Hi Erin!
Welcome to planDisney! I am so glad you’ve stopped by to see us with this question, as hopefully, we can help you make a plan of attack for securing those hard-to-get
Advance Dining Reservations!Erin, planning is always key, but do be prepared this will be challenging, and you may not get your first or even second choices. It is always good to have a solid backup plan. While things may change a lot before November, right now, almost all Disney locations with the theme parks and resorts are not seating parties larger than 6. Additionally, at this time, Disney is not filling restaurants to maximum capacity and has not reopened all dining locations, so reservations are more challenging. Hopefully, as things in the United States improve, and more Cast Members return to their roles, more dining options will become available which should help your situation.
Unless things change before November, you will need to break your party down into smaller groups, say 6, 6, and 5. Because
My Disney Experience will not allow one person to book more than one table for any given timeframe, you will need two other party members with their own My Disney Experience Accounts to attempt to reserve tables at the same time. When we reserved our group of 11 for this summer, my husband and I sat at the kitchen table on two laptops, with two accounts at exactly 6 AM, and went through each location together to snag tables within 15 minutes of each other. Pro-Tip, when selecting the times, choose an actual time, not the “dinner” or “lunch” time. It seems to bring up more choices and you’re more likely to see times close to each other. Also, select less popular times to dine for the best of luck. Consider eating at 11 AM, 2-4 PM, or 8 PM for better availability. If you can secure reservations at approximately the same time, arrive a bit early for your reservation and let them know at the podium you are a group traveling together. It may not be possible to seat you together, so be prepared for that, but Cast Members will do their best and you may get lucky.
Because your group is staying off-property, you will need to repeat this process every morning, 60 days out, at exactly 6 AM Eastern Time. Guests staying on-site will have had access to these reservations several days before you, so I would think outside the box, and have several options for each day. Look at delicious, but lesser-known locations, especially those at resort hotels. For example, you may not be able to get lunch for 17 in Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving, but you may be able to snag
The Wave…of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort or
The Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
I hope these tips are helpful, Erin. Sending you all the pixie dust for getting those perfect reservations!
- Kate