Hi Paula,
Welcome to planDisney!
Your question is well-timed. It's always a good idea to be clear about when you can make
advanced dining reservations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. As you suspect, the
booking window is currently up to 60 days from your arrival date. Since you are staying at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, one of our
Disney Resorts Collection hotels, you should be able to make those dining reservations for up to 10 days of your stay once your booking window opens.
To check our countdown until arrival date, I use the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. If your resort hotel or vacation package is linked in My Disney Experience, once you open the mobile app and click on Hotel Reservations, you should see a countdown that tells you how many days until your arrival date. You could also just use a generic countdown tool online. When I used one, it indicated that your 60 day window should open on October 4th if your arrival date is December 3rd. Always double-check - you can also log into your account and check to see if the system will allow you to make reservations on October 3rd.
Prior to your dining reservation day, I suggest that you make a prioritized list of dining reservations so that you start with the reservations that may be the hardest to get. For my family, that is breakfast at
Cinderella's Royal Table, lunch at
Space 220 Lounge, and dinner during the
Happily Ever After fireworks at
California Grill. Of course, the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are a wonderful way to access tickets to the
Candlelight Processional. Keep your eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for more information as it is released. Last year, those dining packages opened for reservations on October 17th.
Paula, your trip is scheduled during my favorite time of year to visit, the
Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort. This time of year is simply beautiful at the parks and resorts. Sending you a little extra pixie dust hoping you get those dining reservations made!
Magic and memories,
Donyell