We walked into BOG for lunch, no FP+, no ADR

[Carrie in AZ]

*******ALSO POSTED IN RESTAURANT FORUM*********

We just got home today, we were at DW from Sat. 11/8 until today, Fri. 11/14. One of my top three things to do on this trip was to eat at BOG. We were staying at the Dolphin so no BOG FP+ and I didn't really understand the whole process anyway LOL! All I know is we arrived at DW without any sort of reservation for BOG, and I was a bit stressed about it, wondering if we'd get in or not.

Well! This past Monday, the day before Veteran's Day, MK was packed. Packed! I followed Josh's advice from Easy WDW. He recommends showing up at BOG at 1:50 for the best chance to get into BOG for lunch. We arrived at 1:45 and there were CMs forming a line at the entrance to stop people from trying to reach the podium or proceed to the entrance. Two CMs in particular went on and on and on about how they were fully committed and did not know if any standbys would become available or not. They recommended that we keep checking back up until 2:30 to see if any space would become available. I witnessed many people just walk away. My gut feeling was space would open up so I just stood there. I am not kidding when I say that not even five minutes later a CM came out from the restaurant and announced they were taking standbys and to come on in! My husband and I immediately got in line as instructed and we were able to eat lunch at BOG!

Once we were in and seated, we noticed LOTS of empty tables. I mean, LOTS. So much available space, we couldn't believe it. I couldn't wait to come home and share our experience for the simple fact that I know there are soooooo many people out there stressing about whether they will get in or not, just like I was. I wanted to post our experience so that if you arrive without a reservation, there still might be hope for you to get in. I hope so!

 

[Mikie]

So glad that worked for you, thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed our food and the atmosphere there for lunch, especially compared to the rush/noise/crowdedness of other counter service places. Glad to see there are still ways to get in! So odd, though how the CMs chase people away, only to turn around and let others in. . .

 

[Carrie in AZ]

So odd, though how the CMs chase people away, only to turn around and let others in. . .

This made me feel really sad. If the others would have stuck around, they would have been in also! I mean, when DH and I left, which must have been after 2:30, there were still people in the standby line! In my estimation, they must have let in 100+ people, not just a few people. I have no idea why the CMs weren't more encouraging given the large numbers they ended up letting in. They could have said something like "You know, many times space does open up.....I can't say for sure if it will today or not, but it definitely can happen, and I think your chances MIGHT be pretty good".

 

[KimBean]

This made me feel really sad. If the others would have stuck around, they would have been in also! I mean, when DH and I left, which must have been after 2:30, there were still people in the standby line! In my estimation, they must have let in 100+ people, not just a few people. I have no idea why the CMs weren't more encouraging given the large numbers they ended up letting in. They could have said something like "You know, many times space does open up.....I can't say for sure if it will today or not, but it definitely can happen, and I think your chances MIGHT be pretty good".

I keep hearing a version of this same story many times on the boards. So, I don't know why either. Maybe they can't have a lot of people just waiting around there? So it's only the lucky few that stick it out or happen to walk up at that time? They really need to get fully staffed for lunch. No reason to let empty tables happen.

 

[swedie]

How exciting! Thank you for posting this. I'm still hoping for a FP+ for our one day at MK (and hopefully for a much much earlier time slot) - our days have not opened up as yet.

If you arrived at 1:45 - what time did you finally get in?

Did you order a full lunch? How long did you have to wait once your food was ordered? What time were you then finished? (I realize people eat at different speeds, etc.)

As we only have one full day at MK and would also like to see the FoF Parade at 3:00...I'm wondering if we would still have enough time to get a good to great spot for the parade on a tentative crowd level 4 day.

I'm sorry for all these questions! I had 3 things that I was hoping for our MK day and managed a FP+ for SDMT, so if this new plan of yours (and Josh's) for BOG & FoF could work - bonus!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

If you arrived at 1:45 - what time did you finally get in?

Did you order a full lunch? How long did you have to wait once your food was ordered? What time were you then finished? (I realize people eat at different speeds, etc.)

As we only have one full day at MK and would also like to see the FoF Parade at 3:00...I'm wondering if we would still have enough time to get a good to great spot for the parade on a tentative crowd level 4 day.

I'm sorry for all these questions! I had 3 things that I was hoping for our MK day and managed a FP+ for SDMT, so if this new plan of yours (and Josh's) for BOG & FoF could work - bonus!

Well, I think we got into the standby line at 1:50. It probably took 10 mins or so until we got to the ordering terminal. We waited probably 10-15 mins for our food to be delivered but I noticed the guests who sat down after us got their food much sooner. I would guess we were there until about 2:45 but I'm not really sure.

There were definitely FP+ guests in line alongside those of us in the standby line. Our wait to reach the terminal could have been even longer, I suspect, if there had been lots of FP+ guests waiting.

One thing I thought of is this: Eating at 2:00pm is pretty late for some families and many just won't be able to wait around til then.

Another thought: That self-ordering terminal is not the greatest and could definitely be a bottle-neck for the entire BOG experience. Since we were first-timers, we didn't really know how to make the selections. For example, we entered in 2 when it asked for number of guests. For Guest 1 we selected the beef sandwich and French Onion soup and couldn't figure out why the soup wasn't appearing under Guest 1. Well, we finally looked under the additional items or whatever they labeled and it was under that. Since we were splitting the sandwich but both ordering soup, there technically wasn't anything entered for Guest 2, just another soup that didn't appear under Guests 2. It took us a bit of time to navigate the self-order menu.

Again, good luck to everyone!

 

[The Rocketeer]

Thank you for taking time to post your experience. Many people will be encouraged by your report. It is indeed unfortunate that so many tables sat empty when they could have been occupied by grateful diners. We have a FP for lunch on Sunday and we would like to dine there again later on in the week. I will try your strategy.

 

[swedie]

Well, I think we got into the standby line at 1:50. It probably took 10 mins or so until we got to the ordering terminal. We waited probably 10-15 mins for our food to be delivered but I noticed the guests who sat down after us got their food much sooner. I would guess we were there until about 2:45 but I'm not really sure.

There were definitely FP+ guests in line alongside those of us in the standby line. Our wait to reach the terminal could have been even longer, I suspect, if there had been lots of FP+ guests waiting.

One thing I thought of is this: Eating at 2:00pm is pretty late for some families and many just won't be able to wait around til then.

Another thought: That self-ordering terminal is not the greatest and could definitely be a bottle-neck for the entire BOG experience. Since we were first-timers, we didn't really know how to make the selections. For example, we entered in 2 when it asked for number of guests. For Guest 1 we selected the beef sandwich and French Onion soup and couldn't figure out why the soup wasn't appearing under Guest 1. Well, we finally looked under the additional items or whatever they labeled and it was under that. Since we were splitting the sandwich but both ordering soup, there technically wasn't anything entered for Guest 2, just another soup that didn't appear under Guests 2. It took us a bit of time to navigate the self-order menu.

Again, good luck to everyone!

Thank you Carrie for your detailed answer. At this point, I will try for a FP+, or hopefully can grab stand-by late am. I would love to see the inside of Beast's Castle, but given a choice - FoF wins.

 

[vfalkner]

We were same day as you. We had a FP for 12:45-1:15 and got there around 12:50. The line for people with FP outside was fairly long but moved quickly. However the line for those who did not preorder their food moved really slowly. (I would highly recommend those with FP preorder. Those people were constantly walking by us.) We probably did not get inside until about 1:20. We had to look around for an open table and couldn't sit in the room my son wanted to sit in but at that point our food came almost immediately. I think the observation that most families can't wait that late to eat is a good one since there were many empty tables when we left around 1:50.

The food was really good and the atmosphere is fun. Definitely better than your average TS. I hope people keep trying for standby. It was worth the wait for us. And the gray stuff was delicious!

 

[DisPrincessDec2014]

How long do most people wait for a table once they arrive for the FP+ time? We have 8 in our party, so I imagine waiting for a table that size will take a long time even with the FP ...

 

[betseeee]

We got on line today with no FP+ at about 10:05 and were at the ordering kiosk at 10:45. Food came very quickly and no one made us feel rushed at all. It was a really nice meal. Some days it pays to skip breakfast because we were all ready to eat!

 

[taythecray]

This is awesome to hear! We are travelling to MK on 12/17 and wanted to try to grab lunch at BOG without FP+ reservations. Thinking about getting in line between 10-10:15 for an early lunch so fingers crossed it works just as well

 

[betseeee]

This is awesome to hear! We are travelling to MK on 12/17 and wanted to try to grab lunch at BOG without FP+ reservations. Thinking about getting in line between 10-10:15 for an early lunch so fingers crossed it works just as well

I am glad to give hope! I'm not a big DISer but as soon as we got in, my thought was "I have to post this!!"

 

[GeneralTso]

I love reading posts like this. I think this kind of thing happens every day all day. All the hysteria and stress over getting or not getting some coveted reservation or ride. It works out, typically.

I just approach these things with the attitude of "it'll probably work out" and it usually does.

Even when I blew it with Prime Time Café reservations. They STILL sat us, no problem. It was my mistake, I blew it. It was packed and they couldn't have been nicer. They just worked it out.

 

[DaisyNY]

Great to hear...not wanting to lock in date and time for BOG but glad to hear it might be an option!

 

[betseeee]

I love reading posts like this. I think this kind of thing happens every day all day. All the hysteria and stress over getting or not getting some coveted reservation or ride. It works out, typically. I just approach these things with the attitude of "it'll probably work out" and it usually does. Even when I blew it with Prime Time Café reservations. They STILL sat us, no problem. It was my mistake, I blew it. It was packed and they couldn't have been nicer. They just worked it out.

I also walked in 50s PT on Sunday for lunch. I said what the heck, why not try, and they sat us in about 20 minutes. But they did turn two other parties away while I was standing there. I was wearing an amusing t shirt so we decided that was the lucky factor. But there is definitely always hope if you take a chance.

 

[pampam]

So if I'm understanding this properly, if one had no reservations or fp, it could work if we arrive shortly after 10 am or aprox. 1:30 pm.

 

[mom2rtk]

This made me feel really sad. If the others would have stuck around, they would have been in also! I mean, when DH and I left, which must have been after 2:30, there were still people in the standby line! In my estimation, they must have let in 100+ people, not just a few people. I have no idea why the CMs weren't more encouraging given the large numbers they ended up letting in. They could have said something like "You know, many times space does open up.....I can't say for sure if it will today or not, but it definitely can happen, and I think your chances MIGHT be pretty good".

It makes me sad too. They don't care about the disappointment their little white lies cause for any given family, only that when they want butts in seats they can take the first available party that's hanging around.

 

[jeanni]

I wanted to try BOG for lunch and have no chance of a FPas I only live20 minutes away and will NOT book a hotel room simply to eat lunch there! On Sunday 11/9, I had my future daughter in law visiting from the UK and decided to try to eat there. We arrived at the gate at 11.50 and joined a fairly short standby line. We were told there was no guarantee but waited anyway. We got to the order podiums about 12.15 and they were very confusing to use. Our food was delivered quite quickly. As we finished each dish, they were cleared away and the cm told us we could take as long as we wanted, there was absolutely no rush. We finished eating and walked round the other rooms. There were plenty of empty tables. I would certainly join the standby line again!

 

[Orph]

Oooooo...so there is hope!

Thank you for the post.