Heads Up on Dining Reservations - My Experience Today

HydroGuy

A Pirate's Life For Me
Joined
Jun 5, 2005
Nothing earth shattering but I thought some might be interested in my experience trying to get dining reservations today.

Typically we eat lunch at the Blue Bayou and we have a big crew of 6. I like to make reservations for 11:30 right when BB opens so we get the best shot at a waterside table. And typically I can get us an 11:30 reservation a month before our trip.

I called today just to be cautious and the 11:30 reservations for 6 people were booked already for July 10. As today is May 12 I missed calling on the first possible day by 2 days. Don't get me wrong. I could have gotten an 11:40 reservation - so it is not like all the reservations were taken. I just know from experience last summer an 11:40 reservation means zero chance for a waterside table - if your group is larger like ours with 6 people. For the record, I understand the BB has two tables on the water that can handle 6.

So I shifted and got a BB res for July 12 at 11:30 and that worked. :)

It might be an anomaly that I had a little trouble getting BB on July 10 or it might mean that folks are making dining reservations more aggressively than it past years. :confused3

The real reason I called today was a concern that reservations for the new Carthay Circle Theater restaurant might be going fast since it is new. But I had no problem getting a reservation for 6 on July 11 right when it opens for lunch at 11AM.

:wizard:
 
Aloha,

I for one greatly appreciate all of your invaluable and priceless insight. My family and I plan on attending DLR in late September. I am anxiously looking forward to your July trip and revised recommendations and tips due to addition of Carsland and the resulting impact.
 
Great info like always. :thumbsup2 Glad to hear that you got the times for the BB and CC restaurant for your upcoming trip.

I made a reservation at the Carthay Circle restaurant for June 15th at 1:40pm. The reservations for the CC restaurant went by so quick that there weren't too many reservation times available around noon to 2pm on that day we plan on eating. It's not the time that we wanted but we did get the reservation around the range that we plan on eating after seeing Cars Land in the morning on opening day.

If you want a specific time to eat at any of the DLR restaurants, you should call 60 days in advance in order to get the time and restaurant that you want during your visit.
 
Nothing earth shattering but I thought some might be interested in my experience trying to get dining reservations today.

Typically we eat lunch at the Blue Bayou and we have a big crew of 6. I like to make reservations for 11:30 right when BB opens so we get the best shot at a waterside table. And typically I can get us an 11:30 reservation a month before our trip.

I called today just to be cautious and the 11:30 reservations for 6 people were booked already for July 10. As today is May 12 I missed calling on the first possible day by 2 days. Don't get me wrong. I could have gotten an 11:40 reservation - so it is not like all the reservations were taken. I just know from experience last summer an 11:40 reservation means zero chance for a waterside table - if your group is larger like ours with 6 people. For the record, I understand the BB has two tables on the water that can handle 6.

So I shifted and got a BB res for July 12 at 11:30 and that worked. :)

It might be an anomaly that I had a little trouble getting BB on July 10 or it might mean that folks are making dining reservations more aggressively than it past years. :confused3

The real reason I called today was a concern that reservations for the new Carthay Circle Theater restaurant might be going fast since it is new. But I had no problem getting a reservation for 6 on July 11 right when it opens for lunch at 11AM.

:wizard:

I noticed the same thing when I made my July ressies yesterday. The time I wanted for our CC dinner was 6pm and had to settle for 6:30.

Since DL started offering ressies we have been making them and this is the first time 60 days out that I wasn't able to get my first choice of times. But seing as I made close to two dozen ressies not getting my 1st time choice for only one was darn good.

I think it may be a combo of more people booking this summer due to CL opening and also more WDW regulars coming to DLR, and they are used to booking 180 out so 60 days out for them is like same day ressies for us. LOL

dsny1mom
 


I thought I'd add my experience with the new email system. I emailed them last night at 2330 and asked for 3 reservations. The one I was most worried about was CC at 7pm on July 12th. I woke this morning at 7:30 and had my reservation confirmation codes waiting in my email. :)
 
Good to know. I will be ahead of you by a little more than a week this year. Safe travels!
 
I thought I'd add my experience with the new email system. I emailed them last night at 2330 and asked for 3 reservations. The one I was most worried about was CC at 7pm on July 12th. I woke this morning at 7:30 and had my reservation confirmation codes waiting in my email. :)

One question, I only made one dining reservation over the phone for our upcoming short trip, to Carthay Circle on June 21. The CM said my first and last name are my confirmation - do they only give actual confirmation codes if you make a reservation via email? Or should she have given me a code?
 


Nothing earth shattering but I thought some might be interested in my experience trying to get dining reservations today.

Typically we eat lunch at the Blue Bayou and we have a big crew of 6. I like to make reservations for 11:30 right when BB opens so we get the best shot at a waterside table. And typically I can get us an 11:30 reservation a month before our trip.

I called today just to be cautious and the 11:30 reservations for 6 people were booked already for July 10. As today is May 12 I missed calling on the first possible day by 2 days. Don't get me wrong. I could have gotten an 11:40 reservation - so it is not like all the reservations were taken. I just know from experience last summer an 11:40 reservation means zero chance for a waterside table - if your group is larger like ours with 6 people. For the record, I understand the BB has two tables on the water that can handle 6.

So I shifted and got a BB res for July 12 at 11:30 and that worked. :)

It might be an anomaly that I had a little trouble getting BB on July 10 or it might mean that folks are making dining reservations more aggressively than it past years. :confused3

The real reason I called today was a concern that reservations for the new Carthay Circle Theater restaurant might be going fast since it is new. But I had no problem getting a reservation for 6 on July 11 right when it opens for lunch at 11AM.

:wizard:

DH and I were in DLR May 1-8th and I think I posted our experience in a previous post.

BB was closed May 2 for "minor refurbishments". We was told by a cast member that there was some "deep cleaning" during the day and a large private party that night.

We ate there on May 3rd. Had 11:30 ressies and had asked for waterside and stated it was a birthday celebration. We got there 15 min early as has been suggested on here.

We did get our waterside table and was seated at 11:30 at a table right on the rail by the water. What we observed is that ALL the tables on the rail that were waterside were 4 tops only. The tables that sat more than 4, bigger groups, were one row out from the rail. We did hear a group of 8 ask for waterside that was being seated behind us, that one row out, and they were told "this is waterside".

Now this was the first time I have ever ate at BB but when I think waterside I think right at the water not with another party between me and the water. Of course I may be wrong and other people might not mind being one row out.

We greatly enjoyed our time there and will repeat when we visit again. AND if we don't get right on the water we won't be unhappy.
 
I thought I'd add my experience with the new email system. I emailed them last night at 2330 and asked for 3 reservations. The one I was most worried about was CC at 7pm on July 12th. I woke this morning at 7:30 and had my reservation confirmation codes waiting in my email. :)

What kind of food is CC supposed to have?
 
We will be hitting DL July 15 this summer, and I have reminders in my iphone starting next tuesday to call in each day for our reservations. I just had a feeling that I needed to be a bit more on the ball with reservations for the places and dates that are really important to us this trip. Don't know why, maybe because even up here, not a day goes by without us seeing at least 2 or 3 Disneyland commercials!! It's funny, the most planning in this regard I have done before is to book for New Years Eve, Christmas Eve and day, and New Years day. Other than that if there was somewhere we really wanted to eat at, we would call the day of in the morning from city hall.
 
I also started making the first of my reservations. One today (Plaza Inn breakfast) for 7/12. (Which by the way the CM confirmed is a Magic Morning, park opens at 7am).

I still need to make an Ariel's Grotto reservation tomorrow, and a Blue Bayou lunch on Tuesday. I will be taking HGs advice with requesting an 11:30 reservation as we would like to have a waterside table. It is only two of us though.
 

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