Hi Rachel,
It makes my heart so happy to hear that you'll soon be bringing your princess to "The Most Magical Place on Earth" for her first visit! You're absolutely going to LOVE sharing the magic with her and seeing the wonder through her eyes. It will be such a special trip, and you're going to make memories that you'll all cherish forever!
While there will likely be
some restaurants with same-day availability, I'd highly recommend going ahead and making
dining reservations ahead of time. Be sure to check the cancellation policies, but most restaurants allow you to cancel up until the day beforehand without any penalty, so I think your vacation would be much more relaxing if you knew your meals were already taken care of. My personal experience has always been that walk-in seating at Table-service restaurants is tricky to find, especially at Magic Kingdom Park, Disney's Hollywood Studios, or any
character meals, and you'll likely find very limited availability at other places. Now with that said, if there's a
restaurant you have your heart set on and you're having trouble finding a reservation, it's always worth stopping by and asking a Cast Member if there are any openings. You never know when you might find a bit of pixie dust! To be safe, though, I'd suggest planning your Table-service dining ahead of time. If you'd rather have the flexibility to go with the flow, you'll find lots of wonderful
Quick-service locations that serve a wide variety of food without requiring a reservation.
Thanks so much for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Rachel, and please feel free to come see us again with any other questions. I hope that you and your
little Mouseketeer have a truly magical...and delicious...vacation!
Missy