Am I completely naive to think...

[DaisiLou]

that we don't need to make reservations?

We'll be at WDW 11/21-11/24 and when I spoke with Disney on the phone and asked about dining, and reservations, etc....she told me that it might not even be necessary.

We're traveling with a 2 yr old in the party, and I have no way of knowing if she's going to be awake/behaving/hungry/etc at 5pm on a certain day....

So the CM told me that unless there was a resturant that we REALLY wanted to eat at (there's not, we're kinda flying by the seat of our pants) not to worry about it. She said that even if we wound up somewhere that says it's full for the ADR, they ALWAYS keep a few tables unavailable to be booked so that folks can walk in from the park. She also said that during the time we would be there, she couldn't imagine us having to wait any longer than 5-10 minutes to get a table for 4.

So, I didn't book a darn thing....and was just planning on winging it...

Am I crazy?

 

[disneygirlinnj]

that we don't need to make reservations?

We'll be at WDW 11/21-11/24 and when I spoke with Disney on the phone and asked about dining, and reservations, etc....she told me that it might not even be necessary.

We're traveling with a 2 yr old in the party, and I have no way of knowing if she's going to be awake/behaving/hungry/etc at 5pm on a certain day....

So the CM told me that unless there was a resturant that we REALLY wanted to eat at (there's not, we're kinda flying by the seat of our pants) not to worry about it. She said that even if we wound up somewhere that says it's full for the ADR, they ALWAYS keep a few tables unavailable to be booked so that folks can walk in from the park. She also said that during the time we would be there, she couldn't imagine us having to wait any longer than 5-10 minutes to get a table for 4.

So, I didn't book a darn thing....and was just planning on winging it...

Am I crazy?

Hmm...tough to say. We actually just booked a last minute trip for the weekend before yours and didn't have a problem getting ADRs online last week.

The CM is wrong though when she says they hold some tables for walk ups. We were there last month and constantly saw people get turned away when they asked to be seated without a reservation. At Tony's when I was checking in, the line was 10 people deep. The CM at the desk made a loud announcement a few times that they are not accepting any walk ups. 8 people on that line groaned and walked away.

I did notice that you have a MUCH better chance of getting a walkup if you get to the restaurant RIGHT when it opens...before 5pm. We walked up for Tutto Italia and Chefs de France and both times were accommodated. They both said though that they can only take us right that second (at 5pm). Anything later and they are completely booked.

So don't go in thinking they hold tables. I do think you'll be OK IF you're flexible as to where you want to eat each day. It is definitely a quieter time than last month!

it won't hurt though to make an ADR a day and then you can always cancel it if you find your child is tired, sleeping, etc.

Have a great trip!

 

[vicki_c]

That CM is wrong about both the holding tables thing and waiting 5-10 minutes if you don't have an ADR. That short of a wait would be an exception, not the norm. We have often waited longer than that (quite a bit longer) WITH a reservation.

But if you don't care about where you eat, you can try and wing it and if you can't get in somewhere, eat counter service. Ask your resort concierge the day of if you want them to make a reservation somewhere and see what might be available.

I would only recommend this approach if you're not on the dining plan though, so you don't have to worry about using up your credits. With the DDP, I would definitely be making reservations.

The week you're going is not that crowded (edited: oops realized later this was wrong - it's Thanksgiving week) - but I still think the CM was wrong to tell you what she/he did.

PS - just wanted to add -- with a 2 year old, I would not leave wherever I was to go somewhere else and try to get in a restaurant without a reservation. Try it where you are at the time.

 

[tony67]

I think that is the beginning of a very busy week if I am not mistaken.
I really surprised the CM would say this.

I would recommend making ADRs with your best guess, especially if you are on the DDP.
If you cannot make it cancel, even if it is only an hour in advance.

It may be tough even at this late date to get the ADRs you want, I'm not sure.

The good news is there are a lot of decent quality QS locations, it is not just burgers and chips.

But if you are getting the DDP you do not want to be eating QS the whole time.

 

[vicki_c]

Tony is right - I didn't realize those dates were part of Thanksgiving week - thought it was a full week before.

Well now I think that CM was certifiable -- that is seriously nuts - Thanksgiving week - the whole week is one of the most crowded times of the year at WDW. Now that I understand that, I agree - you might not even be able to get ADRs at a lot of places.

 

[Sawhiskey]

Its hard to say..
If you can go during parades and such as the resturants really do pack in after they end. Once I went to Yak n Yeti an hour before my ADR and it was empty when I 1st sat down.. The parade ended about 10 minutes later, then when I left the resturant was pack with a line of people waiting.. Just a little story.

I have been to Teppan Edo too and when walk ups would come the lady told them no ADR, there was no way they are eating here tonight and to try toyko dining...

Just my experince.

 

[Macdonx]

I don't think it's the whole week that's busy - earlier in the week might be very slow, but the day before, Thanksgiving, and the weekend will be quite busy. And then it will get slow again on sunday when everyone there on a quick Thanksgiving vacation leaves again.

Good luck. Try to remember, too, that your 2 year old isn't going to know what she's missing, so if you try to do sit-down, but you can only do counter service, she's not *really* going to know that there's anything else other than where she is. Have fun!

 

[Lynne M]

I think that the phone CMs are painfully underinformed. They know how to do their very specific job - entering an ADR into the system- but here's yet another case where instead of saying "sorry, I don't know the answer to that", they wing it and end up giving out serious misinformation.

OP, as others have said, WDW restaurants don't hold tables for walkups. If you don't have a reservation and they're fully booked (which they will be during the week you're going), they won't allow you to wait for a table, they'll just turn you away.

ADRs can always be changed or cancelled, so call now and get whatever you can. The pickings are going to be very slim, many restaurants were fully booked for those dates a long time ago. But if you're willing to be flexible, you will find something. It may not be at a convenient time, and you may have to eat at a resort instead of a theme park.

If you can't find anything open that appeals to you, you can always try calling once you arrive on site. People do cancel ADRs, so tables can open up at the last minute. As others have suggested, speak with the concierge at your resort and see what they can find.

 

[DaisiLou]

We'll be there the Sat, Sun, Mon before Thanksgiving, which is when we went 7 years ago, and the park was not quite as busy.

I just don't have any idea about these resturants, and I don't even know where to start!

 

[geokeim]

As long as you don't care where you eat, or when, you will be fine.
But if you think you're going to wander into LeCellar or Liberty Tree w/o ADR then yes, you are crazy or darn lucky!

We've been a million times (or more) and never had a good walk up experience. (one exception was T-Rex @ DTD this yr, which doesn't take ADR's)
That said there are many spots to eat that don't require adr's that you can get something "quick".

Have fun! (and pack some snacks just in case)

 

[Brygida]

that we don't need to make reservations?

We'll be at WDW 11/21-11/24 and when I spoke with Disney on the phone and asked about dining, and reservations, etc....she told me that it might not even be necessary.

We're traveling with a 2 yr old in the party, and I have no way of knowing if she's going to be awake/behaving/hungry/etc at 5pm on a certain day....

So the CM told me that unless there was a resturant that we REALLY wanted to eat at (there's not, we're kinda flying by the seat of our pants) not to worry about it. She said that even if we wound up somewhere that says it's full for the ADR, they ALWAYS keep a few tables unavailable to be booked so that folks can walk in from the park. She also said that during the time we would be there, she couldn't imagine us having to wait any longer than 5-10 minutes to get a table for 4.

So, I didn't book a darn thing....and was just planning on winging it...

Am I crazy?

If you can arrive at a restaurant at their dinner opening time (which ranges from 4:30-5:30pm) you should be able to get in for 3-4 people.

I would not do this for large parties, and I would not expect to get in if I arrive after they have opened for dinner or lunch. There a few restaurants in Downtown Disney that are 1/2 empty for the majority of the day (even during free dining), except at peak dinner hour, like Raglan Road (some of the best food at WDW!) and Wolfgang Puck. You will also have better luck at non-character restaurants. Most character restaurants are booked solid with no walk-ins. At EPCOT, for instance, I would expect you could walk up to several dinner places at opening time (except Le Cellier).

Another recommendation, keep 1-407-WDW-DINE on your cell phone and call them 30 min prior and then just walk over to your ressie. They would also know if something is booked so you don't waste time.

 

[vicki_c]

PS - geokim - TRex does take reservations.

 

[RMulieri]

I wouldn't do it.Not only is it a busy week ,but it is no fun dragging a hungry ,overstimulated 2 yr old from place to place trying to score a walk up.I would make ressies, and cancel if it proves to be too much for the little one, or if you change your mind

 

[ktlm]

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest weeks of the year. While it will be worse at the end of the week, there are plenty of people who spend the entire week there because for at least part of of the week they don't have to use their vacation days from work. You might have a hard time finding any TS meals without ADRs that week. I don't think the CM was correct that they save tables for walk ins. We have seen tons of people turned away from the restaurants even when it was the first seating time for lunch or dinner- and that was during times that the parks weren't horribly busy. If I were you, I would get on allears.net and look at the list of restaurants and menus. I would then get online with Disney and see if there is any availability at any of the places that look interesting to you. If not, you can call disney dining and see if there is anything available at the times you think might be best in the parks you plan to be in for that day. You can ask them if anything is available in a certain park for the whole day, or at certai ntimes.

We took my DD at 2 last year and at 3 this year. I just tried to plan meals close to when she would be eating at home taking the time change into account (I did it more by our home time which was an hour different). For us, lunch seemed to work best as it gave us all a break and calmed her down for a stroller nap after eating (we found out after the 1st day that leaving the park for an afternoon break did not work for her). Most of the restaurants don't have penalties for cancellation even the day of the reservation. We didn't have trouble getting her to most of our ADRs, but I did have to adjust/cancel a couple while there. I even called about an hour before a meal and cancelled our ADR when it was clear she wasn't leaving MK in time for us to get there, and I was actually able to pick up a later ADR. A few of the character meals do have penalties for no shows, but the chances of you getting a character meal this late are probably not that great. My DD's favorites place to eat were the Akershus Princess Meal (epcot- but it does have a penalty for cancelling within 48 hours) and Biergarten (also Epcot-not a character meal so you might be able to get in- they have a German band and a dance floor the kids can get out on during the show). She also likes the castle, but you would have to be extremely lucky to get in there and that does require full payment in advance. At 2, she also really liked the Pooh character meal at Crystal Palace. If I were you, I would at least try to book something now. You can always cancel what you have booked and try to change them once you get there if it is not going to work out.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I think that the phone CMs are painfully underinformed. They know how to do their very specific job - entering an ADR into the system- but here's yet another case where instead of saying "sorry, I don't know the answer to that", they wing it and end up giving out serious misinformation.

I completely agree with this. I can understand that it is difficult to get all CMs up to speed but they aren't even close.

To the OP - As long as you are willing to eat counter service if you can't get in anywhere then go ahead without any ADRs. If, however, you know you'd like at least a couple of sit-down meals I'd try to book ADRs in advance...perhaps a character meal and one other. If you're going to be spending a lot of your time in the parks I'd suggest booking an ADR for the World Showcase restaurant that looks best to you. Just figure out which day you'd like to be in EPCOT and book for that day. Keep in mind that many restaurants are very popular so you may have to eat at non-peak times.

The counter service food at WDW is so much more than the usual burgers/fries/chicken nuggets that even if you end up only eating that you should be able to have some unique foods.

Have a great trip! We'll be there at the same time and can't wait!

 

[Brygida]

We'll be there the Sat, Sun, Mon before Thanksgiving, which is when we went 7 years ago, and the park was not quite as busy.

I just don't have any idea about these resturants, and I don't even know where to start!

Well that's easy, it sounds like you just don't know where to go. If I can be so bold to make some recommendations (having been with a 2 year old).

Saturday at noon - make a reservation for Crystal Palace inside MK (2nd choice is Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge - take the boat at 11:30am to get there)

Sunday at noon - make a reservation at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom

Monday at noon - make a reservation at Chefs de France in EPCOT - you will get to see Remy who is a blast.

I say noon, because a nice meal and then back to hotel for a nap works so well with this age.

My 2 cents.

 

[tony67]

It is no fun dragging a hungry ,overstimulated 2 yr old from place to place trying to score a walk up.

This is a very good point and by the time you do find a place to eat you may not enjoy it since the child may be very grumpy waiting for thier meal.
I've been through this and it is no fun at all.

 

[MHSweb79]

If you don't have the dining plan, then don't worry about it. There's plenty of quick service choices in every park.
If you DO have the dining plan, then you absolutely need to make ADR's, if you can even get them this late. Try character breakfasts, if you think your 2 year old wouldn't freak out, or some of the monorail resort restaurants like Kona Cafe, Whispering Canyon, the Wave, etc.
That CM was wrong on so many levels...... Good for you for coming to the best source for GOOD information!

 

[djp0630]

Are you on the dining plan? If you are, then yes you are crazy However, if you're not, you just need to plan to eat counter service most of the trip. I would assume the days before Thanksgiving would be really busy and wouldn't be easy for a walk-up.

I went to WDW in Sept with a 3 year old & 1 year old, and we did mostly breakfasts & lunches reservations, instead of dinners. I liked having reservations as it was nice not having to fight for a table at Counter service or figure out where we would have to eat. Plus we ate at some great places with characters that both the kids loved.

I think if you are planning on doing walk-ups, I doubt you will get character meals. You could maybe try like Morroco place in Epcot, the Wave at the Contemporary. And definitely try for when they open, (~5PM for dinner). Good luck!