Ohana dinner wait time

[wddub2015]

I was able to snag an Ohana dinner reservation for my trip in November, but it is slightly later than I would have preferred. I have read of long waits to be seated after the reservation time. What has been your experience in wait times to be seated and/or served at Ohana for dinner?

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

We have been there 3 times and all 6-630pm times. We were always seated within a few minutes of checking in at the podium. Later in the evening, I think they get backed up a bit and that time increases.

 

[LilyWDW]

Been there once personally with an early ADR and was seated about 15-20 minutes after my time.

I have been on these boards awhile now and I can tell you that late seating is the number one complaint of this restaurant. The later the ADR, the longer the wait as they get backed up early and it just pushes things back as time goes on.

 

[Rylie Grite]

I was there in Sept with a 6:45 ADR. I got there a few minutes early and have to wait on a line to even get to the podium and check in. We waited less than 10 minutes from the time we got a pager to when we were called.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Worst wait for an around 7pm meal, 35min. Best wait for a 5pm meal, 10min.

 

[lisagirl88]

We must have bad luck. We had a 6:00 ressie and waited until 7:30 to be seated. I actually had to talk to the manager and 2 people in our party of 8 were quite upset. Plus we had 4 starving kids. I will never go back.

 

[Pumbaa_]

there is no way on god's green earth i would wait that long for a reservation. So sorry! that would be horrible (and just another reason out of many 'Ohana is on my never ever again list...ever!)

 

[Rylie Grite]

We must have bad luck. We had a 6:00 ressie and waited until 7:30 to be seated. I actually had to talk to the manager and 2 people in our party of 8 were quite upset. Plus we had 4 starving kids. I will never go back.

Did the manager offer or do anything to compensate for your unacceptable wait?

 

[lisagirl88]

No, they didn't compensate. I picked 6:00 because it was the first seating of the night and so I had planned on being seated at or around our ressie time. It caused a lot of tension between our party members so if I had to do it over I would have demanded compensation or just left. We were also seated almost an hour after our reservation time at CP that week!!! We were there the end of February so the parks weren't even crowded!

 

[Rylie Grite]

2

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Do you think the long waits were mainly due to being a party of 8? Even at non-Disney eateries, large parties are harder to seat.

 

[lisagirl88]

I had a reservation for 8 people so they should have had a table ready to seat us. We were also the first dinner seating of the night so it's not like they were waiting to clear the tables!

 

[ForeverAlice]

We have eaten there at 8 am and 5pm. Both times we waited no more than five min.

 

[DisneyDreams15]

I believe our ADR was at 5:10 (very early 5 range if not) and I would say we waited around 15 mins to be seated. January 2015. It was my first and only experience with a table service ADR and I was actually disappointed/surprised at even that much wait. I would have been quite upset about a longer wait. A reservation should be a reservation (to a point).

 

[Nancyg56]

I had a reservation for 8 people so they should have had a table ready to seat us. We were also the first dinner seating of the night so it's not like they were waiting to clear the tables!

I believe our ADR was at 5:10 (very early 5 range if not) and I would say we waited around 15 mins to be seated. January 2015. It was my first and only experience with a table service ADR and I was actually disappointed/surprised at even that much wait. I would have been quite upset about a longer wait. A reservation should be a reservation (to a point).

I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about ADR's in Disney is that they match reservations anywhere else. They are not equal. An ADR is really a place holder for you, and as such you get the next available table that fits the size of your party.

Disney Dining is a different animal than other restaurant situations in that many families tend to use the restaurant as a respite from touriing or for relaxation at the end of a long day. 'Ohana is one that backs up quickly and unless we want to let managers start kicking folks out after some time frame, we are kind of stuck with it.

I think that some character dining spots have gotten the hang of moving people along, but then we all read about how rushed the experience seemed. I think that when you plan your meal, make sure you have a cushion built in if you are on a schedule.

 

[supersnoop]

It will greatly depend on the party size. As a party of two, I showed up an hour early and was seated in 5 minutes. When you get to larger parties, you'll be waiting for the right table, or combination of tables, to open up. 90 minutes seems extreme, but we've routinely waited for 45-60 minutes for a table for 10 at Biergarten.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

If it's early in the night, we're seated very quickly. I've had 8pm and later reservations where it took well over 30 minutes to seat us. The lounge is really nice, though!

 

[eastendlights]

We have dined there at least a dozen times for breakfast and dinner and have never waited less than 15 minutes, sometimes much longer. We do eat meals later than the standard times so I am sure that plays a part- it seems that once they start getting backed up, they don't catch up.

 

[tink0283]

We eat at 'Ohana during every trip! We have never waited longer than 15 minutes past our reservation time. I always expect a short wait just because they are always so packed, but I guess we've been fortunate.

 

[strollerfreak]

We ate there in 2011 with around an 8pm seating time and we waited about an hour before we were actually sat. Our kids were STARVING and getting annoying by the time they sat us, but the experience once we were sat was good enough that we're looking to go back.