Adding a 2 yr. old at restaurant

[ebenmax]

When booking ADRs I received conflicting info about those under 3. Some CMs said they needed to be on a ressie and others said not necessary. We have 7 (w/child incl.), but one of my ADRs is only for 6. Should we show up and hope for the best or do I need to call and try to add him?
Thanks!!!

 

[sharonabe]

When booking ADRs I received conflicting info about those under 3. Some CMs said they needed to be on a ressie and others said not necessary. We have 7 (w/child incl.), but one of my ADRs is only for 6. Should we show up and hope for the best or do I need to call and try to add him?
Thanks!!!

Keep trying to add him all the way up to the time of the ADR. They will probably seat you, but they can turn you away or make you wait longer for your table.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Anyone w a pulse needs to be included in the adr

 

[Betty Rohrer]

When booking ADRs I received conflicting info about those under 3. Some CMs said they needed to be on a ressie and others said not necessary. We have 7 (w/child incl.), but one of my ADRs is only for 6. Should we show up and hope for the best or do I need to call and try to add him?
Thanks!!!

keep trying to add. most likely you will be seated but you most likely have to wait watching those who right number in ressie seated ahead of you. which could be a problem with a 2 year old

 

[Polydweller]

Pumbaa is right, they have to be on the ressie. It’s a fire code issue and the 2 year old counts against the maximum occupancy for the restaurant. They can’t have more persons in the room than the code allows and as such could turn you away if the 2 yr old isn’t on the reservation.

 

[badeacon]

I was in same situation. Had 6 adults and child age 2. I found that reservations for 7 were impossible to find so made reservation for 6. Received same information as you did above. Tried to make reservations for 8 later but none available.
I went To MDE and under my dining reservations clicked on update guests and added the 2 year old. Now all my reservations in MDE show 7 guests in reservations. It appears that after reservation is made one can update number of guests without making a new reservation.

 

[ebenmax]

I was in same situation. Had 6 adults and child age 2. I found that reservations for 7 were impossible to find so made reservation for 6. Received same information as you did above. Tried to make reservations for 8 later but none available.
I went To MDE and under my dining reservations clicked on update guests and added the 2 year old. Now all my reservations in MDE show 7 guests in reservations. It appears that after reservation is made one can update number of guests without making a new reservation.

You are a life saver!!! I had called Disney Dining and they could not add him. She said to keep calling back but that they may turn us away if we just show up at the ADR time. So, your words were a breath of fresh air...IT WORKED!! He is all added to the ressie! Thanks again!!

 

[sharonabe]

I was in same situation. Had 6 adults and child age 2. I found that reservations for 7 were impossible to find so made reservation for 6. Received same information as you did above. Tried to make reservations for 8 later but none available.
I went To MDE and under my dining reservations clicked on update guests and added the 2 year old. Now all my reservations in MDE show 7 guests in reservations. It appears that after reservation is made one can update number of guests without making a new reservation.

WOW! That is a cool trick. I don't know if no one has ever tried to do it or never came here to report it, but this is the first time I've seen this and I will remember it to try to help others in the same situation.

THANK YOU for sharing!!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Anyone w a pulse needs to be included in the adr

this comment brought visions of Weekend at Bernie's to my mind

 

[B-Ride]

Pumbaa is right, they have to be on the ressie. It’s a fire code issue and the 2 year old counts against the maximum occupancy for the restaurant. They can’t have more persons in the room than the code allows and as such could turn you away if the 2 yr old isn’t on the reservation.

Have you ever seen a WDW restaurant hit maximum occupancy? There are usually empty tables when there are no ADRs available. Personally I would show up with the 2yr old and I would be shocked if they turn you away.

 

[rosiebean]

Have you ever seen a WDW restaurant hit maximum occupancy? There are usually empty tables when there are no ADRs available. Personally I would show up with the 2yr old and I would be shocked if they turn you away.

Yes, I’ve seen many at maximum occupancy.

Personally, if OP shows up with an extra guest (of any age) over their ADR count, they probably won’t be turned away (though some restaurants will not seat the extra guest)..but they should expect to wait beyond their ADR time for their larger party to be accommodated. Also, age of that extra guest is immaterial. Two years old or two hundred, they all will count toward fire code numbers.

 

[MomOTwins]

Have you ever seen a WDW restaurant hit maximum occupancy? There are usually empty tables when there are no ADRs available. Personally I would show up with the 2yr old and I would be shocked if they turn you away.

Empty tables does not mean it is not fully booked. If it is 6:30, and a table clears out but Disney has a reservation scheduled for 6:45, that table cannot be given to a walk up because they would need to be done in 15 mins.

Also, if you are there on an off time of year, they may not have servers to staff all the tables and so don't fill up the restaurant, but are at capacity. Not Disney, and not exactly the same, but just as an illustration of an extreme situation, I used to be a waitress at a restaurant and I remember one very memorable day when EVERY OTHER SERVER called in and they could not get any replacements. So I was serving something like 25 tables when I normally would only have 5 or 6 at a time. And I remember the poor hostess getting yelled at by some rude guy who walked in and was told there was a 45 minute wait and he said "what do you mean, there's a table right there, do your job and give me a table." Sure, they could have sat that guest, but he'd have to wait 45 minutes anyway before i could get to his table.

 

[chimoe]

I wouldn’t loose sleep over this. I had same situation last year, we had originally booked for 4 for all our ADRs, than a 5th decided to join us 2months prior. We had all the tough ADRs, (BOG, CRT, Ohana etc.).

By a few weeks prior to our trip we were able to get everything updated for 5 people. Used Touring Plan Rez finder and a bit of refreshing here and there. We were even able to keep same ADR times (give or take 10-15mins for a few)

Thank god everything worked out, We were prepared to sneak our 1yr old. Also, we found WDW to be flexible: we showed up 30mins late, NP, showed up 30mins early, NP, seated early. I can’t see how they would nit pick on a toddler who wouldn’t actual take a real chair and would be in a highchair sharing the same table type.

For people talking about “capacity”. I had NEVER seen anyone with a clicker at the door counting who is going in and out of the restaurant. And we traveled during Thanksgiving week. Lots of rotating tables empty.

 

[rosiebean]

I wouldn’t loose sleep over this. I had same situation last year, we had originally booked for 4 for all our ADRs, than a 5th decided to join us 2months prior. We had all the tough ADRs, (BOG, CRT, Ohana etc.).

By a few weeks prior to our trip we were able to get everything updated for 5 people. Used Touring Plan Rez finder and a bit of refreshing here and there. We were even able to keep same ADR times (give or take 10-15mins for a few)

Thank god everything worked out, We were prepared to sneak our 1yr old. Also, we found WDW to be flexible: we showed up 30mins late, NP, showed up 30mins early, NP, seated early. I can’t see how they would nit pick on a toddler who wouldn’t actual take a real chair and would be in a highchair sharing the same table type.

For people talking about “capacity”. I had NEVER seen anyone with a clicker at the door counting who is going in and out of the restaurant. And we traveled during Thanksgiving week. Lots of rotating tables empty.

I’ve tried to add a person (last minute addition to our party) to our ADR at check in a few times: and have been outright told no once, and told we’d have to wait possibly up to an hour the other times. I travel during slower times of the year fwiw. We understood that we might not be able to add the other person, so just went with the flow (all times, a member of our party opted to go get QS elsewhere with the extra guest while the rest of us were seated). Age of person you’re hoping to add does not matter ( we had young kids with us when we were told we could not add another member to our party… If they were really so unconcerned because some kids were in high chairs versus “real“ chairs we would’ve been able to add one person to our table).

Family members of mine have also lost ADRs when they showed up 30 or more minutes late. I’ve showed up 30 minutes early more than once and rarely get seated within that 30 minutes.

Sure, Disney will...at times...be flexible with this kind of thing. But posters here with experience are telling the OP that there are times where the restaurant in question will not be flexible at all. Personally, I would not go to WDW and assume that I could add an extra number to in a dining reservation at check in. I might try to do so, but would be prepared with an alternate plan.