Half Hour Late is the New Normal

[cigar95]

Some here may not remember, but for a good long time they were called "Priority Seating", which precisely describes what they were. Guests were confused by the term. So it was later changed to "Advance (*not* 'Advanced') Dining Reservations." The only change was the name. The process remained as it was. You check in and get priority over those doing walk-up, but still have to wait for a table of the right size to be available.

So despite the name, it *isn't* an actual reservation. It's just not. No matter what the name says. No matter how blue in the face we might want to make ourselves claiming that it is. It isn't a reservation.

Actually, I suppose in one sense it is. You haven't reserved a table. You've reserved a place in line. But a place in line doesn't promise seating at any given time.

 

[Hopefully]

Some here may not remember, but for a good long time they were called "Priority Seating", which precisely describes what they were. Guests were confused by the term. So it was later changed to "Advance (*not* 'Advanced') Dining Reservations." The only change was the name. The process remained as it was. You check in and get priority over those doing walk-up, but still have to wait for a table of the right size to be available.

So despite the name, it *isn't* an actual reservation. It's just not. No matter what the name says. No matter how blue in the face we might want to make ourselves claiming that it is. It isn't a reservation.

Actually, I suppose in one sense it is. You haven't reserved a table. You've reserved a place in line. But a place in line doesn't promise seating at any given time.

THANKS @cigar95 I feel I got killed earlier for saying the same FACT This is what it is.

 

[DisneyDad2015]

Here now and the OP is spot on. Prior trips I haven’t had any trouble with the reservations being on time. This trip, with the exception of Jiko and BOG dinner, we’ve been seated 20-25 minutes past our reservation time.

 

[marikujawa]

THANKS @cigar95 I feel I got killed earlier for saying the same FACT This is what it is.

Sometimes it's just the way things are said . . .

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Some here may not remember, but for a good long time they were called "Priority Seating", which precisely describes what they were. Guests were confused by the term. So it was later changed to "Advance (*not* 'Advanced') Dining Reservations." The only change was the name. The process remained as it was. You check in and get priority over those doing walk-up, but still have to wait for a table of the right size to be available.

So despite the name, it *isn't* an actual reservation. It's just not. No matter what the name says. No matter how blue in the face we might want to make ourselves claiming that it is. It isn't a reservation.

Actually, I suppose in one sense it is. You haven't reserved a table. You've reserved a place in line. But a place in line doesn't promise seating at any given time.

This is an accurate description of how it works. Hence why we like first available ADRs at many meals: breakfast (filling up empty tables in the restaurant - you’re not waiting on anyone), first lunch seating at places that don’t serve breakfast, first dinner at places that have a break between lunch service and dinner.

 

[dbriggsq]

Whatever it used to be called (and I remember priority seating) on MDE it's now called making a reservation. 15-20 minutes past that time I'm fine with but over an hour past that time (and seeing other tables of the same size going in before me) I'm not happy with - especially waiting in the cold on one of the coldest days of the year - and seeing empty tables inside. Wouldn't accept it at any other place

 

[jessicamouse]

For what it’s worth, our experience this past week (12/9-12/16) was totally fine. We were seated on time or early for every reservation (skipper canteen, coral reef, Chef Art Smith, garden grill, Boma, Sanaa, Sci-fi). We were a party of four.

 

[maxiesmom]

I can't help but wonder if the OP showed up at least 10 minutes prior to their ADR as Disney tells you to do. Could be that if they didn't they were bumped back in line a bit.

Fwiw during my trip in October we were never seated late. In fact the California Grill seated us early just in time for fireworks.

 

[scrapquitler]

We don't often do an ADR, but when we do, we always arrive a little bit before the scheduled time (generally 10-15 minutes) and have never had to wait more than a few minutes to be seated. In fact, a couple times we were very early (like 20-30 minutes when we went to Beaches and Cream after Epcot closed) and we were seated right away even though we were quite early. I have no idea what would have happened had we been late. Had I been late, I'd expect to have lost my priority and would be prepared to wait extra.

 

[marikujawa]

I can't help but wonder if the OP showed up at least 10 minutes prior to their ADR as Disney tells you to do. Could be that if they didn't they were bumped back in line a bit.

Fwiw during my trip in October we were never seated late. In fact the California Grill seated us early just in time for fireworks.

Clearly they did something wrong. No way Disney would ever seat someone late!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thought that ADR was Advanced Dining Reque

Whether request or reservation, an ADR is equal - not similar, like, akin, etc - to Call Ahead Seating. You get the next a available table for your party size, (generally) at or after your ADR/CAS time, and after other parties your same size.

Actuall, I feel it's really one sided; at WDW, the GUEST must show up early but the HOST can make you wait as long as they want!

Change "as long as they want" to "as long as necessary based on earlier diners staying longer than predicted" and I'd agree.

and there was always at least a third of the tables open so I don't know what the heck was going on.

Staffing. If they only have enough servers, bussers, and kitchen personnel there to service 2/3 of the restaurant, there's no point in filling all the tables.

But they could have done better with a waiting area.

but over an hour past that time (and seeing other tables of the same size going in before me)

Now, that's a valid issue. Unless those parties checked in before you, the second occurrence should impel you to speak to a Host/ess.

 

[maxiesmom]

Clearly they did something wrong. No way Disney would ever seat someone late!

That late for every single meal does seem odd. I've been seated over 30 minutes late before. Not for every single meal.

 

[Pumbaa_]

There have been posts that are less than respectful. If this was you, knock it off!

If not you, carry on

 

[AnneK]

We had very different experiences at all the restaurants we went to on our 10 day trip. We waited 20 to 30 minutes to be seated at Liberty Tree Tavern and Sanaa. But we then checked in 30 minutes early at San Angel Inn at Epcot and got seated right away, even by the water. We were 30 minutes late for our Biergarten lunch reservation because of resort buses being behind, they still seated us (front row, even). We then dropped by Nine Dragons at Epcot as a walk-in and were seated immediately. All across the board! No complaints here, we always plan some buffer time around things.

 

[bumbershoot]

Stuff happens.... people don't leave.... it can be a real mess when humans don't exactly adhere to a "schedule"

Yep.

You do know that that acronym stands for "advanced dining RESERVATION" right? And that to make one, you can call disney where they will ask you if you want to make a dining RESERVATION, or you can go online and click on "things to do" and pick "make RESERVATIONS" under the dining heading?

Everyone knows what the R means. And yet that’s not how Disney does it. Our first trip was this time 2010 and it’s not how it worked then, either. Not how it worked at Disneyland before then.

there was always at least a third of the tables open so I don't know what the heck was going on.

Staffing issues.

We once got to Cheesecake Factory and they had the whole section outside empty. It could have accommodated our large party. They refused because they didn’t have the staffing for it for another half hour after their estimate of our wait time.

It nearly drove my dear friend off the rails (she was seriously “hangry”) but it was the truth. The servers for that section were arriving later, and if they’d seated us out there we wouldn’t have gotten service until those servers showed up!

and seeing empty tables inside. Wouldn't accept it at any other place

Sure you would. You either leave or you wait. We were at CF again last night and parties of 5+ were being made to wait at least 45 minutes despite whole groups of next-to-each-other 4 top tables being open. They weren’t using those tables because they didn’t have the staffing for them.

We were a party of three and we were seated in two minutes.

So despite the name, it *isn't* an actual reservation. It's just not. No matter what the name says. No matter how blue in the face we might want to make ourselves claiming that it is. It isn't a reservation.

Yep. And in my experience here talking about it on the dis and while at Disney, it NEVER has been.


Ok maybe it is at V&A. Maybe they charge enough that they can have a table for you sitting empty for an hour or so so that a previous party doesn’t sit there and take up your table. But I’ve never eaten at a fancy enough restaurant where they do that. Anywhere.

Staffing. If they only have enough servers, bussers, and kitchen personnel there to service 2/3 of the restaurant, there's no point in filling all the tables.

Yep.

 

[Moliphino]

We were just there for 9 days and had no issues (Spice Road, Tiffins, Biergarten, Skipper Canteen, La Hacienda, BOG, Raglan Road). I was even expecting to wait at BOG since when we went last year they were running a good 30+ minutes behind, but we were seated right on time.

 

[IndianaRRT]

Have to echo here that on our trip this spring, the vast majority of our ADR times resulted in reasonable waits--5 to 10 minutes tops. The 2 worst were Beaches and Cream and Ohana. At B&C, we expect a longer wait because it is very small and draws a lot of families with littles. Littles do more fidgeting than eating resulting in longer turnover times. We understand this and plan accordingly. Ohana is our traditional 'last night' dinner on family trips, and we try to get an ADR as close to HEA as possible--understanding that so are a gazillion other families. No one wants to leave a few minutes before the fireworks, so no tables turnover. We know we will have to wait.

The busier WDW gets, the more this will be an issue. We try to stick to a plan of 3 TS restaurants per trip that are a "must do" and accept we may have to wait. Everything else is an adventure.

 

[dbriggsq]

Staffing. If they only have enough servers, bussers, and kitchen personnel there to service 2/3 of the restaurant, there's no point in filling all the tables.

But they could have done better with a waiting area.

But Trails End is a buffet - if they realized they were so short staffed that people would have to wait over an hour they should have let us know. The staff either didn't know what was going on or were incompetent I'm afraid.

Sure you would. You either leave or you wait. We were at CF again last night and parties of 5+ were being made to wait at least 45 minutes despite whole groups of next-to-each-other 4 top tables being open. They weren’t using those tables because they didn’t have the staffing for them.

When you have already invested a significant amount of time waiting for a table it is hard to make the decision to give it up - if we had been better informed that would have been an easy decision to make. I was a party of one so it's hard to understand.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just returned from 8 days at Disney and our experience was completely opposite of OPs. Not only were we seated on the time of our ADRs, we were actually able to be seated earlier twice when we asked about the possibility when checking in. We have no complaints! Am sure that there are backups at times, but ADRs there are not firm commitments to time.

 

[North of Mouse]

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