Hello, Deanna! Welcome to planDisney and thank you for your question! Gawrsh, your magical visit to the Happiest Place on Earth is coming up so soon - I bet your family is getting so excited and counting down the days!
I'm sorry to hear you've been having trouble making your dining reservation for
Character Dining, that's frustrating! But I think I know what the hang-up is though, and it's a very easy fix!
My extended family (of 14!) also had our hearts set on a Character Dining experience at Disneyland recently and realized, when we were trying to make our advance dining reservations, that the maximum party for one reservation is 8 Guests per account. My suggestion to you, Deanna, is to make two separate dining reservations, from two different
Disney Accounts. One person in your party will make a reservation for 8 Guests and another person will make a reservation for 6 Guests. Be sure to request the same date and time! Then, at check-in for your dining reservation, let the host know that your two groups are together. Cast Members may not be able to seat everyone at the same table but will do their very best to accommodate your group so you're sitting close!
Because advance dining reservations open 60 days in advance, the Character Dining locations and time options for your dates, at this point, will be very limited. I did a quick search for you, Deanna, and it looks like, for your dates, there is currently availability at
Goofy's Kitchen only. Our family visited Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel when my boys were young, and we had the time of our lives swinging those napkins around and eating soft-serve ice cream (yogurt) for breakfast!
If you're still having trouble finding availability for your party, keep checking - even up to 24 hours before, or the morning of, because spots do become available sometimes! With a little trust and pixie dust, I'll be hoping your Character Dining dreams come true!
But luckily, Character Dining isn't the only place to meet Characters, Deanna! What makes Disneyland so magical is that our beloved Disney pals are available all over the parks ready to give hugs and waves to Guests. Search the
Disneyland app by selecting "Characters" at the top of the park map to find where you can meet your favorite Disney pals in the parks!
I hope this has been helpful for you in your planning, Deanna, and that you and your family have so much fun immersed in the Disneyland magic. If you have any other questions or would like some tips on visiting Disneyland with a large group, don't hesitate to
reach out! I'm happy to help!
Warmest wishes,
McCayla