Reservations

[luvthemagic]

We will be in the world October 26 thru November 6. We want to be free to wake up and go "hmm ,let's do Magic Kingdom today!". But I have heard we need rezzies for table service. I don't want to be tied to to we HAVE to go to so and so park because of the rezzies. Is it possible to "wing" it??
Thanks

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

It IS possible to walk up for a table in the quieter times of the year but you may well be looking at dining at obscure times to get seated.

 

[Master Yoda]

With free dining being offered during your trips reservations for table service restaurants will be all but essential. If you want to eat table service you will need to make reservations. You mighrt get luckey but I would not bet the farm on it.

 

[Eyorefan]

The short answer is yes, you have to have reservations if you want to be sure you will get to eat TS meals during your vacation.

The long answer is that its also not completely IMPOSSIBLE. You can always call WDW-DINE after you arrive as people do cancel. If you take that approach though, you can't be picky about were you eat and be prepared to not eat table service every day.

My other suggestion if you want to "wing it" and still have reservations would be to add the park hopper option to your tickets. That way you aren't stuck going to one park per day.

 

[Monty]

During free dining, practically impossible in the parks and very difficult outside them.

If you wake up and decide to go to park "X"... stop by your Resort Concierge on the way out and ask them to check available in-park restaurants and if there's nothing ask for easily reached resort restaurants... You might get lucky.

Walking up to a restaurant will most likely result in either being turned away or having a very long wait for a table. :shrug:

 

[ccw7759]

While in HS during our last trip, we decided to see if we could get a TS for that evening in Epcot. We
walked up to an information Kiosk (somewhere on Sunset Blvd) and the CM was able to book us
a table at Les Chefs for that night! You could try that each day from whatever park you are in.

 

[ThinkTink721]

If you don't have ADRs, you usually have to wait longer to be seated which takes time away from enjoying the parks.
Since the free dining promo is going on at that time, most of the more popular places will more than likely be booked up.
I would highly recommend making ADRs. If you decide to go to a different park on a particular day, you can always cancel your reservation & eat somewhere else. Or you can make reservations at restaurants that are not in a park.
Some of the restaurants not in a park that I would recommend are:
Ohana's at the Poly
Whispering Canyon at the WL
Chef Mickey's at the CR
1900 Park Fare at the GF

Hope this helps!
:wave:

 

[Stevek]

One somewhat related question. We have an ADR for Chef's Mickey's at 6:35pm during our stay but have seen others here state we could show up as much as an hour early have a decent chance of getting seated? Accurate? Would like to eat earlier as we're doing MVMCP that same night. Would would be our likelihood of getting a seat even earlier if we show up at 5:00pm?

 

[durangojim]

I've got my flame retardant suit on so I'm ready for what comes at me but, make a reservation in your name at a restaurant that you might want to eat at in one park, and then another in your wife's name in a different park around the same time. Whichever you don't use, cancel, and if you don't use either cancel them both. Also if you make it at the middle of the time range that you usually eat at, you can often show up early about 45 minutes or late by 45 minutes and still be seated.

OK, flame away everyone. If you do this often enough B,L,D, you'll still have your bases covered and still be able to be spontaneous to a point.

 

[durangojim]

One somewhat related question. We have an ADR for Chef's Mickey's at 6:35pm during our stay but have seen others here state we could show up as much as an hour early have a decent chance of getting seated? Accurate? Would like to eat earlier as we're doing MVMCP that same night. Would would be our likelihood of getting a seat even earlier if we show up at 5:00pm?

If you show right when the restaurant opens (I think 4:30) you shouldn't have any problem being seated.

 

[ccw7759]

I've got my flame retardant suit on so I'm ready for what comes at me but, make a reservation in your name at a restaurant that you might want to eat at in one park, and then another in your wife's name in a different park around the same time. Whichever you don't use, cancel, and if you don't use either cancel them both. Also if you make it at the middle of the time range that you usually eat at, you can often show up early about 45 minutes or late by 45 minutes and still be seated.

OK, flame away everyone. If you do this often enough B,L,D, you'll still have your bases covered and still be able to be spontaneous to a point.

Really?!? I was just addressing this issue on another blog site, and the overwhelming majority agreed... Double booking ADR's ruins it for everyone, EXCEPT the selfish person that makes them. This is why the honest guy, trying to make ressies even 180 days out, can't book a meal at their preferred restaurant. My advice is this: go ahead and plan your days using one of the available "park crowd "levels" charts, make your reservations accordingly, ONE PER MEAL, and everyone enjoy themselves!!

 

[durangojim]

Really?!? I was just addressing this issue on another blog site, and the overwhelming majority agreed... Double booking ADR's ruins it for everyone, EXCEPT the selfish person that makes them. This is why the honest guy, trying to make ressies even 180 days out, can't book a meal at their preferred restaurant. My advice is this: go ahead and plan your days using one of the available "park crowd "levels" charts, make your reservations accordingly, ONE PER MEAL, and everyone enjoy themselves!!

Doesn't ruin it for the guy who walks up to that restaurant on the spur of the moment when the CM says, "Yes we have a cancellation, we'll seat you in about 5 minutes" because I've cancelled whatever reservation I didn't use. I could make the same argument that people who have made reservations 6 months in advance have "ruined it" for people who don't plan their trips out that far in advance.

Unfortunately, the whole ADR booking window and free dining to an extent have make it all but impossible for guests to be spontaneous when it comes to dining and then what parks they visit. Whether this is right or wrong can be discussed later, but for luvethemagic who wanted to remain spontaneous the options I offered are a way for him/her to do that.

Back in the 80s, I can remember going to EPCOT to make a reservation for Alfredo's for lunch or dinner first thing in the morning, but that was before there were many hotels on property and people were much more likely to stay in one park for the entire day, rather than park hop or return to there rooms throught the day. With regards to dining, people were deciding the same day where and when to eat.

By the way, welcome to the boards. You'll find most of us are pretty nice and try to avoid name calling although there are some hot button issues -- pool hopping, use of FP, etc.

 

[erstwo]

Doesn't ruin it for the guy who walks up to that restaurant on the spur of the moment when the CM says, "Yes we have a cancellation, we'll seat you in about 5 minutes" because I've cancelled whatever reservation I didn't use. I could make the same argument that people who have made reservations 6 months in advance have "ruined it" for people who don't plan their trips out that far in advance.

I know you like to tell yourself this, as I see you make this argument over and over. And I know there is nothing that can be done to change your mind, but the fact of the matter is, it does ruin it, for the majority of people.

Those traveling to WDW are told over and over and over and over " 99.9% of the time, if you don't have a reservation, don't even bother trying" (see the above posts for confirmation.)

So the average family, going to Disney in 7 months, will call at their 180 day window (as instructed by their guidebook, friends, etc.) and try to book, say Crystal Palace, for their 3 year old son to meet Winnie the Pooh at breakfast. If they don't get the ADR, they'll assume there is no way they can eat at Crystal Palace that day (and why would they? Everything/ everyone tells them there is no way to walk up.)

So while you're out with your kids, having a great time at Cape May or Akershus or whatever your "alternate" breakfast was - someone else's child is missing out on Pooh & Friends, so that you could cheat the system and be flexible.

ETA - I'm glad for you, but it makes me crazy for the others who miss out!

 

[durangojim]

I know you like to tell yourself this, as I see you make this argument over and over. And I know there is nothing that can be done to change your mind, but the fact of the matter is, it does ruin it, for the majority of people.

Those traveling to WDW are told over and over and over and over " 99.9% of the time, if you don't have a reservation, don't even bother trying" (see the above posts for confirmation.)

So the average family, going to Disney in 7 months, will call at their 180 day window (as instructed by their guidebook, friends, etc.) and try to book, say Crystal Palace, for their 3 year old son to meet Winnie the Pooh at breakfast. If they don't get the ADR, they'll assume there is no way they can eat at Crystal Palace that day (and why would they? Everything/ everyone tells them there is no way to walk up.)

So while you're out with your kids, having a great time at Cape May or Akershus or whatever your "alternate" breakfast was - someone else's child is missing out on Pooh & Friends, so that you could cheat the system and be flexible.

ETA - I'm glad for you, but it makes me crazy for the others who miss out!

And you make the same argument as well. Explain to me how walk ups are any less deserving of eating at their restaurant of choice or people who make reservations for a trip less than 6 months out. Just because the people on these boards are fanatics and know all of the ins and outs of WDW doesn't mean the majority of people who go to the parks do. You're assuming that this mythical family who wants to eat at CP won't try again, 1 and done. But for every group like that I'm willing to bet that there are others who go try to make reservations every day, waiting for a cancellation or, as I have mentioned before, walk ups. We've done and continue to do walk ups to many restaurants with about 80% success, so it is possible, just not as likely as it used to be.

 

[ccw7759]

And you make the same argument as well. Explain to me how walk ups are any less deserving of eating at their restaurant of choice or people who make reservations for a trip less than 6 months out. Just because the people on these boards are fanatics and know all of the ins and outs of WDW doesn't mean the majority of people who go to the parks do. You're assuming that this mythical family who wants to eat at CP won't try again, 1 and done. But for every group like that I'm willing to bet that there are others who go try to make reservations every day, waiting for a cancellation or, as I have mentioned before, walk ups. We've done and continue to do walk ups to many restaurants with about 80% success, so it is possible, just not as likely as it used to be.

Disney made the rules... not us. I would love to be able to choose which park I want to go to on a day by day basis, when I wake up. But, the fact is that that's not the way the system works. IF you want to eat at a TS restaurant, you have to have an ADR. It is what it is. So we plan ahead. If you don't want to do it that way, go on a different vacation. This is the way Disney is set up to work fairest for everyone.
I think the point is, if everyone would just make their 1 reservation per meal, then there WOULD be walk-ups available. At least there would be a better chance of it. Those of us that "follow the rules" just get aggravated with those that don't.

 

[lilclerk]

Also if you make it at the middle of the time range that you usually eat at, you can often show up early about 45 minutes or late by 45 minutes and still be seated.

Just wanted to point out, I wouldn't count on this being too easy during free dining. Disney does overbook the restaurants assuming people will cancel... if it's free dining and there are too many people who didn't cancel, they may not be able to seat you at all or maybe not till MUCH later.

That being said, last Friday I saw a group of 6 walk up to Le Cellier at about 1:30 and get a table immediately. I was excited for them :lol:

 

[durangojim]

F

Just wanted to point out, I wouldn't count on this being too easy during free dining. Disney does overbook the restaurants assuming people will cancel... if it's free dining and there are too many people who didn't cancel, they may not be able to seat you at all or maybe not till MUCH later.

That being said, last Friday I saw a group of 6 walk up to Le Cellier at about 1:30 and get a table immediately. I was excited for them :lol:

Hey, that's when I cancelled our reservations for 6 last week.

 

[Stevek]

If you show right when the restaurant opens (I think 4:30) you shouldn't have any problem being seated.

Perfect, sounds like a good plan. Appreciate the advice.