TS Meal lengths

[thorphin]

Generally...
How long do TS meals take, on average? (Or at least, how long do you budget for them in your schedules?)

Do signature restaurants typically take longer?


Specifically...
We're planning to go to Narcoossee's for the first time this trip. We want to go straight from dinner to the beach at POLY for the 9:00pm Water Pageant. We got engaged on the Poly beach after the WP, so that's our goal.

What time would you make your ADR?

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

So here's my logic in this.

Including the check-in, time to be seated, meal time and by the time we're out the door... I plan for 2 hours.

Does that seem like a lot? Yes, but for us we like to plan for a longer dinner so that
a) if it runs longer, we won't be mad because we missed something.
b) if it ends earlier (which it usually does), we have extra time!

And busy places during peak times will take longer... 'Ohana, Les Chefs de France and Coral Reef are pretty notorious for taking longer.

Character meals can take longer too, especially if you want to make sure to see all the characters... but almost everyone wants to see all the characters so wait times to be seated can add some time.

California Grill takes us a while- for obvious reasons. Wishes was at 10 so we had an ADR for 8PM. We arrived at 7:40 or so checked in and asked to get an MK view table and that we'd wait a while if necessary. We actually surprisingly got seated at about 8:05! But we did drag the meal out as long as we could, and the waiter knew what we were doing, since everyone else also does this. But it overall, took about 2 1/2 hours.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Generally...


Do signature restaurants typically take longer?


Specifically...
We're planning to go to Narcoossee's for the first time this trip. We want to go straight from dinner to the beach at POLY for the 9:00pm Water Pageant. We got engaged on the Poly beach after the WP, so that's our goal.

What time would you make your ADR?

Signature restaurants do usually take us longer but only because we usually order an appitizer and a drink. At Narcoossee's, it has taken us from about 70 minutes to 2 hours... but the 2 hour trip, we had to wait quite a while to be seated. For 9PM EWP, I'd go with a 6:30-6:45 ADR, if you're done early, so what?... you'll just have more time to leisurly walk on the beach.

 

[bentleygirl22]

The shortest table service for us was 60 minutes from when we sat down. Given check-in time, that becomes 75-90 minutes. Also, if you are planning for the water pageant, plan for ferry service to stop shortly before. If you don't want to take a crowded resort monorail at that time, plan to be at the ferry 20-30 minutes before the water pageant.

 

[thorphin]

Thanks, all. I had been planning for two hours per meal, but thought maybe that was too much. I'll stick with it, though.

Can you walk rom the GF to Poly? I seem to remember that you can mostly walk around the lagoon, but I think the sidewalk ends somewhere randomly.

 

[WUVmyDISNEY]

I was wondering the same. We have a 7:55 for Tony's and Wishes is at 10 that night that so that will work out perfect. But then I found out Spectro is at 9 that night and I was so hoping to catch it. I can't seem to get an earlier ADR but am gonna still shoot for 7:30 at the latest. Does Spectro go by Tony's so that if we did happen to get super fast service, we may be able to catch it? Thanks!

 

[thorphin]

I was wondering the same. We have a 7:55 for Tony's and Wishes is at 10 that night that so that will work out perfect. But then I found out Spectro is at 9 that night and I was so hoping to catch it. I can't seem to get an earlier ADR but am gonna still shoot for 7:30 at the latest. Does Spectro go by Tony's so that if we did happen to get super fast service, we may be able to catch it? Thanks!

For some reason, we had it in our heads that we wanted to watch Spectromagic from Frontierland, but had a later ADR at Tony's. We mentioned it to the waiter who told us to relax because the patio at Tony's is a great place to watch the parade, and we'd be able to go watch from ther e even though our table wasn't near the window. In the end, we finished our meal early enough to go out on the street with about 15 minutes before the parade and had a great time!

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

question; you said your waiter mentioned the possibility to sit on the patio? does that mean that they keep the patio clear for the patrons of the restaurant during parades?

 

[thorphin]

The waiter didn't say we could SIT on the patio, just that we could go over and watch the parade FROM the patio. I believe there are some tables on the patio and I'm sure they are the first to fill up at parade time. I think the waiter expected us to stand and squeeze ourselves in or loom awkwardly over the other diners. We were glad that the meal finished early and we were able to watch from the street, having arrived only a few minutes prior (in June).

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

yes, sorry that is what I meant...can you watch from the patio. i didn't realize that you could dine on the patio, so i assume that means that the regular joe can't just walk up during parade time to the patio to stand and watch.

possibility of dining on the patio , however, sounds like a good option to me during a parade time!