Hiya Karen - welcome back to
planDisney!
Thanks so much for stopping by with another question as you continue to plan for your upcoming vacation. There's only one thing I love more than
Living with the Land at
Walt Disney World Resort, and that's food! With a larger crew, planning ahead with
advanced dining reservations is always a great idea, and I'm glad to see that you're already on top of it!
In my experience, finding reservations for larger parties can sometimes be an adventure, but there are usually great options available, especially if you are flexible with timing or location. For example, spots like
Biergarten Restaurant in EPCOT's World Showcase and
The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom Park tend to have more flexibility in accommodating larger parties based on their size and dining configurations.
A Polynesian-inspired family-style dinner at
'Ohana sounds so delicious right now - I can definitely understand why you've picked this signature dining spot at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort for your family. The key is making your advanced dining reservations 60 days prior to your arrival, either online (usually starting at 6:00 a.m.) or, when available, by calling (407) WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) starting at 7:00 a.m. This applies to all Guests, but if you are a
Disney Resort hotel Guest, you are able to make advance dining reservations for the entire length of your stay (up to 10 days) at that time.
For a group of this size, I would usually recommend calling as soon as the phone lines open up - you'll have a better chance of securing a single reservation or having a Dining Cast Member help you make multiple reservations to cover your entire group. In my experience, some dining locations have been able to seat my two reservations at nearby tables by request!
When I'm traveling with a larger crew, or don't have a dining reservation, we also like to use
Mobile Food and Beverage Ordering to coordinate some of our meals and snacks. Even if your crew is out exploring different lands within a Theme Park, you can
all use Mobile Order to select the same arrival time window and then meet up as a larger group to pick up your food and dine together!
Your magical journey to the
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration is just a couple of short months away -
please let me know if any additional questions pop up in the meantime.
Ryan J.