Bonjour, Catherine! It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I welcome you to planDisney.
The only thing more fun and magical than a Walt Disney World vacation is a Walt Disney World vacation with a big group of family and friends. In just a couple of short months, core memories will be made, and I'm so excited for you. Your dining reservation booking window opens oh-so-soon (Woohoo!), so let's dig in!
Since the
online dining reservation system opens for booking at 6:00 a.m. EST, an hour before the phone lines open, I recommend making your dining reservations on the Walt Disney World website or My Disney Experience app. While making dining reservations for a large party can be more challenging, it can be done, and I'm more than happy to share some tips for snagging some fantastic dining experiences.
Some Walt Disney World restaurants can accommodate a party of 14, such as
Teppan Edo in EPCOT,
Splitsville in Disney Springs,
Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort,
Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge,
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness Resort, and more. So, once your booking window opens, I recommend starting your search for availability for your entire party. I find that the easiest way to search is on the My Disney Experience app. Log into the app, tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, tap "Check Dining Availability," enter your party of 14, select your dates, and tap "All Day" to see dining availability for your entire party.
With a large party, your best bet to find more available dining options is to split your party into two tables of seven and make two separate dining reservations for the same restaurant at or around the same time. To do this, I usually recruit a family member or friend to help make the second reservation, as the booking system will usually only allow you to make one dining reservation within a two-hour window. If you don't have a planning partner to help you make dining reservations, I recommend
calling a helpful Cast Member on the Dining Reservations line once they open at 7:00 a.m. EST to help you find and book multiple tables at a time. Then, once you arrive at the restaurant, let the Cast Members know that you are one large party, and while it's not a guarantee, they will do their very best to seat your party at tables near each other. Bon appetit!
A large group of my fellow planDisney panelist pals and I had the
best time at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue! There were over 100 of us there, (Yes, 100!), so we were seated at several large tables. We ate, drank and laughed until we cried, and I highly recommend this hilarious dinner show for all ages and parties of any size. Happy booking, Catherine!
I hope this was helpful, Catherine, and I'll be wishing upon a star that you book all of your must-do dining reservations. Please feel free to stop by any time with any planning questions you may have. Put our service to the test!
Be Our Guest,
Mandy