When did "20 minutes before" become the arrival time for ADRs?

[lurkyloo]

OK, I feel really dumb, but I just noticed on my ADR confirmation email that it says we should arrive 20 minutes before our ADR time. That's so far in advance, it makes me wonder if I should change our ADR times slightly so we don't have to show up until we were planning on showing up.

Is this just because we are going during Free Dining, or has it permanently switched from 15 minutes or 10 minutes or whatever it used to be? (I get confused because at Disneyland you only have to check in 10 minutes ahead.)

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We went in March during Spring Break so it was peak season and I'm pretty sure it said to arrive 15 minutes early. The only ADRs we had to wait any amount of time on were the character meals.

I agree 20 minutes seems like a lot of time waiting around. We are going for 12 days and we have 13 ADRs so that's like losing 4 hours and 20 minutes getting to ADRs early.

 

[GalDisney]

From my experience I dont think you need to arrive 20 mins. early. Your table is already reserved for you. All you need to do is check in. And you will be waiting around after check in for your table to be cleared of other guests who are occupying it.

 

[GovieMom]

From my experience I dont think you need to arrive 20 mins. early. Your table is already reserved for you. All you need to do is check in. And you will be waiting around after check in for your table to be cleared of other guests who are occupying it.

I agree. No need to show up until your ADR time. When we had HDDR booked, the instructions said to arrive a half-hour early. All we did was end up waiting for 30 minutes ... what a waste of time. And with a couple of our other ADRs; namely Le Cellier and Crystal Palace, we ended up waiting an hour past our reservation time, even though we arrived early. Took soooo much time out of our day!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, this makes me feel a lot better!

 

[M5ward]

From my experience I dont think you need to arrive 20 mins. early. Your table is already reserved for you. All you need to do is check in. And you will be waiting around after check in for your table to be cleared of other guests who are occupying it.

Unfortunately a table is NOT reserved for you. This is from All Ears:
Advance Reservations is a system Walt Disney World uses to manage their restaurant seating flow. In essence, unlike a true reservation where a table is saved for your party at a particular time, the advance reservation guarantees your party the next available table. It's recommended that you check in about 15 minutes before your time. Wait times vary depending on the time of day and restaurant but usually averages between 15 and 30 minutes.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

We usually got there the suggested 20 minutes. I used the bathroom to wash hands, then DH and DS did. By then we were usually called. Sometimes our beeper went off before we were ready. The only time we were not called before our time was at Crystal Palace where we waited about half an hour past our time.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I remember being told in 07 "be there 15-20 minutes ahead of your time" so I don't think that it is that far off- I do agree with you that I think I should change some of my times bc I guess it will be totally booked when I go down-because I can't change anything to save my life!! (besides the fact that there is something wrong with online ADR's right now) maybe I will head over to the restaurant to check in and call DH and kids when table is ready????????

 

[natalielongstaff]

we only arrive 10 mins before our time its never been a problem

 

[Mysteria]

If you arrive right at your adr time then you may wait 15-20 minutes to be seated. If that's ok with you then arrive then. If not then arrive at the 15-20 before.

 

[stitch34]

The time we arrive varies.. depends if running early or late.
Usually we check in about 15 minutes before our ADR.
Running late for us... means about 5 minutes before our ADR we check in.
Have checked in very early before, too - like a half hour early, just because we were hungry and had nothing to do to fill the time before our ADR, so showed up early!

Pretty much everywhere we go, we are seated about 10, 15 minutes after we check in - many times within minutes, though. (though exception of August free dining - average wait of 45 minutes!)

BUT, both times we've been to Sci Fi - I do what they say, check in X amount beforehand and they always turn me away and tell me no, don't check in any earlier than 10 minutes before your ADR. So no longer do I show up there 20 minutes early, just to be told to wait another 10 minutes before I can check in, and then waiting after I check in.

I think they say to be there 15, 20 minutes beforehand maybe thinking a lot of people will be running late, and do this as an effort to have people actually show up on time for their ADRs. Easy for people to get caught up in the parks or underestimate how long it will take for transportation. Just like they say what, allow an hour and a half for transportation to restaurants. We allow an hour, and that is perfect usually to get there and check in at the designated time they want.

 

[mickaholic4077]

If there is another party of your size scheduled for the same time as your ADR,checking in first probably gets you the table before the other party.

 

[LMO429]

I agree. No need to show up until your ADR time. When we had HDDR booked, the instructions said to arrive a half-hour early. All we did was end up waiting for 30 minutes ... what a waste of time. And with a couple of our other ADRs; namely Le Cellier and Crystal Palace, we ended up waiting an hour past our reservation time, even though we arrived early. Took soooo much time out of our day!

The suggested wait time they tell people who have adrs for Hoop De Doo is ridiculous. I was told to get there an hour before show time! We got there and just hung around.

Maybe I could see getting there earlier if its the first show because they would let you in the building earlier (possibly I dont know for a fact) but we went to the last show and had to wait for the second show to clear out before they let us in..I would have rather enjoyed that hour at the mk as oppose to rushing to ft. wilderness in order to wait around for the show..never again.

 

[goofy4tink]

For those dinner shows, they want you there early so they have the chance to takes those photos they will then try to sell you once you're seated.
For other ADRs, we've always been told to check in at the podium 15 mins before the ADR time. I know that on a few occasions in August, we checked in about 30 mins before and were told to come back in 15 mins or so...they wouldn't check us in until 15-20 mins before the ADR time.
I always suggest checking in 15 mins beforehand..that way your chances of getting seated close to your ADR time are much better.

 

[Sandy321]

ITA with the PP - adr's are not a "reservation hold on table" per se... (altho, I was thinking there were 2 times in our past that I believe our tables were "held" just for us to arrive!! Both were celebrations - one at CRT for DD bday, and the table was set for our party size and had the glitter on it - the other a few years later was at Cal Grill for our Anniversary dinner - again, the pixie dust on the table... but they could easily have been full and NOT pre done the tables until the party before us cleared out... so "never mind{

Like PP - I always feel if I'm 5 min early - I am late!! ( it used to annoy dh, now he just laughs and goes with my flow!!)

We still wait beyond our adr times for the popular places - esp LeCellier, that one always annoys me - but also we've waited at LTT, Hollywood and Vine,Mama Melrose, Tony's... Ohana, etc...

it truly just depends... I hate walking up to a restaurant and seeing a crowd of people!! but if you can sit inside a/c and just talk with the family, and the strangers around you, time does go by faster!

 

[LowesChevy]

I feel like it is a suggestion to people so they show up on time for their adr. If you tell people to show up early they are more likely to show up on time. Some guests just do not use time management skills well and think showing up 30 minutes late for their adr time is okay.

This past trip Oct 3-12th we tended to show up around 15 mins early and were seated within a few minutes.

 

[big_red_s]

Arrive 20 minutes early...
Be seated up to 45 minutes after your appointed time...

Disney needs to get a better system or, at the very least, change the nomenclature.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

OK, I feel really dumb, but I just noticed on my ADR confirmation email that it says we should arrive 20 minutes before our ADR time.

1) Arriving 15-20 minutes early was set when the ressies were Priority Seating.
2) This proceeded ADR, so in effect for at least 12 years.
3) The early arrival is necessay in a simple example:
. . . two people have 2:00pm ADR's
. . . party #1 arrives at 1:45pm
. . . party #2 arrives at 2:00pm
. . . a table open at 1:55pm, #1 gets it (obvious)
. . . but, if a table opens at 2:15pm, #1 gets it and #2 waits
. . . the next table might not open until 2:30pm or 3:00pm
. . . also, if they are running late, #1 gets it first
4) Now, the tough part to understand:
. . . party #3 has a 2:10pm ADR
. . . parties #1 and #3 get checked-in by 1:50pm and #2 hasn't shown yet
. . . the CM at at the podium frequently places #3 ahead of #2
. . . so, #2 could be waiting quite a while, with #1 and #3 already eating
5) It might not sound fair, but WDW wants you to be ready to take your table.
6) This increases table "turns" so there is more revenue.

 

[GovieMom]

For those dinner shows, they want you there early so they have the chance to takes those photos they will then try to sell you once you're seated.

I'd heard that, but we arrived the required 30 minutes early for the first showing of HDDR, and just stood around outdoors waiting with everyone else. No one was there taking pictures, etc. Our seating was pre-assigned as well, so no need being there early for that.

 

[jworkkul]

I remember being told in 07 "be there 15-20 minutes ahead of your time" so I don't think that it is that far off- I do agree with you that I think I should change some of my times bc I guess it will be totally booked when I go down-because I can't change anything to save my life!! (besides the fact that there is something wrong with online ADR's right now) maybe I will head over to the restaurant to check in and call DH and kids when table is ready????????

Unfortunately most establishments will not check you in until all members of your party are with you. This happened to me just last weekend. We were running late getting to MK for MNSSHP and had ADR at LTT. The other two with me had to p/u their tickets at the "Will Call" window but I had mine so I thought I would go on ahead and check us in. No way would they check me
in until all members were there.