restaurant had open tables while we were there despite it being one of the busiest, most crowded trips we have ever been on

If you have never worked food service one of the things that kills guest satisfaction is lousy service. Poor service many times is due to requiring servers to stretch thin and pick up too many tables. Thats why you will often see empty tables at the same time guests are waiting to be seated or turned away stand by.

The move off of priority seating many years ago was going to always lead to frustration and diminished service in the long run.

But what the real issue is this: are they staffing based on reservations in advance?

I’m sure the officials answer is “no”...when the reality is most certainly “yes”

That would greatly reduce walk up capacity any allows near zero flexibility in dining.

I’m more surprised the system has held together as well as it has to this point

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You make a valid point. But the OPs post makes it seem as if this is a permanent feature and walk ups at certain restaurants will no longer be permitted.

It’s not an absolute...but the laws of averages I think move more closely towards no walk ups often times and that’s sad.

We all know they have 3 problems in Orlando:
1. “Capacity” for lack of a better word on a variety of fronts
2. The desire to have everything bought months or even years in advance to “bank it”
3. Overhead cost control down to the point where it very obvious/noticeable at times.

Dining is a front in this “war”

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I've walked up to the podium at Raglan Road on a Saturday night. I was told we could wait, for nearly 2 hours, if we wanted to be seated. That's standard for any popular restaurant on a busy night that accepts reservations. You'll get in, but you'll have a long wait.

Never have been told "sorry, go away" at ANY restaurant at WDW. Just that I'd wait a long time to be seated if I didn't have a reservation.

OP said only, "on a recent night" that "was cold." That could mean Christmas/NYE week = a busy WDW week, or another day this month, January, which tends to be one of WDW's slower months. Hard to tell. Maybe they should have been more specific.

I've seen both sides of this.

I too, have been told at podiums,not only was no table available, but further that WDW doesn't take walk ups, even when we'd just been offered a table someplace else the day before, in the WS and elsewhere at WDW. In my experience, walk-ups aren't likely at Le Cellier or Akershus.

In one case, we asked at both 'Ohana, then Kona next door. 'Ohana podium staff told us Kona wouldn't have a table for walk ups, but they were able to seat us right away. It was just odd.

I can think of many other times WDW staff have been wildly inconsistent in their answers.

WDW is a big operation. Like any big company that employs individuals, 100% consistency is not possible.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I know we're all correcting OP here about the proper definition of clinical food poisoning..... but those "reactions" are commonly called food poisoning. Maybe not at the hospital, but certainly when talking to friends or calling out for work. If you're fed spoiled food, your body might not be clinically food poisoned, but it may still reject it with vomiting and diarrhea. Which is how the term food poisoning is commonly perceived.

And at the end of the day if they ate at a restaurant and that caused vomiting and diarrhea, they have every right to say they'll never go to that restaurant again.... no hospital stay needed.

The lack of empathy here is amazing.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Also, last time I was at the Plaza they were only taking reservations. Walk ups were told to check the app and reserve there and then they would happily seat them.

 

[peter11435]

I know we're all correcting OP here about the proper definition of clinical food poisoning..... but those "reactions" are commonly called food poisoning. Maybe not at the hospital, but certainly when talking to friends or calling out for work. If you're fed spoiled food, your body might not be clinically food poisoned, but it may still reject it with vomiting and diarrhea. Which is how the term food poisoning is commonly perceived.

And at the end of the day if they ate at a restaurant and that caused vomiting and diarrhea, they have every right to say they'll never go to that restaurant again.... no hospital stay needed.

The lack of empathy here is amazing.

Without more testing it’s impossible to pinpoint that any reaction was caused by that meal. It just as easily could have been from a previous meal or even not food related. If he started feeling ill shortly after eating it is unlikely it was caused by that meal.