Do resort occupants get first "dibs"?

[MistressMerryweather]

Meaning, do resort restaurants take you as a walk up(w/o ADR) if you are staying at that resort? Last trip, we tried to walk up to 1900 PF at around 8:30pm. They ask if we were staying at the Grand Floridian and when we said, "no", they said, "sorry". I'm pretty certain they would have let us in if we had said, "yes". Just wondering.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Not that I'm aware of. I think the best thing to do if you really want to eat somewhere, especially somewhere popular, is make those ADRs.

 

[Jedi]

I was told some places do hold 3-4 tables for resort guests

 

[disneyholic family]

a mother and daughter tried to walk up the night we were at 1900 park fare last month..

she made a big point of telling them that she's GF concierge and that the concierge had supposedly told her she just had to walk up and they would let her in..

but they didn't ..
they told her to go to the GF cafe...there was no room at 1900

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I wondered about this on our last trip. We had an 'Ohana breakfast for 3 people and my parents decided they wanted to join us so I went to the lobby to see if I could get an ADR for 5 people sometime during the next few days. She asked if we were staying at the Poly (yes) and low and behold there was a breakfast ADR for 5 people for two days later. Maybe it was just great luck, but I did wonder!

 

[Hopefully]

NO, is the official answer. I think sometimes people get lucky.
But the practice is that all tables are made available for ADR's when the window opens. Tables are not held for resort guests

 

[chartle]

I wondered about this on our last trip. We had an 'Ohana breakfast for 3 people and my parents decided they wanted to join us so I went to the lobby to see if I could get an ADR for 5 people sometime during the next few days. She asked if we were staying at the Poly (yes) and low and behold there was a breakfast ADR for 5 people for two days later. Maybe it was just great luck, but I did wonder!

It may have just been small talk.

 

[chartle]

I was told some places do hold 3-4 tables for resort guests

I'm not saying they don't, but it seems like if they did it would all over the boards ten fold.

 

[hintofspy]

CMs will often ask whether you are staying at that resort (or any resort) for one of two reasons: research purposes (do people tend to eat more often at their 'home' resort, etc), or because there is a special treat for that resort's guests (AKL guests who eat at Jiko usually get an amuse bouche, a practice I've also noted at a few other signatures). I wouldn't read too much into it

 

[Sweet Melissa]

CMs will often ask whether you are staying at that resort (or any resort) for one of two reasons: research purposes (do people tend to eat more often at their 'home' resort, etc), or because there is a special treat for that resort's guests (AKL guests who eat at Jiko usually get an amuse bouche, a practice I've also noted at a few other signatures). I wouldn't read too much into it

True! When we stayed at the Boardwalk last year, the manager from the Flying Fish called our room to thank us for dining with them after we had dinner there.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

On 3 occasions over the last 10 years, we've tried to reserve by phone the day of for Boma, The Turf Club and Kouzinna and they were booked. The 1st time we took the chance and went to Boma (6 of us) about an hour before intending to eat and reqested if they had any openings, they asked if we were guests of the resort, which we were, asked our room number and then said they could fit us in about 45 minutes later. We came back got one of those resv. buzzers and got in. It worked so well, I've tried it at the Turf Club and Kouzinna and got in those times as well.

I usually make a few ADR's but sometimes you get back to the room tired or it's raining and your plans change. I don't know if the answer is an official NO, but it's worth trying!

 

[DaisyMaisie]

Every resort hotel (not just Disney) should have one sit down restaurant where hotel guests can get a table. (If not they should really lost their status as a full service resort). That does not mean that every restaurant needs to hold tables for guests.

I suspect that is why the restaurant at the Grand Floridian suggested another restaurant at the same hotel. I would imagine that at the Polynesian, Kona would try to squeeze you in since you wont get into Ohana, at the Comtemporary I am guessing you would get priority at the Wave etc.

Michelle

 

[chartle]

1. Every resort hotel (not just Disney) should have one sit down restaurant where hotel guests can get a table. (If not they should really lost their status as a full service resort). That does not mean that every restaurant needs to hold tables for guests.

2. I suspect that is why the restaurant at the Grand Floridian suggested another restaurant at the same hotel. I would imagine that at the Polynesian, Kona would try to squeeze you in since you wont get into Ohana, at the Comtemporary I am guessing you would get priority at the Wave etc.

Michelle

1. But the only way to ensure this is have tables set aside somewhere and no one has yet to confirm this.

2. If you were referring to post #3, I can only assume that they suggested GF Cafe is because at the time they knew there would be openings.

I have always heard that if you want to do a walk up, the resort hotels are your best bet.

 

[DaisyMaisie]

They don't have to actually set tables aside. They just need to turn down non-guest walk up requests, and then if no other restaurant at the hotel has a single walk up available (which wont happen often, and I think they get a pass on Christmas eve etc) make everyone wait a little bit longer to squeeze someone in.

If they have a recurring problem of not having any tables whatsover available to resort guests with a reasonable wait time, then they need to put in more tables or another restaurant or lose a star.

Keep in mind that if they have a glut of hotel guests trapped inside by bad weather etc, they will also have an increase in outside guests not arriving for their ressies so it usually works out.

So my bottom line is that hotel guests probably do not have priority at the top demand restaurants, but part of being a full service resort hotel is making sure hotel guests have somewhere to sit down and eat without having to leave the hotel.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Every resort hotel (not just Disney) should have one sit down restaurant where hotel guests can get a table. (If not they should really lost their status as a full service resort). That does not mean that every restaurant needs to hold tables for guests.

I suspect that is why the restaurant at the Grand Floridian suggested another restaurant at the same hotel. I would imagine that at the Polynesian, Kona would try to squeeze you in since you wont get into Ohana, at the Comtemporary I am guessing you would get priority at the Wave etc.

Michelle

I don't get that for two reasons. 1) If they have say ten tables set aside for resort guests, but none are being used, and they're turning away other people because all other tables are full, they're losing business, and there's no guarantee those tables will ever be used that night, and 2) say there are the same ten tables, but now they're all full of resort guests, and an 11th resort guest shows up. Where do they go?

So my bottom line is that hotel guests probably do not have priority at the top demand restaurants, but part of being a full service resort hotel is making sure hotel guests have somewhere to sit down and eat without having to leave the hotel.

But all hotels do have somewhere their guests can eat, it just may not be TS. Some of the deluxe resorts even have the benefit of their food courts being open 24/7, which I wish they would do at all resorts.

 

[DaisyMaisie]

You skipped my first two paragraphs:

"They don't have to actually set tables aside. They just need to turn down non-guest walk up requests, and then if no other restaurant at the hotel has a single walk up available (which wont happen often, and I think they get a pass on Christmas eve etc) make everyone wait a little bit longer to squeeze someone in.

If they have a recurring problem of not having any tables whatsover available to resort guests with a reasonable wait time, then they need to put in more tables or another restaurant or lose a star."

To clarify they only need to turn down non-resort walk ups if they are full, so that in a pinch they can still squeeze in resort guests and certain VIP's. In a pinch they can also serve them at the bar etc.

Trust me, hotels that do not at least have a sit down coffee shop, where guests can get a meal w/o waiting more than an hour so will get downgraded. They do not need to set tables aside, taking reservations is an art, and this is something that is factored in. In fact restaurants do not usually just book every available table, they overbook them, and it usually works out.

I should add that not having enough tables to accommodate their resort guests would also be "losing business."

 

[Hopefully]

Every resort hotel (not just Disney) should have one sit down restaurant where hotel guests can get a table. (If not they should really lost their status as a full service resort). That does not mean that every restaurant needs to hold tables for guests.

I suspect that is why the restaurant at the Grand Floridian suggested another restaurant at the same hotel. I would imagine that at the Polynesian, Kona would try to squeeze you in since you wont get into Ohana, at the Comtemporary I am guessing you would get priority at the Wave etc.

Michelle

Should is a useless word. I should clean my house tonight, but I am not going to!!
I disagree that any hotel needs to block tables for possible walk ups. At Disney there is a clear ADR policy and tables are available to any guest to reserve. This includes hotel guests.

 

[chartle]

You skipped my first two paragraphs:

1. If they have a recurring problem of not having any tables whatsover available to resort guests with a reasonable wait time, then they need to put in more tables or another restaurant or lose a star."

2. I should add that not having enough tables to accommodate their resort guests would also be "losing business."

1. Does WDW even have or worry about stars. I think some of the restaurants, maybe V&A have them, but the others I don't think care. as long as they can pack people in they are good. Its not like they can go next door.

2. They just can't keep adding tables without adding more building. Based on what people say about places like Le Celler (sp) they are as packed as you can get.

Also you can't build to your busiest time. Its more then just tables, it servers and the back of the house. At some point there are going to be people they can't accommodate. Also if you do build more space and it not always used it costs you money.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I realize they don't accept ADR's and maybe that's why they didn't ask because in August 2011 and September 2011 when I stayed at the Boardwalk Inn and went seven times to the ESPN Club with my Dad, the one time when we needed to wait for a table during the LSU/Oregon Football game they never asked us are we staying at the Boardwalk Inn or Boardwalk Villas?

The only time I ever got asked if we were staying at a WDW Resort at a Table Service Restaurant was in August 2010 when my friends and I had an ADR for dinner at Tony's Town Square. Now I didn't make the ADR but the host asked if we were staying at a Walt Disney World Resort and since I was staying at the Contemporary during that time I let her know that.

 

[DaisyMaisie]

"1. Does WDW even have or worry about stars. I think some of the restaurants, maybe V&A have them, but the others I don't think care. as long as they can pack people in they are good. Its not like they can go next door."

I am talking about hotel ratings, not restaurant ratings. Wdw has to worry about how the guide books rate their deluxe hotels. Believe me when someone has to decide whether to pay 3 times as much as the local waldorf they are going to question why the grand floridian and contemporary only have 3 stars instead of four or five. It isn't going to happen though, because there will always be somewhere that a hotel guest can sit down and eat within an hour or so (except maybe at christmas or thanksgiving).