Odds for walking in to restaurants

[superdisneydork]

So, I'm going to be a solo traveler in September this year, I'm getting ready to book the flights and rooms shortly, but on this kind of short notice, I'm assuming I'm going to have squat luck on ADRs.

On top of that, I'm not sure I even want them, because I am really loving the concept of being on my own and deciding to do whatever I want to do, and being tied to ADRs. That said, I did manage to score a seat at Dine with an Imagineer.

What are my odds of being able to catch a break at a place like Biergarten without ADRs? Does being a single person make me easy to sneak in or am I stuck with Quick Service for this trip? I got really lucky on my last trip, my companion and I stumbled in to a cancellation at Garden Grill, and it was wonderful.

I'm looking to enjoy places like the 50s Primetime Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine In, Biergarten, if possible. If not, oh well, there'll be other trips!

Also, can you all recommend places for a single person to enjoy a meal that might be friendly towards my short notice traveling?

Thanks.

 

[NJDiva]

So, I'm going to be a solo traveler in September this year, I'm getting ready to book the flights and rooms shortly, but on this kind of short notice, I'm assuming I'm going to have squat luck on ADRs.

On top of that, I'm not sure I even want them, because I am really loving the concept of being on my own and deciding to do whatever I want to do, and being tied to ADRs. That said, I did manage to score a seat at Dine with an Imagineer.

What are my odds of being able to catch a break at a place like Biergarten without ADRs? Does being a single person make me easy to sneak in or am I stuck with Quick Service for this trip? I got really lucky on my last trip, my companion and I stumbled in to a cancellation at Garden Grill, and it was wonderful.

I'm looking to enjoy places like the 50s Primetime Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine In, Biergarten, if possible. If not, oh well, there'll be other trips!

Also, can you all recommend places for a single person to enjoy a meal that might be friendly towards my short notice traveling?

Thanks.

you can probably get one or two of your requests. Sci-fi and Primetime depending on what day and what meal you want you could probably get. I ahve never done Biergarten so I don't have a clue. if you are at Primetime you may just want to eat at the Tune-In Lounge if you don't mind sitting at the bar.
walk ups aren't terribly bad, if you are willing to wait 5-10 mins you could get the ones you want. Garden Grill and LeCellier may be harder to get into, Most places are pretty good about taking singles and are very friendly.
I would also go on the website just to see what the availability is for each place. sometimes people make the reservation and don't show...not sure why.
good luck and have a great time

 

[superdisneydork]

That sounds great, I'm not looking at Le Cellier reqlly, or Garden Grill this time. Truthfully I don't even know where to consider dining, probably most QS and my Imagineer lunch.

Biergarten sounded interesting because of the seating arrangements, and the food sounds delicious. I'd like a social dining experience, if that makes any sense, meeting new people is one of my favorite things to do, I'd love to do it in my favorite place! It sort of sounds like the 50s Primetime Cafe is another good place for that, is it? I have no objection to eating at the bar, maybe that will help me out.

Thanks!

 

[canopynut66]

Not good I would say . used to be a day when could just walk up in WD and go where ya wanted to. those days are over. Being one person might be easier but there was just two of us at the time..

 

[ortholablady]

I have done it many times with my DS. I think it was probably easier since there was only two of us but I even got breakfast at Cape May Cafe for 3 on Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago after trying and trying before I left home to book a reservation. I was staying there so that did make it easier to walk up and see what was available. I have done it at Biergarten so I would try there. Done it at O'hana and had to wait an hour but that was fine. Had drinks and appetizers in the lounge while we waited. Used to do it at Concourse Steak house. Again had to wait but I sat and had a drink while DS went to the arcade. The other thing I've done with my brother and nephew is we stopped in at Via Napoli early in the day and got a reservation for later in the evening. So if you have an idea in the morning what you want to do that evening you might try that. Also September is a slower time of year so I think your chances are good. Good luck!

 

[superdisneydork]

I have done it many times with my DS. I think it was probably easier since there was only two of us but I even got breakfast at Cape May Cafe for 3 on Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago after trying and trying before I left home to book a reservation. I was staying there so that did make it easier to walk up and see what was available. I have done it at Biergarten so I would try there. Done it at O'hana and had to wait an hour but that was fine. Had drinks and appetizers in the lounge while we waited. Used to do it at Concourse Steak house. Again had to wait but I sat and had a drink while DS went to the arcade. The other thing I've done with my brother and nephew is we stopped in at Via Napoli early in the day and got a reservation for later in the evening. So if you have an idea in the morning what you want to do that evening you might try that. Also September is a slower time of year so I think your chances are good. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I will have to report back with my success (or not!) after my trip. I was hoping it would work out, last time I went to Disney was just two of us and we benefited greatly. We were bumped up on a lot of ride lines to fill in space too, so I think I've got a pretty good shot.

 

[tinkerbella16]

I would say your odds are pretty good considering you are alone so its not like they have to shell out a table for 4 without an ADR. But September is during Free Dining so the restaurants are going to be pretty heavy.

I am also going solo in September, on the free dining plan so I made my ADR's months ago. When in september are you going?

 

[Jennafoo]

I'm going solo this September, too! My first trip even...first week of September (I arrive on Labor Day Monday).

I did manage to snag a couple of ADRs, including Le Cellier (go, me!). Like you, I don't want to fill up every possible meal, though, because I want to take advantage of being alone and be spontaneous. Never having been, I don't know how effective this strategy is.

I am on the fence about Biergarten. I love German food, and I can get along with most people, but I tend to be a little standoffish when I'm alone. You're not worried about being seated with a bunch of strangers?

 

[superdisneydork]

I would say your odds are pretty good considering you are alone so its not like they have to shell out a table for 4 without an ADR. But September is during Free Dining so the restaurants are going to be pretty heavy.

I am also going solo in September, on the free dining plan so I made my ADR's months ago. When in september are you going?

I am going from 9/11 to 9/15. I didn't know this trip was even an option until recently, so ADRs are out. I'm not expecting to just waltz in to all the best TS places, just hoping I could squeeze in to some nice ones. 50s Primetime and Biergarten sound great to me.

I'm going solo this September, too! My first trip even...first week of September (I arrive on Labor Day Monday).

I did manage to snag a couple of ADRs, including Le Cellier (go, me!). Like you, I don't want to fill up every possible meal, though, because I want to take advantage of being alone and be spontaneous. Never having been, I don't know how effective this strategy is.

I am on the fence about Biergarten. I love German food, and I can get along with most people, but I tend to be a little standoffish when I'm alone. You're not worried about being seated with a bunch of strangers?

I am a little apprehensive, but I find I have the best adventures outside of my comfort zone. Plus to even get a chance to try it is a win for me, so if it's not a perfect experience, oh well

 

[Jennafoo]

I am a little apprehensive, but I find I have the best adventures outside of my comfort zone. Plus to even get a chance to try it is a win for me, so if it's not a perfect experience, oh well

You're probably right. I'll see how I feel when I get there, but I may try it for a late lunch or some such. Pretzel bread and schnitzel should go a long way toward alleviating any discomfort.

 

[superdisneydork]

You're probably right. I'll see how I feel when I get there, but I may try it for a late lunch or some such. Pretzel bread and schnitzel should go a long way toward alleviating any discomfort.

I sure hope I end up being right! My lunch depends on it. Worst case, I'll sample some extra servings of German liquid relaxant ;-)

 

[ohsnapxitsamanda]

So, I'm going to be a solo traveler in September this year, I'm getting ready to book the flights and rooms shortly, but on this kind of short notice, I'm assuming I'm going to have squat luck on ADRs.

On top of that, I'm not sure I even want them, because I am really loving the concept of being on my own and deciding to do whatever I want to do, and being tied to ADRs. That said, I did manage to score a seat at Dine with an Imagineer.

What are my odds of being able to catch a break at a place like Biergarten without ADRs? Does being a single person make me easy to sneak in or am I stuck with Quick Service for this trip? I got really lucky on my last trip, my companion and I stumbled in to a cancellation at Garden Grill, and it was wonderful.

I'm looking to enjoy places like the 50s Primetime Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine In, Biergarten, if possible. If not, oh well, there'll be other trips!

Also, can you all recommend places for a single person to enjoy a meal that might be friendly towards my short notice traveling?

Thanks.

As a former CM at a restaurant in Epcot, I can give you this information:

1. Lunch is always a better time for walk-ins than dinner. Most nights, my restaurant could not accommodate walk-ins for dinner, but for lunch, we were pretty much always wide open. The exception was during Candlelight, when we were booked up all the time because of the package deal.

2. When we had to turn walk-ins away, we would tell them to try the restaurants in World Showcase. Most of the time, their dining rooms are bigger, or they are just better able to take walk-ins than we were. It's never a guarantee, but they do tend to take walk-ins a lot.

3. Biergarten pretty much always takes walk-ins. When we would tell people to go to WS, we would suggest Biergarten (and Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco) for this reason.

4. Since you're traveling by yourself, it will definitely be a lot easier for you to be a walk-in. Just know that, depending on the restaurant, you might not always get in, but you will have a better chance than a bigger party.

I hope this helps! Have fun on your trip!

 

[superdisneydork]

As a former CM at a restaurant in Epcot, I can give you this information:

1. Lunch is always a better time for walk-ins than dinner. Most nights, my restaurant could not accommodate walk-ins for dinner, but for lunch, we were pretty much always wide open. The exception was during Candlelight, when we were booked up all the time because of the package deal.

2. When we had to turn walk-ins away, we would tell them to try the restaurants in World Showcase. Most of the time, their dining rooms are bigger, or they are just better able to take walk-ins than we were. It's never a guarantee, but they do tend to take walk-ins a lot.

3. Biergarten pretty much always takes walk-ins. When we would tell people to go to WS, we would suggest Biergarten (and Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco) for this reason.

4. Since you're traveling by yourself, it will definitely be a lot easier for you to be a walk-in. Just know that, depending on the restaurant, you might not always get in, but you will have a better chance than a bigger party.

I hope this helps! Have fun on your trip!

I'll keep the tips is mind! I was planning on trying over lunch, dinner I'll probably be just grabbing something to go so I can get ready for whatever show I'm trying to catch!

Points 3 and 4 are very encouraging!

 

[PlutoPatrol]

You're probably right. I'll see how I feel when I get there, but I may try it for a late lunch or some such. Pretzel bread and schnitzel should go a long way toward alleviating any discomfort.

You have to love Pretzel Bread, yoummmmm

 

[Debbyt28]

I'm going solo this September, too! My first trip even...first week of September (I arrive on Labor Day Monday).

I did manage to snag a couple of ADRs, including Le Cellier (go, me!). Like you, I don't want to fill up every possible meal, though, because I want to take advantage of being alone and be spontaneous. Never having been, I don't know how effective this strategy is.

I am on the fence about Biergarten. I love German food, and I can get along with most people, but I tend to be a little standoffish when I'm alone. You're not worried about being seated with a bunch of strangers?

Hey I'm going that week too arrive 9/3/12 from UK got some ADR coral reef Cali grill and brown derby apart from that qsdp so may do walk Ins at lunch time

 

[jvptravels]

I just booked a solo trip for the 3rd week in August (15th to 22nd). I decided to splurge and get the Premium Plan. I must say I had some very good luck with ADR's, including Cinderella's Royal Table, and a Fantasmic dinner package at Hollywood Brown Derby, among several others.

The only places I have not been able to book yet are Le Cellier, California Grill and Chef Mickey's. If I don't get them, no problem. The point here is that I was able to get tables at many restaurants with less than 4 weeks notice.

Have fun in September. I know I will have a blast in August.