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Advance Dining Reservations System at Walt Disney WorldSee below for lots of additional information and advice about Advance Dining Reservations, including lists of the hard-to-get and easier-to-get locations. Jump to:
When to Reserve Your TableAs of 10/27/09, you can book your reservations 180 days in advance for Disney World restaurants.
Thanks to Small World Vacations for this information and updates. Information and Advice About Advance Dining ReservationsJump to: Go to http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants to familiarize yourself with the Disney restaurants and the dining system before your 180 day mark. Have fun clicking the menus in the right hand column. Make a list of your preferred dining locations. Next, create a daily itinerary including which park you will tour and where you plan to eat. These two links are useful when scheduling your days: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/ and http://www.touringplans.com Be ready to book your preferred dining locations online at 6:00 am ET, exactly 180 days from the day you check-in at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants. Click on the “Book Your Reservation” link in orange under the photo of your preferred restaurant. Booking online gives you a one hour jump over calling for reservations. Click “retrieve your reservation.” If you will be staying at a Disney owned-and-operated resort, your Walt Disney World reservation confirmation # is necessary to book Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) for 180 + 10 days from your arrival date. DO NOT click the “disassociate your reservation” tab. If you do, you will only be able to book one day at 180 days in advance and your ADRs will not be tied to your vacation reservation. Once Disney loads your reservation information, you will see your check-in date in a rectangular box. Click on the calendar symbol, and your check-in date will be highlighted in orange. The total number of days that you are able to book ADRs will be highlighted in blue. If you are flexible, click the date range box, and Disney will search for dining availability for up to five days Have a credit card ready for Cinderella’s Royal Table, Princess Storybook meals in Epcot, California Grille in the Contemporary, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Spirit of Aloha Luau and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. Disney will only charge your card if you don’t cancel on time (24-48 hours in advance, depending on location). Call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463) or your travel agent if you have questions. If you are on the Dining Plan, you should not pay for the dinner shows. The system should recognize that you are on the Dining Plan and not charge you. Be sure to choose Level 2 or 3 seating for the Hoop Dee Doo or the Luau. You might find more availability if you try to book your ADRs at quarter past or quarter to the hour, instead of on the hour (i.e., 9:15 am instead of 9:00 am). If you can’t get an ADR for one of the more popular locations such as Cinderella’s Royal Table, keep trying each day at the 180 day mark. It is rumored that Disney opens up more tables exactly 180 days prior to the day you want to dine. Toward the end of your vacation, you might find better availability for the more popular locations such as Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Le Cellier and 1900 Park Fare. This is because people arriving before you whose vacation overlaps your stay grabbed those ADRs during their 180 + 10 window. It is often easy to get ADRs at the Disney resorts at lunch time. This is a great way to take a break from the parks: go back to your hotel, eat lunch and enjoy the pool or take a nap. Print out a list of your ADR confirmation numbers. Bring it with you to each dining location. Better safe than sorry. Note: at this time, the Fantasmic! Dinner Package, Victoria and Albert's and certain specialty dining experiences are not bookable online and must be arranged by calling Disney Dining at (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463). The tips above are excerpted from "Sue Says: Use Our Tips for Disney’s Online Dining Reservations System", an article by Sue Pisaturo in the July 15, 2009 MouseSavers Newsletter. Thanks, Sue! The fastest way to make your dining reservations is almost certainly to use Disney's new online booking system. If for some reason you need or want to use the phone, be aware that hold times can be long when calling Disney's Dining Reservations department at (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463), particularly first thing in the morning (because of people trying to book super time-critical reservations like Cinderella's Royal Table) and 180 days before any major holiday. You'll usually get through more quickly on weekday evenings after about 8:00 pm ET. The reservations department is open until 10:00 ET. One of the more aggravating aspects of the Dining Reservations phone system is that it tries to force you to respond to a large number of questions before you even reach a person. Those questions are providing demographic and marketing information for Disney. Since you're making a toll call, my position is that it's ridiculous for Disney to expect you to pay for its research! Here's how to get to a person more quickly. When the system asks if you are already in Orlando and/or need a reservation for the next 7 days, say yes (or press 1). This shaves at least a minute or two off by bypassing the demographic questions. It makes no difference otherwise. Note that the system is now voice-activated but you can still press "1" or "2" in answer to the questions. Restaurants You Really Must Book in Advance If you want to attend the Cinderella's Royal Table Character Breakfast, it is critical to call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463) at 7:00 am ET, 180 days in advance. It sells out within minutes each day when reservations open. (Lunch and dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table sell out quickly, too.) Full prepayment in advance is required for Cinderella's Royal Table. The Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort also sells out every morning, exactly 180 days in advance. There is only one Chef's Table seating each night and it is not available Wednesdays and Fridays. Reservations at (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463) open at 7:00 am ET. A credit card guarantee is required. Reservations are required for these locations -- you will never get a walk-up table:
Reservations are virtually required for these very popular locations -- chances of getting a walk-up are almost nil:
Other locations that are sold out in advance more often than not:
Can't get a reservation at the restaurant you want?
Don't want to make reservations? Then be prepared for very limited or even zero choices, particularly if you are visiting during a weekend, holiday, summer or Spring Break period (mid-February through mid-April). Don't count on being able to walk up at ANY of the table-service restaurants in Magic Kingdom or Disney's Hollywood Studios at any time of year. If you must do walk-up seating, your best bets are:
In addition, certain Disney resort table-service restaurants are open at lunch: Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge, Kona Cafe at Polynesian Resort, Grand Floridian Cafe at Grand Floridian Resort, Captain's Grille (formerly Yacht Club Galley) at Yacht Club Resort, Olivia's at Old Key West and The Wave at Contemporary Resort. They are usually not all that busy in the middle of the day, when most people are in the theme parks. Not only are these usually easy tables to get, they provide a relaxing break from the crowds. Beaches and Cream is a table-service restaurant at Beach Club Resort that does not take reservations. Be aware that it is very popular, however, so waits can be long. Some of the table-service restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin are very good and may not be fully booked. Restaurants in Downtown Disney are usually not busy at lunch, because most people are in the theme parks. You will usually need reservations for dinner in Downtown Disney, however. Canceling ReservationsOther than prepaid reservations and reservations that are guaranteed by a credit card, you don't technically HAVE to cancel reservations you won't be using. However, it is the right thing to do, since reservations can be so hard to come by. When you cancel, you may be making it possible for another family to enjoy that restaurant. If your plans change, you are responsible for canceling any Advance Dining Reservations that require a credit card guarantee or prepayment. If you do not cancel such reservations, the normal penalty will be charged. Cancelling a Disney resort reservation does not automatically cancel your Advance Dining Reservations! Back to top MouseSavers.com® is not an official site of The Walt Disney Company or of Universal Studios. Content of MouseSavers.com is © MouseSavers, Inc. 2001-2010. Website content may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of MouseSavers, Inc. Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions of Use - Marketing Disclosure |
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