BOG Dinner, a Lengthy Affair?

[stickeymouse]

How long does it take to complete dinner at Be Our Guest? We have a 6:45pm reservation for the night of a Halloween party (with tickets to the party), and would hate to spend most of the party in a restaurant. As much as I wanted to get a BOG reservation, I'm willing to forego it to better maximize our time at MNSSHP. Then again, if we can get in and out within a hour, I would like to experience BOG.

 

[Runnsally]

In my experience they bring the food out fast - definitely can be done in less than an hour especially if no dessert. However, the bigger issue is actually getting seated on time - you may run into some issues there.

 

[Dis703]

It can be done within an hour, but as much as we love this restaurant, I wouldn't miss party time for this or any other TS meal. We do a sit down lunch and eat a QS meal or snacks during the parties because there is just so much else to see and do.

 

[stickeymouse]

Does showing up early for the reservation have any advantage whatsoever?

 

[stickeymouse]

My thoughts are this, if we start dinner at 6:45 and can be done by 7:45, we will still have 4+ hours of party time. We will be in MK all afternoon before the party anyway, so the main must-sees for us are the fireworks and late parade. We aren't really into seeing characters. I just wanted to make sure that BOG wasn't a 2-hour+ dining experience. I wonder if we tell our server that we want to have a speedier meal, they will make accommodations.

 

[Rich M]

My thoughts are this, if we start dinner at 6:45 and can be done by 7:45, we will still have 4+ hours of party time. We will be in MK all afternoon before the party anyway, so the main must-sees for us are the fireworks and late parade. We aren't really into seeing characters. I just wanted to make sure that BOG wasn't a 2-hour+ dining experience. I wonder if we tell our server that we want to have a speedier meal, they will make accommodations.

I have the exact same reservation but for a Christmas Party. I am hoping for the exact same thing as you in regards to being done in an hour and still having some time for everything we want to do. I am curious to see how this works with the last reservation for BOG regular guests being 5PM and them ushering people out between close and the party. Hoping it makes a less likely backup. fingers crossed.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

I have tried to show up at BOG early and they always tell me that I can't check in until 15-20 minutes before my reservation. It never really took that long to eat there.

 

[samsteele]

In regular operation (not during the Party), showing up early doesn't do any good since you must wait to check in approx 15 mins before your ADR.

I felt rushed during my BOG dinner the other year. In and out within 45 mins. Table turnover is a priority.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Like any TS restaurant you can expect 60-90 minutes.
I do not like going to TS restaurants on party nights.
I don't want to waste party time.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Unless something goes terribly wrong, it's definitely not a 2 hour experience. We ate there on a party night two years ago. We had a reservation for 5:45 pm and were out just as the party was starting. We also had no interest in meeting the characters and saw both the parade and fireworks. If you are planning on staying for the whole party and don't mind missing an hour, it should be fine. You could mention to the waiter you would like a speedier experience and could, of course, skip a course if you feel pressed for time. I will say, MK gets very crowded between 4 - 7 pm on party nights as the day and party guests start mingling together, so we actually liked the earlier reservation to get out of the crowds and then go back in when the party started and the crowds thinned out. I'm not sure if getting an earlier reservation is an option or is of interest - I just wanted to share my experience.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

The parties always seem too short to me, and I've found even a 5PM dinner reservation (elsewhere) inside the park ran late and ran into party time. So for my next trip I've booked mid-afternoon meals on party nights, instead of dinners. I would either move BOG to another night or just skip it. But to me the party would be more important. YMMV.

 

[Lisa F]

Party time goes FAST. I would not waste an hour of a 5 hour party doing a meal. Have a meal before the party and enjoy the party.

The parade and fireworks take up a lot of time, especially if you want a good spot.

 

[stickeymouse]

Thanks for all the comments. I am still torn on whether to keep the reservation. I don't want to miss party time, but then again, party time, at least for us, is kind of just an extension of a park day. I will ponder more over the coming weeks. Hopefully, an earlier reservation becomes available, and this will be a moot point!