How do you book an Escape reception dinner?

[sajilunni]

Okay, I think I'm researched out.
I think I've decided on Narcoosses for dinner after our large Escape VR. I like that people claim to see both Wishes fireworks and the Electric Water Parade from it's vantage, and it's close to the beach at the Poly apparently (I've never been to WDW, so I'm trying to figure out the geography by trip reports).

Now what?

I have signed the contract for June 4, 2008. Are Disney wedding bookings subject to the same 180 days ADR's that all other Disney dinner reservations are? Can I book early because I'm doing a wedding, or because I have a large group?

Who do you call to book your reception dinners? Your wedding planner? Disney Dining? Group sales? or do you call the restaurant directly? (especially if you want to get those personalized menus some of you have) And how do you even get the direct number to the restaurant?

I'm the kind of girl that likes to have everything squared away WELL in advance. It would drive me crazy to have to wait until the 180 day countdown to book my VR reception dinner.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Especially from anyone who's actually eaten at Narcoossees.

Thanks!
Jil

 

[Lynn5700]

Umm I would say Groups,I could be wrong though, just a guess.

 

[aprincess72]

Your WP will not book anything for you so you will need to book on your own.
You can call Disney Dining which I would do first. However, I would ask them for the direct contact number to the restaurant you want. They have many different options they will go over with you!

 

[Holly81]

OP, hope you don't mind me butting in and asking a related question...

But, exactly how important is it to make sure you book an escape reception dinner 180 days out? I know my 180 day mark is coming up very soon and I will be booking most of our honeymoon ADR's, but I haven't decided what we will be doing for the reception dinner yet. We just booked our wedding, so I'm not really sure how many people will be coming at this point. I also haven't decided if we will be doing lunch immediately afterwards or dinner later on. (Our wedding is at 12pm.) Clearly, I am a disorganized bride!

 

[JaxTeach]

Holly81-- I'm going to book my welcome dinner ADR tomorrow (DF and I check in 12/13 so that's our 180 days). I also don't really know how many are coming, so I'm going to make the ADR for my maximum. Then I'll call and adjust. There is a greater demand for dining and restaurants want to seat large groups really early or really late.

sajilunni-- Ditto what aprincess72 said about Narcoossee's. You will be connected with Group Reservations to book and they will give you the direct number to the restaurant if you ask so you can customize menus, etc.

 

[Holly81]

JaxTeach - Yep, we check in on 12/13 also, and I was planning on calling tomorrow for the honeymoon ADR's. But, I had no idea what to do for the reception lunch/dinner. My DF suggested doing what you are doing, just calling for the maximum and adjusting the number later. I was hesitant to do that though, because we may have 10 or we may have 20. That's quite a difference!

It's difficult to plan because there are some relatives who we just don't know if they're coming or not. We're going to invite them no matter what, since they are immediately family, but by the time they make up their minds (it's not really their fault, it's mostly due to health and/or financial issues) it may be too late to invite anyone else to come. So, we're totally unsure of our #'s at this point.

Still, though, it might be best for me to just pick something, so I will at least have a back-up. Let me ask you... have you spoken directly with the manager of the restaurant where you're planning on eating, or are you just going to call dining tomorrow?

 

[Holly81]

Oops, just noticed what you wrote to sajilunni. So basically, if you call dining and mention that you want to book for a larger # of people, they will automatically connect you to group reservations who will then put you in touch w/the restaurant manager?

 

[JaxTeach]

I totally know how it feels not knowing how many are coming. We have 12 people who have confirmed. My grandparents who I really want to attend are unsure whether they can travel. I understand their situation, but it makes it a lot harder to plan!

For my reception dinner, we are eating at CG in a private room. My WP booked this for us (even though I wanted to book it myself). Since DFTW booked it, I basically have no contact with the restaurant which is no fun. I have a thousand questions and I don't want to annoy my WP!

For our welcome dinner 12/13, we are trying to eat at 'Ohana. Since 'Ohana is a family style menu, I haven't talked to the manager yet. When we were considering having our reception at Yachtsman Steakhouse and Citricos, I did speak to the mangers there. They couldn't book us until 180 days, but they gave me information. What restaurants are you considering?

 

[Holly81]

I totally know how it feels not knowing how many are coming. We have 12 people who have confirmed. My grandparents who I really want to attend are unsure whether they can travel. I understand their situation, but it makes it a lot harder to plan!

For my reception dinner, we are eating at CG in a private room. My WP booked this for us (even though I wanted to book it myself). Since DFTW booked it, I basically have no contact with the restaurant which is no fun. I have a thousand questions and I don't want to annoy my WP!

For our welcome dinner 12/13, we are trying to eat at 'Ohana. Since 'Ohana is a family style menu, I haven't talked to the manager yet. When we were considering having our reception at Yachtsman Steakhouse and Citricos, I did speak to the mangers there. They couldn't book us until 180 days, but they gave me information. What restaurants are you considering?

I know how you feel about the grandparents thing... I'd like both of my grandmas to attend, but neither is in the best health, so we will see.

We are considering some of the places you mentioned. Yachtsman is a possibility, as is Citricos. I'd love to have the Citricos Chef's Domanin, and our group might be small enough... or it might not. I've also considered Narcoosees. My mom likes the idea of Ohana's for our wedding dinner, because there will be at least two kids, and possibly four or six. She thinks it would be more fun to have a relaxed dinner. It might, but I kind of had my heart set on one of the Signature restaurants...

Those are all of the place we are considering if we have a reception dinner. Another possibility is for us is a reception lunch. Our wedding is a noon so we could have a 1pm lunch somewhere. Not sure where, though. Maybe Portobello Yacht Club or Fulton's Crab House?

I am trying to decide if it would be better to have lunch immediately following the ceremony or if it would be best to wait and have a 5pm dinner. If we had lunch I would definitely wear my gown, if we had dinner later I don't think that I would, so that's a consideration.

Making decisions is SO not my strong suit!

 

[disprincessatheart]

Okay, I think I'm researched out.
I think I've decided on Narcoosses for dinner after our large Escape VR. I like that people claim to see both Wishes fireworks and the Electric Water Parade from it's vantage, and it's close to the beach at the Poly apparently (I've never been to WDW, so I'm trying to figure out the geography by trip reports).

Just thought I'd clear up the location. Narcoosses is on the water at the GF, at the opposite end of the resort from the Poly. It's the closest part of the GF to the MK. The do not pipe in the music from Wishes (a big part of the show is the music) but they have a wrap around deck on the water, and you can go out there to see the show. And yes, you can see the EWP go by - very cute! It's a great place for an elegant dinner that's not too stuffy - you won't be disappointed!

 

[laura forbes]

The do not pipe in the music from Wishes (a big part of the show is the music)

We got engaged just outside narcossees in Nov and the music was piped and played outside (I dont know about inside). We are planning our reception dinner for Narcossees and all reports I have read say that the music is piped into the restaurant as well as outside. has this now changed cause it just wont be the same without the music, not that it would change my mind as its a special place for us and its so nice to see the castle, fireworks and electric water parade all from one location.

 

[disprincessatheart]

To be honest, we went outside so that we could see more of the show - with the wrap around deck and overhang, you can't see much unless you're seated right next to the window and not too many people stand in front of you. So, that being said, I don't actually know for sure if you can hear the music inside or not.

I'd call the restaurant and ask to be 100% sure.

 

[lurkyloo]

Who do you call to book your reception dinners? Your wedding planner? Disney Dining? Group sales? or do you call the restaurant directly? (especially if you want to get those personalized menus some of you have) And how do you even get the direct number to the restaurant?

For up to 12 people: 407-939-3463 (Disney Dining)

For 13-32 guests: 407-939-7700 (Group Dining)

Narcoossee's Direct Number: (407) 824-1400

 

[sajilunni]

Thank you, Lurkyloo, for your informative and succinct answer!!! Do you happen to know if I can make reservations around NOW?

Oh, and if anyone else needs ANY number at WDW I found this thread that lists them ALL:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1312401&referrerid=&highlight=wdw+snail+contact

Jil

 

[sajilunni]

WAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

I just called Narcoossee's and they said they ONLY seat large parties at 5:30PM. The Wishes fireworks are not likely to come on until 10PM, and there is just no way that my family could loiter around for 4 1/2 hours for dinner just to see the fireworks from there.

The CM suggested California Grill. I wonder if they have the same seating rules or if we could get a late seating from them. The CM said that we should get a private room there but I don't even know what we could possibly eat and drink between 12 adults and 3 kids that could add up to the $2,000 minimum there (especially since we have 1 vegetarian and 4 teetotalers in the group).

Okay, I must regroup . Maybe a private room in Downtown Disney. Does anyone know if you can see the fireworks from there?

Jil

 

[JaxTeach]

WAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

I just called Narcoossee's and they said they ONLY seat large parties at 5:30PM. The Wishes fireworks are not likely to come on until 10PM, and there is just no way that my family could loiter around for 4 1/2 hours for dinner just to see the fireworks from there.

The CM suggested California Grill. I wonder if they have the same seating rules or if we could get a late seating from them. The CM said that we should get a private room there but I don't even know what we could possibly eat and drink between 12 adults and 3 kids that could add up to the $2,000 minimum there (especially since we have 1 vegetarian and 4 teetotalers in the group).

Okay, I must regroup . Maybe a private room in Downtown Disney. Does anyone know if you can see the fireworks from there?

Jil

I'm sorry Narcoosee's isn't going to work for you. It stinks that most restaurants will only seat large groups either really early or really late.

I can give you some info on the CG private rooms since we're dining there. The $2000 goes really quickly. We only have 20 in our party (2 toddlers). I have the menus if you want to see them. The children's meal is $22. The adult meals start at $80 and the highest is $130. You also have to get a beverage package if you want anything besides tea or coffee (for us, it is soda, bottled water, and juice). For 3 hours the beverage package is $15 per person. There are also enhancements which are basically cocktail hour type foods (cheese platter, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes). These range from $4.25 to $12 per person.

DF and I went down the weekend before last and took photos of the Sonoma Room and the catwalk from which you can watch Wishes. We fell in love with the room. If you would like to see the photos or menus, I'd be more than happy to share. Oh, you can definitely book these rooms outside of 180 days.

If you want to see Wishes, I do not think the Downtown Disney restaurants will work. I hope something works out for you!

 

[Emwit27]

I don't know if this helps at all, but I booked a dinner for 20 at Narcoossee's for after our intimate wedding. My coordinator (Tanis) booked it for me and with no trouble. I would check with your coordinator before booking anything yourself. But, you are right...big groups can only seat at 5:30. After our dinner we are doing a Wishes cruise so it is possible to see the fireworks. Hope that helps and sorry if it doesn't.

 

[sajilunni]

I'm sorry Narcoosee's isn't going to work for you. It stinks that most restaurants will only seat large groups either really early or really late.

I can give you some info on the CG private rooms since we're dining there. The $2000 goes really quickly. We only have 20 in our party (2 toddlers). I have the menus if you want to see them. The children's meal is $22. The adult meals start at $80 and the highest is $130. You also have to get a beverage package if you want anything besides tea or coffee (for us, it is soda, bottled water, and juice). For 3 hours the beverage package is $15 per person. There are also enhancements which are basically cocktail hour type foods (cheese platter, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes). These range from $4.25 to $12 per person.

DF and I went down the weekend before last and took photos of the Sonoma Room and the catwalk from which you can watch Wishes. We fell in love with the room. If you would like to see the photos or menus, I'd be more than happy to share. Oh, you can definitely book these rooms outside of 180 days.

If you want to see Wishes, I do not think the Downtown Disney restaurants will work. I hope something works out for you!

Thank You! I would really appreciate any info you could provide about the Sonoma Room! I've tried to do searches of it, and there doesn't seem to be much available. I would especially like to know the proximity of the catwalk to the room. I heard that the Napa room is better for fireworks, but it's a lot more expensive. So you do think it's possible for us to have an enjoyable dinner without tons of food gone uneaten? I hadn't thought about doing sa cocktail hour. But I suppose if we rent out the room for dinner, we can just hang out there for a few hours and nibble on things slowly. Do you happen to know if we can transfer the cake cutting to the Sonoma Room instead of doing it at the ceremony site?

I think I have to completely rethink my "vision", because of all the logistics involved. First I thought 'Ok, I'll try to get an earlier ceremony time, and then eat dinner at 5:30 and book a cruise, so we're not just waiting around until the fireworks." But when I looked into both the Wishes and Illuminations cruise, they have a maximum capacity of 12, and we have 17. Then I thought, 'Maybe a Grand Gatherings event!'. The Illuminations dinner with dessert reception sounded perfect, but then I found out it is a buffet, and I know my parents and inlaws wouldn't want that as a formal celebration. I'm still thinking about the Magical Fireworks Voyage with the GG. But I think that if I have the ceremony at 2:30 and dinner at 5:30 and then going to whatever dock it heads off from at about 9:30, it's a lot of travelling with 5 kids in tow (and actually I don't know if it leaves from a park where we can't wear wedding attire).

I was hoping to do it for cheaper, but I think the most efficient use of our time and money would probably be booking a private room at the Cali Grill. Then if the kids need to take a nap on the floor in the middle of it all, they won't be bothering anyone else. And we can walk out to see Wishes on the catwalk. I was originally going to do a couple of Grand Gatherings events, but I think since we're spending so much on the VR (as well as paying for everyone's accomodations and DDP), we'll just do one GG event that week using 2 TS credits and call it a day. Our family wouldn't expect us to be so extravagantly generous.

Jil

Jil

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

I'm sorry Narcoosee's isn't going to work for you. It stinks that most restaurants will only seat large groups either really early or really late.

I can give you some info on the CG private rooms since we're dining there. The $2000 goes really quickly. We only have 20 in our party (2 toddlers). I have the menus if you want to see them. The children's meal is $22. The adult meals start at $80 and the highest is $130. You also have to get a beverage package if you want anything besides tea or coffee (for us, it is soda, bottled water, and juice). For 3 hours the beverage package is $15 per person. There are also enhancements which are basically cocktail hour type foods (cheese platter, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes). These range from $4.25 to $12 per person.

DF and I went down the weekend before last and took photos of the Sonoma Room and the catwalk from which you can watch Wishes. We fell in love with the room. If you would like to see the photos or menus, I'd be more than happy to share. Oh, you can definitely book these rooms outside of 180 days.

If you want to see Wishes, I do not think the Downtown Disney restaurants will work. I hope something works out for you!

I'm so happy this thread popped up... it adresses a lot of the concerns I was having about my reception dinner.

JaxTeach!!! ~

I would love all of the information and pictures that you have regarding CG and the sonoma room. I'm having an escape wedding on 2-4-08 and this would be my first choice. I finally talked DF out fo V & A's with their prix fixe (sp?) menu. I'm not sure if I have enough posts to be allowed to send private messages yet. I'll try though to send you my email!

~Wendy

 

[disprincessatheart]

I don't know if this helps at all, but I booked a dinner for 20 at Narcoossee's for after our intimate wedding. My coordinator (Tanis) booked it for me and with no trouble. I would check with your coordinator before booking anything yourself. But, you are right...big groups can only seat at 5:30. After our dinner we are doing a Wishes cruise so it is possible to see the fireworks. Hope that helps and sorry if it doesn't.

I'm very curious about the wishes cruise. How did you do this with 20 people? Are you splitting into 2 groups or is there an option for a larger group? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what is the cost? I'd love to do that too!