BRIIINNNGGG! That's the sound of your magical alarm clock waking you up so you can secure some fabulous dining reservations for your upcoming
Walt Disney World Resort visit. Carey, I know that sound isn't always the most pleasant, but in this case, I love to hear it because I know fun is in store. Let's look at some strategies for booking your dining that are worth waking up for.
Guests can typically begin
booking their dining choices around 6:00 AM on the 60th day before arrival. My first tip is to be sure you've calculated correctly by checking the dining calendar a couple of days before so you can count ahead and see the exact date your window will open. Those pesky leap years can throw me off! But at a glance, you should be able to make your picks on February 13 for an April 13 arrival. Yay!
My panelist pal Jennifer recently tested out a theory to see if the window might open a little before 6:00 AM, but on the days she tried, her booking opened promptly at 6:00. I do know friends who still like to get up, log on, and have their coffee mug full of steaming liquid energy. They start refreshing the dining page at about 5:45 AM and occasionally get a little pixie dust and start booking early.
If you're a guest of a
Disney Resort Hotel, you can make dining reservations for the length of your stay up to ten days. That's a great perk, especially for those hard-to-book dining experiences. My strategy is to book times for popular restaurants such as
Space 220 Restaurant at EPCOT first and for a date later in my stay. I feel availability is better the further out I look, so that's a trick you can try.
Carey, I hope your upcoming visit is full of fun and food and not too "alarming!" Please come back by
planDisney with any other questions. I'd love to help make your vacation practically perfect!
Magic awaits,
Elaine