Should I make ressies for Margaritaville or just wing it?

[Linda/MA]

We'll be in Universal April 12-15 and would like to go to Margaritaville one night. Is the wait for a table there terribly long? Should I try and make ressies and what is the best way to do it? Do they even take ressies or is it like WDW with priority seating? Takes for any info.

 

[kellymonaghan]

Last time I checked, Margaritaville didn't take reservations. You might try calling 407-224-9255 and ask about "Priority Seating". This is for dinner and is sorta like a reservation, although it can mean you'll still have to wait.

If that doesn't work, another strategy is to arrive early for dinner and just hang out until the entertainment starts. You'll also beat the cover charge this way since they don't collect it from people who are already inside when the cover charge hour strikes. You can have a margarita to pass the time. You can have three margaritas and you won't notice the time.

Kelly Monaghan
Author of "Universal Studios Escape: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park Adventure" and
"The Other Orlando: What To Do When You've Done Disney & Universal"‡

 

[PattiHW]

I called the City Walk # last week and got
reservations for Margaritaville for next month. Just thought I'd let you know.

 

[cforza]

We went last week for an early lunch (It was 11:30 but we were already starving) and there was no wait. There were many empty tables until around 12:15. If you go at off hours I'm sure there will be no wait at all. Even when we left at around 12:45 I didn't see anyone waiting for a table.

 

[nhrenee]

We've always gone in off season(nov) but our experience was this: We arrived on a Sunday around 5pm and were seated immediately. We went for dinner one night around 8pm and the place was mobbed. Normal wait was one hour but we showed them our on-site hotel key and our wait was 15min. Great excuse for a pre-dinner mango margarita!

 

[skiervt]

FYI - I just called to try and get priority seating for 4/14 and was told they don't take reservations Friday - Sunday nights.

 

[skiervt]

Just called another number (407)224-9255, and got a reservation for Sat. 4/14, no problem.

 

[Peterd]

We went in Feb., and my nephew and I asked at the door and were told it was a 2 hour wait for a table, but said we could wait for someone to get up from the bar or one of the tables outside. We waited five minutes for a table outside, which was nice. Inside there was a band playing, and outside we had a singer on the deck.

 

[TigerBear]

I had a strange experience with making PS at Margaritaville. I emailed the restaurant, asking for a number to call to make PS arrangements. The woman responding told me to just let her know the date, time, and party size and she could make it for me. Well, when we got to the restaurant (which was several months later) I was told that they do NOT take PS via email. All I could think was how strange?!? They were nice enough to honor my fake PS anyway.

By the way, we were there on a Wednesday night (spring break) at around 6:30 and the person ahead of me was told the wait would be around 30 minutes.