The Ins and Outs of Disney World’s Advance Dining Reservation System

by Mommy Frog on March 3, 2024 596 Orlando

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As you've probably learned by now, Walt Disney World vacations require lots of planning, and dining is no different. While the quick-service restaurants in the parks are always an option, most families visiting Disney World would like to include at least one table-service meal. For that, we highly recommend making Advance Dining Reservations, or "ADRs" for short. With dinner shows, character meals, fine dining, buffets, deluxe views and everything in between ... yeah, it's safe to say you'll want to book an ADR or two for your next trip!

Ins and Outs of Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations - Mobile Check-In Sign

 

Overview of Disney World Dining Reservations

With four theme parks, Disney Springs and multiple resort hotels, Disney World offers more than 100 table-service restaurants to choose from! There's a wide variety of cuisine, restaurant styles and theming.

For some of you, dining at Disney World is a big-time affair. If you see your trip as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and want to pull out all the stops, you should consider making reservations for at least one character dining experience and a few table-service restaurants, maybe for one of the hard-to-get restaurants or even for a romantic night out while the tadpoles stay with a babysitter. If this sounds like you, you'll want to make reservations as early as possible and consider staying on-site, especially during the busiest times.

Ins and Outs of Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations - Topolino's Bread Spread

However, if fine dining or character dining is less of a priority, you don't need to lose too much sleep over Disney World dining reservations. Unless you are visiting during one of the busiest times of the year, you should be able to find a few table-service options much closer to your actual trip date (especially at EPCOT), or even while you're there. If you're fortunate enough to be visiting during the least-busy times of the year, you'll have even more last-minute choices. You can also now cancel up to two hours before your reservation, allowing more flexibility with changing plans. And keep in mind that Disney has tons of tasty quick-service options, as well. Even if you don't book any dining reservations, you'll never go hungry!

Planning Your Disney World Dining Reservations

Guide to Advanced Dining Reservations - The Hollywood Brown Derby

All guests (even those staying off-site) can make Disney World dining reservations. Unlike some perks offered exclusively to those staying on-site at a Disney World hotel (such as the Early Theme Park Entry benefit), ADRs are available to all guests, regardless of where you're staying.

Park admission is required for in-park dining. Just to be clear, you must have valid theme park admission (and a Disney Park Pass reservation for select ticket types) for the location of your meal. So, if you're dining at the Jungle Skipper Canteen, you'll need to have the proper tickets to enter Magic Kingdom for the date of your meal.

You can make Disney World dining reservations for your trip starting 60 days in advance. (In the past, this window had been 180 days.) No matter what time of year you’ll be visiting, we recommend making reservations as close as you can to the magical 60-day mark. For guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel (including Shades of Green), you’ll have 60 days in advance of your check-in day ... plus, you can make dining reservations for your entire stay, up to 10 days. This is quite an advantage if dining is a priority, especially during the busiest times, so you'll want to make sure you book your Disney World hotel room before the dining reservation window opens for your trip. Then you can book all of your days at once (Hop Tip: Start with the most in-demand restaurants on your list first when reserving).

It's not uncommon to find that the most popular restaurants, such as Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest, fill up quickly. The longer you wait, the less chance you’ll have of eating at one of your favorite restaurants or experiencing a dinner show. That said, there are still ways of snagging those last-minute reservations, which we'll discuss below.

Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom

Making advance dining reservations is just one step of the planning process! For a full timeline of planning out your Disney World trip, check out our Jump Start guide, which has all of the info you need in one place.

If reservations are really important to you, make sure you have already planned which days you will be going to the parks before your 60-day reservation window opens. It is almost impossible to plan daily meals for your vacation without knowing where you’re going each day. You can use our Crowd Calendar to help you decide which parks to visit on which day. Keep in mind, reservations do sometimes start ahead of park opening hours, and you can get into the parks early. Sometimes you can also snag reservations close to or after the official park closure time, as well. (You'll find this is very common with Oga's Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, for instance.)

For those of you staying off-site, if you have a dining reservation in the park before it opens, you will be allowed in early (usually about 30 minutes before the start of your reservation). Look for cast members with signs for reservation check-in, or specially marked turnstiles. This can sometimes be a good strategy for getting a jump on popular attractions if the restaurant is further back in the park. Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, for example, offers early reservations and is right near two of the most popular attractions in the park: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight.

Booking Your Disney World Dining Reservations

Ins and Outs of Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations - Les Chefs de France

Make sure you have the latest version of the My Disney Experience app. Several new features are only supported on the latest version of the app, so update the app before your trip to take advantage of them. For example, when you arrive for a dining reservation, you can use Mobile Dine Check-In at select restaurants through the app. From a push notification or QR code, you'll be able to check in. Once your table is ready, you'll be notified to proceed to a specified location. Note that you'll need to enable location services and be very close to the dining location to allow online check-in.

If, on the other hand, you did not get advance dining reservations and decide to eat at a participating table-service restaurant once you are there, you can use the app to add yourself to the Mobile Walk-Up List. You can scan a QR code in the restaurant lobby and proceed via the app. My Disney Experience is also where you can view menus for any restaurant and Mobile Order for quick-service restaurants.

Have your credit card ready when you make your Disney World dining reservations. Make sure you have a credit card ready before booking your dining reservations. You can also enter your credit card information in your My Disney Experience account in advance. Disney holds your reservation with a credit card guarantee, and if you do not show up to your reservation or cancel within two hours of your reservation, you will be charged $10 a person. Disney does not charge you in advance for your meal unless you are booking a dinner show (such as Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue) or dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table inside Cinderella Castle.

Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations

Here's how to book Disney World dining reservations online: Log into your My Disney Experience account and under the Things to Do tab, click Make Reservations under Dining. The reservation window opens around 5:45 a.m. ET each day (the reservation hotline opens up at 7 a.m. ET). This will take you to another page that lists all of the restaurants on property. You’ll then enter the number of people in your party, date and time of day, and can filter your results by park, resort hotel or area (such as Disney Springs or Disney's BoardWalk). The search results will show which restaurants have availability that day. You can then click on the desired time and create your reservation. Voila!

In a recent update to the website, you can filter to see all available times at a restaurant versus only a select few, making it easier to see all possible choices. You may also choose to look at only reservations for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If looking at one restaurant, you can also now select a range of dates and you'll be given a list of all available timeslots for those dates. We are very happy with this feature as it makes it easier when booking for your entire trip.

Disney World Dining Reservations - Dining Reservation

Once you finish entering your details, your reservation should appear on your My Disney Experience account. You can make same-day reservations for restaurants if they’re available. If you need to cancel your dining reservation or change the number of people dining, you can do so on the website, so long as your reservation is not within two hours. At that point, visit Guest Relations in the parks or call the reservation hotline to modify your existing reservation.

Here's how to make a Disney World dining reservation on the My Disney Experience app: Click on the plus sign in a circle at the bottom of the screen, which will pop up with different options. Choose Check Dining Availability and enter the number of people in the party, date and time of day — as well as an option for "now" to see same-day, walk-up availability. You can also search for reservations in the app by experience or cuisine and location. Just like on the site, you can make same-day reservations for restaurants if they’re available.

Making Disney World dining reservations over the phone: Making an ADR over the phone should be used only when you do not have access to the app or website, or need to cancel a reservation within two hours leading up to it. To make or cancel a reservation over the phone, call 407-WDW-DINE and listen to each of the options.

Tips for Disney World Dining Reservations

Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations — Date range selection

You can search through a range of dates. Available on either the website or app, you can now search for multiple dates when viewing a restaurant. On the website, once you select your initial date, you can click on "Check Availability for Multiple Days". This will take you to a calendar where you can select one to ten days. On the app, the calendar will pop up after you select "Reserve Dining". This makes it a lot easier to find reservations, especially if you are flexible with your dates.

You can now cancel your reservation up to two hours in advance. An update now allow guests to cancel dining reservations on the app up to two hours before with no penalty. If you cancel after that or do not show up, you will pay the cancellation fee of $10 per person. Previously, the window was 24 hours in advance. This feature is extra hopful for when plans change the day of.

Note that exclusions apply and certain dining experiences, such as Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Victoria & Albert's and Monsieur Paul, have their own separate cancellation policies.

Ins and Outs of Disney World Advanced Dining Reservations - Mobile Check-In and Availability Sign

How to snag last-minute reservations: We like to think there is an art to snagging last-minute reservations, but sometimes it's just good old-fashioned luck. If we have a last-minute trip to Disney or we've waited to book dining reservations, we've had luck scoring popular restaurants. As soon as we've finalized our plans for which park we'll be at on which day, we start checking My Disney Experience periodically for the week or so leading up to our trip (and refreshing a few times as well). This is when other guests are also finalizing their trip details, and sometimes end up deciding not to keep their dining reservations. You can sometimes grab day-of reservations as people cancel.

In a recent update to the website version, you can now see all available times on any given day, making it easier to find the best reservation timeframe for you. If looking on the My Disney Experience app, we recommend clicking on various times instead of only checking meal sections. So instead of only clicking on "lunch," we recommend clicking the 12 p.m. slot, then the 1 p.m. slot, and so on until something pops up.

We've also had luck obtaining same-day reservations by simply showing up and asking about availability. It never hurts. We've even been able to snag same-day reservations when there was rain. Because EPCOT has so many dining options, you can often find last-minute reservations for some of its restaurants.

The Mobile Dine Walk-up List is another option if you come across a participating restaurant. You can look for Mobile Dine Walk-up availability in the app. Scan a QR code in the restaurant lobby and add your party to the list.

Disney Dining Reservations - STK

If you want to dine at Disney Springs, also try Open Table. Many of the most popular restaurants at Disney Springs, such as The BOATHOUSE, Morimoto Asia and Raglan Road, offer additional reservation times on Open Table. So if you can't snag an ADR or the time you want isn't available in My Disney Experience, try Open Table.

Arrive on time. Disney is strategic with the way it schedules its reservations. Be sure to arrive on time, if not early, to make things easier for everyone! If your reservation is at the start of a dining period (some restaurants are only open for breakfast and dinner, with a break ending around 4 p.m.), there is likely to be a rush of new guests. We've also had good luck with checking in 15 minutes early and being sat fairly quickly.

So there you have it: our favorite tips for making Disney dining reservations. We want to hear YOUR favorite ADR spots in the comments. Have a question? Just ask. If you have tips we didn't mention, share them in the comments below.

Related: Our Complete Guide to Character Dining at Walt Disney World

Related: Start Your Planning With Our Jump Start Guide to Disney World

Hoppy planning!

Keep hopping, Mommy Frog!
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Dec 1, 2019 at 11:47 p.m. Kevin Mahoney Says...

Which method do you recommend, online with My Disney Experience or using the app. My window for reservations opens next week and am just curious. I think the app seems a little slow at times. Also, would it be possible to use both? Or can you only be logged in on one at a time?

Reply
Dec 2, 2019 at 8:10 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kevin!

We use the app for convenience when we aren't near a computer (or when we're in the parks, of course) but tend to make our initial reservations using the website otherwise. You can, however, log in to both to see which is faster on the morning of! Once you see which is fastest, we'd suggest sticking with one method so things don't get confusing.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Nov 14, 2019 at 5:02 p.m. Jennifer Says...

Thanks for all of the information! If I have an ADR for breakfast at 8:00AM but Epcot doesn't open until 9:00AM, how does this work? If we are late for an 8:00AM reservation due to security, long lines, etc., is there any leniency?

Reply
Nov 14, 2019 at 11:31 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jennifer!

You'll be allowed into the park a half an hour prior to your reservation, so plan to be at the park entrance around 7:30! Look for a cast member with a "Dining Reservations" sign (previously, they'd be on the far right hand side of the entrance). They'll verify your reservation and let you in through a separate entrance :) Enjoy!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 at 5:15 p.m. Kathy Kwan Says...

Hi,

I have a question about the ADR cancellation period. Is it 24 hours before, or do you have until midnight the night before to cancel most dining reservations?

Thanks!

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 at 4:06 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kathy!

Reservations can be canceled up to 11:59 p.m. the day before the reservation to avoid the charge.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 8, 2019 at 10:06 p.m. Brooke Waycaster Says...

We are traveling to disney Sept 21-30. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the Extra Extra Magic Hours (EEMH) in September and early morning breakfast reservations. For instance I have a reservation at 7:00 am at CRT for a morning where there are EEMH. Is that beneficial or should I try to get breakfast reservations later in the morning? Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

Reply
Sep 9, 2019 at 10:17 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Brooke!

Personally, we'd try to take advantage of rides during EEEMH, then hop to breakfast once the park starts to fill up a little later in the morning :)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 1, 2019 at 12:18 a.m. Sherry Says...

I'm not staying at a Disney hotel and really want to take advantage of early magic hours. Couldn't I just get breakfast reservations, get in the park early, and pay the small penalty for being a no show at the restaurant? It would still be cheaper than staying at a Disney resort.

Reply
Sep 3, 2019 at 8:18 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Sherry!

Dining reservations only permit you to enter the park about a half an hour early, and you'd need to check in with a cast member before being let back into the park, who will then verify your reservation and begin the check-in process. While you could then take advantage of Extra Magic Hours with the other park-goers as you're let back to make your way to the restaurant, you wouldn't get much of an advantage since Extra Magic Hours guests would already would have had time to queue up for half an hour (for example, at Flight of Passage, even with Extra Magic Hours, the wait generally begins at 120 minutes). Plus, even if you no-show, that potentially takes a reservation slot away from another guest in addition to the $10-$25 per person fee. Instead, we'd suggest looking into some of the partner hotels that now offer Extra Magic Hours, such as Swan Dolphin or some of the Disney Springs Resorts, that come at a more affordable price tag to take advantage of this benefit for the whole of the Extra Magic Hour offering.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jul 11, 2019 at 2:55 a.m. Kathryn Says...

I'm looking at the Festival of Lion King dinner packages and see that dates are "greyed" out far longer than other restaurants- do you have to wait until the 60 days beforehand for that because of the show tickets??

Reply
Jul 11, 2019 at 8:55 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kathryn!

We are seeing the same thing on our end! While in theory you should be able to make your dining reservations 180 days in advance, this experience can be a little more sporadic (for example, much like you saw, we can see options through the end of August, which is more than 60 days, but nothing thereafter). We'd recommend continuing to check back, and/or calling to try to make a reservation directly at (407) 939-3463.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 17, 2019 at 1:53 p.m. Sherri Says...

I am going to Disney December 8th. I tried to book reservations for the character breakfast at Trattoria al Forno and there are none. I woke up early to make reservations the day of my 180 mark. I literally was checking the minute they became available and there were no reservations available for the whole week I'm there. Is there some secret to this? I got my ohana dinner reservations, which are very difficult to get as well. I just wondered if they were like holding back some of the character breakfast reservations until closer or if I'm just going to have to continue to check daily. Any insight is appreciated. We go every year and so far this one reservation seems to be the most elusive to me.

Reply
Jun 21, 2019 at 1:01 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Sherri!

As you noted, you can make advance dinner reservations up to 180 days in advance, but this also includes the length of your stay (up to 10 days). Therefore, guests can book reservations up to 10 days past their check-in date. A possible reason why it shows no availability is that guests who have an arrival date just before your arrival date were able to book their reservation during the time that overlaps with the week you're staying. But it is always possible that you can snag a reservation due to cancellations at any time!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 25, 2019 at 6:49 p.m. Matt R. Says...

I definitely question this as well. The site MouseDining shows that if you want a table in the next couple of months at breakfast at Trattoria al Forno there are available spots most days for breakfast or dinner. You could even get one for tomorrow. But looking 5-6 months out and there are zero breakfast spots on any days and barely any days for dinner? I refuse to believe they release them all at 180 or 190 days. I suspect some restaurants only release a small number that far out and then at a closer date release more. For this breakfast I am convinced of that. Would be nice to know what other restaurants may do the same. Finding Storybook, Artist Point very difficult to find a table for. All of the blogs are guilty of never mentioning this and implying all of these places book solid 180 or more days out, but that does not seem to be entirely the case.

Reply
Oct 30, 2019 at 9:55 p.m. Tracy Cosenza Says...

Exactly. We got a last minute coveted trattoria al forno royale breakfast. There were at least 8 tables unoccupied while we were there.

Reply
May 30, 2019 at 4:08 p.m. Michelle Says...

Hi,

If you have deluxe dining plan, do you have to pay in advance for Cinderella's Royal Table? I keep reading different things. Don't they just take two dining credits each?

Thank you!

Michelle

Reply
Feb 24, 2020 at 5:27 p.m. Julie Says...

I called into Disney dining last year. We were on the deluxe dining plan and they just put that information in. They did not charge the credit card at the time since they could see we had the dining plan.

Reply
Jun 6, 2019 at 8:41 p.m. Christina Says...

When you book at CRT you will have the option to use the DDP. When you get to the payment screen just choose the option to use the Dining Plan.

Reply
May 30, 2019 at 12:04 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Michelle!

There are a few on-site restaurants that require payment in advance even if you have a dining plan, and Cinderella's Royal Table is one of them. You'll need to pay in advance to reserve. Once you arrive, if you'd prefer to use your Disney Dining Plan at Cinderella’s Royal Table, all you need to do is tell the Cast Member when you receive your bill, and they will credit the full amount to the credit card that you used to secure the reservation and process your dining credits instead.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
May 4, 2019 at 4:37 p.m. SallieMcG Says...

I just learned that while you can book advance reservations for the Dessert parties similar to restaurants the cancellation policy is very different. You must pay in full when you make the reservation. You must cancel 120 hours (5 days) in advance or you forfeit the entire payment. You can’t wait until the night before and decided you don’t want to go based on the weather prediction.

Reply
Apr 18, 2019 at 6:40 p.m. Kimberly Says...

Hello, we will be traveling in November for 7 nights. I plan to book a Be our Guest dinner towards the end of our trip in hopes of having a better chance snagging a reservation. Will I be able to see the hours for magic kingdom for the days that are more than 180 out? I know Mickeys Christmas will be going on then and don’t want to book on one of those nights as we won’t be getting tickets for that. I know when I look now, the calendar doesn’t go past day 180 but I am hoping once you sign in and to make ADRs that info will be available.

Reply
Apr 19, 2019 at 3:07 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kimberly!

Unfortunately, hours won't be available on the schedule of events for you to see this far in advance - BUT, we've got all of the Christmas Party dates here so that you can double check :) Last year, non-party goers needed to leave the park about 6 p.m. on party nights.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 25, 2019 at 12:51 p.m. Kimberly Says...

Thank you so much, we were thinking Be Our Guest on Friday, November 8. I see that is opening night of Mickeys Christmas, so Thursday it will never! Thank you for your advice!

Reply
Apr 25, 2019 at 7:57 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

You are so welcome, Kimberly! Have a great time! :)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 18, 2019 at 4:27 p.m. Darlene Hofmann Says...

If we book cinderellas royal table on a day for the christmas party. Would we still get kicked out at 4pm if don't have tickets? Say, our reservation was 3:30?

Reply
Apr 19, 2019 at 3:05 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Darlene!

Park-goers without party tickets don't need to start making their way to the exit until 6 p.m. or so, so you should be all set with an early reservation!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 9, 2019 at 9:53 a.m. Brent Says...

Can you make more then 1 reservation per day or is there a limit

Reply
Apr 9, 2019 at 8:18 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Brent!

You sure can make more than one reservation per day! The only caveat is that reservations cannot be within 2 hours of another reservation.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 3, 2019 at 9:50 a.m. miguel Says...

Hi, If I have a reservation for 8:30 am, but regular Park's hours is from 9am, How much time in advance they will let me enter to the park before 8:30?

Reply
Apr 3, 2019 at 8:49 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Miguel!

They'll usually let you back about half an hour before your reservation - so you should be able to head back around 8. There are different checkpoints depending on the park; for example, if your dining reservation is at Magic Kingdom, you'll be allowed to enter through Main Street U.S.A. early (along with others), then will need to look for a Cast Member with a clipboard or tablet. If you're visiting Epcot, you'll see a sign for "Dining Reservations" around the right hand side of the entrance, where a Cast Member will verify your reservation and let you back.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Mar 25, 2019 at 4:55 a.m. Jen Mo Says...

I plan to use a Deluxe Dining Plan for my family of four. Whenever we make Table Service reservations, do we all need to order a meal? There are times when two meals will fill up all four of us. Would that be possible?

Reply
Mar 25, 2019 at 10:29 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jen!

As long as it's not a show, buffet, or character meal, sharing is toadally okay.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Mar 24, 2019 at 10:54 p.m. Kerry Swan Says...

Hi

i have booked to stay at Port Orleans Riverside and would like to purchase Disney tickets with dining plan just for my son only. Can you do this or would I have to purchase adult dining plan for me too?

Reply
Mar 25, 2019 at 8:50 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kerry!

You'd also need to purchase a Dining Plan for yourself.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Mar 21, 2019 at 3:05 p.m. Clarissa Says...

Are we able to view the day's schedule when we book ADRs? Since Rivers of Light and Fantasmic! only run on select nights I want to make sure I'm not booking ADRs too late in the evening.

Reply
Mar 22, 2019 at 9:16 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Clarissa!

Yes, you should be able to see the day's schedule ahead of time here to be able to plan your ADR's accordingly. Once you've found your date, you can then see specific entertainment times by clicking on the 5-day or day view and can also filter by park.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Mar 19, 2019 at 5:25 p.m. Danielle Says...

Can I get the dining plan for my husband and myself, and not for our children? I can't see it being worthwhile for them!

Reply
Mar 19, 2019 at 4:01 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Danielle!

If you're participating in a Dining Plan, every member of your party must participate and your credits are then pooled as a group.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Mar 4, 2019 at 5:23 a.m. Brittany Says...

Hey! If we book a dining reservation at a resort, can we leave the park for dinner and then return to the park after dinner?

Reply
Mar 4, 2019 at 7:46 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Brittany,

You sure can! If you don't have a Park Hopper, you'll just need to make sure you return to the same park you visited earlier; if you do have a Park Hopper, you can hop to whichever park you'd like!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Feb 23, 2019 at 12:35 a.m. catherine Says...

Will I be able to make one advanced dining reservation for a larger party (our family of four + 2 sets of grandparents all staying on Disney property) if we all have separate resort reservations? Or do I need to link our reservations somehow?

Reply
Feb 25, 2019 at 7:34 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Catherine!

There's a couple of ways you can do this. If you're using the My Disney Experience app, you'll want to link the family members together (this helps for making FastPass reservations for the group, as well). You can do this by clicking on "My Disney Experience," then going down to "My Family and Friends," which will take you to a screen that allows you to "Add a Guest" using their reservation number. You can also call to make a reservation directly, in which case you'll just need the total party number and do not have to fuss with linking folks to the app. The number to call to make dining reservations directly is (407) 939-3463.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Feb 18, 2019 at 7:56 p.m. Michelle Says...

Hi, Questions about dining: If you purchased the meal plan, do you still get charged when you make the reservation (for Cinderella's Castle, dinner shows, etc.)? And I had read something about not being able to get preferred seating if you use your meal plan vs. paying separately. Would appreciate any insight. Thank you!

Reply
Feb 21, 2019 at 4:08 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Michelle!

You are correct; for dinner shows or Cinderella's Royal Table, you'll be charged in advance for your reservation, even if you are using a Dining Plan. If you choose to use your Disney Dining Plan at Cinderella's Royal Table, all you need to do is tell the Cast Member when you receive your bill, and they will credit the full amount to the credit card that you used to secure the reservation and process your dining credits instead. You are also correct that for certain shows, there are limitations around your seating tiers if you choose to use the Disney Dining Plan. The Disney Dining Plan can be used for Category 2 or Category 3 seating at all Dinner Shows (pending availability) and Category 1 seating at the 8:30 PM Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (also pending availability).

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 6, 2019 at 8:45 p.m. Christina Says...

Im sorry but you need to stop giving out incorrect information. When booking at CRT, you DO NOT have to pay at time of booking if you have the Deluxe dining plan. When you get to the payment screen in the booking process, you are given the option to use the Dining Plan OR pay. So, please stop telling people they have to pay for Cinderella's Royal Table upfront if they have the Deluxe Dining Plan.

Reply
Jun 7, 2019 at 7:53 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Thanks for the information, Christina! We were giving out this information based on past experience, as well as the information that Disney has provided publicly. We appreciate the update!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Feb 1, 2019 at 2:27 p.m. Fran Says...

We are planning a family (reunion) vacation at Disney world next fall. 19 family members will going. Is it possible to get a dinner reservation for 19 people? If so what is the best way to make our reservations?

Reply
Feb 1, 2019 at 10:02 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Fran!

How fun to do Disney family-style! Yes, making advance dining reservations for a large group IS possible -- it just might take some playing around!

1. 180 days from your arrival, we suggest calling Disney Dining at (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. They may recommend breaking up your party to better accommodate you, in which case, just be sure to ask that your tables are seated close by.

2. If you are looking to dine at Disney Springs, you can also call the restaurant directly to get reservations.

3. Off-times may allow for a little more flexibility with accommodating a large party.

4. With a large group, it can be difficult to make sure everyone is in the same place at the same time! Make sure that your party knows that no one can be seated unless the entire party is present at reservation time. (During our last trip, I actually fibbed about reservation start times and said they were twenty minutes earlier than they actually were to account for delays with family members stuck in lines, foot traffic, caught up in "squirrel!" mode, etc. so that we were all on time!)

I hope this is hopful! Enjoy your trip.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 24, 2019 at 7:05 p.m. Amy Says...

Hi there! We have a reservation for breakfast at Be Our Guest for 10 people. Do we all have to order an entree, or can we share plates?

Reply
Jan 25, 2019 at 9:24 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Amy,

Sharing plates will be no problem. Enjoy!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 13, 2019 at 6:07 p.m. Krista Says...

Hello there, I’m new to this.

I’m wondering where we buy the Disney dining plan to go with our rooms and park tickets? Or do you not sell them directly? Will we need to go to Disney directly for those? Thank you for your help.

Reply
Jan 16, 2019 at 6:32 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Krista,

We don't currently off the dining plan; you would have to purchase a package (tickets and hotel) directly through Disney. The "extra days" comes in because if you stay on-site, you can book dining reservations your full length of stay vs. day by day 180 days in advance of check-in.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 1, 2019 at 8:25 p.m. HOLLY MATTINGLY Says...

We are a group of 7. If two of us do not show up for the reservation made for 7 will we be charged $20?

Reply
Jan 17, 2019 at 11:03 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Holly,

The $10 per person cancellation fee is generally for no-shows and full reservation cancellations. However, if you know in advance that your party number will be shrinking, we recommend giving the restaurant a heads up as soon as possible.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Dec 24, 2018 at 11:40 a.m. Heidi Says...

Just a little update to this post... We just recently booked our ADRs and were charged in full for Cinderella’s breakfast and the fireworks desserts.

Reply
Dec 27, 2018 at 1:21 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Heidi,

Thanks for sharing!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Dec 24, 2018 at 3:51 a.m. Shannon Says...

We have a reservation at mama melrose. Do we also need to have a separate reservation for Fantasmic or does our dinner reservation include the show? Thanks

Reply
Dec 27, 2018 at 2:36 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Shannon,

This is a separate package and sometimes has different dining times. We recommend you reach out to Disney directly if you wish to switch to the Fantasmic package.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Dec 14, 2018 at 11:28 a.m. Michele Says...

Hi my mother in law has decided to come for Christmas so our party will go from 5 to six. Do you think restaurants will be able to add a seat at our table. It won’t let me modify reservation

Reply
Dec 14, 2018 at 9:36 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Michele!

We recommend calling the reservation line at (407) 939-3463. We're pretty confident they'll be able to help you out since it's a small modification :)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Dec 7, 2018 at 6:18 p.m. Adriana Says...

Hi!

I was able to get a reservation for Cinderella´s Royal Table at 8:35pm, but on this day there will be Extra Magic Hours from 8-10pm. Since we are not staying onsite, will we be able to dine at the restaurant?

Thank you!

Reply
Dec 7, 2018 at 5:36 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Adriana!

Since this is pretty well past closing time for off-site guests, we wouldn't count on being able to stay in the park. Play it safe and try finding a reservation within your park hours.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Dec 3, 2018 at 10:26 a.m. Heng Says...

Ok so, I’m trying to surprise my kids, but I have a question, if I booked a resort stay through Disney, but not the park tickets, let’s say I did the tickets through parksaver or through my union, can I still make dinner reservations 180 days in advance? I see that dinning plans aren’t eligible when quoting just resort stay, it says I would need a package deal. Thanks

Reply
Dec 3, 2018 at 8:38 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi there!

Yes, you can book dining reservations 180 days in advance no matter what :) And we do recommend hopping on our discounted tickets!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 16, 2019 at 10:48 p.m. Amy Says...

So, as long as I have on site hotel reservations booked, I can book ADR’s 180 days in advance? Can I wait to purchase my tickets?

Reply
Jun 18, 2019 at 1:09 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Amy,

You would just want to make sure your hotel reservation is linked in your My Disney Experience account. You can wait to purchase tickets, but we'd recommend getting them ahead of your 60-day FastPass+ booking window.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 24, 2018 at 5:01 p.m. Ashley Says...

Hi,

I have made reservations for table dining for a large group. How do I ensure the restaurants removes all 10 ppl I reserved for to be sure I do not get charged anything?

Reply
Oct 25, 2018 at 5:39 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Ashley!

If you're referring to cancelling the reservation, the entire party will be cancelled and there's no need to worry about being charged.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 17, 2018 at 2:59 p.m. Ivanna Says...

The one thing I don’t understand is how do you know when to make a reservation. I don’t want to not go on a ride because we have to make sure we make it to our reservation. Wouldn’t that waste more time? I’m probably more concerned because we only will be going for one day but we have 9 children, so family of 11, so reservations may be helpful. Or maybe just do quick service? Thoughts?

Reply
Oct 17, 2018 at 9:12 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Ivanna!

It just depends on whether rides or meals are your priority. We like to do a combination of quick service and table service restaurants :)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Oct 11, 2018 at 10:46 a.m. Molly Says...

Hi there, Anna and Elsa haven't been in MK for a long time! Just thought you might want to update. ;)

Reply
Oct 12, 2018 at 10:31 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Molly!

Thanks so much for the catch! You're officially an honorary frog for the day ;)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 25, 2018 at 1:52 a.m. Jennifer Says...

We have reservations for 2 adults at Chef Mickey's. I was told that I could walk up that day and tell them there are 2 adults and 1 child (age 5), and they will not turn us away. Is this true? I don't want anyone to be disappointed.

Reply
Sep 25, 2018 at 11:03 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jennifer!

Disney ALWAYS does its best to be accommodating, but we don't like to take advantage. Adding another person to your party may make things difficult for the staff. We recommend finding a reservation for your actual party number to be safe!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 23, 2018 at 11:58 p.m. Ashley Territo Says...

Can you make dinner reservations without having a hotel stay linked ?

Reply
Sep 25, 2018 at 11:24 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Ashley!

Yes, you can ... and we recommend it! All you need is a MyDisneyExperience account, which is free and easy.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 21, 2018 at 2:21 p.m. Kim Says...

We reserved the last reservation time of the evening (8:55 pm) for dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Will the dining be or feel rushed since it is the end of the night? Any insight you could provide on these late night character dining experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Reply
Sep 21, 2018 at 3:28 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kim!

Oh my goodness, not at all! Regardless of whether you're the very first or very last reservation, you'll still get the same wonderful experience. We have never had timing be an issue or felt rushed.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 20, 2018 at 12:37 a.m. Zee Says...

My husband and I are going to Disney in 3 weeks for our honeymoon and are staying on site with the Disney Dining Plan. We have made more advanced reservations than we have credits (using the my disney experience app), and had planned on cancelling several reservations in time, knowing that we'll be charged the $10 each if we dont go. For a few of the restaurants, we had hoped to only have drinks or dessert, and not use a dining credit and pay out of pocket. However, our travel agent says that in order to dine with a reservation, we must use one credit per person since the reservations are linked to our dining plan on the app, and cannot pay out of pocket. I cant find anything specific that says we must use a dining credit with a reservation, not anything that says how we make a reservation if we don't want to use our dining plan for this meal. Thanks!

Reply
Sep 20, 2018 at 3:53 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Zee!

We love your strategy and think it's a great approach to experiencing all of the yummy restaurants Disney has to offer! We have not heard of such a rule. We recommend calling Disney directly at (407) 939-3463 to clarify. We don't think you should have any problems!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 13, 2018 at 9:38 p.m. Tony Says...

When having a reservation for The Crystal Palace, lets say at 8am. I know they let you in early in the park so how do they check for your reservation?

Reply
Sep 20, 2018 at 4:35 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Tony!

They will either ask for you to show the reservation confirmation on your phone or ask for your last name to verify.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 10, 2018 at 4:10 a.m. Joyce sharp Says...

I would like to book a breakfast with Cinderella during the week of Dec 10 thru the 19th. What would be an easy way to do this for 4

Reply
Sep 11, 2018 at 6:43 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Joyce!

You can either reserve online on a desktop or call (407) 939-3463.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 7, 2018 at 11:38 a.m. Kim Says...

If I only list myself and my daughter in MDE can I make an ADR for more than two or am I required to link the friends that will be joining us? Thanks!

Reply
Sep 7, 2018 at 8:23 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kim!

Yes, you can make a reservation for however many people you need without having them connected in MyDisneyExperience.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jan 14, 2021 at 11:24 a.m. Sydney Says...

Hi there!! We have some awesome reservations planned for this weekend, so hard to get reservations. We had three people going, but my friend from Cali has COVID and is no longer going. Do I need to cancel them or can we still go? I don’t mind If they charge 10 bucks for a missing person, I just don’t want to lose these reservations!

Thank you,

Sydney

Reply
Jan 14, 2021 at 7:54 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Sydney!

If you hop into the app and click on the dining reservation, you should see an option to "modify" that will allow you to remove your friend — you can also call (407) 939-3463 to do so. If you're already within your 24-hour window, odds are you won't get charged for her as long as you show up :) You can also pop by a Guest Relations kiosk at the park you're visiting that day. Generally, the fee is only instated when a whole party no-shows. Hope this helps! Have a great time!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 6, 2018 at 7:18 p.m. Scott Says...

Question about the 10 plus days making it 190 if staying on a Disney resourt. Is the plus 10 before my first day. Or up to 10 days after my last day. Thanks

Reply
Sep 12, 2018 at 12:40 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Scott!

It is up to 10 days following your first day, 180 days out.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Aug 31, 2018 at 2:16 a.m. KS Says...

If you book a Disney Springs restaurant through Open Table, can you pay with Disney Dining credits at the time of your meal or only if you book it through Disney's Dining Reservation system?

Reply
Aug 31, 2018 at 3:40 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi!

You can use Disney Dining credits even if you book through Open Table :)

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 23, 2018 at 12:54 p.m. Amber Says...

Hi! We will be staying on WDW property Dec 21-27. We are wanting a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest on Christmas Day. Our 180 day window opens tomorrow June 24...Do you think a dinner reservation will be available? Do i have to wait until 6 to log in to my account to make the reservations or can i be in a few minutes early? Please help I'm so worried about not getting the reservation I want most!

Reply
Jul 11, 2018 at 10:38 p.m. T Says...

i will be at Disney the same exact time and i made all reservations with no problem!!! this includes CRT, Be our guest, narcoossee, the wave... and it goes on and on... enjoy your holiday!

Reply
Jun 25, 2018 at 10:18 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Amber,

Hope you were able to secure the reservation you wanted!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 20, 2018 at 5:18 p.m. Rod Munch Says...

I am staying on resort for 6 days, then off resort for 8 days. Will I only be able to make advance reservations for the first 6 days of my trip at 180 days prior to check in? Or can I reserve for 10 days, including 4 days I have moved off resort?

Reply
Jun 23, 2018 at 12:19 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Rod!

You will only be able to book for the first six days that you are staying on property, then able to book 180 days in advance for each day following.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 18, 2018 at 4:16 p.m. First time disney Says...

We are staying on resort for 6 nights from 6 April 2019, then a further 8 nights offsite. Will we be able to access ADR for the first 10 days of our trip from 8 October 2018 (-180 days). Or will we only be able to book for the first 6 days when we are on resort?

Reply
Jun 23, 2018 at 12:18 a.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi there!

You will only be able to book for the first six days that you are staying on property, then able to book 180 days in advance for each day following.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 13, 2018 at 6:11 p.m. Nikki Says...

HI! I purchased a room ( 1 night stay) through undercover tourist. Can I add the dining plan for that 1 night stay through you? Disney told me I could not through them because I booked the hotel room from undercover tourist, so I should check to see if I can purchase it here.

Reply
Jun 14, 2018 at 12:01 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Nikki,

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer the dining plan!

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Sep 2, 2018 at 6:43 p.m. Amanda Says...

How do we book a dining plan if we booked our hotel through you?

Reply
Jun 12, 2018 at 4:36 p.m. Lisa Apovian Says...

We arrive on Christmas Day! Very excited - it's our first time for the holidays. 2 questions.

1. Best place to dine on Christmas.

2. Is the spirit of aloha worth it? Heard mixed reviews.

Thank you

Reply
Jun 13, 2018 at 10:21 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Lisa!

We love Spirit of Aloha! Christmas is very busy, so be sure to grab a dining reservation for whatever you're in the mood for. We love doing a fun character meal like Chef Mickey's! Later in the year, Disney may announce special meals available on Christmas Day.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 13, 2018 at 10:21 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Lisa!

We love Spirit of Aloha! Christmas is very busy, so be sure to grab a dining reservation for whatever you're in the mood for. We love doing a fun character meal like Chef Mickey's! Later in the year, Disney may announce special meals available on Christmas Day.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 7, 2018 at 3:08 p.m. Jen Says...

I have a reservation at Port Orleans for December and I'm getting ready to make ADRs and will benefit from the 180+10 policy for CRT and BOG. What happens if my trip dates change and/or we later decide to stay off property? Will canceling the room also cancel the ADRs?

Reply
Jun 7, 2018 at 12:17 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Jen!

Awesome plan! As long as your potential change of plans takes place within the 180-day window, there will be no reason that the reservations would be cancelled, even if you're staying off property. No worries! Just make it clear when you call guest services.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Jun 1, 2018 at 9:05 p.m. Kary A Says...

Advice/Experience?

We booked a December stay (At a Disney resort) and wanted to arrive a day earlier, however our resort had no availability that day. So i booked a second reservation for the full stay, at a different Disney resort (which we don't like as much) keeping both. Now my ADR day is one day earlier. When I call to change the resort reservation, probably a split stay - 6 days at one 4 days at another - will my ADRs be cancelled? I dont feel they shoudl since we are staying on Disney properties the entire time and are only moving because of lack of availabiity.

Hope this is clear! Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated!

Reply
Jun 1, 2018 at 6:06 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Kary!

We invite the Frog Pond to chime in, as we haven't experienced this ourselves - but we don't think there should be any problem here. Dining reservations are 180 days in advance of your trip regardless of whether you're staying off-site or on-site.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
May 12, 2018 at 8:54 p.m. Hayley Says...

Hi. We were looking to book BOG for breakfast at 8:20am on the first day of our trip. We are not staying onsite and the park doesn't open until 9am. Will we be able to gain entry into the park at 8am with us not staying at a Disney hotel? And do you know what time the ticket centre opens as we will only have paper tickets on that day and will need them exchanging to the plastic card tickets but are unsure if we will be able to do this at that time in the morning . Thank you

Reply
May 17, 2018 at 1:40 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Hayley,

You will have no problem getting into the park early if you have a reservation. The ticket windows typically open an hour ahead of park opening.

Hoppy planning!

Mommy Frog

Reply
Apr 15, 2018 at 11:40 p.m. Shannon Says...

We are going next spring and have booked our rooms at shades of green but we are waiting till fall to purchase our park tickets to see if they will extend the salute to the armed forces for another year. Do you have to have park tickets linked in my disney experience before you can make ADRs or just the hotel reservation??

Reply
Apr 15, 2018 at 10:41 p.m. FrogBlog Says...

Hi Shannon!

You will be able to make your ADR's six months in advance, regardless!

Keep hopping!

Leap

Reply
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