Disney World Dining Reservations

TouringPlans Dining Reservation Finder

If you have a TouringPlans account, try our Disney World Dining Reservation Finder, a tool that can notify you when a reservation you seek becomes available.

Do I Need A Reservation To Dine At Disney World?

Many first time guests are surprised to find out how important making dining reservations ahead of time is to their trips. The short answer is "yes, you do need to make a reservation." The longer answer is "most of time yes, but don't freak out about it." We'll walk you through the process and help you prioritize what you need to do here. We'll also talk about what to do when you can't get the reservation you wanted.

When Can I Make My Dining Reservations?

Guests can currently book their dining reservations 60 days in advance. Guests staying at a Disney Resort (this does not include the Disney Springs area resort hotels, offsite hotels, Shades of Green, or the Swan and Dolphin) can reserve dining for their entire stay (of up to 10 days) starting 60 days prior to check-in.

What Do I Need Before I Start?

First and foremost, you will need to have your My Disney Experience account set up. And if you're staying onsite, you'll need your hotel reservation linked to your account. Additionally, it will speed things up if you have all the members of your dining party linked as Friends or Family to your My Disney Experience account. Next, you'll need your credit card handy to guarantee each reservation against no-shows (more on this later).

Make Your Reservations

By far, the easiest way to make Disney dining reservations is through Disney's web site or the My Disney Experience app on your phone. You can also call ☎ 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463), but Disney has been discouraging that, plus - why do that - it's just slower. The web site and app will show you what's available for your dining party size and if the exact you want isn't open, Disney will offer you times within two hours if available. When you make your reservation (and each one is done separately) watch your email for your confirmation number. That will be helpful if anything goes wrong when you show up. The web site and app open up the next day of reservations around 5:45 AM Eastern Time; the phones open one hour later at 7:00 AM.

When Is It Most Important To Make Dining Reservations?

All Disney Dining Plans are currently suspended; but due to limited capacity at table-service restaurants throughout Walt Disney World, you should make your plans as soon as you reach that 60 day-out window.

Which Disney Restaurants Are The Hardest Reservations To Get?

In the past, character meals, especially for breakfast, were high in demand. Cinderella's Royal Table was at one point so difficult to get a breakfast reservation for that we had to write up a step by step plan just to get it. Thankfully things improved due to the popularity of Magic Kingdom's Be Our Guest and Disney's raising the price at Cindy's (you may bemoan it, but it's Econ 101: when demand outpaces supply, increase prices).

Due to the current circumstances, character dining at Walt Disney World is now a modified, socially distant experience and is currently only offered at the Garden Grill Restaurant, Hollywood & Vine, Topolino’s Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera, and Chef Mickey's. Even though Cinderella’s Royal Table isn’t included as a character dining meal, but is still high in demand due to its location and because Cinderella has been known to make a (very) socially distant appearance from afar.

Some restaurants are hard to score a reservation for just because they're so small and due to limited capacity - The Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom and Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is an example of this.

No-Show Fees

As noted earlier, Disney charges a per-person penalty if you fail to show up for a reservation the day of the meal. A $10 no-show fee is enforced at all Disney sit-down restaurants. Victoria & Albert’s $25 no-show fee for the main dining room and $50 for Queen Victoria’s Room and Chef’s Table (the later two also require 48 hours’ notice to cancel a reservation) is the only exception; however this location is currently closed.

Is My Trip Ruined If I Didn't Get My Reservation?

Short answer, no. Long answer, don't get pulled into the hype - it takes a lot to ruin a vacation and not getting your Princess breakfast is pretty far down the list. Here are some other options to avoid starving at Walt Disney World:

• Be flexible - can't get your first choice? Have some backups in mind.
• Try our Reservation Finder, which can help you find hard-to-get reservations.
• Eat quick service meals - they're fast and relatively cheap.
• Try Open Table - many restaurants both in the parks and especially in Disney Springs can be booked through Open Table when Disney's web site isn't showing availability.
• Keep trying - check back from time to time before your trip to see if something has opened up.
• Try a walk-in - you may be seated if you show up right when a restaurant opens, but this is by no means guaranteed.
• Try the Mobile Dine Walk-up Waitlist – this My Disney Experience app feature allows you to join a restaurant’s waitlist for the chance of securing an open table.
• Consider Table Service To Go – this mobile order feature available through the My Disney Experience app allows guests to order food from select table service restaurants to go.