Hello, Clare!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It is an honor to serve you and help answer your question on your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation!
I want to begin by saying that I am so sorry your friend has to cancel his Walt Disney World vacation. I know this is disappointing for him and for everyone in your travel party.
I do have a bit of MAGICAL news concerning your
Advanced Dining Reservations. As long as you have the reservation confirmation number and the last name of the person who booked the Dining Reservation, then you will have no problem at all with your reservation. Your friend does not have to be there to check-in at the restaurant. The ONLY exception would be if your Advanced Dining Reservation was for a restaurant like Cinderella's Royal Table.
To make sure there are not any exceptions to your Advanced Dining Reservations, I
highly recommend calling (407) WDW-DINE and speak to a Cast Member. That way you can have peace of mind knowing that your dining reservations are GOOD TO GO!
If you have other questions, please let us know!
Have a MAGICAL day!
Wes