Hey there, hi there, Emily! You're as welcome as can be here at planDisney!
Before you know it, you'll be arriving at The Happiest Place on Earth, ready to begin your magical adventure. How exciting! If you're anything like me, one of the most important parts of a Disney vacation (or any vacation for that matter) is the food, so let's chat about my favorite topic:
Disney dining.
When I was planning my first trip to
Disneyland Resort, I had this same question, Emily, and I'm more than happy to share what I learned from my planDisney panelist pals. The booking window for most Disneyland Resort restaurants opens 60 days in advance at 6:00 a.m. PST. However, in my pals' experiences, they have found that occasionally, you might be able to start your search and find some availability for certain restaurants as early as 3:00 a.m. PST. On the flip side, you might find that some availability will not be released until later in the day and even days later.
My best advice to snag your must-do dining reservations (if you have a good alarm clock and strong coffee) is to attempt a
search for dining availability at 3:00 a.m. PST and then again at 6:00 a.m. PST. If you don't find availability for some of your must-do experiences, keep checking throughout the day and as your trip approaches. Guests' plans change all the time, so you never know what magic lies ahead!
If there are any dining reservations that you are unable to book, once you're enjoying your pixie-dusted visit, you may be able to add yourself and your party to a walk-up list at select restaurants using
Mobile Dine Walk-Up Availability on the Disneyland app. My planDisney pals and I were able to successfully add ourselves to the walk-up list at
Lamplight Lounge - Boardwalk Dining, and we had the best time enjoying the lovely weather, laughing, sipping cocktails and sharing the incredible Lobster Nachos. YUM!
I hope this helps, Emily, and I hope you have the most delicious Disneyland vacation! Please feel free to stop by any time with any questions you may have. You've got a friend in me.
Bon appetit!
Mandy