Hi Tamara,
It's a bit of a tough call to make because it can depend on several factors. However, if
IllumiNations is showing at 9:00pm, then I would make your Advanced Dining Reservations at
La Hacienda de San Angel for around 8:00-8:15pm.
I dined there in late September last year. I sat down at 8:00pm, and I was eating with a friend (therefore,
chatting along and unaware of the time). We were very much done with our
meal by 9:00. We stayed to chat and lingered (because there were still
open tables for other Guests) long enough to watch IllumiNations. You
may find that you are done with your meal and occupying a table that the
next Guest is waiting for if your reservation is any earlier than 8:00pm. Then again,
if you wait too late (for example, 8:30pm), you'll run into Guests who end up staying at the
table and not leaving until after the show is over.
To play it safe, if your
goal is to watch the show from your table, I think I would pick the 8:00-8:15 seating time. It is extremely rare that you would actually walk right in and sit down, so you're taking into account that you may need to wait a little bit to sit.
Enjoy IllumiNations and have a wonderful vacation,
Kaylene