Grabbing those dining reservations for your Disney World vacation can be stressful, but here are the two rules I use when booking them!
When planning your Disney World vacation, one of the most exciting things you get to do is book dining reservations for table service meals. However, it can be stressful as certain restaurants fill up quickly due to their popularity. I’m here to share with you the two rules I live by when booking my own Disney dining reservations.
1. Have a Plan
Dining reservations open at 6 AM ET for your trip, 60 days in advance, and trust me, you don’t want to wait until that moment to figure out which parks you are going to on which days. You want to have a rough plan in place to help you know which restaurants to grab on what days. You wouldn’t want to book lunch at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom if you plan to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom that day.
A part of your plan should also include looking up restaurant menus of ones you are thinking about booking, so you know there is something there you will like. Another great way to make sure you are booking a reservation at a restaurant you’ll enjoy is to look at dining reviews. AllEars.net has a restaurant review spot on our pages that Disney fans can leave reviews to help you stay updated on the food in Disney World! Be sure to check them out beforehand.
Finally, for your plan, think about any restrictions you may have before booking. Do kids in your travel party have a certain nap time? Is the restaurant you’re going to going to be easy for you to arrive there, whether you are driving or taking Disney transportation? It’s helpful to know all of these ahead of time so that you can grab those hard-to-get dining reservations quickly.
2. Go For The BIG Ones First
You don’t need to book the restaurants in order of your trip. Instead, I book in order of priority. If there is a hard-to-get restaurant that I want, I will grab that one first, even if it’s on the last day of our vacation.
Those restaurants can fill up quickly, and if it’s a must-do for you, grab it! You can book those easier-to-get restaurants after you have secured the higher priority ones. Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace, dinner at ‘Ohana, and lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table are a few of the most popular ones.
We hope this helps you when booking your own Disney World dining reservations! For more tips, make sure you’re following AllEars.net.
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What is your favorite Disney World restaurant? Tell us in the comments.Â
I live on the west coast and am very lucky to have a Disney Wife who doesn’t mind waking up at 3AM to make these reservations for our trips (I live on the west coast). She is not successful 100% of the time, but I have never failed to secure the reservation I wanted at a later time using the mousedining app which notifies me when a cancellation happens and a reservation opens up. You would be surprised how many cancellations come through, especially in the week leading up to the time! I once managed to snag a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest the morning we went to MK, same-day!