Bad Form or Not?

[gstonelake]

Opinions please. Is it considered bad form to make reservations at La Hacienda at 8:30pm for six to have dessert and margaritas, with the idea of catching illuminations while there? We would af course tip wait staff appropriately ... figure cost would be $150+ Thoughts?

 

[Ben E N]

Isn't that an indoor restaurant? May be hard to see the fireworks from there...
Or am I thinking of the wrong place?

 

[OhThePain]

There is nothing wrong with getting an ADR and just having dessert and drinks. People do it all the time. So you would not be in bad form there.

However, it seems like a waste of an ADR to me. The view from La Hacienda is nothing great, even if you are lucky enough to get a table with a view. Most people who end up with a view seem to be sat between 7:30-8 and will drag out their meal so they are there during IllumiNations. An 8:30 ADR won't guarantee you any kind of view. You are better off just getting dessert and getting a spot around the WS.

 

[DisneyGirlMI]

Isn't that an indoor restaurant? May be hard to see the fireworks from there...
Or am I thinking of the wrong place?

La Hacienda is the one by the water. San Angel is the one inside the pyramid.

OP - I don’t see why that would be bad form. You’re still ordering food and drinks. Just because you book for Illuminations doesn’t mean you have to eat a four course meal to qualify. Book and enjoy.

 

[siren0119]

Isn't that an indoor restaurant? May be hard to see the fireworks from there...
Or am I thinking of the wrong place?

You're thinking of San Angel inside the pyramid, the Hacienda is outside by the lagoon.

And OP it's not bad form - it's legitimately advertised on the restaurant's page on the Disney website that their windows are good for viewing Illuminations. Now whether you can actually get a window seat might be a different story, because I'd imagine there are plenty of folks who make dinner reservations with a plan to be there through Illuminations and probably have reservations closer to 7:30/8. Taking up a prime table for 2 hours and only ordering dessert and drinks...some might see that as bad form.

 

[epcotobsessed]

Not bad form but I agree with the others - you almost certainly will *not* get a table with a view with an 8:30 reservation. Better to make it for 7:30-7:45, but then I can see how you might feel awkward not ordering a meal. I also agree that the view is not great even with a window seat - better views can be had at Spice Road Table, Tokyo Dining, Rose and Crown, or just anywhere in the open space around the lake.

 

[LRdismom]

Not bad form at all and I love the view from inside. My ears are a little sensitive to fireworks, and it's a perfect way for me to experience it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Taking up a prime table for 2 hours and only ordering dessert and drinks...some might see that as bad form

Nothing stopping the table from ordering enough drinks

 

[Ben E N]

Nothing stopping the table from ordering enough drinks

Just their wallets!

 

[paisleys]

Nothing stopping the table from ordering enough drinks

And I'm sure the server will enjoy them much more than the people who come in to split a single child's meal and a coke

 

[CaLuCa]

I also would recommend bumping back you ADR time. You could also say you were willing to wait for a table with a view when you checked in. Be prepared that people do get up and go near the windows. Not horribly to block you, but some do get up. Also, a LOT of the tables in there have no view.

Nothing wrong with ordering drinks and desserts. I'd probably get a craving for a taco while I was sitting there though.

 

[Magical2017]

We had a window seat with a great view. We ordered appetizers, drinks, and dessert. I know the window seat is not guaranteed but it was a lovely evening.

 

[gharter]

I son't see a problem with doing that. Understand, there are very tables inside that have a good view of Illuminations so odds are that you won't have one of those tables. They also don't have an outdoor area where you can go to watch and then return to your table.

 

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

Not bad at all. The Tim Tracker has a youtube video of his view from dinner purposely getting a reservation to see the fireworks.

 

[BayouQueen]

As some others said, you really do need to have a reservation for 7:30 or so in order to hunker down for the show. That's a lot of time to kill without a meal, unless you want lots of margaritas -- which at those prices, you may as well eat dinner!

We had a nice window table to see Illuminations, and it's a good view, but we felt we would rather be outside, patio dining. The window really does take away from the atmosphere of the show. YMMV

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that any ADR after 7;30 at any restaurant with a view of Illuminations is almost always going to end up with no view because, as others have already pointed out, folks who score a window will camp out. If you cannot move yoru ADR up a bit, I woudl scrap it and find a spot outside to enjoy the show.