Hi Janelle, and welcome to planDisney! I'd love to chat with you about planning and budgeting ahead for your upcoming visit to the Walt Disney World Resort! My family also likes to stock up on
Disney Gift Cards prior to heading to the parks - we often look for discounted gift cards to try to save even more! Let's dig into your dining question first!
At this time, the only dining reservations that will require payment in full at the time of booking are
Cinderella's Royal Table and the
Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. In addition to these, if you are looking to do any of the
Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party options, they will also require full payment at the time of booking.
As you begin to plan your meals, remember that
Advance Dining Reservations will open 60 days in advance of your check-in date; my family likes to spend some time checking out the menus and making our decisions in the days and weeks leading up to that magical day!
Janelle, since you asked about using Disney Gift Cards, I want to let you know that you can book the experiences listed above with a gift card. Even though this is not an option for online booking, you can call and speak to a Cast Member at 407-WDW-DINE (3463) to complete a booking with a gift card. Just keep in mind that if you do this, in the event of a cancellation, your payment would be refunded back to the gift card you used for booking.
And here's one other tip about using gift cards throughout the parks - you can combine smaller gift cards onto one (up to $1000) using the
Disney Gift Card website. This helps us to streamline the balances and manage fewer gift cards at one time! I also recently learned that if you purchase a Disney e-gift card, you can add this to your Apple Wallet to scan and go while you're in the parks! You can use the same website to transfer physical gift card balances to your e-gift card if you choose to do this!
Janelle, I hope this has been helpful and that you are able to get all the dining reservations you desire for your upcoming visit! Please
come back with any additional questions as you plan for your trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth!
Bon Appetit,
Alison