NEWS: Disney World Reveals Big Upgrades to Make Advanced Dining Reservations & Planning Easier

Over the last week new updates have rolled out and guests can now see new tools and features on the Disneyland and Walt Disney World websites and mobile apps that help guests plan their meals and find dining reservations during their Disney vacation. Learn more below.

New features include:

• Dining availability calendar: Guests can now easily see an overview of which dates a specific dining location has dining reservations available. Dates with available reservations are indicated with a green dot on the calendar.

• Search across multiple dates at ALL dining locations: Our expanded search by date range allows you to view availability for ALL dining locations across multiple dates (up to 10 days), rather than only one location across a date range.

• Time range slider: Now there’s a new slider feature that lets you filter dining reservations down to a specific hour so you can see what’s available exactly when you want to eat

• New filters and labels: For guests looking for something specific, our search function will have new features that let you filter by location, meal type (breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner), and for our Walt Disney World guests, by Disney dining plans. It’s also easier to see which dining reservations offer Disney character dining experiences.

We are really happy to see this changes!

RELATED ARTICLE: Top 8 Reasons You Need to Book Your Dining Reservations in Advance at Disney World

by Matt and Kim

Whether you are looking to dine at Disney as a party of 2, 8, or 20 – advanced dining reservations are the way to go. Keep in mind – as a Disney Resort guest, you can book your dining reservations 60 days from your check-in date. The trick to landing the dining reservation of your dreams is to be ready to book the day your 60-day advanced dining reservation opens. We don’t just mean that DAY – we mean the moment you can put the reservation online (6:00 am) or speak with a Cast Member over the phone when they open for the day (7:00 am). Non-resort guests are also welcome to book 60 days in advance but are not able to book for the length of their trip. You would have to call or book online each day, 60 days in advance of the reservation date. With this being said, resort guests have the potential of booking 70 days in advance, giving them the greater advantage of snagging those hard to get dining spots! Whether you are booking as a resort or non-resort guest, here are our top reasons why making those reservations in advance will save you (and your stomach) from grumbling.

1 – “No Tables Available.”

We’ve all seen it on the Disney website… “No Tables Available,” and we’ve heard it several times – “I just want to eat at Space 220, but we can’t get in!” Booking as soon as possible can provide you with a greater chance of dining at those restaurants that seem impossible to get into. We suggest if you’d like to avoid the dreaded “No Tables Available,” know your advanced dining reservation window and take advantage of it.

2 – Minimize Your Wait Times

While you can now use the My Disney Experience app to join a virtual walk-up list at participating restaurants, not all restaurants have this option. So you may still run into a situation where you have decided you would like to eat at a particular location, but the hostess is telling you the wait will likely be two hours! Too bad even the magic at Disney isn’t strong enough to turn this moment into a happy one. We have easily heard of two-hour or more wait times, even in the slower months at Disney. You also have to anticipate being told particular restaurants aren’t accepting any walk-ups for the day. While making an advanced reservation doesn’t mean you are free of a slight wait, you still know roughly what time you are to be seated and can let your stomach rest easily that food is coming soon!

3 – An Accurate Budget

When you know in advance which restaurants you are dining at, you have the opportunity to budget appropriately for meal costs. Meals are always tricky to budget, but if you know where you are dining, you can check out the pricing ranges and plan for each family member. You can also check out the restaurant’s tipping policy and plan how much gratuity will be charged.

4 – Menu Friendly

Do you have picky eaters? Is there a particular allergy in your family? Is there something on the menu you will enjoy? An advanced dining reservation lets every guest in your party plan ahead if they like. Menus are available online, and browsing before your trip just adds to the fun! You can also mention any allergies you may have and add this to your reservation so Cast Members will know the moment you enter the restaurant.

5 – Get into the Parks Early

That’s right! Some of the park restaurants offer breakfast before the park even opens! We love having breakfast at Magic Kingdom before the crowd arrives. Disney even has PhotoPass Cast Members that can take your family picture on the empty Main Street U.S.A. in front of the Castle. Plus, finish your meal before the park opens, and you are one of the first in line at the attraction entrance.

6 – Primo Spots for Special Events

Sing-along at Hoop Dee Doo Revue – these are a couple of perfect examples of booking your dining reservation in advance can potentially get you fantastic seats center stage! Whether you are trying to catch the fireworks or have a view of the parade, timing and advanced reservations are a must. Of course, making your reservation in advance is never a guarantee for primo seats, but chances are much better than if you didn’t!

7 – Meet Characters with No Fuss

So your little one REALLY wants to meet Cinderella and eat in her Castle? Unfortunately, if you wait to book the character dining spots, the chances of you dining with the characters are slim to none. Our suggestion is to book a character dining experience in advance, then surprise your little one with breakfast, lunch, or dinner they will simply never forget! But again… this can only happen by making your reservation well in advance.

8 – Keep to a Schedule

Parade times, show times – there is a lot to keep up within a park’s daily schedule. If you have made your advanced dining reservations, this helps all other planning pieces fall into place. Once you have your reservations set, you can begin to plan out the rest of your schedule for the day. Not only will this put less stress on the family or group traveling together to make last-minute decisions, but it takes out all the guessing game on what’s to come.

If you are like us, advanced dining reservations are a must for our big and small trips alike. We enjoy the occasional spontaneous trip, but based on our experiences, everyone seems much happier when they know when dinner will be on the table!