Are Restaurants Easier to Reserve Now?

[kylenne]

I booked a Crystal Palace lunch 1 week before my trip. 2 days before I modified it to breakfast. There were no breakfast times originally. While on our trip we booked a Chefs de France ADR the day before. We were seated a good 45 minutes early for our Topolinos breakfast. The restaurant was not full. Lots of empty tables.

Crystal Palace specifically has this issue where sometimes they don't load times in the system and then all of a sudden they'll dump a whole bunch in at once. There's a few restaurants like that. It's very strange.

 

[wabbott]

If you're trying for Ohana with ressie's for two, very few or none will show up. Put in for a party of 3, and you'll see plenty. That may be the case with other places, too.

 

[Jabroniville]

If you're trying for Ohana with ressie's for two, very few or none will show up. Put in for a party of 3, and you'll see plenty. That may be the case with other places, too.

I wonder if me being a solitary guest alters that, too. They have a handful of “corner tables” in each place but fewer than for the 3-5 groups.

 

[blabbermouth]

Sci-fi is the only one I was considering and can't get for either of the two days that work for me (lunch or dinner). There was one available at a time of 8:45 which is too late for us. I don't think I looked at all until a week after my 60 days though! We got Narcoosee's no problem and Sanaa as well.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Only Space 220 Lounge has been extremely difficult for the last year or so but still doable

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Crystal Palace specifically has this issue where sometimes they don't load times in the system and then all of a sudden they'll dump a whole bunch in at once. There's a few restaurants like that. It's very strange.

I just saw someone post a TikTok the other day of her being one of the only parties in the entire Crystal Palace because the res system glitched out and never loaded times for that day.

 

[Jabroniville]

Okay, I had success! Except the only times available were like "morning to early lunch" and "very VERY late" at the popular places again. It's quite weird- as a 1-person party I figured it'd be easier to find a seat for dinner times, but I guess not! How many other people book 10+ day vacations and can book dinner that far out ahead? Though I changed my #s to be 4 people and suddenly EVERYTHING popped up- I could easily have booked tables for 4 at any time!

So I landed:
Lunches at Be Our Guest (swapped it to Dinner by pretending it was for 2, then subtracting one person, haha)
Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table
Dinner at Tiffin's (only the barest idea of what that is but it's something new!)
2 Dinners at Jungle Skipper (did it always have that "Navigation" in the title?)
2 Lunches at Akershus.
Dinner at Boathouse

Not bad at all- heck, it's honestly easier to eat the big meal early when the parks tend to hit peak busy times anyhow.

One weird wrinkle- my vacation is 11 days, but I'm only allowed to book up to 10 days after, I guess? I didn't realize that one- I kept thinking I messed up cuz I couldn't book May 16th for anything yet!

 

[wabbott]

Okay, I had success! Except the only times available were like "morning to early lunch" and "very VERY late" at the popular places again. It's quite weird- as a 1-person party I figured it'd be easier to find a seat for dinner times, but I guess not! How many other people book 10+ day vacations and can book dinner that far out ahead? Though I changed my #s to be 4 people and suddenly EVERYTHING popped up- I could easily have booked tables for 4 at any time!

So I landed:
Lunches at Be Our Guest (swapped it to Dinner by pretending it was for 2, then subtracting one person, haha)
Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table
Dinner at Tiffin's (only the barest idea of what that is but it's something new!)
2 Dinners at Jungle Skipper (did it always have that "Navigation" in the title?)
2 Lunches at Akershus.
Dinner at Boathouse

Not bad at all- heck, it's honestly easier to eat the big meal early when the parks tend to hit peak busy times anyhow.

One weird wrinkle- my vacation is 11 days, but I'm only allowed to book up to 10 days after, I guess? I didn't realize that one- I kept thinking I messed up cuz I couldn't book May 16th for anything yet!

Be sure to have the cachapas at the Skipper Canteen. We're eating there on our trip next month.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Only Space 220 Lounge has been extremely difficult for the last year or so but still doable

A Space 220 res is such a rare find, I was refreshing the app trying to get a last minute dinner at Epcot one night at somewhere we like but everything was pretty booked up. Space 220 popped up and I told my friends "Oh my God. Should I grab it?" They were like, "What? No! You hated that place!" I was like "I KNOW BUT I'M EXCITED." Just because it's hard to get into..

 

[TheDailyMoo]

A Space 220 res is such a rare find, I was refreshing the app trying to get a last minute dinner at Epcot one night at somewhere we like but everything was pretty booked up. Space 220 popped up and I told my friends "Oh my God. Should I grab it?" They were like, "What? No! You hated that place!" I was like "I KNOW BUT I'M EXCITED." Just because it's hard to get into..

I'm not gonna lie that's part of the reason I try to get it as well! After my first time there I said oh it's a one and done....which it would be if I couldn't get the lounge. But to have a quick drink and an app or a dessert in a cool atmosphere...hey why not!

 

[kylenne]

If you're trying for Ohana with ressie's for two, very few or none will show up. Put in for a party of 3, and you'll see plenty. That may be the case with other places, too.

That works everywhere btw. If you can’t find tables for smaller parties just bump it up. When you check in for your ADR you just put the true number you have, it’s no problem.

 

[hahall3]

If traveling in a large party (6 or more) break the reservations up in 4 & 2, etc. and usually you can find something. The hostess usually work to seat you everyone together.

 

[Kerr84]

BOG is very easy to get now because the food is terrible and it is way overpriced for what you get.

 

[gmi3804]

FOMO has definitely settled down for places like Space 220.

 

[CaroM8]

That works everywhere btw. If you can’t find tables for smaller parties just bump it up. When you check in for your ADR you just put the true number you have, it’s no problem.

Why is it like that? I find it strange that if I look for a party of 3 almost nothing shows up, but then I'll look for a party of 5 and tons available!

 

[Dug720]

Why is it like that? I find it strange that if I look for a party of 3 almost nothing shows up, but then I'll look for a party of 5 and tons available!

3 would be seated at a 4-top. 5 would be seated at a 6-top. There are likely more groups of 4 than 6, so the 4-tops would go quicker.

But yes, as a solo I always put in 2 because unless I'm somewhere like Beaches and Cream where there's a counter, I'd be put at a 2-top anyway. I even do this if I'm doing walk-up wait list as the time will increase dramatically if I put in 1.

 

[Jabroniville]

A Space 220 res is such a rare find, I was refreshing the app trying to get a last minute dinner at Epcot one night at somewhere we like but everything was pretty booked up. Space 220 popped up and I told my friends "Oh my God. Should I grab it?" They were like, "What? No! You hated that place!" I was like "I KNOW BUT I'M EXCITED." Just because it's hard to get into..

haha I was kind of annoyed- I was STARVING when I got there but had never even read the menu. So I had sticker-shock at the prices but wouldn't get just an appetizer to "just be there". So I ended up paying some ridiculous amount of money for regular restaurant food (like the salmon was GOOD, but $120 or whatever?) and a pop-rock slushy drink. If I'd have not wanted to be surprised, I should have read the menu first and made sure to eat something smaller beforehand.

 

[Jabroniville]

BOG is very easy to get now because the food is terrible and it is way overpriced for what you get.

It's kind of weird- have they just changed the menu THAT MUCH? Why did they change it in the first place?

Like I had filet mignon in 2019 or whatever and it was terrific. Escargot in 2022 was good too, though I wasn't that impressed with lamb or whatever, but I wanted to try something different. But now I see people complaining about the food all the time. It must have had a much better menu before I started going.

 

[CaroM8]

3 would be seated at a 4-top. 5 would be seated at a 6-top. There are likely more groups of 4 than 6, so the 4-tops would go quicker.

But yes, as a solo I always put in 2 because unless I'm somewhere like Beaches and Cream where there's a counter, I'd be put at a 2-top anyway. I even do this if I'm doing walk-up wait list as the time will increase dramatically if I put in 1.

And the restaurant doesn’t care if your reservation says 5 but you show up just 3?

 

[Jabroniville]

3 would be seated at a 4-top. 5 would be seated at a 6-top. There are likely more groups of 4 than 6, so the 4-tops would go quicker.

But yes, as a solo I always put in 2 because unless I'm somewhere like Beaches and Cream where there's a counter, I'd be put at a 2-top anyway. I even do this if I'm doing walk-up wait list as the time will increase dramatically if I put in 1.

yeah I was unaware of this trick until booking today (I swear I used to be able to get a 1-seater at BOG and CRT handily back in the day), but then I saw it on Reddit and tried it out- it doesn't work for Cinderella's since you have to actually pre-pay, but everywhere else was fine. Granted I still kind of prefer a "late lunch" meal since that's peak park busy times.