Hello Lauren! Thanks for bringing your question to planDisney! Making Disney Dining reservations is about as much fun as making plans for visiting the Disney Parks!
I am not quite sure what you are currently experiencing, but it doesn't sound typical. I currently do not have a reservation for any of the four Disney Parks but I am able to check availability for dining locations in all four of the Disney Parks. I'll walk you through the steps I follow when visiting the website to look for dining availability.
When I visit the
Walt Disney World Resort website, I hover my mouse over the heading that reads, "Things to Do." When the dropdown menu appears, I click on
"Make Reservations." Once you do that, you should see an alphabetical listing of all available Disney Dining locations for which reservations can be made. Click on your dining location of choice and you should see a blue button that reads, "Check Availability." When you do this, you will be asked to enter your Walt Disney World account username and password. This doesn't mean that you need to have purchased any tickets or made any park reservations. You just need to have an account established on the Walt Disney World Resort website. You can also do this via the
My Disney Experience app. I hope this is helpful!
Lauren, you are following a good strategy for visiting the Walt Disney World Resort! Planning parks and dining together makes for a truly amazing Disney Day! With so many options, you will enjoy just about any dining experience you book! Please come back to planDisney if you have any specific requests about dining in the parks or resorts! My fellow panelists and I will be happy to share our advice based upon our own experiences!
Hakuna Matata! Jonathan