Lunch Reservations - Necessary?

[Thumperette]

Hi, everyone! I'll be going to Disney World with my husband and in-laws in a month - my first time since the late '80s!!! I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, as of now we don't have meal plans (I'm trying to talk them into it, though, so it's a possibility), and we're wondering if it would be possible for us to eat lunch at popular mid-tier sit-down restaurants in the parks without having reservations (do these places lunch take reservations?): Crystal Palace, the not-crazy-expensive sit-down restaurants in ECS... We realize we've probably missed dinner at these places, but we're wondering if lunch would still be an option.

Thanks so much!! I'm so thrilled to have found this forum and can't wait to read (and post!) more!!

 

[shoes99]

Hi, everyone! I'll be going to Disney World with my husband and in-laws in a month - my first time since the late '80s!!! I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, as of now we don't have meal plans (I'm trying to talk them into it, though, so it's a possibility), and we're wondering if it would be possible for us to eat lunch at popular mid-tier sit-down restaurants in the parks without having reservations (do these places lunch take reservations?): Crystal Palace, the not-crazy-expensive sit-down restaurants in ECS... We realize we've probably missed dinner at these places, but we're wondering if lunch would still be an option.

Thanks so much!! I'm so thrilled to have found this forum and can't wait to read (and post!) more!!

Yes, ADR's are necessary for lunch and dinner in all park table service restaurants. Call or book online ASAP for your trip. You should have at least one ADR booked each day for your trip. Good luck..

 

[Lynne M]

WDW restaurants don't hold tables for walk-ups; if they're fully booked, they won't let you wait for a table. And the park restaurants are often fully booked for all meals.

As an added complication, it sounds like you may be going during the free dining promotion, which packs all of the restaurants and makes it difficult to get ADRs even months in advance.

Having said that, it's possible to get last-minute reservations when folks cancel their ADRs, even same-day. The selection will be very limited, and you may have to settle for restaurants that weren't your first choice, or at inconvenient times, but you're likely to find something.

Call, now, and see what you can get. If you can't find something in the parks for lunch, I'd recommend trying the resorts. For instance, if you can't get a reservation for lunch at MK, try Kona Cafe at the Poly, or the Wave at CR, or GF Cafe, or Whispering Canyon at WL. They're all a short monorail or boat ride away, and provide a pleasant break in the middle of the day.

If you can't get into any of the Epcot restaurants, try Big River Grille or ESPN at the Boardwalk, or Beaches and Cream or Captain's Grill at YC/BC. All are accessible by boat from Epcot's International Gateway, and some of them don't even take ADRs.

 

[Disney-Kim]

We have found over the years even in non free dining times that it is best for us to have ressies for every meal that we plan eating at a table service...lunch and dinner.

We have experienced too many family melt downs when people are hungry and its hard to find somewhere to eat on a moments notice. Depending on the park its not always easy to get to the counter services easy....so we always have a planned place to eat....I guess you could say a "guaranteed" place to eat...then
if we change our mind no biggie. but I have found it difficult to walk up to most any restaurants in May without a ressie....unless you want a 30-45 min wait.

I can only imagine what its going to be like during free dining.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . We realize we've probably missed dinner at these places, but we're wondering if lunch would still be an option . . .

1) Lunch for CP, CRT, LTT are probably not in your future without an ADR.
2) In fact, don't look for at any of the sit down eateries. without an ADR.
3) That leaves sitting down at fast food eatreries.

 

[Thumperette]

Thanks for the recs, everyone! What exactly is "free dining"? We'll be visiting the parks from 9/12 to 9/18 - is this when the free dining will be going on?

 

[KatMark]

Thanks for the recs, everyone! What exactly is "free dining"? We'll be visiting the parks from 9/12 to 9/18 - is this when the free dining will be going on?

Yes, this is when free dining is going on. I just made reservations for a mini-trip September 19 - 22 (we had cancelled our ten day trip for September earlier in the year, but we got the special $96 rate for the moderates). Anyway, I started booking ressies (ADR's) on Friday and I got four of our favorites -- Crystal Palace for breakfast, LeCellier, Sci Fi and Plaza for lunch. Please note that I did not get them all in the first crack. I originally got Crystal Palace on the second day of trying, but I kept at it and was able to switch to breakfast; this morning I was able to get a ressie for lunch at LeCellier and Sci Fi. You just have to be patient and keep trying and keep checking back to see if your time frame opens. If your time is not available at the specific restaurant you want, they will list others that are open at around the same time in case you want one of them (this is doing it online).

Good luck.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

In my opinion. I wouldn't go to Disney without adr's. It's so hard to get into places without them.

 

[winterman]

Anyway, as of now we don't have meal plans (I'm trying to talk them into it, though, so it's a possibility),

If you are going in one month and do not have any ADRs, do NOT add a dining plan now. You don't want to prepay for meals that you won't be able to eat. Make whatever ADRs that you can and pay out of pocket. That will give you an idea about whether or not you'll want to do a DDP in the future.

 

[SharonLowe]

If you don't have ADRs for the parks, you can always try the resorts - we were able to eat at Kona Cafe at Poly one day without an ADR. Very good food and nice to be away from the crowds. We had an ADR there another day and could have easily gotten in without one. I'm sure other resort restaurants are easy to get into for lunch.

 

[RMulieri]

Thanks for the recs, everyone! What exactly is "free dining"? We'll be visiting the parks from 9/12 to 9/18 - is this when the free dining will be going on?

Free dining is a promotion disney runs generally in Aug/Sept.It is the Disney Dining plan for free with purchase of a FULL priced, NON discounted MAgic your way vacation package including Disney resort stay and a minimum of a 1 day park ticket per person of your party.