We have a 9:20am reservation at Askershus Banquet Hall. Epcot opens at 9am. If we are there at rope drop and can get on Soarin’ right away how long will Askershus honor our reservation?
They’ll basically always seat you, you just have to wait for an available table. An ADR, despite the name, doesn’t mean you have a specific table reserved and waiting for you at that time. It means when you arrive, you’ll be put in line for a table.
Thanks for the reply. I was concerned that if you didn’t arrive say within an hour of your reservation they would cancel the reservation and charge the no-show fee.
An hour??? IMHO, that is just completely and totally rude to be that late to an ADR by an hour - and you may well not be seated. (I personally think it’s rude to intentionally be even a little late - but I was raised that early is on time and on time is late - so super rare now.)
I’ve heard that usually they would allow 15 minutes - but it is up to the restaurant. For something popular like Akershus? They may or may not seat you late.
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I listen to a lot of podcasts. Recently the hosts of one of the podcasts I listen to were told by a CM that 20 minutes is fine. They noted they always thought it was 15 minutes and were surprised by this comment.
I would never rely on information by one CM. I think if you are at EP by 8:30 you will be off Soarin (if it opens on time) by 9:15 and on your way. I think you will be within 15 minutes.
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I am always early too but also think it is rude of some Disney restaurants to claim an ADR is not a reservation, and make you wait 30-45 minutes beyond your ADR time (thinking of ‘Ohana in particular).
I make reservations on Open Table. They honor those reservations and so not charge me. Disney does not play by those rules, and charge no shows.
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The old term - priority seating - was better. Because it is really like call ahead seating and NOT a reservation. (That said, in NYC, in DC, in Chicago, and in Nashville, I’ve had reservations - usually made through Open Table - and still have to wait to be seated because tables do not turn over as quickly as the metrics said they would.)
Part of why they do run late a lot of the time is people who are intentionally late (like the OP - choosing to hit a ride on the opposite side of the park a mere 20 minutes before their ADR) and then insist on being seated. I don’t know what the problem with 'Ohana is - I’ve heard that characters are slow coming around at breakfast (never experienced them being slow coming around when I’ve been there, but I don’t say that people who have are lying) but mores the parade and whatnot (I have seen families who have seen the characters and finished their meal but are waiting until the parade happens and thus taking up a table); and at dinner I can only guess that people who get a window seat drag things out and hog those tables for the fireworks, putting everything else behind.
In some non-WDW restaurants, when you reserve a table, a sign is put on it and it will be waiting for you at you reservation time. This is NOT the case with WDW ADRs. What an ADR means is that when you show up at your time, you will have “priority” seating when a table becomes available. When,for example, 5 parties have an ADR for a specific time, and you’re number five to check in, the other four willvbe seated first - which is why I always try to check in 15 minutes before my actual time.
The above being said, I had an unusual situation ( I lost my cell phone at an off-site hotel and was filing paperwork) where I was held up and showed up almost 2 hours late (this was before the no show penalty was established) and sheepishly asked (at 50s) if there was any way I could still get in. the wonderful CM said “Don’t worry, love, you had an ADR, we’ll get you in” And they did, with a 20 minute wait. But this was probably a pixie dust exception…
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You won’t be anywhere near an hour late. They may well charge the no show fee by that point but they’d still try to seat you and if you keep your receipt you can get the fee refunded.