Can I arrive early for reservation?

[Boomerdog]

My spouse and I have a reservation for 2 at Sci-Fi Dine-in at 640 pm for dinner later this fall. However, The magic hours at Magic Kingdom that night are from 8-10 pm and we would like to get there relatively on time for those. If we arrived just after 6, would we have to wait until the 640 reservation time? Nothing else is available at the moment.

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

You can always arrive early and ask, but many places will not check you in more than 15 minutes before your scheduled ADR, and even then no guarantee you're seated before or at your ADR time. I would recommend continuing to look for the time you want, and if you can't find it, go to the podium and see if they can accommodate you, but don't expect it. If they're slower than expected or have a free spot for the two of you, you'll probably be seated right away. But if they're full and running behind, not gonna happen.

 

[purple figment]

It depends on how busy Sci Fi (or any other restaurant) is when you arrive. You can try showing up earlier and they may or may not be able to accommodate you. We were walking by SciFi one time about 45 minutes before our reservation time so we asked and they said yes, but we would be seated at a table and not in a car. Since we wanted to sit in a car we came back at our res time.

There is still lots of time before fall so I would keep checking online to see if a cancellation comes up because people will cancel when their plans change.

 

[Hopefully]

It is possible, but the reality is if there was availablity you could book it. I would keep trying for an earlier time. Especially as it gets closer. People firm up their plans and cancel reservatations as their trips near.
Good Luck

 

[MouseMomx2]

Personally, if you can't get an earlier time in advance, I would stop by the restaurant early in the day and see about adjusting your reservation. If there is nothing they can do you can still try to check in early. There's no guaranty that you will get in early, but it never hurts to try.

 

[Nohal]

As others have said keep trying times open up all of the time. We tend to get to all of our reservations early (worried about being late and being charged) sometimes they take us and sometimes we have to wait to check in.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Every time we checked in more than 10-15 minutes in advance of our ADR at Sci-Fi we were told to come back. I would keep checking for an earlier time or pick another place if EMH is more important.

 

[MasterGracey84]

Different restaurants may respond differently to an early arrival. Sci-Fi is a restaurant that will typically tell you to return at the appointed time. The best advice is to keep checking for earlier availability that best meets your needs.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

We have been seated well ahead of our ADRs but at Sci-Fi, not usually.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I've been able to get seated earlier at some restaurants, but from my last experience Sci-Fi is pretty busy and we weren't allowed to even check-in earlier than 15 minutes before our scheduled time.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

If we arrived just after 6, would we have to wait until the 640 reservation time?

1) Probably not.
2) Chef Mickey's is just too popular and they are usually booked right up to the ADR time.
3) They SELDOM let people check-in more than 15-moinutes ahead of the ADR.

 

[ErinsMommy]

2) Chef Mickey's is just too popular and they are usually booked right up to the ADR time.

I believe the OP is referring to Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre.

 

[JZCubed]

My spouse and I have a reservation for 2 at Sci-Fi Dine-in at 640 pm for dinner later this fall. However, The magic hours at Magic Kingdom that night are from 8-10 pm and we would like to get there relatively on time for those. If we arrived just after 6, would we have to wait until the 640 reservation time? Nothing else is available at the moment.

To answer your question - yes, you can arrive early, but with a small likelihood of succeeding because it's dinner time and Sci-Fi is a popular place.

There are a few options - and some, if not all, have been mentioned through the Thread.

1.) Have you tried calling Disney by phone? Despite what you may have been told - Cast Members always seem to have more availability than I see online.

2.) Keep trying back online to see if something opens up. At about the 60-day before mark, folks start adjusting schedules after getting FP+ situated. Also, cancellations happen at about 72- to 48-hour mark as people avoid the Disney cancellation fee policy.

3.) Even with 6pm ADR - seated by 6:15….done eating by 7:15….to MK after 8pm….seems as if you miss Wishes fireworks. Why not stay in HS for Fantasmic?

4.) If none of the above works - I like the strategy of stopping at the restaurant podium earlier in the day to negotiate a better time.

 

[gonzalj1]

You can always show up early. Whether the restaurant can accommodate early is a different matter. Depends on how busy they are that day and whether they had any openings (no shows etc).

Also, even though WDW now calls them reservations we find it to be more a guide than a true reservation. Often, we are asked to wait severl minutes past our reservation time before being seated. Our worst experience was at Ohana where we waited more than 20 minutes past our reservation. YMMV

 

[Hopefully]

You can always show up early. Whether the restaurant can accommodate early is a different matter. Depends on how busy they are that day and whether they had any openings (no shows etc).

Also, even though WDW now calls them reservations we find it to be more a guide than a true reservation. Often, we are asked to wait severl minutes past our reservation time before being seated. Our worst experience was at Ohana where we waited more than 20 minutes past our reservation. YMMV

Disney does call them ADR's for Advanced Dining Reservations. But they are very clear in their description of them that they place you in line for the next available table to fit your party size. They are not like reservations in the real world where they are holding a table for 4 at 7 PM because you have a 7 PM reservation. If the longest you have waited is 20 minutes you are very lucky. Although the average wait is 10 - 15 minutes I have waited 45 minutes to reach the podium to check in, then 45 more minutes for a table at the Biergarden. It was a Saturday night during F & W and Epcot was slammed. We would have left, but we knew at that point there was no where with openings. Lots of folks here on the DIS report extended wait times.
Good Luck

 

[purple figment]

Often, we are asked to wait severl minutes past our reservation time before being seated. Our worst experience was at Ohana where we waited more than 20 minutes past our reservation. YMMV

'Ohana is known for frequently running behind schedule so a 20 minute wait past your reservation time is actually not bad at that particular restaurant.

 

[SPOERLX3]

I had an experience with Sci-Fi this past September that I can share.
We had a 3:40 reservation and we were starving since we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We thought we would just give it a try just in case they may could get us sat sooner. We went to the podium at 3:15, they took our name and said they would do what they could to get us seated as quickly as they could. At 4:05 they called our name We sat for 50 minutes and still didn't get sat until 25 minutes after our reservation time. I think now since there is a $10 per person fee for no shows, most people, once they finalize their reservations, stick to them and this is making for more crowded restaurants, especially during free dining.