Hello Diana! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
When my family dined at
Be Our Guest Restaurant on our first Walt Disney World Resort vacation, my daughter was sure to show Beast just how loud she could roar! The pictures we took at that moment were some of the best from our entire vacation.
You are correct that the only current opportunity for Guests to Meet and shake the paw of the owner of Beast's Castle is by making
Advanced Dining Reservations for dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant. Reservations may be made up to 180 days in advance for dining opportunities at Walt Disney World Resort which means that reservations are currently available to all Guests up to the middle of November at the time of this response.
When the 180-day window opens in a couple of weeks, you will want to log into your
My Disney Experience Account and get your Advanced Dining Reservations as early as possible, as Be Our Guest Restaurant is extremely popular and reservations are often hard to come by.
For an Advanced Dining Reservation for November 27th, the 180-day booking window will open on May 31, 2017.
Another opportunity for a fan of the Beast is at neighboring
Enchanted Tales with Belle. During this experience, 1 lucky Guest(a child) is chosen from the group to play the part of the hairy hero himself. My daughter has also donned the red cape and showcased her roar for Belle at this attraction, as well.
Bon Appétit!
~Todd