Turning up without adr- will anywhere have space?

[mcpaket]

Hi there
We are going to wdw 4 weeks today for a few days. We haven't made any reservations as I want to less restrictive with plans. We are lucky enough to be going on a Disney cruise for 7 nights from the Saturday so will have set dinner times so I'd rather things were ore fluid. Is there anywhere within the parks you can just show up- perhaps outside peak hours?

 

[crabbygal902]

Hmmm....

President's week school vacations will probably be the beginning of that next week, so my best guess is that you will experience moderate crowds the week prior when you'll be attending. For walk-up dining at the parks during that time, I think your best chances will be if:

1. You try non-peak hours (as you mentioned)
2. You try the less popular restaurants (MK-all of the places here seem to be packed, maybe Tony's or The Plaza would be your best bets, AK-Yak and Yeti seems to always have availability when I check, Epcot-Tokyo Dining, Nine Dragons, Marrakesh, perhaps even Biergarten, DHS-I've gotten a walk up at Sci-Fi and at Hollywood and Vine before)
3. You are super nice to the host/hostess (If you are nice, those Disney folks will often make magic for you)
4. Consider the resort restaurants nearby the parks (The Wave at the Contemporary near the MK is great and very easy to get into, I hear great things about Kona at the Poly, Capt's Grill and Big River Grille in the Yacht Club area are a boat ride away from DHS and my in-laws rave about them)

If you are a smart phone user, you may also want to check out the Disney Parks app to make same day ADRs when you are in a park.

I think a no-stress, no-ADR vacation sounds terrific. You may find a new favorite by keeping your plans loose.

 

[julie4423]

I have gotten in at Rose and Crown and 50s PT without an ADR.

 

[Dizzytime]

We were lucky enough to get in Kona Cafe for breakfast last week without a reservation. Also made more than an few changes/new ADR's during our stay, so that was a nice surprise to us.

Good luck!

 

[bcrook]

We have had great luck in getting Tokyo Dining, Marrakesh, Kouzzina, Big River, La Hacienda, and Sanaa without reservations.

Have a great time.

 

[kris4360]

At that time of year you should have good luck at most places.

 

[T. Baker]

We walked up and got a table for lunch in France during Christmas week. We were seated within 2 minutes. By the time we left they were backed up about 1 1/2 hours without reservations. It was about 12:15 when we went in.

I had all our table service meals planned out and all reservations made. We were going to grab something and sit outside that day for lunch, but it was very cold and windy that day so we decided to sit inside.

On a side note -- this turned out to be lots of fun. Three young men from France were seated next to us (the tables are very close together) and they made suggestions about the menu and talked to us about France. Your least planned things often turn out to be great!!

 

[disney1990]

We have had luck when we show up a few minutes before the restaurants open. You can also,try calling the restaurant in the morning first thing to see if there have been any cancelations.

 

[partigus]

i want to "ditto" the post about resort eateries. As long as it's lunch 9for the places that serve it) or an EARLY dinner- you have a great shot, AND you get to enjoy the ambiance of DWs most heavily themed resorts.

From the MK, The Wave or California Grill are great choices, The WL has Artist Pointe and WWC, the GF, Citricos, Narcosees, and the Grand Floridan Cafe, the Poly has OHanna and Konna.

From Epcot and HS you have a TON of places at the Epcot Resorts from high nd steak houses (Shulsa and Yachtman) To celebrity chefs (Todd English Blue Zoo and Kat Kourina Kouzinnas) , other high end eateries such as the Flying Fish or Il Mulinas (a branch of a place often voted best Italian in NYC), to places like the ESPN club and a brew pub.

From AK you can hop over to AKL and enjoy fine dining at Jiko, an incedible buffet at Boma, or a great, relaxing (albiet long) meal with Indio/ African inspration at Sanaa

Also- most of these resorts have counter service options that are often better than the parks (except epcot which is fine as the epcot resorts are most lacking in CS options) but are still nice way to enjoy a resort. ...Hop over to the Poly- have a burger by Bay Lake, then rent mouseboats to cruise around in...you can enjoy the high end experience without shelling out big bucks for a room to sleep in!

 

[redrosesix]

We have done walk-ins at 50s PT and Sci Fi. We have actually made a lot of ADRs while in wdw -- last time we were there I called Disney Dining from my cell phone as we were hopping from park to park on the bus and just asked them what was available and booked it.

We have also cancelled ADRs while we were in wdw -- we changed our plans for the day and so our dining plans also had to change. I'm sure there are a lot of people like us that refuse to be tied down to an ADR.

 

[BriarRosie]

You can check for dining reservation times on the My Disney Experience app if you have a smart phone. Or call 407-WDW-DINE directly and speak to a rep if you want to check for times within the day or couple days in advance, if you think you can narrow down a time and place you want to try.

You still might find places booked out, but there will be alternatives that aren't full, but they aren't necessarily popular places. While it's possible to get walk-up seating at some places, if you dine VERY early or VERY late, you might also be told that they are not taking any walk-ups.

Also, if you're at a Disney resort, the Concierge desk cast member can look for available dining reservations for you. Similar to the phone call, but you can do it face to face in person.

 

[thefigueroas]

My family always has situations crop up during our vacations and we continually have to change our plans. As long as you are open to places and times and call in the morning you should not have a problem finding somewhere to eat. We learned that Olivia's at Old Key Resort has an awesome breakfast this way and that the old Donald's Breakfastosaurus was a fantastic way to meet Donald and Mickey. An open mind is key.

We usually tell the agent on the phone that we are either, for example, just looking for breakfast or ask them what they "have open for lunch at Disney Studios around (insert what time you want to eat)". This has always worked in the past. It may not be where we had originally intended but more often than not it is a perfectly acceptable substitute. Good luck!