Restaurants and Room keys?

[crazymama]

I am not understanding how staying onsite helps with getting tables at restaurants. Do you show your key to be seating more quickly or something? If we want to eat at Margaritaville, do we reserve or is it first come first served? Obviously I am a "first-timer!" We will be at PBH! Can't wait for March :banana:

[patster734]

Having either a reservation or showing your room key will get you seated quicker than just walking up if a wait exists. The two exceptions are Emeril's and Bubba Gump's. Emeril's accepts reservations up to 6 months in advance (usually required for dinner) but doesn't have on-site priority seating. Last I knew, Bubba Gump's didn't accept either reservations or on-site priority seating but that may have changed since my last visit (last October).

[robvia]

Your room key will move you up on the list.

Rush hour at the restaurants is 8pm, especially Margaritaville. We showed up at 8pm and they gave us a beeper. The wait was 20 minutes. They told anyone else who walked up the wait would be 1 hour. We walked around Citywalk taking pictures and 20 minutes later the beeper went off and we got a table. The place was packed at this time with stilt walkers going thru the crowd, it felt like a giant party. When the volcano went off, everyone cheered and sang along to Margaritaville "Salt, Salt, Salt."

If you want no wait and things a little more quiet, then go earlier at 05:30pm.