Which in park TS restaurants have day of or day before availability?

[ellbell]

I'm taking my son on a surprise visit for his 8th birthday at the beginning of February. He's never been. I want to "wing it" a few days and do what he wants and go where he feels like going so won't be making a lot of adrs. Which TS restaurants in the parks usually have day of or day before availability?

 

[DisBuckMan]

Almost all of them will have *some* availability day before or day of. You have to be flexible on times, however, and be ready to nab what's available when you check. Be ready to possibly not get your first choice.

 

[AngiTN]

I'll venture to say every single one of them.
We don't book any ADR prior to day of. I've found availability at all of them at one time or another.

 

[Helvetica]

You should be able to find a table at many places the day of, however, it may be at an odd time. Certain places like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus are pretty much impossible to book without plenty of advanced notice.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

It depends what you mean by "day of availability". You can likely log onto the app and grab a last minute ADR at many places, as long as you're flexible with time. If you mean being able to walk up to a place and get in, that's a lot less likely for most places.

 

[pattyw]

We mostly do day before or day of ADR's now and I've seen most restaurants available!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I'm taking my son on a surprise visit for his 8th birthday at the beginning of February. He's never been. I want to "wing it" a few days and do what he wants and go where he feels like going so won't be making a lot of adrs. ?

Knowing him as you do, there must be something special that he likes (dinosaurs-T-Rex, characters-Tusker House, maybe, Hoop Dee Doo) With that in mind I would make one special ADR, so that you are sure to get it. Asking him what he wants and then possibly being repeatedly disappointed might be tough on the birthday boy. I generally make a couple of ADR's and wing the rest.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Be sure to reserve an ADR through MDE even if you're in route to the restaurant/last minute. This will save you a possible headache of being turned away. (in our experience with some CMs who said no availability when in fact there were available ADRs at that very time)

 

[Huff]

Ohana and Coral Reef have always been near impossible to get day before or day of.

Restaurants often with same day or day of availability if you're flexible with times and book early as possible:
Epcot Marrakesh, Nine Dragons, Biergarten
Animal Kingdom, Rain Forest, Tusker House
Disney Studios, Hollywood & Vine, Mama's Melrose
Magic Kingdom, Diamond Horseshoe, Skipper Canteen, Liberty Tree, Plaza

Resorts:
Polynesian, Kona Cafe
Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa
Contemporary, The Wave
Beach Club, Cape Mays, Ale & Compass
Wilderness Lodge, Whispering Canyon

 

[stsomewhere]

I did a quick trip with my daughter. I was able to get adr for Be our Guest and Askerkus the day before. But i was just the two of us.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I check the app here and there and almost everything pops up for a party of 2. During Easter week, which is one of the busiest weeks of the year, I saw Chef Mickey's, BOG, Akershus, Ohana and many many more.

I'm doing a mother daughter trip and only booked BOG lunch, HDDR and VN lunch since they were DD's only must do's. I also booked a CG dinner during fireworks as a surprise. That's it for 9 nights. We will wing the rest with same day ADR's, lounges and QS. I'm sure we won't starve and since our must do's are taken care of we aren't worried about the rest.

 

[crabbygal902]

I've seen just about everything show up when that 24 hour rule goes into effect: CRT, 'Ohana, BoG, you name it. You never know what you're going to stumble across.

Here's some 'frequent fliers' that more often have availability...
Biergarten (we have booked a table here several times while walking to the restaurant)
Hollywood & Vine dinner (but yuck)
Marrakesh
Nine Dragons (This one appears to be really open most times I'm looking. Is it ever fully booked?)
Tokyo Dining (this is my favorite last-minute restaurant)

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Be sure to reserve an ADR through MDE even if you're in route to the restaurant/last minute. This will save you a possible headache of being turned away. (in our experience with some CMs who said no availability when in fact there were available ADRs at that very time)

Yes! I have had that happen to me, and I don't understand that at all! Turned away from the podium, "no availability", and online shows availability! Simply don't understand at all, but not going to get into an argument with CM, or create a scene or anything, just leave and go elsewhere, biting my tongue.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Yes! I have had that happen to me, and I don't understand that at all! Turned away from the podium, "no availability", and online shows availability! Simply don't understand at all, but not going to get into an argument with CM, or create a scene or anything, just leave and go elsewhere, biting my tongue.

We actually stepped outside, made the ADR, went back inside, and I said to the same CM, "Hi we have a reservation at 5!" like I had never been there five minutes prior. lol! I was very polite, too. I'm sure they're just doing what they're told to do!

 

[Pumbaa_]

It is what it is. Once you know the system you just have to work with it

 

[gharter]

Many will have day of reservations available, but you need to be flexible with the time you want to eat. Off hours are often not too difficult to get at most restaurants. If you want to eat at the more usual hours, you will probably have a lot more difficulty, but not impossible.

 

[AngiTN]

It is what it is. Once you know the system you just have to work with it

Exactly. I don't get what is so hard about stopping when you are hungry, opening the app, and making your reservation. So much easier than taking a chance of not getting in.
I mean, why walk all the way over to a location and risk them being full when you can just open the app and see for yourself? If they have space, it will show up on the app right up till last minute.
Don't get wrapped up in Advanced part of ADR. Advance can mean just 5 min in advance. We tend to go with about an hour ourselves. Gives us time to make our way to our destination, freshen up, relax a bit before we eat, cool off, etc.
We find it a good time frame and as PP have reported, we've found the so called "impossible to get" restaurants more time than I can count. It's harder to book a month out than it is same day. When I learned that I quit the 180 day Olympic ADR event. Only time I made an exception was when I needed a confirmation number to order DGD a cake

 

[DisBuckMan]

We find it a good time frame and as PP have reported, we've found the so called "impossible to get" restaurants more time than I can count. It's harder to book a month out than it is same day. When I learned that I quit the 180 day Olympic ADR event.

Yup.

Our 180 day for a short weekend trip in November is coming up sometime soon. Don't even really know exactly when it is, because I couldn't care less. I'll decide what I want to eat while I'm there at WDW, when I'm hungry. Like you, we've NEVER had any problem eating pretty much anywhere we wanted to since we stopped the mindless 180 day ADR grab, only to totally stress out when 60 days came along and Fastpasses interfered with half of them.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Some people do not have smart phones

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Exactly. I don't get what is so hard about stopping when you are hungry, opening the app, and making your reservation. So much easier than taking a chance of not getting in.
I mean, why walk all the way over to a location and risk them being full when you can just open the app and see for yourself? If they have space, it will show up on the app right up till last minute.
Don't get wrapped up in Advanced part of ADR. Advance can mean just 5 min in advance. We tend to go with about an hour ourselves. Gives us time to make our way to our destination, freshen up, relax a bit before we eat, cool off, etc.
We find it a good time frame and as PP have reported, we've found the so called "impossible to get" restaurants more time than I can count. It's harder to book a month out than it is same day. When I learned that I quit the 180 day Olympic ADR event. Only time I made an exception was when I needed a confirmation number to order DGD a cake

Exactly right! In our case/my story above, MDE was very new, and I simply wasn't used to it yet. Now, it is way simpler just to look where there is availability before walking to it, even in the same park.