UPDATE: Read about the Opening Date for Be Our Guest Restaurant and Reservations Info!June Update: Be Our Guest Menu and Reservations info now available!May 2012 Update:
Another new set of videos from Be Our Guest Restaurant!
March 2012 Update: Check out this post for a great Be Our Guest Restaurant video of the mural going up in the Beast’s Ballroom!
We’re eagerly awaiting news about this new restaurant — sign up for the Disney Food Blog Newsletter to get the latest details!
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We’re getting anxious for more news on the Be Our Guest restaurant, which we first reported about way back in September 2009.
Luckily, we now have a vague idea of when we might be able to try it out! We’ve just heard word that Be Our Guest will be opening in late 2012. And we think Advanced Dining Reservation availability might be just around the corner.
Be Our Guest Restaurant Concept Art, Beast's Castle
If you haven’t heard about this new spot in the updated Magic Kingdom Fantasyland yet, here are a few details…
Location
The restaurant will be located in the Beauty and the Beast area of the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion. And the actual dining rooms will be inside the Beast’s Castle!
Atmosphere
There will be three dining rooms in the restaurant, seating 550 people. Will you be seated in the Library/Gallery, mysterious West Wing (where the enchanted rose is kept), or the two-story Ballroom, where a snow effect in the windows will make guests feel as though they’ve stepped into the film?
Medieval windows will extend to the ceiling to create an enchanting castle-like feel. Murals will feature our favorite characters from the movie as we dine. At the moment, this will not be a character meal; but I’m hoping for some fun animatronic action to occur from time to time. Fingers crossed!
The restaurant will offer table-service dining during the evening, and counter-service dining during the day. This is part of a new approach to dining that Disney has been testing out with some of its newer restaurants, hoping that it will create better guest flow and save money at the same time.
Belle's Cottage Will Also be an Addition in the New Fantasyland
Need to Know
Here’s what we don’t yet know: the menu. Will entrees be influenced by French cuisine? Advance Dining Reservations — how soon can I call to reserve a spot (rumors are flying that we’ll be able to book soon)?! Will an audio-animatronic Lumiere greet guests upon arrival or be found within the dining room? Will we see alcohol served inside the Magic Kingdom?
We can’t wait until the restaurant proudly presents our dinner!! We’re also looking forward to more info about Gaston’s Tavern!!
We’re always watching for the latest info about the Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern, and other new restaurants in Disney’s parks and resorts. If you’d like to get the most recent updates, sign up for our Disney Food Blog Newsletter!
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OoO! I hope this is open in time for Food and Wine in 2012! The West Wing and the Ballroom sound amazing! I have a feeling ADR’s are going to be very hard to come by for this place! Maybe I should re-watch Beauty and the Beast to see if there are any specific foods that are served! 😉
I am hoping for hot hors de ouerves, soup, beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie, pudding (en flambe), and something that would qualify as ‘the grey stuff’ – it better be delicious!
(Can you tell I watch this movie too much?)
Another question: will it be Signature?
So excited! I imagine it will be perfect, as most things Disney are.
Is it wrong that I’m glad it is NOT going to be a character meal? Because I am.
I like the counter service/table service thing. It just makes sense. Yay–can’t wait! Though now I have to plan a late-2012 trip. Oh, what a terrible problem to have!
How exciting! I’m with Marci, and I can’t contain myself with trying to figure out the definition of “late” 2012. Will we get to go?!
The alcohol topic. Ooh tricky! I’m going to sound like a raging alkie (forgive me – I’m English with just enough Irish to justify it) but sitting down to a nice dinner without wine seems odd! But there’s something quite nice about the lack of alcohol at MK. Seeing drunk people at DHS and DCA was just unpleasant.
@Tracey — I’m also glad it won’t be a character meal. My 2 fav places in MK, CP and Cindy’s, already have characters so it will be nice to have somewhere that doesn’t!
And I will bet everything I own (not much!) that there will be no alcohol. If there’s no wine in Cindy’s, there won’t be liquor in this place.
Per an imagineer chat, hosted on Disney Parks Blog:
Thomas Smith: From the blog, David asks, “Is there a possibility of a Lumierre animatronic figure, similar to the animatronic Remy, to be carted around Be Our Guest restaurant as seen in the artist rendering?”
Chris Beatty: We’re currently working on a new blog update on Lumiere, so stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog.
I will take that as a yes 😛
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be open for our next trip in October 2012!!!!
I’m pretty sure that this will be a signature 2 credit restaurant. If I had to guess at the menu I would say it will be light French like Lumiere’s on the Magic, but not as French as Chefs de France or Bistro de Paris in Epcot
I’m not sure if I’m going to WDW next year because of other trips I want to take. This may tip the scale on the go or no go decision.
Oh, I can’t wait. I do hope it is a French inspired menu and that Lumiere is there in some form!
I really don’t mind what the food is like, as long as it is open for our October 2012 Disneymoon!! Oh, that and hoping that I can actually GET a reservation, that is!
As Becca commented the alcoholic beverage subject is very tricky. If I am eating in a fine restaurant I really like a glass of wine or a nice beer. It is one of the reasons we usually do not eat dinner at the MK; we just have breakfast or a CS lunch there. But I understand the tradition that goes all the way back to Walt’s wishes and it would be a very difficult decision for the powers that be. Will a 40 year tradition be over ruled by a new corporate direction that may mark a new thinking within the Disney Company.
Of course this all may be moot, they may not even have thought serving alcohol.
I’d be surprised if alcohol was served there, as the Magic Kingdom itself is dry. I really don’t care one way or the other in that regard. I’m ambivalent about the idea of it being counterservice for lunches and table service for dinners though. Maybe it will work, but it seems to me that the restaurant will be plenty popular as is being table service only.
Marci — I agree that ADRs will be tough for the first few months! I wonder if this restaurant will be a hit and a draw like others in the MK. We’ll see what “added extras” they offer!
Amy — Ha ha!! That would be very fun if they skewed the menu toward the movie!
John B. and Jrriddle — I’ve heard rumors that it will be signature, but it seems strange to me that a restaurant would be counter-service during the day and signature at night. We’ll soon find out!!
Lynne — I can’t wait to try it!
Tracy — MK does have a lot of character meals already, so it would be interesting to see what they do with a highly themed restaurant that isn’t a character option.
Becca and Alan — Yeah, I doubt there will be alcohol there, but the strange “martini” looking things on the tables in the concept art picture is causing a stir!
JoAnn — That’s a tough choice!! We’ll report on things as soon as we hear them!
Diana — I know; that would be fun to see Lumiere!
Silvercat — Ooh, how fun! Fingers crossed!
resident hippie — Agreed on the popularity of the restaurant either way. I’m interested to see if the experiment works in the MK or if they just add another full-time table service location.
We just finished our annual Christmas trip to Disney and got to see the in progress construction of the new Fantasyland. Looks like it’s going to be fantastic!
I can’t tell you how excited about this I am … I hope it’s French.
I’m hoping for rustic food, French is fine, but onion soup, beef stew, hearty flavors. I want to feel like I’m in the countryside.
I’m in a disney resort bed as I type. Lucky me! Yes, the new cinstruction looks massive and impressive. They have made strides since last march.
I so hope its a character meal. My daughter, 18, still gets excited when she sees tigger at CP and so do I. OMG love this place. Can’t wait to be here in march..hope something is open by then.
Louis Dad — Wonderful! Thanks for the update!
Melissa Sue — Yay! I’m pretty excited too!
Scott — Wow, that all sounds wonderful! A great onion soup with some crusty bread? Perfect.
Beth T. — Lucky you! Have a great WDW trip!
I’m late to this one, but about the alcohol factor… I have a hard time imagining that Gaston’s Tavern won’t serve drinks, right? Is it not an actual tavern? I was picturing the Be Our Guest restaurant and Gaston’s Tavern duo as sort of a Rose & Crown Restaurant/Pub combo (or Three Broomsticks/Hog’s Head at IoA) where the main restaurant will be full service (or counter lunch in this case) and then the connected Tavern will serve similar drinks and have a few snacks, a la Rose & Crown pub. Unless Gaston’s Tavern is a complete misnomer and it’s a souvenir shop or something… how could it NOT serve alcohol?
Liberty Tree Tavern is just a “tavern” in name…
Tortuga Tavern (in Adventureland) is just a “tavern” in name…
Gaston’s Tavern may follow suit…
Just heard that Be Our Guest may be opening Late June/early July!
Here’s the thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2850043
Hope it’s true!
Gretchen — That would be exciting! I haven’t heard anything firm about opening date, but I do think that ADRs will be available soon.
What – I can’t dine with Beast???? he is my favorite and the main reason I was excited about this! Bummed now! I mean, I will still go – albeit for counter if it goes signature, but still – able to dine with Beast!! Come on *crying*
Annie — Don’t cry yet! We haven’t heard anything about whether or not the Beast will make appearances. 🙂
Well, that will be interesting, won’t it? “We’re having dinner at the castle.” They mean Cindy’s, but the kids think Beast’s castle, and of course there’s a major meltdown that evening when the kids don’t get what they’re expecting. Or, even worse, “I’ll meet you in front of the castle” (which I hear all the time). Hmm… even more confusion at MK. Just what they need.
Hey guys just wanted to let know I work at MK and see them building this new land and I think most of it wont be open till next year. they still got alot of work to do on each area. so all of you are thinking about trips this fall might be out of luck.
A.J. Word is No Alcohol will be served!
I have a trip planned for mid-September 2012. Do you know if it might be open by then?
So exited to go! I bet it will be awesome!
I hope the restaurant is open for my daughter’s 5th bday in November 2012 so we can celetbrate her bday there…
Hope that hearing there will be no alcohol be served is true! Sorry to those of you who know how to drink and not get drunk and those of you with manners; but my five year old has been tramped by drinks in Epcot, elbowed while I held her because a wasted guy lost his balance and rammed right into us and what did the guy do?… well he turned around looked my at the time three year old in the face and rolled his eyes at her, like she just hit him. Sorry but kudos to Disney for keeping the Magic Kingdom dry! The kids should have a place free of drunken people to enjoy. Again my apologies to those of you who would never get so bad off as to ram children or fall all over yourselves but I love that the Magic Kingdom is dry and I can worry less about it.
We will be there 2-8 Dec 2012, can’t wait!! Looking forward to eating their. DVC Members for 6 years and have ate just about everywhere in all of the parks. What a welcome this will be.
Does anyone know if be our guest will be opened by September? ???
I’m going in January!! Cant wait! It’s all so magical