Quickest/Slowest TS?

[maddiebee]

I know for our party of 2 and my gluten allergy we are looking at an average of about 1.5 hrs. Are character buffets usually shorter? Which TS are notoriously a long meal? Which are usually quick? Is lunch at a TS usually quicker?

 

[DEA]

Buffets are quick because you can get right to eating -- after that, it depends on how much food you want. Some character meals have an "intro" where you get your picture taken before the meal, and that can add time up front. And, of course, if you want to see all the characters, you're there for around an hour, anyway.

I recall Le Cellier being fairly slow, prior to it becoming a signature restaurant, but I would expect all signatures to be a bit slower than regular 1TS restaurants. However, my wife and I were able to get through a meal at Artist Point in 45 minutes without feeling too rushed. An hour and a half doesn't seem too far out of line for any 1TS Disney restaurant, so I would think you'd be fine.

 

[ctfamily]

Ohana served at a drag race pace the last time we were there for dinner. Maybe this fits your bill ?

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I have found ALL of the TS restaurants to be really fast. Prime Time Cafe, Via Napoli, and Ohana in particular come to mind. On my last visit, I actually asked the server at Ohana to wait for our cue to bring the next course bc on our previous visit it had all just come out too quickly.

 

[bedogged]

Ohana served at a drag race pace the last time we were there for dinner. Maybe this fits your bill ?

I think I will have to disagree. Our experience was a wait of over an hour for our table. We had to wait to be served the meat and had to ask for some of them. Then we waited over an hour for the check.

 

[AllyinWonderland]

I have to say Ohana is usually one of the slower options, even if they rush your courses they are notorious for running behind schedule. If you have the first time slot, it could be a quick meal though. With that being said, we love Ohana and just figure in a good chunk of time on our arrival night when we have nowhere else to be. In general I think buffets can be quicker because you have more control over the pace of your meal.

 

[everythingALICE]

Like others have mentioned, Ohana seems to always be running behind schedule. I've always had to wait between 20-40 minutes past my ADR time to be seated, and I travel at relatively off-peak times.

The other meal in my experience that was excruciatingly slow was 1900 PF for dinner. It seemed like whatever system they had for characters to visit tables inefficient, as we had to wait well after we were finished eating to meet the last of the characters.

Been to Tusker House and Akershus a few times and both have always been pretty quick. If you don't need characters, Boma has a very nice buffet, if you are able to travel to AKL.

 

[purple figment]

We've dined at Grand Floridian Cafe and both times it was very time consuming. Our reservations were at the start of lunch and start of dinner times so we were seated quickly, but after that service slowed to a crawl.

 

[maddiebee]

We've dined at Grand Floridian Cafe and both times it was very time consuming. Our reservations were at the start of lunch and start of dinner times so we were seated quickly, but after that service slowed to a crawl.

So are lunches at TS not any quicker than dinner? Is there much of a difference between lunch and dinner menus?

 

[jeffbear]

So are lunches at TS not any quicker than dinner? Is there much of a difference between lunch and dinner menus?

In my experience table service lunches tend to go a little more quickly that dinner service at the same location. Somewhat limited menus and just the general lunchtime urgency kicks in.

But at the signature restaurants, I'm not sure how true that is. Those seem to drag a bit regardless of time of day.

Full lunch and dinner menus are available online. I know the Lines app has them.

 

[Eureka]

Our Sci Fi Dine In lunch took so long (plus we didn't get seated until long after our ADR time) that we cancelled our dinner ADR for that night because we wouldn't have been hungry. As for quick....Via Napoli was probably the most efficient. Helped that we all ordered pizza and they don't take long to cook.

 

[maddiebee]

Our Sci Fi Dine In lunch took so long (plus we didn't get seated until long after our ADR time) that we cancelled our dinner ADR for that night because we wouldn't have been hungry. As for quick....Via Napoli was probably the most efficient. Helped that we all ordered pizza and they don't take long to cook.

Why did sci fi take so long? I have an ADR there, hoping to just get a burger and a milkshake for lunch!

 

[sleepingbean]

I loved Sci Fi for gluten free! It was a family favorite (the quietest and calmest place we have seen in Disney).
For fast meal, we like Crystal Palace. The chefs are fantastic for the gluten allergy and you can eat many items off buffet as well as what the chef prepares. They had my favorite GF dessert at lunch/dinner

. We often ask for our bill mid meal so we can pay and scoot and we are always in and out under an hour (that is with 4 people, 2 allergies). I'd say we have it down to a 45 minute experience at this stage! LOL
Some places, like Ohana, just take a long time. It was great, enjoyable, but definitely not fast.
Buffets can go faster, of course. If you are in a hurry, you can order dessert with your main. Usually we do this with allergies when the chef comes out beforehand. Sanaa was another fantastic, but SLOW meal. I'd say most of the meals are slow for the sit down restaurants, but we enjoy the break and we time our meals after we have been on our feet for hours, so it is usually a welcome respite.

 

[DCDisney]

We have found Mama Melrose to have the slowest seating and service having eaten there a few times but won't any more. On our most recent trip the character lunch at Hollywood and Vine was our slowest but they just added new characters and were very busy and not well equipped to handle it but hopefully they'll get better as they deal with the increased popularity.

 

[figment_jii]

So are lunches at TS not any quicker than dinner? Is there much of a difference between lunch and dinner menus?

Some places tend to be faster than others, but there is no guarantee that when you get there something won't have happened to make the meal go very slowly.

In general, I would assume:

• 60-75 minutes for an in-park TS meal
• 75-90 minutes for resort TS meal
• 90-120 minutes for a Signature meal

I've found that buffets tend to be the "fastest" (from when you sit down) because you can set the pace for your meal. Signatures tend to the slowest because most folks are there for a nice (non-rushed) meal.

I think lunch tends to be a little faster than dinner, but that's more because lunch meals are often lighter (i.e., fewer courses) than dinner. Still, I think you're talking about 15 minutes or so.

Some venues have a lunch menu and a dinner menus, while other places have an all-day menu. It varies. You can see the menus on various sites; I like allears.net (http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm).

In terms of slow venues, for my family the slowest have been Grand Floridian Cafe, Citricos, and Captain's Grille. Faster meals tend to have been at Rose & Crown*, 'Ohana*, LTT (lunch), and most all breakfasts. (*Both R&C and 'Ohana are quick once seated, but being seated can take almost as long as the meal. Waits of over 45 minutes over one's ADR time to be seated are not uncommon).