Dining reservations at Walt Disney World have been a hot topic for discussion lately. Earlier this year the practice of “scalping” dining reservations came to light, but in an unprecedented move Disney swiftly took action in this situation, shutting down websites that were holding reservations and selling them back to guests for a fee.
Though most would agree that Disney’s action against these businesses is a good thing, some guests counted on these “unofficial” sources to get virtually any dining reservation they wanted. While these services may have been a convenience, using a third party is by no means the only way to get a dining reservation. In fact, there are plenty of practical ways guests can get those must-have dining arrangements for their Walt Disney World vacation. All it takes is patience, persistence….and some early mornings!
1. Know your reservation windows
All guests can make dining reservations 180 days in advance. That includes guests staying off property, annual passholders and even those without theme park tickets yet. However, if you are a guest staying on property, you have an additional 10-day window to make reservations, bringing the total up to 190 days in advance. Though this might not sound like a big advantage, when you are trying to get some of the most sought-after reservations on property (Be Our Guest, Cinderella’s Royal Table etc.), it may be worth booking a night at the All-Stars Resorts, even if you are a local or planning to stay off property in order to gain this advantage if securing a specific dining reservation is your top priority.
2. Shortcut your online experience
No matter whether your reservation window is 180 or 190 days, you’ll need to set your alarm to ensure you have the best chance of snagging a reservation during the first day of your window. Reservations become available at 6AM EST the day the reservation window opens, and if you want to make sure you get the location you want, you’ll need to use a few shortcuts. First, navigate to the dining reservations page at exactly 5:50AM. Do NOT attempt to use the My Disney Experience app. While you have ten minutes, familiarize yourself with the website, and then open a “notepad” word processor and enter the following information: the date you wish to make reservations for in MM/DD/YYYY format (so, for example, October 15, 2015 will be 10/15/2015), as well as the complete name of the restaurant you want to reserve. This will come in handy in just a moment.
With about 5 minutes left to go, “snap” your desktop view so that the window with the dining reservation website is on the left, and the notepad app is on the right. With only three minutes left until the reservations open, it’s time to get to work. As quickly as possible, highlight the date in your notepad and drag the text to the “date” section of Disney’s Website. Then do the same with the restaurant name, quickly select your party size and time from the drop-down menus and then and hit “submit”. If you start this a few minutes early you may not be successful but Disney’s computers sometimes run a little fast, and even if your first couple of attempts are unsuccessful, a little practice never hurt anyone.
Image: Disney
Keep refreshing and repeating this process until you are able to get a reservation. Keep in mind that Disney’s website isn’t exactly the best at handling large increases in traffic, so if the site goes down a few times, keep trying, at least until 7AM. After that it’s time to change tactics….
3. Get on the phone
At 6:55 AM if you are still trying to wrestle with technology and aren’t getting anywhere, it’s time to pick up the phone. Though dealing with Disney’s phone system can be a hassle, it’s your next best option for getting a reservation and can often work a little bit better than trying online. Disney’s official reservations phone line (which you can reach via either 407-939-3463 or 407-939-1947) opens at 7AM and though you may be on hold awhile, if you aren’t making any progress online, trying to book a reservation over the phone is your next best option.
4. Keep calling
Let’s say for a moment that you’ve woken up early, fought the good fight online, called exactly at 7AM EST, and still aren’t able to get that perfect reservation. Should you give up? Absolutely not! Disney can add capacity to restaurants at will (especially if their operating hours change), plus guests can cancel or change their reservations at any time. Though it may be time to give it a rest on the first day of your reservation window (and perhaps pour yourself a well-deserved cup of coffee), try calling back once in the afternoon, and then again before the phone line closes at 9PM EST. If you are still unsuccessful, try calling again every day in the morning so that you can take advantage of any openings from guest cancellations the night before.
5. Intensify your search close to your travel date
While calling every morning is a great habit to get into, if you get within a week of your travel date and you still haven’t been able to secure your most-wanted dining reservation, it’s time to ramp up your efforts. Because Disney requires a credit card to secure reservations and a fee is charged for failing to cancel in time, guests can often get reservation from those who find they have last-minute conflicts and want to to avoid paying the $10-per-guest penalty. Keep your phone, laptop, and every other electronic device you have locked on the Disney dining reservations site and refresh as much as possible, especially between the hours of 10-11PM every night, as this is the window when guests are most likely to cancel. If you are still calling every morning, add an evening call to your rotation as well.
6. Try walking up at strategic times
Image: Disney
Let’s say the worst case scenario happens, and you are unable to secure a reservation for your most-wanted dining location. Though the situation isn’t ideal, there is still some hope left. Many full-service restaurants take walk-ins between 2:30 and 4:30 PM and during the last hour of serving. Though you may miss the nighttime spectacular at whatever park you are visiting, if getting a specific dining experience is your first priority, you still may be able to squeeze in if you time it just right.
Getting a dining reservation can be a stressful experience, but by using a combination of techniques, you can secure almost any reservation at Walt Disney World you want. Do you have any dining reservation secrets you’d like to share?
