Hi there, Deborah!
It’s a great day to see you at planDisney! Thanks for stopping by.
YAY for going with a fantastic group to The Most Magical Place on Earth! I am always counting down to a delicious meal at Walt Disney World Resort! From breakfast at
Grand Floridian Cafe to dinner at
Be Our Guest Restaurant, making dining reservations is one of my favorite parts of the planning process!
Deborah, I’m happy to discuss my strategies for making dining reservations for a large, fun-loving group with you! My own extended family of 8 loves to visit the magic of Walt Disney World Resort together, and I’ve found that splitting the party into two separate groups is the best way to get restaurants to accommodate us. I use
My Disney Experience account to make one dining reservation for the first half of the party, and then I’ll get another person in the family to make one for the second half of the party. Our reservations could be within minutes of each other; for instance, currently, I found reservations for four at 2 PM at
Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom Park. My sister found reservations at 2:10 PM for the rest of our party on the same day at the same restaurant. I try never to go over a 10-15 minute difference between the two reservations.
Before the trip, I call Disney Dining at (407) 939-3463 to note that our parties are together and would love to be seated together. I also show up a few minutes earlier at the restaurant to let the attending Cast members know this and that we wouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer if they are able to seat us all together. Of course, please keep in mind that Cast Members do their very best to accommodate requests, but sometimes, it's not possible, and we need to be okay with splitting the group during a meal. However, for the most part, we’ve been granted our wish to be seated together, and I hope you find the same goes for your party.
If you can’t find a reservation right away, don’t be discouraged. People tend to change their plans, and you may find availability as your trip nears; your best bet is to keep trying and not give up! I would recommend checking as frequently as you can, especially the day before your trip.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the magic, Deborah! Have an enchanting time.
Aena