Photo by Ginny Ford

One of the drawbacks to planning a trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) at the last minute is the possibility of  being limited in your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR).  When I planned my “Girls Only” Trip to Walt Disney World for my daughters and I, I was very disappointed not being able to secure an ADR for Be Our Guest Restaurant for dinner.  I  tried last year to get an ADR without success.  Although disappointed in not getting the dinner reservation, I decided we’d try the Quick Service Lunch that they offer.  We walked up at around 11 am and there was approximately a 15 minute wait.

DIStracted Tip- Check out our recent article about changes to the lunch reservation services for Be Our Guest!

The magic starts right with the ordering process.  If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, your Magic Band holds the magic, if not you will be given a magical rose.  You will be asked to place your order at one of the kiosks. After you have ordered, you will be issued a receipt (and a rose if you do not have a magic band) that you will take with you.  You will then proceed to any seat of your choosing in any of the 3 rooms, the West Wing, the Rose Gallery, or the Ballroom.  Each of the grand rooms holds approximately 500 guests.

Kiosk

When you choose your table all you do is place your “magical” rose on the table.  You can then help yourself to cutlery, condiments and fountain beverages while you wait for the magic to begin! We sat at the table and pondered how our food could possibly find us.  The girls asked me if I was sure that I knew what I was doing. (I assured them I did, but really I was wondering.  Never let them see you sweat, right??) A few short minutes later, a server with a glass enclosed cart proceeded to our table with exactly what we ordered! It was truly magical. The girls were awestruck.  I asked our server how they found us. She replied “have you seen this movie?”  Of course, I said. “Well then you realize this is an enchanted castle” Ahh, of course.

My daughters are 13 years old. They were fully fascinated by the whole process. It was their favourite part of the trip.  Just as important as the magic of the castle and process of the restaurant however, was the fact that the food was really good!  The girls both had the turkey sandwich and pommes frites.  They both are quite picky eaters and had a difficult time deciding what to order. To my surprise, they enjoyed every bite. I ordered the Braised Pork, and it was absolutely delicious. I was also impressed with the generous portion size.  For desert, we all indulged with “the Masters Cupcake” topped with “The Grey Stuff. The song was right! It’s delicious. Creamy and light, the perfect end to our meal. While I’m sure that Be Our Guest Restaurant is just as spectacular and magical for dinner, I believe that we probably enjoyed it just as much if not more for lunch.

THIS JUST IN! Beginning February 25, 2015, guests will be able to make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR) for lunch at Be Our Guest using My Disney Experience, calling their Disney Travel Agent, or calling 407-WDW-DINE.  Reservations can be made 180 days in advance (a credit card guarantee will be required and a $10 per guest fee will be applied if you do not show up for your reservation, or if your reservation is not cancelled within 24 hours.)  Also new, guests can use the My Disney Experience website or App to pre-order meals. You will be able to order 30 days before your reservation time or even, right up to 5 minutes before your reservation. If you do not wish to pre-order, guests will still be able to use the kiosks inside the restaurant.  So many new ways to “put their service to the test”!