Ease of Dining Reservations Day of

[tstidm1]

I am going to be going July 8th-11th, but don't want to be tied to Priority Seating Reservations for the the free time meals because their a lot of Sit down Restaurants on the ABD trip. I do want to try Cafe orleans or Carnation Cafe. How easy is it on a Summer Mid-week day to make an ADR about a couple of hours before two people want to eat? I know Summer is high season, so I'm expecting things like no ADR's unless you want Steakhouse 55 and 90 minute waits for It's a Small World. (Note: I run on worst case scenario. It helps me have a good attitude during WDW trips.)

 

[Malcon10t]

I am going to be going July 8th-11th, but don't want to be tied to Priority Seating Reservations for the the free time meals because their a lot of Sit down Restaurants on the ABD trip. I do want to try Cafe orleans or Carnation Cafe. How easy is it on a Summer Mid-week day to make an ADR about a couple of hours before two people want to eat? I know Summer is high season, so I'm expecting things like no ADR's unless you want Steakhouse 55 and 90 minute waits for It's a Small World. (Note: I run on worst case scenario. It helps me have a good attitude during WDW trips.)

If you are open to anything, you should be ok. If there are specific restaurants you want, you might have to wait. And I wouldn't count on openings at Steakhouse 55. The last 5 times we have been there, they haven't been taking walk ups, and when I tried for a Wed night ressie on Monday night, there were none available for 3.

 

[dragonflycurls]

i think it can be touch and go. You're going during a peak time so trying to get a prime time walk in will likely be harder than saying a late lunch/dinner.

If you're ready to go with the flow, you should be good. If you're expecting to be able to walk up and get a dinner reservation at Blue Bayou, that's likely not going to happen.

 

[HydroGuy]

If you are open to anything, you should be ok. If there are specific restaurants you want, you might have to wait. And I wouldn't count on openings at Steakhouse 55. The last 5 times we have been there, they haven't been taking walk ups, and when I tried for a Wed night ressie on Monday night, there were none available for 3.

Mal and I are agreeing a lot today. Never tried Steakhouse 55 but I agree if you are flexible you should be fine.

 

[Astylla]

I personally don't like to chance my meals so if there are places I KNOW I want to go to - reservations are made in advance and we make plans around that. Obviously this doesn't work for everyone and in specific to Steakhouse 55 if you really want to dine there , make a reservation. I have seen SO many people turned away or angry insisting there must be openings and leaving disappointed.

Carnation Cafe typically takes a lot of walk ups in the evening hours I have seen but your wait could be 45 minutes or more depending on the time. We were there last year and it was a 1.5 hour wait..and that wasn't inflated. So many people were scavenging and making calls everywhere trying to get non counter service meals. We ended our meal and people we saw arrive after us were still waiting.

Same day ADR are very touch and go. There have been times we have been in what is considered non-peak and nothing was available for days. Other times we had plenty of options. It's really up to you if it's worth the stress of worrying about it last minute.

 

[figment_jii]

In general, I would give the same advice at WDW and at DLR. If you know you want to eat at a specific restaurant and/or at a specific time, then I would make a reservation. If you're flexible and/or willing to wait, then you can probably chance a walk-up at most places.

The biggest caveat is Blue Bayou. I've been there many times (peak and non-peak periods) when the check-in CM at Blue Bayou was telling folks they were fully booked for the rest of the day and were not taking walk-ups. So, if you want to eat at Blue Bayou, I would make a reservation.

For the other TS locations in DL and DCA, I think it's going to be hit-or-miss in terms of walk-ups and wait times. I've been there on a Tuesday in September when Cafe Orleans wasn't taking walk-ups for dinner, but there were spaces the next day. If you were going on a weekend (Fri to Sun), then I would say you'd have a much harder time. In general, I think you might have a better chance at the restaurants in DTD, but even those can experience long wait times at peak meal hours.