Be Our Guest without ADR?

[tinderbox]

This is a tad off topic...
We've never been to BOG but managed to get ADR for a lunch AND dinner during our stay this September. Are there certain dining areas more ideal than others? Is one better for lunch than dinner or vice versa? Can you choose where you sit?

 

[jo-jo]

Before needing ADRs, thus the CC, we used to go around 2ish just for coffee and dessert. We enjoyed it but don't want it to be go or lose $20 situation. I'm curious if anyone thinks trying for a walkin about 2-3 is at all possible?

 

[DisBuckMan]

Before needing ADRs, thus the CC, we used to go around 2ish just for coffee and dessert. We enjoyed it but don't want it to be go or lose $20 situation. I'm curious if anyone thinks trying for a walkin about 2-3 is at all possible?

Anything is possible.

That said, the restaurant books to capacity all hours it is open. Breakfast and lunch are booked to restaurant capacity, by total head count...not available table capacity. So, in theory and mostly in practice, walk-ins at any time during breakfast/lunch hours are nearly impossible* to procure, and are rare exceptions.

 

[FSU Girl]

This is a tad off topic...
We've never been to BOG but managed to get ADR for a lunch AND dinner during our stay this September. Are there certain dining areas more ideal than others? Is one better for lunch than dinner or vice versa? Can you choose where you sit?

I like it for both lunch and dinner and would keep both since they are different types of food so it's not entirely repeating. Dinner is definitely the harder of the two to get a reservation for. At lunch you seat yourselves in any of the three rooms. You either preorder online or order when you get there and then pay like a quick service. Depending on the time it can be a little chaotic. For dinner it's a table service restaurant. You will be taken to your table and have a waiter. You'll then order and pay at the end of your meal. This can be more relaxing. Dinner is also the only time you can meet the Beast.

 

[Lesley Wake]

As always, I'd highly highly highly recommend sign up for the touringplans reservation finder and/or mouse dining. With both you can put in your date (specific day or a range), party size, and time or meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner). They will check and send you an email and/or text when they find an available time. Touringplans allows 2 searches at a time and mouse dining has 5 (I think). It has helped me get BOG lunch and popped up a dinner, but I was driving so couldn't book in time!

 

[KrazeeK120]

At lunch you seat yourselves in any of the three rooms.

That's not always true. It's best to go prepared that you may not be able to choose your seat.

 

[FSU Girl]

That's not always true. It's best to go prepared that you may not be able to choose your seat.

Oh I didn't know that. I've only been once for lunch, but we seated ourselves. I think it wasn't too crowded because we picked a time closer to 2 so a bit of an off time. I think having the choice taken from me would dampen the experience a bit since we were able to pick a table next to the snowy windows which I loved.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Oh I didn't know that. I've only been once for lunch, but we seated ourselves. I think it wasn't too crowded because we picked a time closer to 2 so a bit of an off time. I think having the choice taken from me would dampen the experience a bit since we were able to pick a table next to the snowy windows which I loved.

The last 2 times I've eaten lunch there (Jan 2014 and May 2017), we were seated by a CM. We were there at a busy time (like, the middle of lunch) in 2014 and I wasn't thrilled with our table. A few weeks ago, we had the earliest lunch seating. There were a few breakfast stragglers still there, but lots of empty seats. We asked the CM if we could sit in the West Wing and she found us a table in there.

 

[FSU Girl]

The last 2 times I've eaten lunch there (Jan 2014 and May 2017), we were seated by a CM. We were there at a busy time (like, the middle of lunch) in 2014 and I wasn't thrilled with our table. A few weeks ago, we had the earliest lunch seating. There were a few breakfast stragglers still there, but lots of empty seats. We asked the CM if we could sit in the West Wing and she found us a table in there.

Did you preorder or order there? I wonder if that makes a difference. It's weird they wouldn't let you seat yourself if it was mostly empty that one time.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Did you preorder or order there? I wonder if that makes a difference. It's weird they wouldn't let you seat yourself if it was mostly empty that one time.

We did not preorder in 2014 (I don't think a lot of people did back then). We did for our trip a few weeks ago. We were held at the entrance to the ballroom after paying and then escorted to a seat.

It honestly surprises me when people say they've sat themselves. Maybe I was there the only 2 days in the past 3.5 years where guests couldn't choose their own seat, lol!

 

[mckennarose]

We did not preorder in 2014 (I don't think a lot of people did back then). We did for our trip a few weeks ago. We were held at the entrance to the ballroom after paying and then escorted to a seat.

It honestly surprises me when people say they've sat themselves. Maybe I was there the only 2 days in the past 3.5 years where guests couldn't choose their own seat, lol!

When were you there in May? I posted earlier in this thread that we were there May 16 and seated ourselves. We seated ourselves in May 2016 too. We preordered both times.

 

[FSU Girl]

When were you there in May? I posted earlier in this thread that we were there May 16 and seated ourselves. We seated ourselves in May 2016 too. We preordered both times.

I was there exactly a week ago and we were able to change our seats (aw I just realized I would be on Peter Pan right now at this time instead of at work lol)

 

[KrazeeK120]

When were you there in May? I posted earlier in this thread that we were there May 16 and seated ourselves. We seated ourselves in May 2016 too. We preordered both times.

We were there on Thursday May 11.

 

[bluezy]

Just want to note that the last 2 times I've had lunch at BOG (Jan 2014 and May 2017), we were held after paying and seated by a cast member. Although I'm sure if we were with another party, we could have just told them we were together and would have been accommodated.

Interesting. Only time we were seated it was to help us find an empty table as we wandered about, it was packed and folks were not leaving. We eat there at least twice a year and never been seated otherwise. Now it shouldn't be a problem anyway as hopefully you've joined up in line but if not just tell the CM you have xx more coming, they are in line still. NBD.

I'd be curious how many others have been seated? at QS meals.

Our family has been there for lunch several times over the last few years and we've never been seated by a cast member. Here are our details for comparison:

Sept. 2014, party of 2, ADR @12:30
June 2015, party of 5, ADR @11:20
June 2016, party of 8, ADR @ 11:40
June 2016, party of 2, ADR @ 1:00

At our June 2015 lunch we were wandering around deciding which room we wanted to sit in (there were plenty of tables in each room) and a CM asked us if we needed help finding a table. We told her we were still deciding where we wanted to sit but that we saw plenty of empty tables and would choose one soon. She went on her merry way and we sat at a table in the ball room.

 

[mckennarose]

This past ADR time was 11:45. It was around the same time in May 2016 also. This time it was SUPER crowded and the pre order line was serpentine toward the castle doors.

I really wonder what it is. The crowd this time seemed like it *could've* warranted assisted seating, but they weren't. Last year it was a lighter crowd.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Just want to note that the last 2 times I've had lunch at BOG (Jan 2014 and May 2017), we were held after paying and seated by a cast member. Although I'm sure if we were with another party, we could have just told them we were together and would have been accommodated.

We had the same experience in October of last year!

Interesting. Only time we were seated it was to help us find an empty table as we wandered about, it was packed and folks were not leaving. We eat there at least twice a year and never been seated otherwise. Now it shouldn't be a problem anyway as hopefully you've joined up in line but if not just tell the CM you have xx more coming, they are in line still. NBD.

I'd be curious how many others have been seated? at QS meals.

We had to be seated at BOG in October and Cosmic Rays, that one drove me nuts because if they would just have opened up the end section we could have all seated ourselves a lot quicker! Of course once we were leaving they did just that! HAHA!

 

[tinderbox]

This is a tad off topic...
We've never been to BOG but managed to get ADR for a lunch AND dinner during our stay this September. Are there certain dining areas more ideal than others? Is one better for lunch than dinner or vice versa? Can you choose where you sit?

I may have gotten too wordy. My basic question is which, if any, dining room/areas are better than others? How many are there? Thanks to all if you.

 

[HopperFan]

I may have gotten too wordy. My basic question is which, if any, dining room/areas are better than others? How many are there? Thanks to all if you.

The biggest room, the Ballroom is just like the movie. It's beautifully done right down to the snow falling outside the windows. If there is a table right next to the windows we grab it, off the walking path and great view of the ballroom. Don't forget to enjoy the ceiling.

The smallest room, is the West Wing and it's similar to the movie. Dark, lightning, the rose with petals falling, paintings that change. It can be scary to little ones and it's hard to get a seat, popular.

The "Castle Gallery" or sometimes referred to "Rose Gallery" is NOT in the movie. (some call it the Music Box room) They wanted Belle & Beast dancing but it would take away from the ballroom so they made a room that could build around it. Our least favorite since not in movie, seems the loudest of the rooms.

 

[tinderbox]

The biggest room, the Ballroom is just like the movie. It's beautifully done right down to the snow falling outside the windows. If there is a table right next to the windows we grab it, off the walking path and great view of the ballroom. Don't forget to enjoy the ceiling.

The smallest room, is the West Wing and it's similar to the movie. Dark, lightning, the rose with petals falling, paintings that change. It can be scary to little ones and it's hard to get a seat, popular.

The "Castle Gallery" or sometimes referred to "Rose Gallery" is NOT in the movie. (some call it the Music Box room) They wanted Belle & Beast dancing but it would take away from the ballroom so they made a room that could built around it. Our least favorite since not in movie, seems the loudest of the rooms.

Thank you so much!!!!

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

I mentioned earlier that we were seated last June. What I did mention was that we went twice that week. On Tuesday, we sat ourselves. Thursday, we were seated. Seems like I remember a thread with talk of them changing that week.