Please help-no ADR's!!

[perla75]

My parents planned a last minute trip and are having trouble finding available ADR's.

Can you recommend some decent but less popular table service restaurants? They are looking for basic fare-chicken, seafood, steak. They do not eat fried food.

I suggested they try for Olivia's Cafe at OKW because I've read good reviews and OKW is not a typically busy spot.

Anywhere else?

Thanks!

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

I think your best bet is to try some of the resort restaurants like Olivia's. Others that come to mind are: Yachtsman Steakhouse, Cape May Cafe, Spoodles, Flying Fish, Shula's Steak House, Narcoossee's, GF Cafe, etc.

Good luck!

 

[ktlm]

If they know what parks they are going to be in on what days, I believe they can call and ask what is available at that park for that day. We have done that before when we were already in WDW, and eaten at some good places we might not have otherwise thought of-plus you never know what cancellations there might be.

 

[ChelleinNC]

Had a great meal at Olivia's in December Another favorite of ours is the Turf Club at SSR

 

[JW2]

What about eating their main meal at lunch and the counter service at dinner time? We found ADR's last minute during the non-traditional times (11 am or 2 pm for example). Maybe they've already tried all those options. Along with the other suggestions, we had one night in November, in which every restaurant was full with long waiting list and we walked into ESPN on Boardwalk, had a 10 min. wait only and had one of our best meals during our stay!!

 

[laughinplace199]

How about Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club?

 

[MickeyNicki]

Grand Floridian Cafe, amazing dinner there and we were able to get a table with just a few hours notice

The Wave, every time we call for a last minute change this restaurant always has space available

Rose and Crown, Morocco and China are usually available for dinner

Capt Grill at the YC, awesome dinner!

Ask for lunches instead of dinners

Dont count out CS, we just came back and some of our favorite meals were CS places like Capt Cooks at the Poly, Flame Tree BBQ, the new place in the CR and Tangierine Cafe

 

[momom]

We had all of our ADR's set last year, but decided at the last minute we were in the mood for a sit down meal one night instead of the counter service we had planned on. Even calling late that afternoon, we were able to get our choice of times for the Plaza in the MK. They have great sandwiches and and milkshakes. You could give them a try. I don't think a lot of people realize they take ADR's.

 

[broberts]

When we were there for Thanksgiving, we were able to walk up to Yak and Yeti, Nine Dragons and Brown Derby. Brown Derby was a late lunch. Also, don't forget about Rainforest at AK. Should be pretty easy to walk up to it.

I think their best bet would eat at the less popular times.

 

[DSLTX]

Not sure how last minute you mean - but I was able to get a 5:10 Kona Cafe for our mid-March trip.

 

[Vegaslover]

What do you mean by last minute? My first trip to WDW will be this March and even though I got what I wanted, the reservationist told me that if I wanted to make changes and I couldn't get what I wanted the best time to call was 10 days or later before our trip. She said there are a lot of cancellations because many people do not pay their final deposit. She also said that the hotel can help make many last minute reservations because people change their plans.

 

[perla75]

Thank you everyone!! I copied down your suggestions to give to my mom. They are planning to call everyday for any cancellations.

I am referring to VERY last minute, by the way. They are going 2/9!!! Do you still have faith that they will snag an ADR somewhere?

They live 3 hours from WDW & decided on this trip very last minute. I warned them about the difficulty with getting ADR's so late in the game, but I guess they didn't believe me.

To the PP who suggested Cape May Cafe: this one was actually one they were trying to get, but no such luck for any of the days they will be there. Cape May is my mom's favorite restaurant at WDW.

I forgot to mention that they are only going to 2 parks: DAK & Epcot. It is just a 3 day trip. They are willing to drive to any of the WDW resorts though, and also DTD. I'm thinking they might have some luck with the TS restaurants over at SSR and OKW.

I suggested eating their TS for lunch but my mom cannot have larger meals during the day, due to getting an upset stomach because of a medication she is on.

She called me a few hours ago & said she called them back and snagged a 5pm ADR at Tusker House-hooray!!! I've never been to Tusker House, but the woman on the phone told my mom it is similar to Boma. Anyone agree??

 

[redrosesix]

What do you mean by last minute? My first trip to WDW will be this March and even though I got what I wanted, the reservationist told me that if I wanted to make changes and I couldn't get what I wanted the best time to call was 10 days or later before our trip. She said there are a lot of cancellations because many people do not pay their final deposit. She also said that the hotel can help make many last minute reservations because people change their plans.

Ahaha! I have made 4 cancellations in the last week for our upcoming trip in Feb. Just decided to change our touring plans, etc.

I have heard that it is best to call in the morning since the system resets overnight -- not sure if it's true.

 

[CarolA]

Monday night at Epcot I could have eaten ANYPLACE but LeCellier. Walked into China. (and the new version is just as bad as the old IMHO LOL!)


So even if they don't get an ADR have them check on the day of or the day before.

 

[Silver Queen]

We've been to both Boma and Tusker House and agree that they are similar. We enjoyed them both and will definitely go back. My one thought is that you mentioned that your parents prefer basic fare. May of the dishes at these restaurants will have African inspired seasonings. In our opinion that's why we like the food there so much but other people who prefer basic food may not agree. That being said I do believe that there are enough dishes (meat, etc.) with basic preparations to satisfy most people. Good luck to your parents. I hope they have a wonderful time!

 

[tinka-belle]

I agree with the locations OP's have given. Add Maya Grill at the CSR, really good food there, a step up for a moderate resort. Tokyo Dining (the sushi/tempura one) and Nine Dragons in Epcot often have openings. Tokyo dining might seem to be a bit exotic for them, but they also have plain grilled steak, salmon, or chicken with a choice of a Japanese sauce on the side.

 

[misslissa]

We have had good luck with Germany!

 

[abc999]

Call Disney Dining and ask them what they have available in Epcot on those days at a specific time. They will give you a list of what is available.

DAK does not give them much choice, Yak and Yeti, Rainforest or Table Service.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

The signature restaurants, except CG, are a safe bet last minute. We often find ourselves wanting to eat earlier or later. My DH calls them up same day, & we can usually get in close to our preferred time. Les Chefs de France is our favorite Epcot restaurant, & can be easier to get into than some of the others. As noted above, some of the lesser know WS restaurants always seem to have availability.

Walked into China. (and the new version is just as bad as the old IMHO LOL!)

That stinks! Our DS chose Nine Dragons for his birthday dinner. This will be our 1st time eating there. I have been seeing good reviews lately. Hopefully, they had an off night, when you were there. If you don't mind me asking, what did you order?

 

[katie111]

We're going President's week for a last minute trip as well. I just called for my ADR's and was able to get most of what I wanted, mostly by being flexible in my times. Most of our ADR's are between 2 and 5:30, which I think is great, we'll just have a big breakfast & then get something small and then have a late lunch/early dinner. My kids hate it anyways when we get to the parks at 9 and then try to eat lunch at 12, they want to just keep going at that point. We were able to get into Planet Hollywood, Crystal Palace, Tutto Italia, Shutters, and Sci Fi Dine in. I would suggest they call back and just try to have a lot of different ideas for choices and a lot of flexibility in times and they will be able to get something. The CM's are great about checking lots of options for you.