Hi, there!
Welcome back to planDisney, Patrick. We just love when you stop by!
Traveling to the
Walt Disney World Resort with a big group is sure to be BIG fun. I vacationed with my extended family of 14 a few years ago, and we had the best time together in
and out of the theme parks! We especially enjoyed mealtime because it gave us a chance to sit back, relax, and chat about all the magical adventures we were experiencing together. I was in charge of making all our dining reservations, and I had no trouble booking them all online! When booking your family's dining reservations online, you may find that you are not able to book a reservation for your entire group at select restaurants. If you can't create a party size of 14 when searching for availability at a particular dining location, not to fret! The solution is to split up your party size and book separate reservations for the same time. When I was making my family's dining reservations, the online system for
San Angel Inn Restaurante was unable to process a dining reservation for all 14 of us. I made two reservations; one for a party of 10 and another for a party of 4. When we arrived at the restaurant, I told the Cast Member at the check-in stand that we were actually
one party of 14 and that we'd like to sit together. In just a few minutes, tables were pushed together to accommodate us, and we were dining under a starlit Mexican sky!
You can book your dining reservations online beginning 60-days prior to your arrival. The booking window opens at 6:00 AM, and I recommend being prepared to make your reservations that early in the morning! The sooner you book your dining reservations, the better availability you'll find. While you're waiting for your booking window to open up, take some time to explore the
Disney Dining online system. If you have a particular restaurant in mind for your upcoming visit, take a look at their party size counter. Knowing which restaurants can process reservations for your large party and which will require you to split your party size up ahead of time will speed up the booking process!
Be sure everyone in your group reviews the
Know Before You Go section of the Walt Disney World Resort website while you're all counting down the days to your family reunion. It has lots of important information about the health and safety measures that are being taken in and out of the theme parks!
I hope this was helpful, Patrick. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Ashley