Hello Tanya,
Thanks for stopping by planDisney! Making dining reservations is one of my favorite parts of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. There are
so many delicious options and unique experiences in the parks, in Disney Springs, and in Disney Resort Hotels. From elegant rooftop dining with fireworks at
California Grill to an outdoor Oktoberfest celebration at
Biergarten Restaurant in EPCOT, there is a restaurant that is sure to be your favorite.
You can make dining reservations without being linked to the
My Disney Experience app on your mobile device. Simply log into your account on the website. If you are asking if you need park reservations before you make dining reservations, the answer is no. In fact, I often figure out when I'll visit each park based on where I'll be dining.
You probably know that reservations can be made 60 days in advance, but did you know that if you are staying at a
Disney Resort Hotel, you can make reservations for your entire trip (or 10 days of it) 60 days prior to your hotel check-in day. Because of this, you'll probably have the best luck snagging some of the harder to get reservations towards the end of your vacation.
If you don't end up getting the reservations that you were hoping for, there are a lot of great restaurants that fly under the radar, so don't be afraid to try something you may not have heard a ton about. Our family tends to miss the 60 day booking window due to last minute planning, so we don't always get our initial choices and end up making reservations at places that are new to us. We had a really fun and delicious meal at
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen recently and we also tried
La Hacienda de San Angel, which was not only delicious but provided a nice view of
Harmonious.
Hope this helps. Have a magical vacation!
Diane