No ADR, Can you still eat at a TS restaurant?

[nushiekitty]

We are planning on making our ADR on Monday for our September trip but were wondering what are the chances of being able to eat at a TS restaurant without a reservation? I understand it will depend on the restaurant and we are making ADRs for all the places we really want to hit but I am just wondering about the other days.

 

[shellybaxter]

You answered your own question . It will depend - but not just on the restaurant but also on the time of day and time of year. We've gone many times between October and February. Some trips we can "walk up" pretty easy, other trips we aren't able to walk up but can easily make decent ADRs at the park guest services for the day of, and other times ADRs are very limited and walks ups are a definate no. The end of January, beginning of February we were able to walk up for lunch in every park with no problems. In early December last year we were able to make same day adjustments to ADRs with no problem

 

[TDC Nala]

It might also depend on the park - for example, Epcot has far more restaurant choices than MK does.

 

[notaclue]

If Dis is doing free dining again this Sept it will be difficult to even get an ADR if you wait too late. Also it depends on how many in your party. Last Sept during free dining we (just 2 of us) were able to do a couple of walk up lunches (Sci Fi, Tusker House) and a 'Ohana breakfast and Kona breakfast but we made ADRs for all our evening meals and had trouble getting some of the ones we wanted.

 

[TDC Nala]

I hadn't remembered the likelihood of that being a public free dining period - if it is, and you want to eat in a park like MK with very few restaurants, or if you want any meals at peak mealtimes, make reservations.

 

[budbeerlady]

IF you chose NOT to make an ADR, show up at guest services to see what is available. We saw the board in Epcots guest services that shows who had seatings open for lunch or dinner and who was full. I thought it was nice to them to give you an idea of where to start....

If its during free dining your chances are very slim that anything will be open for dinner, and most of the popular will be booked for lunch.

 

[LoveKermit]

How many people?

I realize someone already mentioned being a "two" and still having trouble, but my in-laws eat at weird times--even at home and retired--so they can always wing it. They are also not so interested in the popular places in the park.

And, I agree, time of year matters.

 

[fla4fun]

I typically take a 10 day vacation in September, and I really don't like tying myself down to ADR's. I can usually get a last minute ADR or a walk in for lunch a few times on the trip. You just need to be flexible on your time and your restaurant. Now that they have online dining reservations, it's even easier to check on availability at the last minute. I don't like a big breakfast or dinner, so I'm sort of going against the flow when it comes to dining TS.