You’re as welcome as can be at planDisney, Emily!
Thanks for stopping by with your question for us today.
There is nothing better than going with a fun group to
Walt Disney World Resort! Recently, my family of eight went to The Most Magical Place on Earth and had the most magical time together! I would be happy to explain how we were able to get some of those
dining reservations together so we could eat at the same time.
Emily, due to the
phased reopening, Guest and Cast Member safety has been of utmost priority. This is why larger groups are being separated into smaller groups to help with social distancing. I truly appreciate how much Disney has done to keep Guests safe during this time. You may have to break the group down into two different reservations; since you have a group of 8, two groups of four would work just fine. You would have to use your own
My Disney Experience account to make one of the dinner reservations for a party of four and another person in your party will have to make one on their My Disney Experience account for the other group of four.
During my own experience with this, I found some of the reservations were a few minutes apart but that worked out just fine. I also
called Disney Dining ahead of time to add a note to the restaurant that we were all together and if possible, for us to be seated together or near each other. This is completely at the discretion of the restaurant, but thankfully, our requests were met most of the time.
Since you have a large party, be sure you are all connected on your My Disney Experience
Family & Friends list, making it easier to plan with each other. One thing that worked really well for us at the Theme Parks was splitting up for an hour or two and then getting together again. That way, the thrill-seekers could ride the attractions of their choice while the foodies could spend some time trying different Mickey-shaped snacks! We always set a time and place to come together again, and usually it involved food. Having a meal together is the best place to talk about all the adventures your group has experienced!
Emily, I hope you and your party have the most enchanting time together!
Aena