Adding 1 to a larger party

[DavidNYC]

So we've had our dining reservations for about 178 days now (we leave Saturday) and my Uncle has decided to surprise us by joining in (he doesn't quite get the advance planning part of this! lol)

We have a number of reservations for 6 which will now be 7 and some for 8 which will now be 9.

Do you think for the most part that the restaurants will be able to squeeze the additional person in (taking into account that 2 of our party are only 3 years old? I figure going from 6 to 7 or 8 to 9 is probably easier than going from 2-3 or 4-5 since you have a bit more flexibility to sqeeze together at larger table. If

What do you think????

[2goofykiddos]

No they aren't usually able to do this. I have tried. You can call and see if there's any availability though. Good luck.

[Celestia]

We have done this quite a few times and they have always been able to accomodate us. However, it is not to be expected and you need to be prepared for them to say no.

First - call WDW dining and see if any of the ADRs can be modified to add one more person. You may be surprised and get some of them modified and then you won't have to worry about those.

Then I would explain to your uncle that you will ask at each restaurant that you weren't able to add him, but he may need to eat at a nearby quick service while you guys are in there if they can't add him on.

Arrive extra early for each ADR - instead of the customary 15 min be there 20-30 min early and VERY politely ask them if there is any chance of adding one additional person to your reservation as your uncle decided to surprise the family and join you on the trip. Tell them you arrived extra early and are willing to wait a little bit if it will help. I have found that by being extra nice and not expecting that I was going to get what I was asking for, but really hoping, the CMs are more inclined to try to make it work. Sometimes the table situation is such that there is an extra seat there anyways and they might as well have a paying guest there. If they are able to help you out thank them for making your trip more magical.

Honestly, this seems to happen to us a lot because either another family ends up joining us or we decide at the last minute to take one of our kids friends or our niece. I have always been prepared to be turned away and we make sure we have alternate plans for that meal just in case, but we have never been turned away and in the seating I have never seen how adding one more person to our table has taken away from another guest's reservation. We have had a couple times where they just squished in a chair and we were a little tight at the table - but we were just happy to all be together and those times were honestly, not very often.

What restaurants do you have ADRs at that you can't increase the number for? That can be a factor too.

Good luck and I hop you have a fun trip whatever the outcome!

[DavidNYC]

Yup - we've warned them already about the possibility that we won't be able to add him to some reservations and since we have 3-year old twins, waiting a lot of extra time for them to accomodate us isn't at option.

I will give a call to dining to see if they can make any adjustments but at this late date I'd doubt it.

I guess having one of them sit on our laps (which happens half the time anyway!) is always an option!

[purple figment]

Originally Posted by DavidNYC

Do you think for the most part that the restaurants will be able to squeeze the additional person in (taking into account that 2 of our party are only 3 years old? I figure going from 6 to 7 or 8 to 9 is probably easier than going from 2-3 or 4-5 since you have a bit more flexibility to sqeeze together at larger table.

Call the dining line and see if they can modify your current reservations. For the ones that can't be modified keep checking online and with guest relations or the concierge even after you arrive at DW. There are cancellations all the time. We were able to get reservations while we were there as people changed their plans.

At the restaurants where you weren't able to add your uncle to the res be prepared for one person to eat elsewhere or for your group to wait a longer time or to be seated at more than one table. In most cases you should be okay, but just in case, be flexible.

If a restaurant is full - rare, but possible - they won't be able to seat extra people because of the fire and safety code regulations.

Actually going from an even number to an odd number is much more difficult because almost all of the tables are set as 2-4-6-8 etc tops and you will need a larger sized table to accommodate your expanded group. Most Disney restaurants won't just pull up another chair and squeeze someone in.

[aubriee]

Originally Posted by DavidNYC

Yup - we've warned them already about the possibility that we won't be able to add him to some reservations and since we have 3-year old twins, waiting a lot of extra time for them to accomodate us isn't at option.

I will give a call to dining to see if they can make any adjustments but at this late date I'd doubt it.

I guess having one of them sit on our laps (which happens half the time anyway!) is always an option!

That may not be an option either. Restaurants have fire codes they have to go by. If the restaurant is at maximum capacity that night, they will turn you away. Even tiny babies in arms count toward the maximum patrons a restaurant is allowed to have in there. Fines for breaking fire codes are huge. No way is a restaurant taking that chance if they are near capacity.