Greetings, Alex! I'm so happy you stopped by planDisney with this fabulous question because FOOD is my favorite topic, especially when it's Mickey-shaped. Your
Walt Disney World Resort visit will be extra magical since you'll experience it with your extended family. Let's look at how booking advanced dining reservations will work. Tie a napkin 'round your neck, cherie!
Guests can begin booking meals
60 days in advance, so your window will open soon. When you
choose your dining experiences online, you'll be asked to select the number of guests on each reservation. You won't provide names for everyone when booking, so it shouldn't matter if you've purchased your tickets together.
If you're
linked and sharing plans with your brother's family, you can go into your account later and select guests for each meal from your Family & Friends list. This will allow them to see the reservations in their itineraries.
Sometimes, restaurants have limited availability for large groups, so you might have to make multiple bookings depending on how many seats you need. Since the system only allows a guest to hold one reservation per meal period, you can recruit family members to make additional bookings at or about the same time. When you arrive at the location, let the host know you'd like to be seated together, and they'll do their best to combine your parties or seat you close.
A large group of my friends and I attend an annual reunion at the theme parks. We're typically scattered over several resorts and use various admission types, but we always book a few meals together. Those moments of slowing down and reconnecting over a delicious meal are often the highlight of the visit. We recently dined at
Topolino's Terrace at Disney's Riviera Resort and were thrilled to catch
Luminous The Symphony of Us from the rooftop after dinner. It was mesmerizing!
Alex, I hope your family makes memories to treasure on your upcoming visit. Please stop by
planDisney anytime. We'd love for you to be our guest!
Magic awaits,
Elaine