Hi there, Patricia!
Welcome to planDisney! I totally understand that making important dining reservations can feel stressful. I've been there plenty of times! I'll do my best to share some ideas to help minimize that stress and help you land that celebratory dining event for your granddaughter!
You're right that the best thing you can do is
start checking for dining reservations online at 6:00 AM EST (that'll be 3:00 AM Disneyland time) 60 days before your desired visit. It's a brutal wake-up call, I know! Sometimes reservations don't show up right away, so if you don't see it immediately don't panic. As Dory would say "Just keep swimming" and check throughout the day.
If you're booking for a larger group (anything over 8 guests) then you might have better luck making two reservations for smaller groups. You'll need a planning partner to help you because your Disney account won't let you hold more than one reservation at a specific time. I usually have my husband log into his Disney account while I use mine and we try to make reservations with arrival times within 30 minutes of each other. Then we always make sure to visit the restaurant prior to our earliest reservation and kindly request to be seated together. It isn't always possible, but it works out often!
You'll also have more options if you can be flexible on your dining time. If you can plan your day so that you can have breakfast, brunch, or dinner at
Goofy's Kitchen then you'll have a lot more choices! If you end up getting a reservation later in the day I would just go for it and enjoy the time to sit back and relax. You'll still get to visit with characters and enjoy a great meal, no matter what time you dine! If you're planning to visit Disneyland Park that day then you might try using the
Disneyland Monorail to travel between the hotels and Disneyland Park.
Don't forget to let the Cast Members know that your family is celebrating so they can wish your little princess a magical birthday! If you'll be visiting the resort for a few days then I recommend stopping by guest services in the parks to pick up a complimentary celebration button for her so that everyone knows she's the birthday girl. One of my favorite things to do with my own daughter is stop by the
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a quick (and complimentary) sprinkle of pixie dust! Just ask one of Fairy Godmother's Apprentices at the boutique and they will be happy to give you some sparkle that's sure to bring happy thoughts.
Patricia, you sound like a grandmother that the Fairy Godmother herself would be proud of! I hope that your love and hard work pay off and you'll be celebrating your granddaughter at Goofy's Kitchen with all his pals real soon.
Keep moving forward!
Amanda