Welcome, Alda!
We're so happy you stopped by planDisney with your question. Helping fellow Guests plan their time in the magic brings us a lot of joy over here. It sounds like you are at the beginning of your pixie-dusted planning journey and looking to book either theme park reservations or dining reservations...or both! I'm happy to help, so let's dive into the magic.
A New Year's trip is the perfect way to kick off 2026! This can be a popular time in the parks, so it's smart to be thinking through theme park and dining reservations now. It sounds like you are well aware that Guests are required to have both a
theme park ticket and a
theme park reservation to enter the parks. While the ticket gets you through the gates, the reservation holds a spot for you in a particular park on a specific day, much like a dining reservation. If you haven't yet purchased theme park tickets, you would actually make your theme park reservation as part of the process if purchasing on the Disneyland website. As you go through each step, you will get to a calendar where you select your date and the park you hope to visit (if purchasing a Park Hopper, you are selecting the park you plan to start your day in, with hopping available after 11:00 AM). Once the purchase is complete, your theme park reservation is also confirmed. If you already have your theme park ticket and just need to secure a reservation, head into the Disneyland app and tap the "+" along the bottom navigation bar, selecting "Make a Park Reservation" and following the instructions from there. To double-check that your theme park reservation is in place, head to the three-line icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the app, scrolling to "Future Plans". This will reveal any theme park reservations for tickets currently linked to your account.
If you are looking to make a
dining reservation, those open up as early as 60 days ahead of time, so you are in the window to make some selections! Head back to the app and tap the "+" in the bottom navigation bar, selecting "Check Dining Availability". You'll choose your party size, date, and time, and the current options will be revealed to you. Likewise, if you have your heart set on a specific location, you can use the search tool in the bottom navigation bar to go directly to that restaurant to check availability. If you don't see what you're looking for, keep checking! Guests are always changing their plans, and reservations can open up, especially as you approach the cancellation window. Once you are in the parks, you can also check for
last-minute availability by selecting the "Join a Walk-up List" option when you tap into "Check Dining Availability". As you get excited for your visit, I highly recommend checking out the Disney Parks Foodie Guides for the
Holidays and
Festival of the Holidays. You will get to enjoy the last few days of the holly jolly with the holidays extending through January 7th, and there are so many limited-time treats and sweets!
Alda, I hope this has helped put the finishing touches on your planning. If you have any more questions or if there are other reservations you are looking for information on, we are more than happy to help here at
planDisney!
Happy New Year!
Tara