Odd Experience with Check in at Lamplighter Lounge.... anyone else?

[2019TripIdeas]

We had a reservation at Lamplighter on our last trip. It was for an early dinner (4:30 or 4:50 I think?) so I assumed we'd be good on timing. When we got there, there was a line of people outside on that boardwalk kind of area and we were allowed to skip around them to go put our name in since we had a reservation?

When we put our name in we were told they had our reservation marked but to wait upstairs by the check in. We ended up waiting about 25 minutes (there were only a few seats up there and a LOT of people waiting). Then we got the notification our table was ready and we went downstairs... only to find out we were in another waiting room. The area at the bottom of the stairs was full of maybe 6-8 families also waiting. They told us to watch for the next notification and then we'd be seated. That was another 15 minutes down there in the second waiting room area (no chairs, so everyone was just standing).

We ended up seated probably 40-50 minutes late (which was really fine, we didn't have a rush at all) but one thing we found strange was that there were so many employees standing around (5+ just in the downstairs waiting area chatting with each other). One of the employees asked repeatedly if we were sent downstairs yet and said "they keep doing this?" so wondering if it was a miscommunication issue or how the restaurant was actually supposed to be run.

The dinner was good, we got to sit in a great spot with a view, etc so I hope this doesn't come off as complaining, but I wondered if anyone else had had the two waiting room scenario?

 

[BecAus]

Can't help you sorry but I have had a question about making a reservation at LL - my bookings window opens in a couple of weeks for July. I was going to make it for around 1 - 1.30pm so it's good to note that we may have to plan for a wait.

I last went there in Sept '17 when it was the Cove Bar as a walk-up. I'm unsure where it is that I want to be seated. Last time we were seated in the narrow section on the railing overlooking the water. Pretty sure we were near the bar and we were near a set of doors that I think led into the Ariel's Grotto Restaurant at that time.

I am assuming this would be considered the downstairs seating? And I can perhaps request 'downstairs seating - waterside, on the balcony in the shade' when we check in?
I had a look on the reservations website - it appears I just make a reservation for my preferred date / time - it doesn't say upstairs / downstairs.
I remember some posts from a while back about where 'reservation bookings' were seated - downstairs I 'think' but I wasn't paying enough attention back then to the details.
I know some items are only available downstairs but looking at the menu most things we would likely order are on both menus - possibly my husband would want something more substantial from the more extensive menu however.

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks

 

[gottalovepluto]

Write in to guest services. That’s obscene & there is no excuse for that even if that’s “the way they do it”.

 

[study stewart]

We were there two weeks ago and rushed to make our 5:30 reservation. We checked in and then were told to wait. We waited 25 minutes. When they finally sat us, Two adults and 4 young kids, it was at a coffee table with couches and chairs in the middle of the inside. The kids couldn’t reach the table and my knees were up to my face. We asked for a different seat and were told sorry this is all we have unless you want to wait 30 minutes. We left, disappointed and hungry.

 

[Insaneinthemombrain]

I may have overheard a conversation regarding the “they keep doing this?!” comment. When we were at Goofy’s kitchen a couple of weeks ago, the cms were talking about how messed up the Disney dining system has been lately and that they keep overbooking things. They seemed frustrated that everyone checking in all had ADRs. I wonder if that is why you had such a long wait time? Now that I think about it, we had longer than normal waits at all our ADR locations this past trip.

 

[dieumeye]

Can't help you sorry but I have had a question about making a reservation at LL - my bookings window opens in a couple of weeks for July. I was going to make it for around 1 - 1.30pm so it's good to note that we may have to plan for a wait.

I last went there in Sept '17 when it was the Cove Bar as a walk-up. I'm unsure where it is that I want to be seated. Last time we were seated in the narrow section on the railing overlooking the water. Pretty sure we were near the bar and we were near a set of doors that I think led into the Ariel's Grotto Restaurant at that time.

I am assuming this would be considered the downstairs seating? And I can perhaps request 'downstairs seating - waterside, on the balcony in the shade' when we check in?
I had a look on the reservations website - it appears I just make a reservation for my preferred date / time - it doesn't say upstairs / downstairs.
I remember some posts from a while back about where 'reservation bookings' were seated - downstairs I 'think' but I wasn't paying enough attention back then to the details.
I know some items are only available downstairs but looking at the menu most things we would likely order are on both menus - possibly my husband would want something more substantial from the more extensive menu however.

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks

What you describe is the process I have experienced, except that I’ve only had to wait a minute or two upstairs and then a minute or two downstairs. From the sounds of it, others have had a long wait, but I don’t think that’s typical, so maybe there is some occasionally recurring issue that slows things down sometimes.

Edit: Oops, quoted wrong post. Meant to quote OP. But to answer the post I quoted...

If you make a reservation I believe you will be seated downstairs. Downstairs there is an inside and outside area and a large bar top. Upstairs is outside only and the menu is smaller.

 

[cmwade77]

With a reservation you shouldn't have to wait so long, my guess is they took too many walk-ins. This location takes more walk-ins than reservations.

 

[Lauren in NC]

Something similar happened to us back in January, but we only waited a few minutes downstairs.

On a completely different note, they ended up seating us at an outdoor table with a fire feature in the middle - this is a party with a 3 year old and a 6 year old. Before we even sat down, we noticed that the seat cushion on my husband's chair was stained, so we asked to be moved to another table. After waiting another 5 minutes at the table, they finally came back with another chair cushion and said no other tables were available... so I spent the meal keeping my impulsive 3yo from throwing things into the fire.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

A few thoughts:
The general pattern of checking in with a PS reservation (Priority Seating is the term at DL, but most people just say "reservation") at Lamplight usually means a wait of up to 15 minutes upstairs, then being sent downstairs to check in there, and another wait of up to 10 minutes for a CM to escort you to your table. This is pretty normal. We've had waits within those time frames and some times with almost no wait at all. It's best to budget for the extra time, just in case. If you feel that your wait is unusually long, speak up.
For seating, remember that LL is a bar lounge, not a full service restaurant. The Dine Line CMs will even say that LL is not a full service restaurant -- so, for example, you cannot have a custom birthday cake delivered there like you can to other TS locations. When bringing families to LL, keep the "bar lounge" theme in mind. We really enjoy LL and eat there fairly often, but I can totally see how it might not be a great fit for all families -- it isn't really a family restaurant the same way that CC or CO is.
For the style of seating: as a bar lounge, the style of seating is quite varied. There is indoor and outdoor seating, tables (not as many as you'd think), couch seating, more fire elements than you might expect, etc. If it really matters that you have a real table with actual chairs, note that on your reservation. It won't be guaranteed, but at least the restaurant will know ahead of time. Repeat your request at check in. Know that you might have to wait longer for your request to be met. We always request a table inside and have always had one.

 

[tarheelalum]

We have waited over an hour before at Cafe Orleans so it doesn't surprise me. Disneyland often does a poor job in this respect.

 

[DLgal]

They will not seat people at tables who dont have a reservation. ALL walk ups will be seated at the community bar counters, so if you don't want a couch with a coffee table, don't make a reservation. Similarly, if you want a table, you need a reservation. I've eaten there 3 times with no reservation and despite numerous empty tables, they wouldn't seat us at one, no matter what.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

And PS reservations for TS locations don't work like reservations at a regular restaurant. They work more like a FP in that they don't guarantee you a table at the time reserved. They give you priority (hence the name "Priority Seating") for the next table for your party size. So if the previous party at "your" table decides to linger after finishing their meal, you could end up waiting for a while. Just as you could end up waiting in a FP line if there is some kind of delay with the ride. We once waited over an hour at NR because the party at "our" table just wouldn't leave after paying their bill. And no amount of hinting from the staff could get this group to budge!

 

[whoever]

I'll have my critique of LLL in my current TR. I was disappointed with the check-in process, food, and service. It's a big fail for me.

 

[Aladora]

A few thoughts:
The general pattern of checking in with a PS reservation (Priority Seating is the term at DL, but most people just say "reservation")

And PS reservations for TS locations don't work like reservations at a regular restaurant. They work more like a FP in that they don't guarantee you a table at the time reserved. They give you priority (hence the name "Priority Seating") for the next table for your party size.

It seems as though Disneyland has dropped the "Priority Seating" terminology and have switched to dining reservations so there is really no reason for them to be any different than other reservations.

FAQ Dining Reservations

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

Thanks for posting this, it convinced me to cancel my reservation. We’ve been there once before, with the worst service I’ve ever had at any Disney restaurant. I chalked it up to them just opening and not having the kinks worked out, but it sounds like it’s still not great. We were already cutting it close since we need to head to the airport right after so I don’t think it’s worth the stress of worrying we’ll be late if we have to wait for a table. I will miss those donuts though!

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Thanks for the info everyone. We'd planned a Disney World trip with plenty of ADRs in it (that we ended up having to cancel last minute), so I guess my impression with Disneyland reservations was that it was the same deal as an ADR. It seems like a lot of the feedback I've gotten is that this IS their system and maybe ours took a bit longer but not excessively so.

I'd say the two-step waiting room is a BIG fail then. In our case, we didn't have anywhere to be real quick (fortunately). I went back and checked the texts we'd gotten and it looked like 18 minutes in the downstairs area (somehow I guess I deleted the first text?). I was thinking it was a mistake to have us wait twice, but really... looks like that's the way it is. It really threw my young kiddos off (they thought we were being seated, and all of the sudden we're standing again with nothing to do.

I would feel differently if there was something fun for kids to do (heck, a table with Pixar coloring pages even would help a TON) because two long waits for one quick dinner seems beyond silly.

 

[MonocularVision]

They will not seat people at tables who dont have a reservation. ALL walk ups will be seated at the community bar counters, so if you don't want a couch with a coffee table, don't make a reservation. Similarly, if you want a table, you need a reservation. I've eaten there 3 times with no reservation and despite numerous empty tables, they wouldn't seat us at one, no matter what.

We were walk ups that were seated at a table downstairs. This was in November. Not sure if it’s changed since then.

 

[j9isawesome]

The exact same thing happened to us except we had a big group so we all had to wait out in the sun for the first part...in the end we we seated in the office so the wait was well worth it in our opinion but thats obviously not the norm at all. When I go there with just my husband they usually let us wait inside the upper lobby but sometimes they say we can’t wait inside and give us a text when it is time to come back. You normally only wait 1-5 minutes down in the lower lobby after being called down. Sounds like it was just an extra busy day for them and they were a bit backed up. Having to wait the first 20 minutes or so before getting called down (even with your reservation) is pretty normal. That line you got to bypass was people waiting for the bar area. Sometimes it can be a lot longer and sometimes it can be even shorter of a wait at them people with actual reservations. But only people with actual reservations have access to the entire menu and the fall lower downstairs seating area that line you got to bypass was people waiting for the bar area. Sometimes it can be a lot longer and sometimes it can be even shorter of a wait at them people with actual reservations. But only people with actual reservations have access to the entire menu and the fall lower downstairs seating area. (at least that’s how they have run it on most of our visits there. It’s one of our faves so we go often).