No dining reservations

[idohair2]

EDIT: Looking mainly for off days at Disney Springs Restaurants

How successful would a couple be at winging it with dining at table service restaurants? They also would be willing to sit at high tops or the bar and eat if available.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

It honestly depends.

At a resort or a DS restaurant: probably better chance than in the parks-especially if a bar is there for seating.
In the parks is going to be extremely rare. Especially since not every restaurant is open and not every restaurant is back to capacity after the pandemic. Yes even the buffets will have limited seating.
if you really want to eat in let’s say EPCOT, I’d reserve. If you are going to AK for morning, then the resort pool, then heading to DS for dinner, it might not be as bad.

 

[JZCubed]

How successful would a couple be at winging it with dining at table service restaurants? They also would be willing to sit at high tops or the bar and eat if available.

Time & place matters, but in a vacuum, yes, you can have success.

My advice includes arriving at the podium a few minutes before they open for service (which is irrelevant in the Parks). Rule of thumb, arrive about 4:45pm to snag a dinner reservation.

 

[AnnaS]

We have had great success - depending on the time/season and if you are flexible about where you can get in. Good luck!

 

[Miffy]

As long as you aren't depending on this and can easily adapt to going somewhere else and possibly not eating for a while, then go for it. But as a PP said, walking up to a TS restaurant in one of the parks and expecting to get seated is a long shot. In the case of many restaurants, it's futility itself.

If the reason you're asking is that you don't want to or can't make ADRs 60 days in advance, then you have another option, which is to try to book your desired ADR about 24 hours ahead of time or even the morning of the day of so you can pick up on cancellations. This isn't a guarantee, but you'd have better odds than the walking-up method.

Also, you should be aware that even QS requires some preparation since you have to mobile-order now and there are certain places, like Woody's Lunch Box in DHS, that often have a not-insubstantial time gap between the time you order and when you can pick up your food.

 

[gharter]

It depends on many things.
Are you there during peak busy season, or off season? Less crowded times, walk up is easier.
Are you trying to eat at prime times or off hours? Walk up during peak hours is difficult, off hours often works.
Are you trying to get into one of the really popular restaurants? These are much more difficult to do walk up.
Its not impossible, but can be easy or difficult.
Personally, if you don't have ADRs, I would check 1-2 days before. Often they become available.