Effectiveness of PS reservations?

[forgetyourtroubles!]

I've never done priority seating before and now I have several reservations. What is your experience on the wait time w/ PS? How early are you supposed to arrive? We have a party of seven and some reservations say they can seat us all at one table and others say we have to split. If we split, are we likely to be near each other? Should we expect a longer wait time with a party of our size?
Sorry I have so many questions!
Thanks for your help!

 

[BCV23]

We've been doing PSs for many years and they work very well most of the time. They tell you to arrive 5 minutes ahead which we try to do...sometimes even earlier.

We have 5 in our family and had our eldest girlfriend along for part of our last trip. We have sometimes been told we would be seated at seperate tables but it has never happened. Someone has a recent post about being seperated once but her party of ten was seated together most of the time. Just arrive on time or early and ask if you can be seated together. They probably will have already arranged it.

 

[Krissalee]

They do ask that you arrive 5 minutes prior to your PS time. This has always made me curious - why do they have you make a PS for a specific time, if they really want you there earlier?

I can't help you with any info regarding larger parties.

I do know that the waiting time may be longer at some restaurants than it is for others, even with a PS. For example, DH and I had a 9pm PS at California Grill. We arrived at 8:30 and checked in, intending to have a drink at the bar. Though our PS was for 9pm, we weren't seated until 9:40pm, even though we checked in earlier. Needless to say, we had several drinks at the bar waiting for our table. I am sure this is not typical for all restaurants. Besides CG, the longest wait we had beyond our PS time was 10-15 minutes, tops!

Have a fun trip!

 

[alansh]

Were there fireworks at the MK the night of your CG visit? People probably stay until after the fireworks are over before giving up their table, causing delays.

 

[mrslane]

Originally posted by Krissalee
They do ask that you arrive 5 minutes prior to your PS time. This has always made me curious - why do they have you make a PS for a specific time, if they really want you there earlier?

I can't help you with any info regarding larger parties.

I do know that the waiting time may be longer at some restaurants than it is for others, even with a PS. For example, DH and I had a 9pm PS at California Grill. We arrived at 8:30 and checked in, intending to have a drink at the bar. Though our PS was for 9pm, we weren't seated until 9:40pm, even though we checked in earlier. Needless to say, we had several drinks at the bar waiting for our table. I am sure this is not typical for all restaurants. Besides CG, the longest wait we had beyond our PS time was 10-15 minutes, tops!

Have a fun trip!

Yes, I remember waiting a long time for our PS at CA Grill. We took advantage of the MK castle changing colors. That restaurant aside, all other PS arrangenents have been better than NO PS arrangements!

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

We also have had to wait from 5 to 25 minutes for the CG PS ressies, but then we always timed them to coincide with the MK fireworks during the meal. No other PS ressies have required much of a wait for us, and that includes other places such as CRT and Boma.

Our largest party was 5 and we were seated together every time with no problem.

 

[Krissalee]

Originally posted by alansh
Were there fireworks at the MK the night of your CG visit? People probably stay until after the fireworks are over before giving up their table, causing delays.

Yes, there were fireworks that night, but they were at 6pm (I checked my itinerary sheets), and our PS was for 9pm. I wouldn't expect that much of a build up due to fireworks 3 hours earlier. It is a very popular and busy restaurant, so I am sure the wait at CG was not unusual.

 

[TinaS]

There are only a few places that we have had to wait more than 15 minutes once we checked in. Cinderella's Royal Table is always mobbed, but the lobby that you wait in is very interesting (look for the mice) and the Fairy Godmother is there to sign autographs. We have eaten at the Crystal Palace 3 times and have always had to wait on the veranda, but it is worth it. Lastly, at the California Grill always seems to have a very long wait. We have eaten there at least 6 times and have always finished at least one drink, if not two before being seated. Where ever you decide to eat, I would recommend a PS. You can always cancell them, if your plans change. Hope that you have a good time!

 

[Connears]

We have used PS for many years. There have been occasions when we had longer waits than expected but these are rare and have reasons. New Year's Eve 2002-2003 we waited over 45 min for our PS at Teppanyaki; it was a holiday and it was pouring outside! At Brown Derby we have usually waited 10-20 minutes and it is usually related to Fantasmic pkge. Other than these, we feel that we have been seated as indicated and think they are a good method of scheduling your favorites! Most of the time, we are escorted in right away.
Connears

 

[Scottwdw]

WDW has really gotten the PS system down pretty good. I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes beyond our scheduled PS time. On the other side, I've seen many people turned away from WDW restaurants (especially World Showcase ones) who didn't have a PS when checking in.

 

[LAWalz23]

The PS system has worked for us. I don't think we have ever waited more than 20 minutes to be seated. When we had a parties of 7 or 8 we were never separated only when we had 10 and that was only 3 times. When we were split the tables were usually next to each other. Have fun!

 

[ilovefh]

Someone has a recent post about being seperated once but her party of ten was seated together most of the time. Just arrive on time or early and ask if you can be seated together. They probably will have already arranged it.

Actually that is the point of a PS, they do not have it already arranged since it is the next available table for your party size.

If they told you seperate tables the seaters will give you two options (depending on how busy the restaurant is and what time your PS is) first available is exactly how it sounds...the first tables available for you party size, but not necessarily together. The second is willing to wait, this can be up to 45 mins but your tables will be together. Either way your whole party must be there in order to check in (to begin the process of them looking for tables for you)

I worked at CRT and most times it was not a 45 min wait, but occasionally it was, so be prepared. And occasionally people got tables together without a wait....but you never know!

The best time to be sat together are the beginning of meal times. (Empty restaurant gives the seaters more options for you). The worst time is near closing....they don't have much to choose from at that point. I know a lot of times large parties who had PS's for the last seating time were often not offered willing to wait since there wasnt 45 mins to wait.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We've done PS for many years now and occasionally, there is a wait. But that's still better than what we saw at the Flying Fish when we ate there last Saturday nite. Our PS was for 8:00 and we had about a 15 minute wait. But in those 15 minutes we saw about 10-12 would be dinner parties turned away who had no PS--parties of 2, 4, and one party of 10--all turned away. Some VERY unhappy campers, several of whom tried to argue with the hostess/manager, but to no avail.
So do make PS!!

 

[Pamlur]

I'm at the point now that I can start making the PS times for our party of 10, in September. We are staying at BCV and arriving mid to late afternoon on Sept. 6, so I got 7:00 at Cape May for that night (they said it would be all one table at that time). For the 7th, I know we'll be at MK all day, so I'm hoping for LTT that night, and I just called for 'Ohana for the 8th and got one table for all of us at 7:00. My husband and my daughter are shaking their heads and smirking at each other, at my "over-planning", but they don't read these boards like I do.

I'll smirk later, and accept my laurels.

 

[crisi]

I agree, Uncleromulus, our last trip was before Presidents Day and we weren't really expecting crowds. We were traveling for the first time with our two little kids.

We had a couple PSs, but the nights we didn't it was hard to find sit down to eat at. We stayed at WL, and wouldn't have had a problem getting into Artists Point - but its not a good restaurant for my little ones. We would have had a two hour wait at Whispering Canyon - the kids can't wait to eat that long, so it was the snack bar. The next time we called Disney dining in the morning and were able to get a PS for Whispering Canyon (we'd learned our lesson) We couldn't find any sit down without at wait at MGM and were starved by the time we picked up our burgers. Epcot was a similar story - we ended up eating at the Tempura bar, which was great - but its a long walk for little kids to go from restaurant to restaurant if you don't have PSs.

That trip has made me a firm believer in having PSs for one sit down meal a day. You can always cancel, but counter service gets old.