Where (and when) can I eat table service and watch IllumiNations???

CleveRocks

CleveRocks

Active Member
Original Poster
Even though we've taken the kids to WDW twice, we've never stepped foot into World Showcase with them (last time my wife and I were in World Showcase was 1990).

It would be great if we could eat at a table-service restaurant AND watch IllumiNations at/near the end of our meal.

I know all about how/why to make ADRs. But my questions are:
  • Where can I eat a TS meal and have a chance of viewing IllumiNations from our table? I know there is no way to guarantee a table with a view (I know the best you can do is ask at the podium just before you're seated). But I imagine there are some or many TS restaurants in World Showcase that offer NO VIEW of IllumiNations ... I'm just looking to find out where it's even possible to view IllumiNations from, limiting this to table-service only.
  • For WHEN should I try to time the ADR? I know IllumiNations starts nightly at 9:00 p.m. Do I want the latest possible ADR? or do I want one around 7:15 or 7:30 or 7:40 or 7:50 and then linger? Or will all the "good" tables be taken by that late a time? I hope y'all understand what I'm asking with this second question ... what time should I make my ADR for to help give me the best possible chance of seeing IllumiNations while still at my table?
Thank you for your answers!!! :sohappy:
 
yankspy

yankspy

Well-Known Member
Rose and Crown is probably your best bet. There is also that CS place in Mexico (The name escapes me now). I would suggest 8:00 for your ressie.
 
Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
As others have said, Rose & Crown is really your only option for Table Service. But be aware that they DO NOT fulfill requests for an outside table. After doing so for a long time, they found that more and more people were taking the "we'll wait longer for an outside table" route, and it was really messing up their flow of tables. So now you have to take the first available table, period. No more waiting for one outside. But, they do have an area for indoor diners to go outside to stand to watch the show.


Other places where you *might* have a slight view of the fireworks if you have a window table along the Promenade would be both restaurants in France, whichever restaurant is now at the front of the upper-level of Japan (Tokyo Dining?), and perhaps Nine Dragons in China. Even if you were right at the windows, none of these others would be considered to have a GOOD view of the fireworks (and in fact, I think there are trees in the way in China), but you'd at least be able to see that there ARE fireworks going on outside... (Though I think the restaurant in Japan lets you go out onto the balcony to watch, just like Rose & Crown)

Lastly a note, if you're going during the holiday season (between Thanksgiving and New Years), Epcot's closing is pushed back to 9:30PM, and Illuminations shifts its start time accordingly.

-Rob
 

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