PS History Thread

[erikthewise]

Believe it or not, the Priority Seating system hasn't been around forever!
Please contribute tidbits about previous reservation systems and the history of Priority Seating.

I remember on our first visit in 1992, guests wishing to dine at Epcot were encouraged to make reservations upon entering the park. As far as I know, you could not make them in advance. I vaguely recall some strange setup where one used computers to make a reservation, or contact a reservations CM.

 

[MulanMom]

I'm pretty sure there was a reservation system in place before PS. I vaguely recall for a short time it used to be a perk for staying onsite. Then they opened up the resrvations to people offsite.

In Epcot, we talked in real time to a reservationist who we viewed on a computer screen. The largest area to use these was in the aftershow area at Spaceship Earth. There were also kiosks throughout Epcot that you could utilize for making reservations.

Neat thread topic! It'll be interesting to watch!

 

[jann1033]

making the mad rushfirst thing to under space ship earth i think it was to get a seating for chef de france that day and i remember making ressies at the castle the morning of a meal there and hoping we could get in ( king stephan's banquet hall i think it was called) i think at that time most places were walk in except epcot and the castle from what i recall or at least you didn't need reservations since those are the only places we made them

 

[BCV23]

According to my 1985 Birnbaum, King Stephan's (for both lunch and dinner) and Diamond Horseshoe were the only two MK restaurants that accepted same day reservations. You had to go to the restaurant to make them.

I remember the kiosks in SE, too. They were still operating for a few years after you were able to make PSs by phone.

Also in 1985, it was recommended to make reservations for the following restaurants (with how far in advance you could make them):

Empress Room (30 days)...necessary
Lake Buena Vista Club (30 days)....necessary
Gulf Coast Room (14 days)...reservations requested
Papeete Bay Verandah (7 days)....requested
Tangaroa Terrace (no limit)....suggested
Trophy Room (30 days) suggested..reservations only available for dinner
EPCOT full service...on day of dining only...necessary

 

[erikthewise]

What year was the current PS system started? Was it started all at once, that is for all sit-down restaurants? Or was it phased in, just for some restaurants at first?

 

[erikthewise]

Just read in the Unofficial Guide that the PS system was started in 1997. Does any one remember whether actual reservations were used before that, or was it just walk-in chaos?

 

[CamColt]

Wow! This is interesting.
Imn ot sure if it was called a reservation or what, but I know in 1995 we did have some sort of booking for dinner at Alfredos, which we made in advance from home. The only reason I know this is because being the non planner I was then (oh the horror), the only things we had planned for our honeymoon were the Luau and Alfredos.

 

[n2mm]

I remember those days--1987, sending your fastest runner to Town Hall to get the ressie for Diamond Horsehoe. No advance meal ressies at the parks (only 2 parks then). Remember not only were there terminals set up at the front of EPCOT, but in WS too. The actual kiosk is still there. Take a look next time you're there. It's a round kiosk and if you look closely it looks like there were computers in it. You would go to the computer, and touch the screen and someone would talk to you and make your day of ressie. Boy things have gotten easier, but there are so many more choices now. You did call for HDD ressies.