Blue Bayou Water Front Seating

[Albytaps]

We have a 11:30 reservation for 6 people on April 8th. I'm planning on being there 20mintues or more ahead of time to get the "best" waterside table. However, now that it was mentioned that there are only 2 tables able to accommodate 6 people, are they "good" tables or the ones off to the side near the server's station?

Besides having to ask them for waterside (just in case) do I have to ask them for a waterside "middle" table or anything like that? How would you ask?

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Awesome, thanks for the advice! Is there a better time of day to go there for either lunch or dinner? Our reservations are for 5:30 right now, but I'm wondering if the wait is longer for that time. I guess my main question is, is it worth going there for lunch instead of a nice dinner?

We've had waterside tables for lunch AND dinner, but in my opinion, it is easier to get a lunch table by the water with less wait.

If getting a waterside table is a BIG priority for you, then when you make your reservation, chose the first time available for lunch. Be there to check in about 20 minutes early, and at that point ask very nicely(as others have advised) if you could wait for a water side table. Every time we have done this, we've gotten one. Be warned that they probably WILL tell you that it might be a 30 to 45 minute wait(I think to discourage you from asking/waiting), but in our experience, this simply hasn't been true--10 minutes at the most for us.

 

[Here4mydisneyfix]

Awesome, thanks for the advice! Is there a better time of day to go there for either lunch or dinner? Our reservations are for 5:30 right now, but I'm wondering if the wait is longer for that time. I guess my main question is, is it worth going there for lunch instead of a nice dinner?

We like lunch better because of the menu. Our fave meal of all time at BB is the Buccaneer Beef Short Ribs. They are drool worthy AND only available at lunch time. We still have BB for "dinner" technically though because we have little kids and we tend to eat very early (right along with "senior special" hour! ha!). We make the last available lunch reservation, which is at 3:30pm, yet still get to order off of the lunch menu for our delicious short ribs!

 

[HydroGuy]

We have a 11:30 reservation for 6 people on April 8th. I'm planning on being there 20mintues or more ahead of time to get the "best" waterside table. However, now that it was mentioned that there are only 2 tables able to accommodate 6 people, are they "good" tables or the ones off to the side near the server's station?

Besides having to ask them for waterside (just in case) do I have to ask them for a waterside "middle" table or anything like that? How would you ask?

The 4-5 times we have done waterside for six was always a perfectly fine table for location.

Just ask for waterside at check-in. The process you outline above always works for us. Last time I did it was last August. Just be sure everyone in your party is there at check-in or they may not allow you to check-in.

 

[KateDrake]

I've only ever done dinner, but I do have a trick similar to the first lunch ressie. We always ask for the LAST dinner reservation time. This works better on nights when the park closes a bit earlier so you aren't eating at 10 p.m., but even at 7 or 8 it can be great. Plus it gives you a chance to grab a snack while you wait for your late dinner!

For example, if the park closes at 8, the last dinner reservation is at 7. It seems like most people are trying to hit a parade or get in a few more rides during that time. So we book a 7 p.m. ressie on one of the earlier days during our trip, check in 20 minutes early, and then tell them we are willing to wait for a waterside table. We usually get in and out (we skip dessert because the BB desserts aren't anything too exciting) in plenty of time to hop in line for POTC right as the park is closing. We ride and then wander down a nearly empty Main Street! It's so fun, and very romantic.

 

[Cheshirecatty]

I've only ever done dinner, but I do have a trick similar to the first lunch ressie. We always ask for the LAST dinner reservation time. This works better on nights when the park closes a bit earlier so you aren't eating at 10 p.m., but even at 7 or 8 it can be great. Plus it gives you a chance to grab a snack while you wait for your late dinner!

For example, if the park closes at 8, the last dinner reservation is at 7. It seems like most people are trying to hit a parade or get in a few more rides during that time. So we book a 7 p.m. ressie on one of the earlier days during our trip, check in 20 minutes early, and then tell them we are willing to wait for a waterside table. We usually get in and out (we skip dessert because the BB desserts aren't anything too exciting) in plenty of time to hop in line for POTC right as the park is closing. We ride and then wander down a nearly empty Main Street! It's so fun, and very romantic.

KateDrake this is such good advice!

We've never thought of asking for the last dinner time, but are excited to try this on our trip in a week!

Thanks!!

 

[pixiewings71]

I've never eaten there WITHOUT sitting waterside!
My feeling is "why bother" if you can't sit there. You are far away from the Pirate boats going by, the peaceful river, etc.

I have never had to wait long.
Always ask. There's an older guy who works there, been there forever. He's pretty snotty. Still ask. Other people work there. He tries to deter you, but don't.

I always feel kinda bad for people sitting way in the back by the bussing stations. I can't imagine that's a great Blue Bayou experience!

We have been seated in the middle but not in the back, the table in the middle was fine, we could see the water and the boats but waterside is much better. lol Every time we've asked for waterside without having the 11:30 time slot we've received attitude, but it's worth it so we just smile and say "we can wait".

Awesome, thanks for the advice! Is there a better time of day to go there for either lunch or dinner? Our reservations are for 5:30 right now, but I'm wondering if the wait is longer for that time. I guess my main question is, is it worth going there for lunch instead of a nice dinner?

We prefer lunch because when you go in it's bright and sun shiney and then it's "night" when you eat and bright and sun shiney when you come back out. lol But it's up to you to decide if it's worth it to do dinner or to do lunch. Whatever you chose I hope you love your meal and experience!

 

[Iceman93]

We've never made any special request when reserving or checking in, and have sat waterside, in the middle, and in the back by the kitchen. The experience really isn't all that different, so for those obsessed with waterside seating you may want to reconsider your obsession!

 

[Sally_fan]

We have a 11:30 reservation for 6 people on April 8th. I'm planning on being there 20mintues or more ahead of time to get the "best" waterside table. However, now that it was mentioned that there are only 2 tables able to accommodate 6 people, are they "good" tables or the ones off to the side near the server's station? Besides having to ask them for waterside (just in case) do I have to ask them for a waterside "middle" table or anything like that? How would you ask?

Our table for 6 was pretty much in the middle. It was a great table. I'm not sure that I'd ask for anything other than waterside? We arrived 20min+ before our reservation time (11:30).

 

[LittleBlueFlower]

Thanks to everyone for the input. We had reservations for 11:50 and were planning to wait for waterfront seating, but of course we would have to have waited until all those seated at 11:30 were finished. I just changed our reservations to 11:30 and will follow all the suggestions. We've never made allowance to eat at Blue Bayou before, and it might be a one-time event, so the kids are very excited at the possibility of eating beside the water. Okay, so am I...
Thanks again to you all. I love Dis Boards!

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks to everyone for the input. We had reservations for 11:50 and were planning to wait for waterfront seating, but of course we would have to have waited until all those seated at 11:30 were finished. I just changed our reservations to 11:30 and will follow all the suggestions. We've never made allowance to eat at Blue Bayou before, and it might be a one-time event, so the kids are very excited at the possibility of eating beside the water. Okay, so am I...
Thanks again to you all. I love Dis Boards!

FWIW. if you have 11:50 and want waterside my guess is you will need to wait until 12:30 or so until the first 11:30 group finishes.

If it was me and I really wanted waterside I would switch to a 12:15-12:30 reservation if possible.

 

[LittleBlueFlower]

FWIW. if you have 11:50 and want waterside my guess is you will need to wait until 12:30 or so until the first 11:30 group finishes.

If it was me and I really wanted waterside I would switch to a 12:15-12:30 reservation if possible.

I changed our reservation to 11:30 when I realized that. If I make sure we arrive at 11:10, will that work?
Thanks.

 

[HydroGuy]

I changed our reservation to 11:30 when I realized that. If I make sure we arrive at 11:10, will that work?
Thanks.

That question is what this whole thread has been about. Yes that should work. You may want to go back to the beginning and read it. There are not that many posts.

 

[denettem]

My dad had a special dinner planned when he re-proposed to my mom. We called 60 days in advance and while he was making the reservations he asked if it would be possible to have a water-side table. They were all for it and even helped him plan a cute surprise where the waiters brought out her ring on a cute tray with rose pedals! Just try to keep an open communication with them while making the reservation. They are incredibly helpful when they know what the occasion is!

 

[HydroGuy]

My dad had a special dinner planned when he re-proposed to my mom. We called 60 days in advance and while he was making the reservations he asked if it would be possible to have a water-side table. They were all for it and even helped him plan a cute surprise where the waiters brought out her ring on a cute tray with rose pedals! Just try to keep an open communication with them while making the reservation. They are incredibly helpful when they know what the occasion is!

Just curious how long ago this happened. They used to take waterside requests at time of reservation. But to my knowledge they stopped a couple years ago.

 

[MillauFr]

I've never eaten there WITHOUT sitting waterside!
My feeling is "why bother" if you can't sit there. You are far away from the Pirate boats going by, the peaceful river, etc.

Ditto There is no reason to pay big bucks if you can't get a good table near the water.

I always feel kinda bad for people sitting way in the back by the bussing stations. I can't imagine that's a great Blue Bayou experience!

Ditto again. Those tables are lousy. You are better off eating at Café Orleans than sitting at the tables near the front lobby of Blue Bayou.

We follow Hydroguy's advice and show up at 11:10 for our 11:30a reservation. Always get waterside.

 

[LittleBlueFlower]

That question is what this whole thread has been about. Yes that should work. You may want to go back to the beginning and read it. There are not that many posts.

Yes, thanks HydroGuy. I had read the whole thread and so when I had said in my original post that I'd changed my reservations to 11:30, I wanted to be sure that I had it straight when you mentioned different times. Thanks.

 

[pinksand]

Some of the waterside tables on the extreme side aren't the absolute best because your view is obscured by trees and what have you. That happened to us, once - we couldn't see any of the boats. Just something to be aware of.

But one of my favorite Disneyland memories is going for lunch at the first seating for BB, and being seated absolutely first for lunch. The wonderful CM who took us to our seats said, "I always seat the first guests." We did get waterside. It's just another fantastic memory of Disney magic!

 

[awinangie]

Thanks to info from this board, I made a reservation for the Blue Bayou for my daughter and I on Feb 19 at 3:40 (last lunch reservation). I had my 8th birthday lunch at the BB many moons ago, so it was extra special to be able to share the experience with my daughter.

I'd planned to share a desert only, as that's what fit our budget, and folks here indicated that it was just fine. However, when I looked at the menu before our trip, I realized that they had a really reasonably priced salmon meal on the kid's menu. I knew my daughter would enjoy that.

We arrived about 20 minutes early for our reservation, and indicated that we were happy to wait for a waterside table. Like others, we were told there'd be a fairly long wait, but were seated pretty quickly at a lovely waterside table.

The server didn't blink an eye when I told her that we were only ordering a kids' menu item and a desert after. We also shared one of the fun drinks with a light up "ice" cube that we loved. We were brought a full basket of bread to share, and even offered more, if I remember correctly, but we surely didn't need more. My daughter shared some of her lovely (not fabulous, but quite nice) salmon meal with me, and then we ordered a desert to share. Something very chocolatey, but I can't remember what it was called.

The bill turned out to be about $28, darn close to our total daily budget of $35. (We had breakfast and lunch in the hotel, so $35 turned out to be more than enough for dinner and treats.) The fabulous server actually *scolded* me when I told her that the balance of the $35 gift card was the tip. She insisted it was too much. But, I also insisted, as we'd taken a table that would normally bring in a lot more tip money.

All in all, a delightful experience!

So grateful for all the tips that served us so well!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

This is getting needlessly complex. Waterside at Blue Bayou works like this:

1. Tell the reservation CM you want to request waterside. They will note it.

2. Arrive 20 minutes early and tell the host you requested and want to wait for waterside. They'll see the note and tell you how long you'll have to wait.

That's it.