Hi Carolyn,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted that you brought this question to us! It sounds like we have a princess who is about to visit the Walt Disney World Resort!
Making dining reservations is certainly a must for Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest Restaurant. Unless I am in the parks, I make our dining reservations from my iPad or laptop. We typically use the
My Disney Experience Mobile App when we are in the theme parks. Use the method that works best for you!
Any day or time is a fabulous time to dine at Cinderella's Royal Table. I generally have two considerations with Cinderella's Royal Table: 1) What will we do with the girls' princess dresses after the meal? and 2) Do we want to get into the park before the park officially opens to everyone? If we have breakfast or lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table, I rent a locker and use that to store dresses after the girls change clothes. If you want to enjoy Magic Kingdom before the crowds arrive, I suggest making a pre-park opening dining reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table or another restaurant. Remember to check the times of the Let the Magic Begin Show because all guests can enter one hour prior to park opening to enjoy the shops on Main Street before the show.
With Be Our Guest restaurant, we definitely prefer dinner. The Beast makes an appearance at dinner and it is a table-service meal. Breakfast and lunch are quick-service but do offer advance ordering. I suggest that you take advantage of the advance ordering. It will save precious time at the restaurant!
Yes, you can use the Disney Dining plan to hold your reservation but you will still need to have a credit card on file. Remember to cancel any reservations that you will not use to avoid cancellation penalties.
Happy Planning!
-Donyell