Experience with no Reservations?

[Mail2artist]

I'm curious what peoples experience has been NOT having reservations for all the restaurants. Granted I know some book up quickly like California Grill, The CRT and Le Cellers, and dinner shows which are ones I want to go to, but I recall being there and having almost empty restaurants.

We're going with the Deluxe Dining plan to get as many TS and dinner shows in that we can but I don't want to have my whole vacation planned out for us, especially 180 days in advance. The point of a vacation is to "go with the flow". Who's to say I'll be in the mood for fish or steak on a certain day.

Has there been some of you that went and got in without reservations on the dinning plans?
We're going the first couple weeks in December of next year, which I hear is the slowest time of year anyway.

EXPERIENCES ANYONE???
THANK YOU!!!

 

[bluejasmine]

I dont know with all this free dining out now? Ive seen many ppl turned away from many restaurants. I dont think Id chance it to be honest. Maybe book atleast half and chance the other half? Just dont want anyone to be dissapointed..

 

[Doc Goofy]

No way would I risk that. Of course, I never take the dining plan because I don't want every minute of the day planned out. We usually have one ADR per day and eat on the fly the rest of the time. Having to make three TS ADRs per day on the DDP would drive me bonkers! For the past several years, every restaurant I've eaten in at WDW was packed...

Free dining equals mass hysteria.

 

[molfrog]

If you during the slower times of the year you will have no problem walking into a resturant, unless you go when disney offers the free dining plan, than reservations are pretty much required. You will have a better chance of eating at one of the resort establishments than in the park without reservations.

 

[molfrog]

You can walk in to almost any restruants that are not on the dining plan.

 

[dixonsontour]

We did those 2 weeks last year. We needed adr's. Word is out it is a great time to go. Free dining was running.

I heard people grateful that conceirge had found them something for 8pm at a far flung resort or they were still sat waiting whilst we had eaten and were leaving.

You will get something but it may not be close to where you are or convenient time.

Why not make the adr's???

If you don't want to go on the day just cancel - most have no penalty. At least you will have an option.

If you make breakfast adr's then the rest of the day is free not tied down.

 

[sjs314]

Since Disney instituted the DP and FD the days of walking up and being seated at a TS place is almost non existant unless you get lucky or go someplace where they do not take the DP ie Rainforest Cafe or someplace that does not take reservations ESPN

Last year other than a ressie for HDDR we had none and it was a real challenge finding places to eat, Rainforest and ESPN being 2 of the places we were able to get into, the night we went to DTD we ended up eating at McDonalds every place else had an hour+ wait time

Make ADR's unless you want to be disappointed and end up using TS credits for CS meals

 

[Granfan]

We were there first week of December last year. We had ADR 'S at 6 restaurants and still had long waits. Le Chefs, Coral Reef, O'Hana (packed and very long wait),50's Prime Time. Only at Yak & Yeti was there no wait because we got tired of Animal Kingdom and wanted to leave early. We asked to eat earlier than our ADR and there was no wait. Not much fun though, eating in an empty restaurant. Start looking now to see what is left and make some ADR's now!!

 

[Kellpooh]

We did this twice on our HM in March. Once at Nine Dragons and once and San Angel Inn. Neither place turned us away, and neither place rushed us through our meal. We ended up loving both places. I would still suggest you do ADR though..

 

[Colleen27]

We've found a few places that seem to be available last-minute, at least at lunch, but I wouldn't want to try to wing it for any significant number of meals if I had a dining plan. Better to make the ADRs and change/cancel them as needed than not to have anything set, I think.

During free dining (way back in 2005, before it got so popular), we walked up at San Angel Inn and Boatwrights. In January '08, slow time with no free dining, we made a lot of last minute changes to plans without difficulty. In mid-Dec '09, we had ZERO luck with the few days we wanted to change ADR times/locations and ended up sticking pretty close to our original plans. I think you're more likely to be successful at unpopular places like San Angel, Nine Dragons, Biergarten, etc. Even the semi-popular places like Kona and The Wave tend to book up pretty solid, and of course there's no winging it for really popular restaurants or character meals.

 

[Kathy Z]

OP is going December 2011 so will not be able to book ADRs until June 2011. As others have said, ADRs are becoming more and more essential for restaurants that participate in the dining plan. You are under a false impression to believe that the first week of December is still a slow time. While that used to be true it has not been true for the past several years. The first 2 weeks of December have become increasingly poplular especially among DVC members. Boardwalk area restaurants must be booked right at the beginning of your 180 + 10 window to get a table. At least that was the case reported by several this year.

If you purchase a dining plan you will want to make ADRs well in advance of your trip.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Yikes. There's no way I'd participate in any kind of DP and not make ADRs, especially if you're paying for Deluxe DDP.

We've been going to the parks since they opened. We've visited with and without ADRs (as they're now called). Without ADRs is extremely hit or miss. I know one trip, we couldn't get in anywhere. This was during May, Flower & Garden festival -- not during free dining. After a few days of eating counter service for our meals, we finally just accepted the fact that we were going offsite for any kind of nice sit-down meal. Not a problem at all for us, BTW, since we have our own car, live less than two hours away and are very familiar with the Orlando area.

You don't have to worry about whether you're going to be in the mood for fish or steak on any given day. The menus resort-wide are homogenized enough that just about every restaurant that participates in the DDP has the same protein selections. You can get beef, fish or chicken at all the TS places.

 

[Bradsdadg]

To play it safe, I would make ressies. Unless you can't get them. Then you will either wait a long time or be turned away completely.

 

[FoodLover]

Going without reservations, particularly when you're on the Deluxe Dining Plan, is a recipe for disaster. The time of year you're planning to visit is NOT the slowest (as others have pointed out). Lots of locals and DVC members visit at that time to enjoy the holiday decorations and events. And with the popularity of the dining plans, there is really no time of year when going without any ADRs is advisable.

If you have ADRs in place and you change your mind once you're at WDW, you are under no obligation to actually use them, except for the few places that require a deposit, such as Cinderella's Royal Table and the dinner shows. Think of the ADRs as "insurance" that you'll actually be able to eat the included meals on your plan!

Also, you can call Dining at any point during the day and see if you can switch your ADR(s) to different restaurants. In my experience, this only occasionally works, because everything tends to be booked up well in advance.

I usually book all of our dinners well in advance, plus any breakfasts or lunches we plan to eat at Table Service restaurants in the parks. Lunches in the Deluxe resort restaurants can usually be eaten on a walk-up basis, since most people stay in the parks.

Mary

 

[PHXscuba]

DH and I went at a "slow" time of year a couple years ago -- mid September, all the rides had minimal wait times, etc. But it was during free dining. There weren't too many people on the rides -- they were all in the restaurants! We booked very last-minute (long story) and we had no dining reservations.

One day we walked into Coral Reef at lunchtime and asked if we could get a table that night or the next, any time. The hostess said, no we are booked through the end of the MONTH! Tried the same thing at San Angel Inn for a reservation or walk-up, similar story. Not taking walkups even if we wanted to wait hours. And these are not the most popular restaurants in Epcot.

We did have to go to Guest Relations at Epcot the next day to ask a question and they had a board out with which restaurants still had availability for that day. There were a few assorted for lunch and dinner.

If I were paying the amount of $$ for Deluxe dining, I'd make sure I at least had the dinner shows and signature restaurants booked well in advance. Even at a slow time, especially if they offer free dining. Or you may have lots of credits and nowhere to spend them, except perhaps your resort restaurant.

PHXscuba

 

[princessmom29]

Now, way, no how would I try that, especially on the DxDDP.

 

[MHSweb79]

Now, way, no how would I try that, especially on the DxDDP.

This is exactly what I was going to say. If you don't want to be tied down to ADR's, then don't purchase the DxDP. Period.

Now, you'll see posts from people who have gotten lucky with walk-in's. You may also get lucky by walking up to certain restaurants at certain times on certain days. But there's no way, NO HOW, you'll get lucky for three meals per day. You probably won't be able to get even one per day if you are trying restaurants inside the parks. So why purchase a plan that gives you 3 TS credits per day if you are going to be stuck eating counter service for most, if not all of them?

And, finally, if you do get lucky and score some same-day or last minute ADR's, they will most likely be for the least popular or most far-flung restaurants. So again, why pay for the deluxe plan to eat at the worst or most distant (= time-consuming) restaurants?

 

[Melisande]

Get the ADRs. The first two weeks of December are no longer the slowest in the year. They are just the slowest in Christmas season which is not really slow at all. All restaurants have at least one selection from each meat group. So just pick a place you think you will enjoy and book those ADRs now. Otherwise you may get stuck with all CS meals which will be a waste of your points.