Hi there, Samantha! Welcome to planDisney. I'm so glad that you are ready to start planning your Walt Disney World vacation. Planning is half of the fun!
Currently, Samantha, you are able to make
advanced dining reservations 60 days prior to the check-in day of your vacation. Because you aren't vacationing until next spring, I would keep an eye on this though as things are quickly changing back to their pre-covid status. If a change is made to the dining reservation making time frame, you would be able to find that announcement over on the
Disney Parks Blog. If things stay the same, the day you would be able to make advanced dining reservations is Wednesday, March 9th, 2022. You can make dining reservations online starting at 6:00 a.m. Mickey Mouse's time or over the phone by calling 407-WDW-DINE starting at 7:00 a.m.
Hopefully, by the time your vacation rolls around next spring all of the
character dining locations will have opened back up for you to book. Currently, there are only a few taking reservations. The character dining locations that are currently open are Chef Mickey's, Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera, Garden Grill, Hollywood & Vine and the newly reopened Tusker House. Out of these options, my favorite one is Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera. Mickey and the gang will join you for a delicious breakfast. What a lot of people don't realize about this character meal is it is actually all-you-care-to-enjoy even though you order an entree off of a menu. I really enjoy the quiche on their breakfast menu but who can say no to Mickey and Minnie waffles? Certainly not I and they are more than happy to oblige.
Samantha, I hope this helps. If you have any other planning questions along the way, please feel free to come back and
ask me. I'm happy to help!