It's great to see you here today at the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Amy! I'm so glad that you came to us to ask about one of my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World Resort: the food. With
over 200 restaurants currently accepting the
Disney Dining Plan, you really do have so many options to choose from no matter when you start making your dining reservations!
I'm pleased to tell you that you will be able to use your Dining Plan credits all the way up until midnight on the day you check out. You will have access to all of your credits for the length of your stay as soon as you check-in, but if you're planning on grabbing a bite to eat on your first day before the 3 p.m. check-in time you'll want to use
Direct-to-Room Service with Online Check-In. That way you can use your
MagicBand to have access to your Disney Dining Plan credits immediately, even before your room is ready!
Since you mentioned that you're feeling a little bit behind on making your reservations, I want to assure you that you're still going to find tables available at some incredible restaurants and I want to share some of my favorite places with you where I can usually find a table at the last minute. If you're looking for
Character Dining experiences,
Garden Grill Restaurant at
EPCOT and Minnie's Beach Bash Breakfast at
Cape May Cafe usually have some availability in the days and weeks before you're set to leave. I can typically count on my favorite buffet at Walt Disney World Resort,
Boma - Flavors of Africa, to have open tables available for breakfast and dinner, and there is such a huge selection of restaurants at
Disney Springs for you to try so check out
The BOATHOUSE and
Wine Bar George - A Restaurant and Bar, which are a few of the ones I like going back to over and over again. Don't forget about some of the amazing Quick-Service dining locations available to try, like
Flame Tree Barbecue and
Satu'li Canteen at
Disney's Animal Kingdom. Best of all, there are no reservations required!
Have a magical day, Amy!
Jessica