Hi Jaime!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! My own
little Mouseketeer just turned three, and I've been in your shoes. While it's so much fun to watch the magic of Disney come to life through their eyes, impromptu dance parties, Disney duck watching and random naps do happen. Luckily for us, Walt Disney World Resort was designed with families in mind and has you covered.
Yes, Disney Dining parties do need to be complete to be seated. My parents joined my family in March where we barely made it to a breakfast reservation one morning. I sent my dad and husband on while my mom and I went through bag check with the stroller. Once we strolled up, the guys were still waiting at the podium for us because our party did need to be seated together.
I also visited in May with three of my best-mom friends and our collective five preschoolers. Of our five pre-booked
Table Service meals, I think our complete party of 9 only made two of them due to naps and sickness. We were able to update the number of diners in our party when checking-in for our reservation. And best of all, those who couldn't make it were
not charged the $10 per person no-show fee because our party didn't completely miss the reservation.
Sometimes accommodations can be made should a little prince or princess be asleep in their stroller by being seated at an out-of-the-way table. This might add a few more minutes to your wait for table like that to open up, but you'd all be able to dine together. So check with the host or hostess about this first before one adult decides to duck out completely.
I hope this helped to plan your Disney Days, Jaime, and We'll See You Real Soon!
~Kristen