Hi there Ayesha and welcome to planDisney!
Congratulations on booking your upcoming vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. October will be here before you know it and with it all sorts of fall fun for you and your fellow travelers. Ayesha in just a few days it'll be a very important day in your planning process.
Your 60-day booking window will open! That's right exactly 60 days prior to your arrival date, you'll be eligible to start making those reservations for your
Enchanting Extras Collection choices. But in my opinion, the most important reservations you'll be able to make are your
Advanced Dining Reservations. Walt Disney World is a foodie's dream and it's always my favorite part of planning to line up my dining. Now my upcoming trip includes a party of 10 so I'm no stranger to the finer points of making reservations for an interestingly sized party. I'm happy to share with you what I learned during my booking adventure.
A few tips about restaurants and reservations at the Walt Disney World Resort:
1. Reservations will go live at 6 AM EST sharp on your 60-day window. On that day I suggest getting up with the chickens with your
My Disney Experience app open and ready to go. Some restaurants are very popular and get completely full incredibly fast, so the early bird has the best chance of getting the worm.
2.. They don't all accept bookings for large parties. There were some on the property like Yak & Yeti Restaurant in Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park that could only accommodate a party of 5 when I tried.
Don't feel bummed out if the restaurant seems to not accept 7. There's a special trick I learned to help your whole party share a meal. One trick that worked for me was actually breaking my party into 2 smaller groups. Because there are so many adults and I'm in charge of planning, I actually have access to my own My Disney Experience log-in information as well as some of the other adults in my group. I was able to use those 2 accounts to book 2 reservations at the same place for the same or very close time slots. Now if you decide to take this route, you'll need to arrive a little early at your restaurant of choice and speak with the Cast Member at the podium. Ask them if your party can be seated together or at least near each other. While there are no guarantees, especially if the restaurant is experiencing a huge influx of Guests, they'll do their best to help you. Pack your patience as you may have to wait a bit for the correct seating to become available.
Pro-tip: Start playing around in your My Disney Experience app now to find some locations that will outright accept a party of 7. A short investigation just now led me to some great spots like
The Crystal Palace,
Steakhouse 71, and
Ale & Compass Restaurant just to name a few. Just tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen and select Check Dining Availability. set your Party Size to 7 and see what fun options pop up at random.
Ayesha, I hope I've been able to help you today. If you have any other questions, please feel free to
come back for another chat. I'm happy to help!
Happy planning!
Taylor