Do I need to book dinners in when staying on site?

Universal Orlando Resort
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Hi, I am staying in Loews Royal Pacific in October and I have read you can show your room key at some restaurants which will get you priority seating (after people who have reserved). I am therefore trying to work out whether it is necessary to book any dinners in. I am so used to Disney where I have to decide where I am wating 6 months in advance :smile: that it would be nice to not have to worry when we get to Universal. Are there any hard to get in to restaurants that I should consider booking for ? Thanks

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A lot of restaurants there donā€™t take bookings. Iā€™m eating at Margaritaville and Toothsomeā€™s in a few weeks and canā€™t book either one. That said, I wouldnā€™t rely on your room key getting you priority seating. This has been discussed before and for most people it didnā€™t work.

So if you definitely want to eat somewhere, I would check if they take bookings and book in. Usually a week or 2 before your trip is fine.

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I have booked Mythos in the past. I also have the Cowfish app to get on the list at night. I believe they now take reservations earlier in the the day.

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I donā€™t know where youā€™re based, so Iā€™ll just mention that I couldnā€™t use the Cowfish app because it wonā€™t accept a UK phone number.

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We did UOR for Spring Break 2018 and had no advance reservations. Royal Pacific roomkey worked great for us for quick seating at Toothsome and Hard Rock. About 20 minute wait around 7pm each night.

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Thank you, Iā€™m in the UK so I wonā€™t be able to use the Cowfish app but Iā€™ll look a week or two before to book any restaurants I really want.

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For what itā€™s worth, I really enjoyed the food at both Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks and found them great options for dinner. Thunder Falls Terrace in IoA was also not too ā€œfast foodā€-ish. At Royal Pacific, do also check out the sushi in the lounge, often there will be hot food available as well, itā€™s a very pleasant food option. Iā€™m generally not big on being tied to reservations, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but I also donā€™t care for burgers and hot dogs or fried foods while traveling, and was certainly able to eat without reservations.

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