Hi Amanda!
Welcome to planDisney! It looks like your 60-day mark was last week. Hopefully, you were able to make some
Advance Dining Reservations already! If you are still working on your plans, I’ve got some tips and tricks to help you when booking large parties!
Right now, the majority of Disney-owned and operated locations are not booking tables larger than 6. With a party of 21, you’ll need to split into four smaller groups and attempt to book multiple tables at approximately the same time. Usually, a 15-minute window is recommended. The challenge will be that one person cannot book more than one reservation for the same time. You will need to coordinate a few other adults in your travel party to each book a table within that window.
We just returned from a magical visit as a party of 11. For our Advance Dining Reservations I booked a table of 6 with my
My Disney Experience Account and a party of 5 with my husband’s account. I would visit the restaurant podium earlier in the day or at least 15 minutes before our reservations to let them know we were a large party traveling together. While there is no guarantee you’ll be seated together, Cast Members will do their very best. We were typically given a large table that sat us all, and at one location we had adjoining tables.
For a large party, I would recommend the
Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot since it is known for its long tables and it usually can accommodate groups. I would also consider
Chefs de France which tends to have a lot of tables, or the
Cape May Cafe which has tables for parties as large as 8.
You may also want to consider some of the third-party owned and operated locations in Disney Springs as they too are often able to accommodate larger groups. We have enjoyed
Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant on several occasions and I’ve been able to book larger tables there. You may also find more availability at
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar, Planet Hollywood, or
Splitsville Dining Room. If you don’t see the times you need on the Walt Disney World Website, you can also book tables at many Disney Springs locations on Open Table.
And don’t forget that other Guests do cancel reservations! So if you aren’t able to get all of the tables you need, you may want to book what you can, and then check back frequently to see if other tables open up. In my experience, persistence pays off when it comes to Disney reservations. I hope some of these tips help, Amanda! Sending you pixie dust for the perfect reservation!
- Kate