We're glad to see you back here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Jeremy! One of the best parts of planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation is choosing your dining reservations; in Disney lingo, this is known as booking
"Advance Dining Reservations" or ADRs. My family just had an exciting discussion this weekend about all the destination-worthy dishes that we can't wait to have during our upcoming trip this fall!
The great news is
anyone can make a reservation up to 180 days in advance through the Walt Disney World website or by using your
My Disney Experience app. However, there is a perk for those staying at a
Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Guests with a confirmed resort hotel booking can make ADRs for the duration of their stay on the very first day that reservations are available for their trip, as opposed to booking one day at a time. Disney's stated policy is "Starting 180 days in advance of your arrival date, you can book dining for the entire length of your Resort stay—up to 10 days." Reservation availability for Walt Disney World restaurants typically begins each day at approximately 5:45 AM EST. Alternatively, if you wish to book over the phone, call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. Phone lines open up one hour later at 7:00 AM EST.
Most of the time, my Fairy Godmother is with me, and I'm able to get all my ADRs, even if it's only a few weeks prior. There are some highly coveted restaurants, though, that will require that early morning 180 day wake up call, such as
Cinderella's Royal Table,
Chef Mickey's,
'Ohana, and
Be Our Guest Restaurant. Here's a Moms Panel tip for making hard-to-get dining reservations: try snagging a spot at the more popular restaurants for the day that's furthest out. If you have your heart set on watching
Happily Ever After from your table at
California Grill, plan that grand finale meal for your last night and make that reservation first, as soon as you log in!
I hope this gives you some food for thought, Jeremy!
Eean