Originally Posted By SJHYM Tomorrow is my out 25th anniversary and we are going to EPCOT for lunch...without reservations.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 seing as though it is October one would think it would be OK-- but if the freebies are there - I can assume a lot will be crowded-- i look forward to reading your posts tomorrow to see how you fared. btw-- Congratulations on 25 years -- a heck of a milestone !
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider Congratulations! And Happy 25! Oh and a side note I'd take Jungle Jim's over Le Celier I'm not a big steakhouse fan :-\
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I get the maple salmon there with the cheese soup and pretzels....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider Yea that pretzel bread is good. I had the salmon when we went a few years ago too I think and it was good but I think I'd rather go to Akerhaus for fish
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Road Trip, some restaurants don't take walkups at all anymore. I found this out when I went to visit my mother for her birthday. She wanted to eat at Chef Mickey's and first we tried making a reservation at City Hall, and found out they were booked out for the entire week.>> Ahhh... Chef Mickey's. Since the character meals have become so insanely popular I would not doubt that they have gone completely to an advanced reservation system. But for other Disney restaurants that would really surprise me. If it is being done, it must be in response to the current promotion. My sister-in-law used to work for CRO at WDW, and she told me that they always held a certain number of seats for walk-ins.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney ^^^It is being done, Roadtrip. At almost every full serve restaurant on property (at least the parks). They want everyone to have PS, and that does spell lots of unhappy folks including locals like myself. VBDAD55, I am sorry if you took my post to be condescending. That wasn't the intention (check out the HKDL Board if you want to see real condescension!)... but there's no way the current policy is fair to everyone, especially locals. I don't feel we should have special treatment, just like I don't think APers should. But I also don't think a family from Kentucky that comes once a year for a week stay at OKW should get priority either ---- and with the current system, if they are sitting on a phone at 6 a.m. 90 days out, they do. And, no, I don't feel I should have two options ---- either doing the same thing or dining on fast food. There isn't a thing wrong with leaving 25% of the tables open for walkins every day. That would create a level playing field for everyone. And I very much doubt, although I don't have a PowerPoint ready to prove it, that Disney's food and beverage profits would fall and tables would sit empty.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 < But I also don't think a family from Kentucky that comes once a year for a week stay at OKW should get priority either ---- and with the current system, if they are sitting on a phone at 6 a.m. 90 days out, they do. < don't you have the same opportunity to call ? And get up an hour later to do so. They have the same opportunity, not an advantage. And although I am not from Kentucky - that family who dropped say $25K-$30K into DVC at OKW and more now for DVC....feels that you should not have the advantage of being able to have a % of tables set aside just because of your housing proximity. <There isn't a thing wrong with leaving 25% of the tables open for walkins every day. That would create a level playing field for everyone. And I very much doubt, although I don't have a PowerPoint ready to prove it, that Disney's food and beverage profits would fall and tables would sit empty. < if they left a % of the tables open I would highly doubt that it would be anywhere near 25% -- that is not representative of the makeup of locals who dine at the restaurants --and even including walk ups I would guess that % wouldbe closer to 10% during most periods of time. In the periods of real off season -- you should have an issue anyway. I also don't have a spreadsheet but do freelance consulting work on productivity and profitability and I can say that most models would show that without pre-conceived plans/reservations that on certain days restaurants would suffer. That is why many local restaurants ( not chains) are not open 7 days a week....there are days that for some are just not profitable. The same would hold true. Even if the weather was bad, if you have people with PS's and they are already there-- they are far more likely to venture out to dine than people who are doing so on the spur of the moment.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 < you should have an issue anyway.< should read " you shouldn't have an issue anyway"
Originally Posted By SJHYM Seems we have gone around the block on this topic several times, so I am going to bow out of this conversation with this. A couple of months ago we tried to eat with some friend in World Showcase. We tried to get a time for the evening and began not too long after WS opened. We were told at every location that they were booked and didnt take walk-ups. Honestly I was kinda surprised since we had never encountered that before. I am not sure if its the current policy but it sure sounds that way.
Originally Posted By SJHYM And thanks for the nice comments about my 25th. I am very lucky. I married much better than a person should be allowed. She is wonderful.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <And thanks for the nice comments about my 25th. I am very lucky. I married much better than a person should be allowed. She is wonderful< I did the same 28 years ago ........I really do hope you get seated where you want and have a great time. We did Cali Grill for our 25th and the manager there treated us like royalty --and we have gone back for each anniversary since....and each time treated great ( new manager this year - same treatment) -- **************25**************** CONGRATULATIONS !
Originally Posted By Blackie Pueblo That same weekend we went I saw the wierdest thing on the Great Movie ride. IT was wierd, the car we were in followed very close to another car and followed right behind it into the Wizard of OZ section. It was wierd to share that scene with another car. Usually when I ride it it's our car only and our host talks to the witch. This time the host in the car ahead of ours did the talking. Blackie Pueblo
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider >>That same weekend we went I saw the wierdest thing on the Great Movie ride. IT was wierd, the car we were in followed very close to another car and followed right behind it into the Wizard of OZ section. It was wierd to share that scene with another car. Usually when I ride it it's our car only and our host talks to the witch. This time the host in the car ahead of ours did the talking. << In the past couple of years I think they went to this system maybe to get more cars through the ride at a time and increase the number of riders through (reducing line time). If you want REALLY weird go when there's no line and when we went they were running one car full of people at a time but they had to run the both cars through as either training for the guide or just to keep the ride in sync. Anyway they loaded everyone into the gangster car (Which I like much more than cowboy) and left the first car open. Anyway we go through the ride and come to Wizard of Oz and the witch is talking to an empty car (as we're in the second car and she's talking to an empty first car)....it was like "Um okay...." I forget if the car's operator (the empty car) talked to the witch or not...I think he/she did but it's been a while nd it was still weird.
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider I just realized after typing this I'll never get to by upclose to the witch AND see the gangster scene in the same ride
Originally Posted By Labuda ^ Wrongo, lad. I rode GMR with my husband last month, we were in the 2nd or 3rd row of the car, and so were almost next to the wtich. And we got taken over by a female gangster, not a cowgirl.
Originally Posted By mitros Living 86 miles from WDW and being DVC members, we visit a LOT. The number of cars running simply varies by the time of the year {crowd wise} We rode in September several times, and there was only one car. In the beginning, in the Wizard of Oz scene, and in the final scene. September is traditionaly a slow month. We went again last week, crowds were up, {the Food and Wine festival attracts a lot more folks to the property} and they ran both sets of cars. More people, more cars. Also, the cowperson and gangster vary with the amount of cars running.
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider For the above two posts - I was under the impression they always send cars 2 at a time and due to the layout of the scenes with the gangland being immediately before the old west scenes that in order to time the ride out the gang car is always the second car where they get stopped at the red light as the first car advances to the next scene. The first car then experiences the cowboy outlaw shootout while the second car experiences the gangster shootout simultaneously. Maybe the changed the way the Wizard of Oz is viewed - possibly due to guest comments being in the second car but for a while there the second car caught up to the first car for the Oz scene and they both saw that scene together with the first car being the one ineteracting with the witch. Maybe now they only send one car to Oz at a time? I think they used to do that for the first number of years the park was open but the last few years it's definately been Car 1 sees cowboys and the witch up close while Car 2 gets stopped in gangtown then catches up to car 1 for Oz and sits behind Car 1 during the Oz sequence.
Originally Posted By Labuda I honestly don't recall if we were the firt of two cars or the only one - I THINK we were the only one, but not entirely sure, sorry! BUT, seeing as were were there first week of September, I'll guess there was only one car since that's such a slow time of year.
