Do you get a table quickly with ADR?

[AutismMom2006]

If you make all your ADRs for table service meals ahead of time, do you find the time is pretty accurate or are the restaurants running behind a lot? I've read some complaints online about long wait times for a table even if you have ADR.

 

[Capang]

It depends. We typically check in 15 minutes ahead of our ressie and usually get seated on time. Once or twice it has been a little later, once or twice earlier. I think it depends on the amount of adrs they have.

 

[T00dles]

Depends on the restaurant, how backed up they are etc. They aren't holding a table for you for when you get there. You check in and they seat you based on availability at the time.

Its not great, but its better than not getting a table.

We've found wait times are usually shorter at the beginning of the meal periods.

 

[missbrooke06]

Depends on the restaurant - CA Grill, Crystal Palace, Ohana, Hollywood and Vine are places I always wait. Cape May, Biergarten, Via Napoli not so much.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

We don't like waiting for ADR's and are willing to eat at times that are not 'normal' to us in order to avoid waiting in line. So, if a restaurant starts dinner at 4:00pm, we try to make a reservation close to opening, therefore less likely (in our experiences) to be behind time. If lunch opens at 11:00am, we make a reservation at 11:00am. I'd rather adjust our eating times (mind you we are all adults / teens so we can do that; might be tougher with young children who need to eat at certain times) than wait in another line.

 

[melana]

There have been times we have been seated right at our reservation time, times we have been seated earlier, and at least 2 times where we waited about 30 minutes. Those were at Tusker House Lunch and BOG dinner.

I think it just varies on the place, how fast they turnaround the tables when a group leave and who knows what else. LoL.

 

[Princess Kendra]

If you make all your ADRs for table service meals ahead of time, do you find the time is pretty accurate or are the restaurants running behind a lot? I've read some complaints online about long wait times for a table even if you have ADR.

I think it depends A LOT on which restaurant and what time of day! Like someone else said, we usually make our ADRs on the early side, and typically don't have to wait very long at all. Some places take you right in, other places we have waited 45 minutes.

 

[mommycrawford]

what restaurants are you going to?

restaurants where I have always had a long wait (more than 30 min after ADR): 1900 Park Faire, The Crystal Palace, OHANA, Le Cellier, Liberty Tree Tavern, Chef Mickey's, CRT, Cape May Cafe....Character meals often have a delay because people are waiting for a character to make the rounds. I don't worry about being very early any more, as it cuts into the waiting time.

 

[Princess Kendra]

Depends on the restaurant - CA Grill, Crystal Palace, Ohana, Hollywood and Vine are places I always wait. Cape May, Biergarten, Via Napoli not so much.

I absolutely agree, it depends on the restaurant. It's funny you mentioned some of these restaurants, Ohana might be the absolute worst, it is always so crowded and notorious for the long wait to get inside. But I've never had a problem at Crystal Palace, probably because we only go there for breakfast at 8:05am. We've had to wait the last few times we ate at Via Napoli, but those were busy nights. So it depends on time of day as well.

Chef Mickey is also really bad with seating you. Some others where we always seem to have to wait: Le Cellier, Tusker House, Mexico. Be Our Guest for lunch is another one, we waited in line 20 minutes to order last time, if only we had known we could have pre-ordered our meals and walked right in!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Mama Melrose is notorious for late seating.

Keep in mind that an ADR is really just a spot in line. Disney base ADR times/volume based on average length of dining experience. No one is average.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with everyone else, it depends. And as Aurora stated, it is not a traditional reservation where they are holding a table for you. It places you in line for the next available table that meets your parties size. If folks linger longer than expected (the average) the restaurant will be late seating you.
We find we are usually seated in about 15 minutes, but we have been seated early and we have waited over an hour at Biergarten.
Go with the expectation that you will have to wait some, and you won't end up frustrated.

 

[disney world dreamer]

depends on the restaurant and what time you make your ADR for.

for example at sci-fi. if you make your ADR for about 11am you're likely to be seated quickly.
if you make it for 12:30pm you're likely to wait a while.

then there's chef mickey's which is pretty consistent with having to wait a while no matter the time.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

I have heard of people having longer waits - especially for Ohana - but the longest wait we had was about 10 minutes at Chefs de France. We went off-season, though.

 

[Jennasis]

Sometimes the wait is long and sometimes not. On our last trip we got seated faster as a walkup at Via Napolie 9about 4-5 min) than we did at any of the places we had ADR's (about 15-20 min).

 

[AutismMom2006]

Thanks for all the replies. We nowhere near ADR window yet, but my sons have special needs, they are on a regular meal schedule and it helps them. I read on a facebook thread today about people waiting an hour even with ADR, and June is the time of year we will be traveling. That helps to know that character meals will have longer waits, I'll have to be careful with planning those. I might need to carry granola bars in my purse and/or use more counter service meals. A lot has changed, it seems, since the trips we took years ago...trying to gather as much information as I can!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Usually we have been seated within a reasonable time frame with an adr, maybe 5-15 minutes. WITH an adr we waited 2 hours at Sci-Fi one evening, 1.5 hours at Mama Melrose and 45 minutes at the Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Faire. Yes, insane.

 

[nicolemb]

What are wait times for BOG breakfast like? We've got a 9:05 adr. We've also got breakfast scheduled at Akershus, H&V, and Crystal Palace, but those are 8:10-8:20, so I'm guessing any wait would be minimal.

 

[KNovacovschi]

It depends on the time and season. Also ADRs are not your typical restaurant reservation. It just promises you can eat there around that time but it doesn't book you an actual table, a lot of people have that misconception.

We've been lucky and unlucky, meaning we've arrived early and got in early but have also arrived early and waited 30-45 mins for the table.

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks for all the replies. We nowhere near ADR window yet, but my sons have special needs, they are on a regular meal schedule and it helps them. I read on a facebook thread today about people waiting an hour even with ADR, and June is the time of year we will be traveling. That helps to know that character meals will have longer waits, I'll have to be careful with planning those. I might need to carry granola bars in my purse and/or use more counter service meals. A lot has changed, it seems, since the trips we took years ago...trying to gather as much information as I can!

I would try to plan ADR"s closer to opening time rather than later. That will help. We checked into our 5:30 ADR at Coral Reef about 30 minutes earl IIFC, and were seated in 5 minutes. Byt the time we left that place was already backed up. The same with 'Ohana. We booked an early meal and were seated in a timely manner, but a later meal was well over 30 minutes. The MK TS restaurants are limited, so plan those earlier rathe than later. We waited a long time fo Crystal Palace with a 6 or 6:30 ADR, but our 5 PM at LTT on a Party night had us in and out quickly.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I find that we usually get seated within 5 to 10 min except for Raglan Road. We always ask for a table in the main dining room and often have to wait as long as 25 min to meet that request. Cali Grill can be awhile, it just depends on the time. We hate eating early so we are usually 730 pm or later.