no reservation at restaurant

[saju1109]

Grab one of the available ADRs at one of the monorail resorts ASAP. At least then you can order the birthday cake. You can't expect to get a walkup for 5 people during free dining. Once that is done you can continue to stalk for an Ohana or CP ADR. If you get one of those, you'll have to call to change the cake delivery.

I think I will do that. This is something we planned on doing at the last minute. We decided to do this instead of throwing a huge birthday party for her. Would have cost us more to do the party.

 

[saju1109]

Just got a reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch which will work better for us because of the baby. Now there are 5 of us in the group including the baby. Does a 1 year old count as one or should I do 4 and tell them we have a baby when we arrive.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Just got a reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch which will work better for us because of the baby. Now there are 5 of us in the group including the baby. Does a 1 year old count as one or should I do 4 and tell them we have a baby when we arrive.

The baby does count for table reservations. So making the reservation for 5 is what you need to do.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The baby does count for table reservations. So making the reservation for 5 is what you need to do.

But you don't have to order food or anything. It's just a matter of space.

GF Cafe is very nice. You should enjoy it.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just got a reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch which will work better for us because of the baby. Now there are 5 of us in the group including the baby. Does a 1 year old count as one or should I do 4 and tell them we have a baby when we arrive.

Baby counts as 1 so you need a reservation for 5. In Disney all bodies no matter how small are 1 person for dinning reservations.

 

[saju1109]

Baby counts as 1 so you need a reservation for 5. In Disney all bodies no matter how small are 1 person for dinning reservations.

Sounds good. Now one more question. We are going to order a Disney cake. Any recommendations on which cake and how soon does that need to be made?

 

[wilkeliza]

Sounds good. Now one more question. We are going to order a Disney cake. Any recommendations on which cake and how soon does that need to be made?

If you want a specialty cake with characters and such you need to order sooner rather than later. You would be working with the Grand Floridan pastry team and they can come up with some great cakes. You can check out this thread http://www.disboards.com/threads/official-disney-cake-chatter-part-iv.3261922/ for ideas and time line as well as which number to call.

If you just want a cake that says Happy 1st Birthday and perhaps a name you can call 48 hours before and request that.

I think for 5 you need at least a 6 inch cake but be prepared to have to order an 8 if you want something super fancy.

 

[hart1028]

We were able to walk up and get in to Tony's one year, party of 3. But we went as soon as dinner opened up and we were flexable. I think that is key. But it sounds like you need some sort of plan because of the cake...keep working the phones and keep checking the website, having a plan will be much less stressfull for you. good luck!

 

[rlovew]

If you don't want a large cake since you are at the GF you could order a small cake with a glass slipper dessert if you wanted.

 

[saju1109]

We were able to walk up and get in to Tony's one year, party of 3. But we went as soon as dinner opened up and we were flexable. I think that is key. But it sounds like you need some sort of plan because of the cake...keep working the phones and keep checking the website, having a plan will be much less stressfull for you. good luck!

yea if it was any other time we would wing it but we need to have some sort of reservation. We got one at the GF cafe. Plan on calling around a few days before we get there to see if anything opens in the park around lunch time, hopefully something with some characters.

 

[saju1109]

If you don't want a large cake since you are at the GF you could order a small cake with a glass slipper dessert if you wanted.

Yes we plan on getting a small 6" cake but was curious if they do a smash cake for babies birthday.

 

[villainj]

I was very surprised the last time we went to BOG at the number of people that tried to walk up without a reservation. It's hard enough to get a reservation but to think you can just walk in is crazy!!!

 

[Uncleromulus]

If it is at all possible for you to eat at the bar, you very often can walk right in and get a full meal.
The earlier the better of course.

It's what we always do nowadays and we almost always get a seat w/o any reservations.

 

[saju1109]

If it is at all possible for you to eat at the bar, you very often can walk right in and get a full meal.
The earlier the better of course.

It's what we always do nowadays and we almost always get a seat w/o any reservations.

Can't really eat at the bar with an infant. This is a birthday celebration. Going to keep checking hoping something inside the park opens up around 1pm on 11/9.

 

[rlovew]

Yes we plan on getting a small 6" cake but was curious if they do a smash cake for babies birthday.

I am sure they would make one but it would probably cost you as much as the real cake does- ask for or buy a cupcake for that purpose- it will only be $4 at the most as opposed to a custom cake that will cost upwards of $40 for the baby to just smash.

 

[maxiesmom]

I was very surprised the last time we went to BOG at the number of people that tried to walk up without a reservation. It's hard enough to get a reservation but to think you can just walk in is crazy!!!

Me too. I listened as one woman yelled at her husband "They take reservations a year in advance! What makes you think we could just walk up and get a table?" And then they all stormed off. I'm not sure who I felt more sorry for, the guy who didn't know any better or the woman who had apparently tried to tell her husband to make ADRs.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Me too. I listened as one woman yelled at her husband "They take reservations a year in advance! What makes you think we could just walk up and get a table?" And then they all stormed off. I'm not sure who I felt more sorry for, the guy who didn't know any better or the woman who had apparently tried to tell her husband to make ADRs.

Of course, why didn't she try to make ADRs?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Maybe he's one of those husbands who said he didn't want any reservations.

 

[Roxyfire]

Maybe he's one of those husbands who said he didn't want any reservations.

If someone's going to be that big of a whiner about it that's a situation where you do it anyway in advance then mention it as the time comes. For petty things like that, it's better to ask forgiveness instead of permission.

 

[leebee]

Yes we plan on getting a small 6" cake but was curious if they do a smash cake for babies birthday.

Go check out the cake chatter thread, but in a nutshell, most Disney restaurants offer what they call a podium cake, because you can ask about it at the podium of the restaurant when you check in. It's usually either white with vanilla frosting or chocolate with chocolate frosting, and some "jimmie" type decoration- might say "Happy Birthday" or something. These are fine for dessert for 5 or 6 people, but not particularly festive or yummy (from what I have read). The other option is to order a specialty cake, which you'd do through the Grand Floridian pastry team if you are eating at the GF. Once you order a cake, you may be tied into your restaurant, as different pastry teams service different locations. Prices vary, depending on flavor/filling/frosting, cake size, decoration, etc. Last year we ordered a 6" cake through Animal Kingdom Lodge for DD"s 21st birthday. It was white cake with white chocolate buttercream filling with fresh raspberries, and vanilla frosting. I believe it was 3 layers, said "Happy 21st Birthday Sarah" and cost about $40. We had a ton of cake; definitely would have been enough for 5 or 6 people. If you are looking for a smash cake, they offer a mini cake, which is two layers and would make a small dessert for 2 people- but I think they are about $35. Read through the first couple of pages of the cake chatter thread for info, then look through the thread quickly; many people have posted pictures of their cakes and included info about location, flavors, cost, etc. It's a little daunting, but don't put it off too much longer; I believe I started my order about 2 weeks in advance of the day I needed the cake.