Greetings, Christopher!
Welcome to planDisney! Oh Boy! It sounds as if you are planning an epic adventure to Walt Disney World Resort this holiday season. I am sure you and your entire travel party will create a lifetime of magical memories during your stay. Here are all my best tips and tricks for booking dining during your stay and a few helpful notes about dining with a large crew. Before getting started I recommend that each adult member of your travel party creates their own
My Disney Experience account and links them together, even if you are staying in the same hotel room or suite. This will make securing reservations as a group simple and save you time on the day that the booking window opens.
You can begin booking dining reservations for your group beginning at that 60-day window, even if they will not be checking in on the same day. The only exception for this is you are not able to book a reservation that you will not be attending. For example, you could book a reservation at The Crystal Palace for ten people, regardless of when the other nine arrive. But the reservation will be in your name. You would not be able to book a reservation for 10 people that does not include you. You can make your dining reservations right at that 60-day mark, beginning around 5:45 AM ET. Some reservations fill in minutes, so set that alarm! If you are a Guest of a Walt Disney World Resort Collection hotel, you can book 60 days prior to your arrival, plus an additional nine days out. Being able to secure 10 days of dining reservations is
one of the many great benefits of staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, and can help you secure those hard-to-get reservations. Pro tip: Try booking some of the more popular reservations like Chef Mickey or Be Our Guest Restaurant later in your stay. There tend to be more openings as not all Guests are able to book just yet.
You may find it difficult to book dining reservations for large groups, even immediately after that booking window opens. A pro tip for this is to split your party into two or three smaller groups that some locations may be able to accommodate with a little more ease. This may not be an option for you right at the 60-day mark if you are the only adult Guest checking in that day. But if there are multiple adults arriving, I recommend splitting the group if you cannot find a reservation for a large party (as long as your Ohana does not mind). If you are making reservations through the
Walt Disney World website, you will be able to select the
Reservation Contact from your connected Guests, which means you can make multiple reservations. Remember, the lead Guest must be in their 60-day booking window, so you would not be able to select someone arriving later than you. If reservations are being made through the
My Disney Experience app, you will not be able to change the
Reservation Contact. You will only be able to hold one reservation during similar periods of time in your name. If this is the case, you may want to have another Guest log on to make reservations when the booking window opens too!
I hope your upcoming adventure is memorable and magical!
We'll see ya real soon!
Tammy