One month before my trip to Walt Disney World, I receive an invitation to “participate in an exclusive test for lunch at Be Our Guest” using the FastPass+ system at My Disney Experience. Excited, I followed the directions to log in, only to find it would only apply to my immediate traveling party and not Sara’s, with whom I was traveling with and was linked in My Disney Experience. After some deliberation, I finally decided to try the test out without Sara so I could report back on the experience. Of course, that meant eating there twice in one trip. Oh, the horror!

The FastPass+ reservation for Be Our Guest was very similar to reserving an attraction or show. I picked a day during my visit and Disney gave me several “return time” choices. After choosing one, I was given the option to pre-select my meal now or do it upon arrival. I pre-selected our meals and drinks (which I thought was rather fun to do at home) and complete the reservation. All’s well so far … or so it seemed.

This is about the point that I ran into “beastly” issues. I went to check on My Itinerary in My Disney Experience and — oh no! — the Be Our Guest lunch was totally absent. Well, maybe the systems aren’t linked, I thought. I then looked for some sort of e-mail confirmation. Nothing. Hmm. But I definitely saw a “Congratulations!” screen, so maybe it’s just buggy — this IS a test, after all. But when we arrived at Magic Kingdom and made our way to City Hall (as directed by my initial invitation e-mail), Guest Relations has NO idea what I was yammering on about and told me I had to go to Be Our Guest. So off we went to the little gatehouse at the end of the bridge in front of Be Our Guest. The Cast Members brightly greeted us and scanned my MagicBand … and then their faces fell (something like this). They had no record of our FastPass+ reservation. They asked if I had the original invitation e-mail. I stepped aside and hastily logged into my work e-mail account on my iPad, but it had already been removed from the server. Boo.

But, then the heavens parted, and the Cast Member simply smiled and told us it would be okay … that they could still accommodate us. Disney customer service is beautiful.

So from this point forward, my experience should be more indicative of what WOULD happen if you had a FastPass+ for Be Our Guest. We were told to walk over the bridge to see a particular cast member, who then directed us into a FastPass+ line inside the restaurant. It’s right next to the regular queue, where the suits of armor are located. We waited a couple of minutes then our MagicBand was scanned again and we were directed to a cast member at a register. There we ordered our food, tapped our MagicBand again, and received our receipt. I asked how this would have worked had they stored our food choices, and I was told that information would all come up when our MagicBand was scanned and we would have the option to make changes.

Lunch in the West Wing at Be Our Guest

A couple minutes later we found ourselves a prime table in the West Wing, right next to the rose. And our food arrived very quickly, perhaps only a minute or two later. We were not issued a MagicRose (it’s a red plastic rose with an RFID signal in that allows you to be located) — they found us with our MagicBands. Even with the issues, the whole process from approach to dining was perhaps 10 minutes. It was quite simple, relaxed, and fast. Beautiful!

Based on my experience, I would completely recommend you grab FastPass+ if it becomes available during your trip to Walt Disney World. I predict it will be popular, so it’s one of those things you may want to begin looking for as soon as possible (right now FastPass+ can be booked 60 days in advance). It’s my understanding that other restaurants may come onboard the FastPass+ system, but I have not seen evidence to support that yet. Remember, FastPass+ is still in the testing phase.

As for Be Our Guest itself, this was our fourth visit (three for lunch, one for dinner) and I REALLY enjoy eating at this restaurant. I love ordering, I love picking a table and having my food brought out, and the food isn’t bad either. I’ve eaten in all three room (West Wing, Ballroom, and Library), but I don’t have a favorite yet. They’re all pretty good honestly. West Wing is a bit dark and it’s hard to find a seat because it’s so small, but it has cool effects.

I’ll just leave you with a few photos of food to whet your appetite for Be Our Guest!

Braised Pork

Croque Monsier (ham and cheese sandwich)

Kids Meal (Mahi Mahi)

Cupcakes!