Ariel's Grotto take walk in?

[kanela]

Hi,

Does anyone know if Ariel's Grotto take walk-in? I'm trying to make priority seating for the beginning of June for 7 of us. I've been having no luck as there are no tables for 7 left, only VERY rude people on the other end of the phone line from disney dining. They will not even let me get 2 separate tables eventhough they do have a table for 3 and a table for 4 at the same time. I finally tried vacation planning and the guy was very nice and suggested we try walk-in as he says they do that. But the people at disney dining say they don't do this. I'm just a bit upset right now because I didn't expect to get such rude people on the line. And then I called to make reservations for the Rainforest Cafe and I don't believe the lady even took my name down. I was just repeating back the time and date to her to confirm and then she hung up on me abruptly I guess I'll just have to call Rainforest back later after I've calmed down to make sure they have my reservation.

 

[AuntieM03]

The day we tried we were turned away.

 

[ChrisMouse]

When we were there for our PS last Friday, I heard them tell another family they were booked SOLID for 10 days out...I felt really bad for that little girl...

 

[XTinabell]

Hi,

Does anyone know if Ariel's Grotto take walk-in? I'm trying to make priority seating for the beginning of June for 7 of us. I've been having no luck as there are no tables for 7 left, only VERY rude people on the other end of the phone line from disney dining. They will not even let me get 2 separate tables eventhough they do have a table for 3 and a table for 4 at the same time. I finally tried vacation planning and the guy was very nice and suggested we try walk-in as he says they do that. But the people at disney dining say they don't do this. I'm just a bit upset right now because I didn't expect to get such rude people on the line. And then I called to make reservations for the Rainforest Cafe and I don't believe the lady even took my name down. I was just repeating back the time and date to her to confirm and then she hung up on me abruptly I guess I'll just have to call Rainforest back later after I've calmed down to make sure they have my reservation.

What is with the month of may and everyone being so rude?? You should call and complain, I find that it makes me feel a little better to let someone know that you weren't treated friendly.
I have heard of people walking in but it's a risk - if you go during a week where the crowds are low you MAY be able to get in without a reservation but I'm not too sure what crowds are like in June (we always go in the winter) so if you can I would call later and try again.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Sorry about the rude cms. In our experience, I've seen multiple families turned away when walking in to see if there's any availability at Airel's Grotto. There's certainy no harm in doing a walk up again once your there, just don't get your hopes up.

 

[SunBunny23]

I went there with my boyfriend and we had to make reservations 3 days ahead of time.

 

[moko]

I was a walk-in for lunch the first week of May. It was hectic but they got us in just fine. We arrived around noon and were put on a list. I was like 2nd or 3rd on the list so I'm not sure how many walk-ins they take... probably dependent on how many reservations don't show up. I think it would be risky to do a walk-in during peak times of the year, though.

As for dinner, I overheard the host tell the people coming in to make reservations for that night that they wouldn't know if they could be put on a list until 4:10 pm. That was the time he was telling them to come back and check in.

 

[moko]

I forgot to mention... our party was for 5. It may be a little different with a larger party.

Sorry to hear about the rude service, too! Ugh!

 

[ShawnaF]

We also watched the folks at Goofy's Kitchen give a walk-in group a really hard time. I'm so sorry, I hate to see that happen to people.

If you want to try walk-in, I suggest you be at Ariel's at around 10:30am and be first in line when they open - then you can get on the list and hopefully be seated for an early lunch. They're really getting busy since they took the princesses away from the Castle and the lines at the PFF, so I think there is now little room for walk-ins. That seems to be the case with every restaurant that takes PS now though.

 

[lilsprstr]

We were there on May 2 and we were turned away.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

We were there this past Saturday May 12 at 11:30. They took one walkin party while we were there, it was a party of 4 and they had been there since opening. Several other parties tried to get in, and the next available walk in could not be accomodated untill 4:00pm.

So they do take walkins, but I don't think a party of 7 is going to happen. When I made my PS a few weeks ago, the lady at Disney Dining said that there are normally tables available up untill a few days before, unless you are booking a larger party, those tables are booked months in advance.

How many princesses do you have in your party? You may be able to get a table for just the princesses and one adult and let the others do something else for lunch.

Good luck!

 

[eatmypixiedust]

They do take walk-ins occassionally but I guess it depends on how busy it is. If you plan on dining there, I suggest making a priority seating reservation. You can call Disney Dining: 1-(714)781-3463. They book up to 60 days in advance.

 

[Disneyluvr]

We tried to make PS a few weeks before we left and were told they were all booked. On Sunday (Mother's Day) we went for the Visa meet and greet and asked if there was any chance of getting in. They told us to come back right at 12:00 and see. We did and they were able to seat us in about 10 min. That was for 2 Adults 3 kids.

So it's definitely worth a try at a walk in.

 

[brenda1966]

I'm not understanding why you couldn't book 2 tables, one with 4 people and one with 3. Were you asking to be guaranteed you'd be next to each other? If you really want to go I'd book as 2 separate parties, as long as you really are able to sit apart as 2 separate parties.

When we were there in Oct 2005 the walk ups were getting turned away.

When I was there in July 2006 I called to change my PS and was able to get a new reservation very easily (which surprised me) for the next day.

 

[hlbtimes2]

When we went in March 06 we couldnt get in. We tried calling everyday for about a week before departure. Then we checked by phone and in person every day of our trip. This year we made our PS about 2 weeks before we went. The other character meals are not nearly as hard to get seats.

 

[zukeeper]

We were just there - first we tried to make a PS and were practically laughed at by PPH Concierge (so much for concierge!) then tried to get a mid-week walk-in. They said come back at 11:30. At 11:30 the place was packed. They said they had 6 tables for walk-ins and I was too far back in the line to get one. I would get there at 11am and STAKE YOUR SPOT! People will come in and place themselves in front of you for that walk-in spot. It is 1st come 1st served for walk-ins and they don't take your name until they give the table away so whoever is closest to the podium pretty much gets it. I feel certain you could just have 1 of your party making these arrangements and the others outside the restaurant - it is very crowded at this time. As far as coming back later, be aware that if you take a later time towards the end of lunch, the Princesses will be on their way out and you might miss part of the character interaction. That did happen to us once. It appears from my experience that although they will seat until a certain time, the characters are actually leaving at that last seating. Wishing you luck!!