***Official Candlelight Processional Dining Package Watch - 2018***

Ok. So breakfast goes with a morning show, lunch with a midday show and dinner with an evening show? Are they guaranteed seating then, or should they still plan to find their seat an hour or two before it starts?
No, the shows are at 5PM, 6:45 and 8:15 or have in the past. Breakfast and early lunch for 5 show, meals until about 3 or so for 6:45 and later meals for 8:15 show. Seats are not assigned but they will be guaranteed seats unless they show up after the stand-by people have been allowed in. 45 minutes to an hour is plenty of time. Basically when one show ends, they will clear everyone out, make a cleaning sweep and then start letting people in again. Shows last about 45 minutes or so.
 


Ok. So breakfast goes with a morning show, lunch with a midday show and dinner with an evening show? Are they guaranteed seating then, or should they still plan to find their seat an hour or two before it starts?

No, the shows are at 5PM, 6:45 and 8:15 or have in the past. Breakfast and early lunch for 5 show, meals until about 3 or so for 6:45 and later meals for 8:15 show. Seats are not assigned but they will be guaranteed seats unless they show up after the stand-by people have been allowed in. 45 minutes to an hour is plenty of time. Basically when one show ends, they will clear everyone out, make a cleaning sweep and then start letting people in again. Shows last about 45 minutes or so.

The timing of your meal deciding on which show you see is no longer the case. You can have breakfast and still see the latest show of the evening. Your meal has to be before the show you see, and you need to have time to eat your meal and still get to the show, but they don't tie the show time to the meals anymore. You may have to call to get the showtime you want instead of doing it online as online seems to be a little random.

Even with a package you are not GUARANTEED a seat, and where you are in the package line will have an impact on selection of seats. For most narrators, they should be fine getting in the package line at 45 min to an hour before the show, but they can't just walk up 5-15 min before the show starts and expect to have a seat. If they wait until 30 min before the show, they'll be at the end of the package line and seats will be getting limited by the time they get into the theater.
 
The timing of your meal deciding on which show you see is no longer the case. You can have breakfast and still see the latest show of the evening. Your meal has to be before the show you see, and you need to have time to eat your meal and still get to the show, but they don't tie the show time to the meals anymore. You may have to call to get the showtime you want instead of doing it online as online seems to be a little random.

Even with a package you are not GUARANTEED a seat, and where you are in the package line will have an impact on selection of seats. For most narrators, they should be fine getting in the package line at 45 min to an hour before the show, but they can't just walk up 5-15 min before the show starts and expect to have a seat. If they wait until 30 min before the show, they'll be at the end of the package line and seats will be getting limited by the time they get into the theater.
OK, if I understand you can have an early meal but still go to the late show? And you do still get assigned to a certain show but you may have to call to get the one you want?
 


So, how does this work with ADR and the shows not scheduled yet? Our 180 day is in about 3 weeks. Do you book the ADR with the package for the date, or do you book the ADR, then call in after announcement to tie it to the ADR. I suppose that if it is daily, it really doesn't matter and that WDW could just set it up for ADR and if the announced speakers is such that someone you want and the day of your ADR doesn't matchup, then you can try to switch later, I guess. Yeah, sorry. Just thinking out loud there.
 
So, how does this work with ADR and the shows not scheduled yet? Our 180 day is in about 3 weeks. Do you book the ADR with the package for the date, or do you book the ADR, then call in after announcement to tie it to the ADR. I suppose that if it is daily, it really doesn't matter and that WDW could just set it up for ADR and if the announced speakers is such that someone you want and the day of your ADR doesn't matchup, then you can try to switch later, I guess. Yeah, sorry. Just thinking out loud there.
You need to book the package when that option comes out. The packages are usually released before the full list of narrators is out, so I just pick the best day for me & hope for someone good. A dining package is different from an ADR and I don't believe that you can turn an ADR into a package, it needs to be booked that way. But I could be wrong.
 
You need to book the package when that option comes out. The packages are usually released before the full list of narrators is out, so I just pick the best day for me & hope for someone good. A dining package is different from an ADR and I don't believe that you can turn an ADR into a package, it needs to be booked that way. But I could be wrong.
This is for my parents, Disney newbies. So if they know which restaurant they want to package it with, do you suggest just booking an ADR when that hits. Then when they release the processional package, have my TA call in to book that for them and then release the ADR. Thoughts?
 
This is for my parents, Disney newbies. So if they know which restaurant they want to package it with, do you suggest just booking an ADR when that hits. Then when they release the processional package, have my TA call in to book that for them and then release the ADR. Thoughts?
I don't think it'll make a difference. I've never had an issue booking a restaurant for the processional package. I believe the ADRs are separate from the package, so booking an ADR & then cancelling it won't release a spot in the package block. If they wait until the week before, or if they want to see someone like NPH and wait until after the names are announced, they may have an issue getting that exact showing, but in general it's easy to book a package when they open up.
 
So, how does this work with ADR and the shows not scheduled yet? Our 180 day is in about 3 weeks. Do you book the ADR with the package for the date, or do you book the ADR, then call in after announcement to tie it to the ADR. I suppose that if it is daily, it really doesn't matter and that WDW could just set it up for ADR and if the announced speakers is such that someone you want and the day of your ADR doesn't matchup, then you can try to switch later, I guess. Yeah, sorry. Just thinking out loud there.

PP is correct. You cannot turn a regular ADR into a package ADR; they are separate reservations. You'll have to wait until the packages are put into the system. That is usually around the time they start announcing narrators, but it could be earlier or later. I would tell your TA your parents absolutely want to do this and tell them which restaurant they want, which meal, and which showing of CP. Your TA should know the moment they become available.
 
PP is correct. You cannot turn a regular ADR into a package ADR; they are separate reservations. You'll have to wait until the packages are put into the system. That is usually around the time they start announcing narrators, but it could be earlier or later. I would tell your TA your parents absolutely want to do this and tell them which restaurant they want, which meal, and which showing of CP. Your TA should know the moment they become available.
Thanks for the info. The TA knows they want it. We are actually all meeting together next weekend to plan out their dining choices and schedule when they are doing things different from my family. They will most likely spend two days at Epcot, whereas my crew will do one and then maybe hop back near the end of our trip if desired. We've pretty much scheduled which days we will be in which parks and which days we will have non-park days, so it's a matter of what places they want to eat at. I'm assuming that the readers are different from year to year with a few that return from prior years, so the schedule of speakers can't be anticipated till it's released. I don't think they have a huge attachment to any particular speaker, but I could be wrong. When does it traditionally get released? July? August?
 
So are the breakfast reservations the first to go?

Not usually. The first to go are the ones around busier times (Thanksgiving, closer to Christmas, etc) and those with a very popular narrator. Some of the more popular restaurants book up quickly too. I've honestly never had too much trouble booking anything I've wanted.
 
Is this event bleacher type seating? As in no back to where you sit? If there are people who actually need to sit with their back against something, would that be doable? Do they have such areas?
 
Is this event bleacher type seating? As in no back to where you sit? If there are people who actually need to sit with their back against something, would that be doable? Do they have such areas?

It is all bleacher seating. There may be a wheelchair area in the back.
 

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