Hi Kristy,
Welcome to planDisney! I am so happy to hEAR that you are planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort!
Kudos to you for attempting to make
advanced dining reservations. Having planned for a few larger groups in years past, I understand your dilemma. You may have to split your party into two smaller groups of five to find reservations. If that does not work, try two groups of four and one group of two. Since you cannot have multiple dining reservations at the same time, you will need one or two other folks in your party to help you make the reservations.
Everyone making reservations needs to have a
My Disney Experience account. And each of you needs to be connected through the My Family & Friends List. Once connected make sure that you select the option to share all plans. I suggest that you try to make those dining reservations within 15 minutes of each other. When you get to the restaurant, ask one of the Cast Members if they can seat you together or near each other. They may not be able to accommodate the request, but when we have asked, they have done their best!
Keep trying to secure those reservations. Cancellations do happen. On one trip, I snagged a reservation at
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop the day before we wanted to dine there. Also try searching all restaurants and try searching by meal period instead of a specific time. There may be availability at a restaurant located at a resort hotel or
Disney Springs. And I have taken reservations at odd times when having trouble securing one. We have done dinner at 4:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. just to dine in a hard-to-get location.
Kristy, make sure you have downloaded the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. We loved using it for
Mobile Dine Check-in on our most recent visit. Check the
dining updates as it gets closer to the date of your trip since dining availability or procedures could change!
Magic and memories,
Donyell