Hi Elisabeth,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel and thank you for asking us another question! I understand visiting Walt Disney World Resort with tired toddlers and then trying to make it to a
Disney dining reservation at the end of the night… sometimes, it’s no easy feat!
The answer to your question, however, is yes. Although you can try to play it by ear the day of your visit, the problem is that almost all table service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort are booked solid by the time dinner rolls around. And, even if restaurants are accepting “walk ups”, there’s usually a substantial wait (30+ minutes), which is less than ideal with little ones at the end of a Disney Day.
Here’s what I would recommend: you can either make table service dining reservations every second day, to allow everyone to have more flexibility on the “off” days. Another option (and one that worked really well for my family) is what I call the “nap shift”: I shifted my little guy’s nap over by about 2 hours in the afternoon so that, instead of napping as of 12:30 pm, I would put him down at 2:30 pm. When he woke up 1-2 hours later, it was a great time for us to head back to the Theme Parks or elsewhere for dinner, and everyone was well rested. Even though my little guy has now outgrown his nap time (sniff), we still use this strategy to give everyone a rest or pool time in the middle of the day. That break in the middle of the day is magical for everyone!
I hope my answer helps you plan a wonderful vacation with your little ones. Please don’t hesitate to come back and see us if you have any other questions.
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne