Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Susan!
Dining is such a fun and fantastic part of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, so I definitely understand being eager to secure those all-important advanced dining reservations. I know that when you're trying to book a really popular restaurant, like
Be Our Guest Restaurant at
Magic Kingdom Park, it can feel a little bit tricky sometimes because everyone is trying to get the same thing that you want, so let's chat about why that can happen and how you might still be able to get your coveted reservation.
All guests are able to book their
dining reservations up to 180 days in advance of the day they'd like to dine, but guests staying at
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels do have the
benefit of being able to make reservations 180 days before their arrival date for their entire stay, up to 10 days. So you are right, this does mean that some hot-ticket restaurants do get some of their reservation times booked up before guests who are staying off-site reach that 180-day mark. Don't worry yet though because there is still a chance that you can snag a booking between now and your vacation.
Guests are changing their minds all the time about where they want to eat, and a lot can happen in 180 days. Some people cancel or reschedule their vacations, other guests decide they'd rather head back to their Resort Hotel for a swim in the middle of the day instead of eating a Table-Service meal at lunch, so my best advice is to keep checking back to see if a reservation opens up. If Be Our Guest Restaurant is going to be an essential experience for your vacation, remember that they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so be flexible about what time of the day you eat at. I sometimes see reservations pop up for a late lunch or dinner when guests finalize their plans and realize that their dining time overlaps with the
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade or
Happily Ever After, so be on the lookout for those kinds of openings. Guests can modify their dining reservations without penalty up to 24 hours in advance, so keep checking back even when you're at Walt Disney World Resort too. You never know what kind of magic might happen for you!
Have a magical day, Susan!
Jessica