I’m a California native who also lived in Arizona for twelve years, Lori, so I know that it takes a dedicated Disney enthusiast to wake up at zero dark thirty to make those
dining reservations. I stand with you and admire your dedication.
Most restaurants will become available for
online booking at 6:00 A.M. Eastern Time, so, 3:00 A.M. Pacific Time. If I were you, though, I’d start trying at 2:45 A.M. because some restaurants do open availability a bit early. If you’d rather call the reservation line, that opens at 7:00 A.M. Eastern Time, so 4:00 A.M. in the Pacific Time zone. If you ask me (and you sort of did!), I’d recommend booking online if you can because that gives you a bit of a jumpstart on the folks who prefer to call in.
Also, organize your dining wish list and attempt to secure a reservation for the most popular restaurants first. This includes locations like
Be Our Guest Restaurant and any character meals.
My last piece of advice is that you should keep trying if at first you don’t succeed. I have scored many hard-to-get restaurant reservations by continuously checking for availability and lucking into another Guest’s cancellation.
I wish you happy dining and great success with those reservations, Lori!