Anybody else seated way after ADR time?

[bethwc101]

The last four times we did an ADR meal we were seated way after our res time. I find it weird they ask you to check in with your entire party 15 min early when you don't actually get seated until well after the reservation time.
On the last one, we were dining at Cafe Orleans. We told our family to be there 15 min early for the reservation. They laughed at me because two other meals that trip we were there early and seated 15-30 min after our reservation time.
DH and I arrived 15 min early to check in. They asked if our entire party was here. I lied and said yes. They said they would text when table was ready. 20 min later our party shows up. 30 min after our ADR time my DMIL asks how much longer. They say only a moment will be cleaning off the table.
15 more minutes later DFIL asks again. Just another minute. 5 minutes later we are seated. 50 minutes after our ADR and 65 minutes after they told us to be there to check in.
Our family has voted not to do another sit down meal because of the ridiculousness of the ADR fiasco.
Has anybody else had issues with this?
The other two restaurants that trip were Carnation Cafe and Blue Bayou. I have had issues with Carnation Cafe on every trip we have done with ADR times.

 

[tink89]

We are also never taken to our table right after check in but not 50 min later either. It is usually 10 min max we also usually have a large party almost every time.

 

[pharmama]

We waited almost 30 minutes after our 4:50 RBT F! reservation this past Saturday before being seated- for a party of 2. It was quite frustrating.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Cafe Orleans has often made us wait up to 20 mins after our reservation time. Beyond that is crazy. Although I kinda wonder if they called your bluff and didn’t fully check you in until your DMIL approached them and they saw your whole party must have arrived because it looks like you were seated 20 mins after she approached...

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Storyteller's Cafe on Thanksgiving Day most times over the last 10 years. Sometimes as bad as that. We don't often do sit-down dining the rest of the year. My one visit to Cafe Orleans for my birthday many years ago was lousy all-around so we have not been back, and the Blue Bayou experience just isn't worth it to our family as a repeat either. They seated us promptly though for our single visits. Carnation Cafe is one we visit once or twice a year, and we sometimes still wait a bit with an ADR but usually only 10-15 minutes past our reservation time at worst.

 

[bethwc101]

Cafe Orleans has often made us wait up to 20 mins after our reservation time. Beyond that is crazy. Although I kinda wonder if they called your bluff and didn’t fully check you in until your DMIL approached them and they saw your whole party must have arrived because it looks like you were seated 20 mins after she approached...

They would have no way to know if our entire party is there as you are allowed to roam the shops on NOS while you wait. At we were seated 40 min after our party arrived. Our res was for 6. DH and I arrived at 5:45. The rest of the party showed up at 6-6:05.
We weren't seating until 6:48

Our entire party was waiting for 30 min after ADR start time before DMIL said anything.

 

[figment_jii]

It's been hit-or-miss for me, with most times being seated soon after we check in. I suppose the thing to remember is that an ADR is not a "reservation" per se (they aren't holding a table for you at a specific time), it just means that you'll get the next available table for your party size after you've check in and after all of the guests that had ADRs ahead of you that have checked in have been seated. So if the tables aren't turning over quickly enough, it possible that things will get backed up and you'll have to wait a fair amount of time after you've checked in to be seated.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We have always been told that Priority Seating works more like a restaurant FP and less like a "real world" restaurant reservation. Your PS time is when you will likely be seated, but, as with a ride FP, that is not the guaranteed, exact time you will actually be seated. If there is a backlog ahead of you, if the party at your designated table has not left, if there is a problem with the server in your section, etc. there will be a delay in seating you. We were once delayed about an hour at NR because the party at "our" table just wouldn't leave. They had completely finished all their food, all their drinks, paid the bill, had been asked numerous times if there was anything else that could be done for them, and they just kept talking and talking and talking... The staff was so embarrassed that they finally seated us at the Chef's Counter and gave us free champagne to make up for it.

 

[pennym]

We were seated half an hour late for our Halloween high tea last year. I would've been ok with that if it wasn't for the fact that it took 20 minutes after being seated to get our tea and then another 30 minutes to get any food! It just felt like poor service all around.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

I guess we have been lucky the last few trips. We had three ADRs two weeks ago and the longest we waited was 5 minutes for a Carthay table (party of 5). I believe Figment is spot on, bigger parties might just have to wait a bit longer as there are fewer spots available to accommodate them.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

Maybe it shouldn't be referred to as an A(dvance) D(ining) R(eservation) anymore, if it doesn't mean that you'll be seated at a certain time. I'm perfectly fine with how the system works now because most of the time you're within 15 minutes plus or minus, but maybe call it A(pproximate-time) D(ining) R(eservation) instead

 

[DizMe]

I went with my friends last spring (Dapper Day) and we went to Cafe Orleans for lunch without a reservation. We didn't expect they would have anything soon but they told us to wait and we'd be seated soon. There were 5 of us. We waited about 20 minutes and I saw lots of people waiting also and wondered how they managed to get a walk-up party in when there were so many others already waiting. Anyway, it made me wonder if some of those who had ADRs for the time we were seated had to wait because of us.

 

[pharmama]

I went with my friends last spring (Dapper Day) and we went to Cafe Orleans for lunch without a reservation. We didn't expect they would have anything soon but they told us to wait and we'd be seated soon. There were 5 of us. We waited about 20 minutes and I saw lots of people waiting also and wondered how they managed to get a walk-up party in when there were so many others already waiting. Anyway, it made me wonder if some of those who had ADRs for the time we were seated had to wait because of us.

During our 30 min wait for our ADR at RBT this past weekend I did hear the inside hosts/hostesses complaining that the person outside who was checking people in was accepting too many walk ins...

 

[bethwc101]

During our 30 min wait for our ADR at RBT this past weekend I did hear the inside hosts/hostesses complaining that the person outside who was checking people in was accepting too many walk ins...

I think that was a problem with our Carnation cafe dining in June. We waited 35+ after our ADR time. And they took a couple walk in parties before we were seated.
During that,one couple went off the rails on the hostess. They had been there probably 20 min when a walk in couple was immediately seated while being told "You're in luck, we just had one open up". Within 2 minutes the other couple were seated. I was frustrated just watching it happen.

 

[Malcon10t]

I think we have only waited longer than 10 mins once. But it is also why we don't like to hang around and chit chat after we eat, because they need to turn the tables to get everyone in on time.

 

[lalasmama]

We've waited for 30 minutes one time this last June, at River Bell... It was clear they were seriously busy. It was a challenge to wait with a newly-7-year-old antsy kiddo, but it was worth it.

 

[LizzyS]

It's been hit-or-miss for me, with most times being seated soon after we check in. I suppose the thing to remember is that an ADR is not a "reservation" per se (they aren't holding a table for you at a specific time), it just means that you'll get the next available table for your party size after you've check in and after all of the guests that had ADRs ahead of you that have checked in have been seated. So if the tables aren't turning over quickly enough, it possible that things will get backed up and you'll have to wait a fair amount of time after you've checked in to be seated.

That's a good point as I think a lot of people look at them like reservations at a regular restaurant.

I've only done ADRs a handful of times, but we've been lucky and seated fairly quickly. However, there are only two of us and I feel like that's an easier party to accommodate than a large one.

 

[Insaneinthemombrain]

We have had issues with long check in lines For our ADRS. I always just assumed it was a blue bayou thing because we like to get that first lunch seating to request waterside, but we’ve recently noticed the long lines to check in at goofys kitchen and other table service as well. Goofys kitchen is especially irksome because you wait 20 minutes in line to prepay and check in (even with a reservation) and then wait 10 minutes or so to take a picture with goofy and then wait another period of time for them to actually seat you. We always try and get there a half hour early because of this to avoid hangry kids.

It’s obviously not a deal breaker because we keep going back, but I just wish they could be more consistent. After all, they require consistency from us by charging us a cancellation fee for missing our reservation and not managing our time well.

 

[Look_Alive]

The last four times we did an ADR meal we were seated way after our res time. I find it weird they ask you to check in with your entire party 15 min early when you don't actually get seated until well after the reservation time.
On the last one, we were dining at Cafe Orleans. We told our family to be there 15 min early for the reservation. They laughed at me because two other meals that trip we were there early and seated 15-30 min after our reservation time.
DH and I arrived 15 min early to check in. They asked if our entire party was here. I lied and said yes. They said they would text when table was ready. 20 min later our party shows up. 30 min after our ADR time my DMIL asks how much longer. They say only a moment will be cleaning off the table.
15 more minutes later DFIL asks again. Just another minute. 5 minutes later we are seated. 50 minutes after our ADR and 65 minutes after they told us to be there to check in.
Our family has voted not to do another sit down meal because of the ridiculousness of the ADR fiasco.
Has anybody else had issues with this?
The other two restaurants that trip were Carnation Cafe and Blue Bayou. I have had issues with Carnation Cafe on every trip we have done with ADR times.

“Some people have way too much time on their hands to over analyze everything.” -bethwc101

 

[tarheelalum]

We waited close to an hour once around Christmas time at Cafe Orleans. With reservations !@$%#

To add insult to injury, it was so late once we were finally seated, the waitress tried to rush us out of the place because they were closing towards the end of our meal.

Problems like this seem to be more common at Cafe Orleans. I've never experienced problems like that at Carnation Cafe.

I've also seen them take walk up traffic ahead of people with reservations.