Hi Paul and welcome to planDisney!
My family loves character dining at Walt Disney World! Our favorite is visiting with Lilo & Stitch for the
Best Friends Breakfast at 'Ohana in
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Our Hawaiian friends always make for a great start to our Disney day.
Currently,
Disney dining reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance and you'll definitely want to try and make reservations for
Magic Kingdom Park character dining right at that 60 day mark since it's so popular. For the arrival date you mentioned, your 60 day window opens up in mid-July. If you are staying at a
Disney Resort hotel, you can make your dining reservations up to 10 days of your stay. Your character dining options at Magic Kingdom are
The Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends or
Cinderella's Royal Table to see the beautiful princesses.
Making large party reservations has changed a bit in the last few years and can sometimes be difficult to get. If you don't find availability for a group of 8, try breaking up your party into two groups. The downside to this is sitting together is not guaranteed when you have more than one reservation, but the restaurants try their best to accommodate if they are able. Also I would like to mention that you shouldn't fret if you're not able to get a reservation right away. Guests are constantly changing their plans and availability is always fluctuating. I am often able to snag some hard to get reservations in the weeks, days and even the day before our trips.
I find it easiest to search for reservations using the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. To me, it's more user friendly than using the website or calling. The bonus is that it will get you used to using the app ahead of your vacation since it's such a useful tool while on vacation at Walt Disney World.
Please
stop back by and visit if you have any additional vacation planning questions.
Have a magical day!
Leslie