Hi Jennifer -
Welcome to planDisney! I'm glad you stopped by to "dish" on one of my favorite topics - dining! There are so many great restaurants around Walt Disney World Resort and I sometimes find the toughest decisions on vacation are choosing which great dining experiences to enjoy.
Jennifer, you are wise to be ready to start
making your dining reservations 60 days ahead of your arrival, as some of the most popular restaurants fill up rather quickly. As a guest of a Disney Resorts Collection hotel, you get the added benefit of being able to make dining reservations for your entire length of stay (up to 10 days) 60 days ahead of your arrival!
Dining reservations open at approximately 6:00 AM Eastern Time. I recommend logging into your
My Disney Experience Account a few minutes early as you can sometimes start slightly ahead of that time.
Here are a few helpful hints I like to share when making your dining reservations:
- Book the most popular and your "must-do" reservations first. Reservations can go very quickly so make sure you know your priorities and try to get those done early. 'Ohana is one of our favorite restaurants and is a very popular reservation so I always try to make that one first after logging in! Bonus Tip - If you time your 'Ohana reservation just right you can enjoy a beautiful view of Happily Ever After from Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.
- Didn't get a reservation you wanted? Don't give up! I've had luck finding some pretty hard-to-get reservations the week before our trip as plans change for other guests and cancellations occur. Keep checking back if you want to check availability or modify times.
- If you're using the Disney Dining Plan during your stay, remember that all your meals for your stay are available once you arrive at your resort and complete check-in. While you're allotted one Table-Service meal per night, you can choose to use multiple Table-Service meals one day and none another. Just remember that your meals and snacks expire at 11:59 PM on your check-out day. Also, don't forget to check how many Table-Service meals are redeemed at each restaurant. Most restaurants will redeem just one, but there are select fine and signature dining experiences and dinner shows that will redeem two. You can find a list on the Disney Dining Plan information page or view each restaurant individually on the website.
- In my opinion, one of the best deals is the Fantasmic! Dining Package. With this, you can enjoy a meal from one of several restaurants inside Disney's Hollywood Studios and get a voucher for reserved seating for Fantasmic!
Jennifer, I hope this information is helpful as you prepare to make those dining reservations! I'm sending lots of pixie dust for a magical vacation and invite you to stop by planDisney to see us again. Here, you're always welcome to be our guest!
Cheers,
Kristi