Eating in Park Without a Ticket?

[strawberrysh]

Can you go and eat at a restaurant in a park without having a ticket?

 

[jenniferkeala808]

i believe park admission is required.

 

[halinar]

You will need a park ticket for any dining reservations in the theme parks. If you're looking at places to eat on a dining plan and don't have theme park tickets your best options will be downtown Disney and any of the restaurants at the resorts (i.e., the luau at the polynesian resort).

 

[beroh2253]

You will need a park ticket for any dining reservations in the theme parks. If you're looking at places to eat on a dining plan and don't have theme park tickets your best options will be downtown Disney and any of the restaurants at the resorts (i.e., the luau at the polynesian resort).

I agree you need a ticket, the only park that you can eat by but you can't actually get into the park with out a ticket is the Animal Kingdom, you can enter the Rain forest Cafe from outside the park without a ticket but the one exit from the cafe is to the park and you can't get thru there without a park ticket. Now remember Rainforest Cafe is not on the DDP.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Generally if you make a dining reservation for an in a Park restaurant the person on the phone is supposed to, as part of a script, remind you that having Park Admission is mandatory.

And also, if it is extremely crowded and the Park is at a Staged Closing where you would normally not be allowed in, having a reservation will not override the Stage Closing. And if you have a prepaid meal, such as CRT, you will lose your deposit as a no-show.

 

[oybolshoi]

Can you go and eat at a restaurant in a park without having a ticket?

Easy answer: no.

 

[lzbee]

Unfortunately...no.

 

[TDC Nala]

As noted you must have park admission to dine in a restaurant located inside a theme park. Cheshire Figment makes a good point that even if you have admission and an ADR you won't be admitted to a park that has closed for capacity, even for a prepaid reservation at CRT.

 

[beroh2253]

As noted you must have park admission to dine in a restaurant located inside a theme park. Cheshire Figment makes a good point that even if you have admission and an ADR you won't be admitted to a park that has closed for capacity, even for a prepaid reservation at CRT.

Just wondering how often would this happen, be closed for capacity, that people couldn't get in for their ADR? As people leave would they let more in?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) If it were allowed, I can see it now
. . . I have a ressie at Rose & Crown
. . . of course, the $20.00 meal overrides the $79.00 admission
. . . and, I might not show up for the dinner
2) Disney is smarter than that.
3) They want the admission AND the dinner.
4) Now, if you wanted to go in to buy an item
. . . that can be done for free
. . . for up to 45-minutes or even 60-minutes

 

[Brave teacher]

As others have stated, no...you need a ticket to get into the park for your dinner reservation.

 

[chartle]

1) If it were allowed, I can see it now
. . . I have a ressie at Rose & Crown
. . . of course, the $20.00 meal overrides the $79.00 admission
. . . and, I might not show up for the dinner
2) Disney is smarter than that.
3) They want the admission AND the dinner.
4) Now, if you wanted to go in to buy an item
. . . that can be done for free
. . . for up to 45-minutes or even 60-minutes

4. If you are referring to the Shopping Pass I've read that they haven't done that in a few years.

 

[mlittig]

strawberrysh, you already have your answer but I just wanted to say

 

[TDC Nala]

Just wondering how often would this happen, be closed for capacity, that people couldn't get in for their ADR? As people leave would they let more in?

Not often. Apparently Magic Kingdom is the most frequent park to close for capacity, and target dates are possibly 4th of July, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve. They close in stages and past a certain stage they will let no one in. And they won't let anyone in until enough people leave to knock it down a stage or two.

It's usually suggested if you have an ADR inside Magic Kingdom on one of those major holidays, that you arrive early and plan to stay inside the park until after your meal.

Epcot is so large that it rarely closes for capacity.

 

[ilovesugar]

I wish, that would be so nice. But there would be no way to control it.

 

[ElizabethB]

We have occasionally attended Food & Wine Festival Events in Epcot where admission was not required. These have been rather rare, however. As I recall, the wine schools used to be held in Epcot restaurants and admission was not required. That was when these events were all day events, however. They would request that people return to the front gate or International Gateway to use a ticket if they were going to remain in the park. The remaining events we've attended without admission have been dinners held at Epcot locations. They let you in without a ticket, but the park is usually closed or nearly so by the time the dinner ends.

 

[TDC Nala]

Except for events that ended at or past park closing, they escort the ticketless patrons into and out of the parks for the "no admission required" f&W festival events. Not sure Disney would want to have a lot of escorts available for everyday patrons who want to eat in a restaurant without admission.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

4. If you are referring to the Shopping Pass I've read that they haven't done that in a few years.

Did it this past February.