Hi Faye!
Welcome back to planDisney.
It's always a pleasure to assist my fellow guests from the UK, and I'm happy to see that your 60-day window is fast approaching, enabling you to make your
Disney dining reservations.
I have Disney dining on my mind because I've just made all my reservations for my family holiday! The good news is that the only name you need to specify on the reservation is the lead name (ie
your name!). When I made my reservations, even though all my family members are connected in Family & Friends in My Disney Experience, I didn't have to select any of them - I can add them later, or not at all. So, you only need to state the
number of guests, not who they are, or where they are staying. You can add anyone connected through your My Disney Experience account, and just leave the other guests' names blank if you want to.
As you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can start making your reservations at 60 days, and you can continue making bookings for 10 more days after that. Then, you can reserve dining one day at a time, each day thereafter. If you don't have success with booking your favourite choices, please keep checking (every day if necessary) as guests do cancel and change their plans every day - even on the day of the reservation. On my last trip I managed to get a booking for a really popular restaurant on the same day, so I know it's possible. (That was for
Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White, which is always fully booked. In case that tempts you, I highly recommend that dining experience, located at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, which is set in an enchanted forest with visits from Snow White, Grumpy and Dopey at your table, and then the Evil Queen may offer you an invitation to meet for a photo after you have finished your meal. She pretends to be very scary and it's always a challenge to make her smile!!)
If you are using your My Disney Experience mobile app to check dining availability, certain restaurants will offer a walk-in option for the same day, so it's worth keeping an eye on that too.
I hope you have success with your booking, and please come back and visit us again if you have any further questions.
You can also send me a direct question if you wish. We are always happy to help you plan your magical holiday at Walt Disney World!
Sue