Question about ADRs

[Noel22]

On our next WDW vacation ( last two weeks of july) we want to try some TS. But, I do not want to make any ADRs - I love to plan, but IMO it is still a vacation and I do not want to plan every single hour of my trip in advance.
So my question is:
If a restaurant has 100 seats, can every single seat be booked in advance? Or are there some seats left for those guests who decide to go spontaneously? I mean is there any chance in crowded july to get a seat if you do not have an ADR?

 

[purple figment]

Table Service restaurants inside the parks and at Disney resorts don't set aside any tables for walk ups so if there are any ones you definitely want to try, it would be better to make a reservation.

If you don't make any reservations you could stop at Guest Services when you arrive at a park to see what is available for that day. During July I think most of the popular restaurants will be fully booked. There may be some openings at the less popular venues and/or at off hours.

You can try walking up to a restaurant and asking at the podium if they are taking walk ups. Usually you'll have the best chance just as it's opening or late in the evening.

As for the resorts, some of the farther away places such as OKW, SS or CBR, are more likely to have openings.

Restaurants at DTD or the Swan and Dolphin that are not on the dining plan are another option.

All in all, while it's possible to find TS restaurants in July, it might not be your first choice of place or time. Sometimes, though, you can find an unexpected treasure that way.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I see your point about not wanting every second planned while on vacation. But, I always feel like I save time by having and ADR so that when I arrive I know I will be seated quickly. And, I know that I did not waste time walking in the July heat to a restaurant that is booked or has a 45 minute wait....does that make sense?

My planning is based on whick parks we will do each day based on EMH (either going to a certain park for EMH or avoiding it b/c we are not doing EMH) and then picking an ADR based on that ...


For us , dining is part of hte experience so I'd hate to miss a restaurnat I really wanted to go to...Oh well...just thought I'd throw in that suggestion...

 

[fla4fun]

I am not a "planner". I often don't know which park I'm going to that day until I get there. There are very few ADR's that I will make ahead of time (I have one ADR for my 10 day trip this month).

I agree with the poster who suggested trying to get a last minute ADR instead of trying for a walk up. If you have access to the Disney Dining website, it's very easy to just plug in the park and time frame and see everything available all at once. I've made ADR's same day, and sometimes less than 30 minutes before dining. To me, that doesn't really take away from the spontaneity, but you don't wait forever either. It's too hot and busy in July to be waiting around for meals. Just be sure to have a CS backup in mind, in case TS doesn't work out that day.

 

[Cee]

What we have done in the past with success is calling WDW-Dine in the morning, asking what was available at certain restaurants and then being flexible if that place was available, even if it was at 5:30 p.m. Or we asked what was available at certain times and taken what was available. This requires a "fly by the seat of your pants" attitude, but we've experienced some great places doing this. Ones that we may not otherwise have tried.