No dining reservations ok?

[fatszat]

So I'm a little surprised to find pretty much no dining availability for 5/4-5/8. Will I still be able to walk up and get a table or are we going to be left with no choices but counter service? Feeling overwhelmed due to my lack of planning.

 

[babydoll65]

What restaurants are you looking at. On our last trip we tried some restaurants that are maybe not ones people are trying hard to get like The Wave(breakfast) trails end buffet in the campground (dinner) The grand floridian cafe(breakfast).

 

[LSUfan4444]

When you say no diving availability, what do you mean?

Do you mean nothing available at specific times?

For reference, I just typed in to see what was available at 5 pm on 5.6 for a table of 4 at 5 pm and got: (there are some solid choices in there)

50's Prime Time Café
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
Biergarten Restaurant
Boatwright's Dining Hall
Boma—Flavors of Africa
Bongos Cuban Café™
Cape May Cafe
Captain's Grille
Chefs de France
Citricos
Coral Reef Restaurant
Wolfgang Puck® Grand Cafe
Fantasmic! Dinner Package at The Hollywood Brown Derby, Hollywood & Vine
and Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Flying Fish Flying Fish Cafe - Chef's Tasting Wine Dinner
Fulton's Crab House
Garden Grove
Grand Floridian Cafe
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Il Mulino New York Trattoria at Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
Jiko
Kona Café
Kouzzina by Cat Cora®
La Hacienda de San Angel
Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot
Maya Grill
Monsieur Paul restaurant
Nine Dragons Restaurant
Olivia's Cafe
Paradiso 37
Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney West Side
The Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom park
Portobello Country Italia Trattoria at Downtown Disney
Raglan Road™ Irish Pub and Restaurant
Rainforest Cafe® at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Rainforest Cafe® at Downtown Disney Marketplace
Restaurant Marrakesh
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room
San Angel Inn Restaurante
Sanaa
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Shula’s Steak House
Shutters at Old Port Royale
Splitsville Luxury Lanes in Downtown Disney Area
Teppan Edo
Trail's End Restaurant
The Turf Club Bar and Grill
Tusker House Restaurant
Tutto Italia Ristorante
Via Napoli Ristorante
The Wave... of American Flavors
Wolfgang Puck® Grand Cafe
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Yak & Yeti™ Restaurant

 

[maggiew]

You should be able to eat at some Table Service restaurants if you are willing to go to some "out of the way" places. We often eat at Kimonos in the Swan for Sushi, Ragland Road at DTD and the Rainforest Cafes/TRex without ADRs.

Some of the resort restaurants might have availability (I don't mean Chef Mickey, etc. but the one at Caribbean Beach and Olivias at Old Key West).

Maggie

 

[babydoll65]

I was looking,(just for an example) Trails End Buffett on 5/7 has some reservations available at 5:50 and 6:05.

 

[LSUfan4444]

What I suggest doing is entering the day and time you want, then just see what is available. Play with the time and move it up or back. I would start at the lesser desirable times. Dinners at 5:30 etc.

If you want table service dining, I don't recommend just gong around hunting for it, you could end up wasting alot of time. Spend that time now and make a few ADRs, there is plenty out there.

 

[fatszat]

I was hoping to find more theme park dining reservations during my stay but maybe I queried wrong. I will try again. We have a party of five. Is that maybe a busy time that we will be there? Does anyone know if there is a possibility of walking up to one of the sit down restaurants while we are there and possibly getting a table? Or are reservations a must?

 

[Cyrano]

Moving to Dining board

 

[LSUfan4444]

I was hoping to find more theme park dining reservations during my stay but maybe I queried wrong. I will try again. We have a party of five. Is that maybe a busy time that we will be there? Does anyone know if there is a possibility of walking up to one of the sit down restaurants while we are there and possibly getting a table? Or are reservations a must?

Sure, it's possible. It's also possible you may have an extended wait, or have to walk somewhere else to eat.

The crowd levels that week aren't that bad, but there is little to no benefit to not making ADRs.

 

[KittyKat1978]

I wouldn't count on being able to do a walkup. It's a possibility, but not a probability.

 

[fatszat]

A credit card is required for reservations and I'm worried if we don't make it I'll get charges

 

[LSUfan4444]

Then you have to decide how much table service dining is worth to you.

If you want total freedom and don't care if you end up eating quick service and don't mind walking around the park until you find a table service place that will take you and don't mind waiting for an extended period of time, don't make ADRs.

But if you want table service, know the ones you want then make the ADR and make sure you show up or cancel 24hours in advance.

Wanting table service each day and not making ADRs may feel like you have more freedom, but I promise it is way more inefficient.

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

Some good advice here already, but I'll also chime in that you can get a good, filling, non-burger meal in any park at a variety of counter service places. This does away with the ADR dilemma and and preserves the flexibility you're concerned about. A few examples of my favorite "real meals" available at CS places include:

Columbia Harbour House in MK (shrimp platter with steamed broccoli and coleslaw)
Tangerine Cafe in Epcot (lamb and chicken shawarma platter with tabbouleh, hummus and couscous)
Flame Tree BBQ (1/2 chicken with baked beans and coleslaw)

And those are just a few examples--there are many others.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Some good advice here already, but I'll also chime in that you can get a good, filling, non-burger meal in any park at a variety of counter service places. This does away with the ADR dilemma and and preserves the flexibility you're concerned about. A few examples of my favorite "real meals" available at CS places include:

Columbia Harbour House in MK (shrimp platter with steamed broccoli and coleslaw)
Tangerine Cafe in Epcot (lamb and chicken shawarma platter with tabbouleh, hummus and couscous)
Flame Tree BBQ (1/2 chicken with baked beans and coleslaw)

And those are just a few examples--there are many others.

Good point...other places like The Wave, California Grill etc. also do not take reservations at the bar and serve food to customers who sit there.