Has anyone ever NOT been able to get a last minute ADR

[Masonmj84]

at Boatwright's.

We're staying at POR and I currently have this booked as an arrival night dinner.

Our flight is scheduled to land in Orlando at around 5 pm and I've made the ADR for 7:30. We have a direct flight (from SLC to MCO) but I just found out that our plane will come into SLC from San Francisco, which is notorius for delays (e.g., fog, etc.). Yesterday, for example, the flight from SFO to SLC was delayed by almost 4 hours, which, of course, delayed the SLC to MCO flight by an equivalent amount of time.

So, as to avoid the possiblity of a no-show fee, I'm considering cancelling the ADR the day before we leave and then, if our flight isn't overly delayed or cancelled, rebooking at the last minute (for example, once we land in Orlando). But I'll be sort of bummed if I can't make an ADR at that point (to make things more interesting we're arriving on March 18, which is Saturday when the NCAA tournament is in Orlando).

What would you do in my shoes, keep the ADR as is or cancel the day before and rebook at the last minute?

 

[holden]

I'd cancel the 7:30. You'll be able to get a reservation for something, but maybe not what you want. You can always eat counter service somewhere if you don't like the sit down choices.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I'd cancel it. You don't want to risk it.

And honestly, POR is my favorite resort, but we really didn't like Boatwright's. But it's not a super popular restaurant so I don't think you'll have an issue finding a new reservation should you need it.

 

[HopperFan]

I'd cancel.
If they can get you in great.
If not hop that boat to Disney Springs where there will be tons of choices.

 

[AngiTN]

I think you'll have no problems with a last minute ADR there.
If you want to keep it till you know for sure do.
If you get to where it is clear you won't make it you can always change the ADR to avoid the no show fee. You can either change it to a day/time you can make or change it to some far off date and then cancel that.
As long as you don't let it get to a few minutes before the ADR begins you can change it. I think I've done it up till 1 hour before the ADR

 

[Masonmj84]

I think you'll have no problems with a last minute ADR there.
If you want to keep it till you know for sure do.
If you get to where it is clear you won't make it you can always change the ADR to avoid the no show fee. You can either change it to a day/time you can make or change it to some far off date and then cancel that.
As long as you don't let it get to a few minutes before the ADR begins you can change it. I think I've done it up till 1 hour before the ADR

Thanks, I'd never thought of this strategy. Very clever.

 

[kastoney]

We've only eaten there once, but had no trouble with a last minute ADR. We booked it online from the MDE to POFQ and they had a lot of availability, but of course the time of year would make a difference. The restaurant was busier than I expected, but certainly not full. I'd stalk last minute ADR's on the days leading up to your trip just to give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[farrahalex76]

We usually go Memorial Day weekend and we have never had a problem getting a walk up. We would always stop to see if they had a seating available before we went to the food court.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks, I'd never thought of this strategy. Very clever.

others will be doing the same thing last minute canceling to avoid the no show fee. I would check what is open when you land and make a ressie from that list

 

[alex9179]

We're a party of 5 and have found availability to be iffy anywhere, depending. A party of 1-2 will be accommodated more easily so take that into consideration.

I don't make ADRs on arrival day. I don't want to mess with it if I'm dealing with a travel snafu. If Boatwrights didn't have availability then I'd go to River Roost, the QS at POR/FQ, or look at options at The Springs via Opentable or QS. There are too many options to worry about arriving for an ADR.

 

[aVASTGrl]

Last minute SciFi ADR's always seem to be impossible for some reason. We've never tried a walk-up there, though, because by then, we've always made alternate plans.

 

[DisneyNB]

If you decide to grab something at the River Roost and you hear that Yeehaw Bob will be performing it is worth sticking around for. I'm not easily impressed by entertainers, but he was in a class by himself.

 

[McKelly]

We've gone over spring break, party of four, and they were turning people away.

 

[BigredNole]

I would just call Disney Dining, discuss the situation with them, and see what they say. I am sure if you showed them the tickets and delay, they would wave the no-show fee.

 

[Shellyb84]

I think you'll have no problems with a last minute ADR there.
If you want to keep it till you know for sure do.
If you get to where it is clear you won't make it you can always change the ADR to avoid the no show fee. You can either change it to a day/time you can make or change it to some far off date and then cancel that.
As long as you don't let it get to a few minutes before the ADR begins you can change it. I think I've done it up till 1 hour before the ADR

I've done this a couple of times last minute as well.

 

[Cinderella94]

I would just call Disney Dining, discuss the situation with them, and see what they say. I am sure if you showed them the tickets and delay, they would wave the no-show fee.

I don't have any experience with this, but I'm guessing that it's not that easy to get it waived. One knows if they're booking an ADR that they might run into an issue arriving at on time- hence the existence of this thread.

 

[jdisnut]

Eh, I don't think you need to cancel it. Chances are, you'll make it on time, or at least close to your scheduled time. If not, explaining the situation should result in the fee being waived. Honestly, the dining reservation no-show fee is enforced so inconsistently that I have to believe it exists as a deterrent much more than any sort of penalty.

But I suppose I'm a lot more blase about this stuff than most posters here.