We were seated well beyond our ADR time....

[lisagirl88]

As I plan for our next trip I had a question about ADR's. On our last trip I tried to plan our ADR's right when the restaurant opened for dinner or shortly after. At O'hana we arrived at our ADR time, had to wait in a very long line to check in and ended up waiting for 90 minutes(with 4 little kids) to get seated. We had an ADR scheduled for opening time. The next night we had an ADR at CP for 5:30, arrived at 5:15 and waited until 6:15 to be seated. My dad was not happy about waiting(to say the least) and it was very hard to keep 4 little kids busy for that amount of time.

Is it normal to have to wait this long having an ADR early in the dinner hour and at a non-busy time of year? I found it to be VERY frustrating and don't want to go through that again on our next trip.

I totally understand having to wait 15- 20 minutes for a table, but why make a reservation in the first place if you have to wait an 1 1/2 hours for a table!

We love the CP and it is a tradition so I hate to pass that up. We were all so tense after waiting for O'hana for so long that I really didn't enjoy dinner.

Do I just pick restaurants that aren't as popular so we can have a better chance at getting seated on time???

Thanks!!!!

 

[jenjersnap]

It sounds like you had terrible luck! It is not normal to have waits like that though we have waited a long time to be seated a few times. In fact, we had to leave for the airport once without being seated at 'Ohana's breakfast - we had waited over an hour and they said it would be another half an hour. 'Ohana does seem to be problematic since we have had longer waits there consistently though it is usually in the 20-30 minute range. But a few times over the course of an estimated 75 ADRs isn't a bad percentage. I would make ADRs wherever you want to eat, not basing it on popularity. With the possible exception of 'Ohana, LOL!

 

[maxiesmom]

An ADR does not guarantee you will be seated at that time. It is supposed to get you the next table available for your party size. The Crystal Palace does tend to get more behind that some other restaurants, as does 'Ohana.

Even so, I've never had to wait 90 minutes for a table. That is just crazy!

 

[dzneelvr]

We're not complaining, because its our favorite eatery when in the World! In over 15 years, we've never been seated without a wait I totally understand how hard it is to entertain little children, but be prepared. We play cards and explore the resort (a quick cell phone call brings the explorers back). In December (our first empty-nest trip), DH and I were only able to score a 9:30pm ADR during a 5 day stay at the 180 day mark, so the fact that we were seated closer to 10:30 (and the lobby was 75% full even then), left around 11:15pm with the dining area about 50% full shows how popular this place is. Believe me, I called daily for a month prior to our trip but didn't score anything earlier. We don't do breakfast here, so I can't comment on those wait times. But for dinner, I'm just happy to get an ADR!

 

[Mousemommy1]

It seems like you had some bad luck. We have never had that issue. We went in July (a busy time) and actually showed up for a few of our ADR's up to an hour early (because we were in the area) and were seated right away.

 

[LilyWDW]

There are so many variables that could impact wait times that it is impossible to say what happened. Since ADRs are NOT actual reservations, it is always possible that you could be waiting (even an extended amount of time).

 

[JJsmama]

Ohana has a very bad reputation for long lines and lots of waiting. Other than that though, I don't recall much wait at all for any of our ADRs and we always have to go during summer / crazy crowds. Oh yeah, I do remember a bit of a wait at CP too. CM generally has a long line to check in but it moved pretty fast and we were seated quickly.

Why don't you try to avoid the headline attraction restaurants like Ohana, CP and CM and try others this time. We have had good luck at Tutto, Via Napoli, LTT, Kona, even Garden Grill! We have had good luck with Biergarten and we have also had bad waits / crowds there.

The other thing you could do is to have some of the sit- down meals at lunch instead of dinner. That beats the crowds a bit and gets you out of the heat. I am doing about half my ADRs for lunch. Sometimes in the evening, my kids and I are a bit tired and would rather just get something from the resort QS or a World Showcase QS.