Dining is without question one of the best parts of a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. However, even the most enthusiastic Disney foodies will admit that certain aspects of the experience have some room for improvement, Chief among these is the parks’ reservation system, which has long been criticized for being cumbersome and hard to navigate.
However, it looks like Disney has finally addressed some of guests’ complaints and made some important changes to their reservation system in an effort to help improve the guest experience. And best of all, these changes have already taken effect at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Guests can now see available reservations at a glance
Under the previous dining reservation system, guests had to click multiple time windows to see if anything was available at any given restaurant. However, Disney has done away with this cumbersome system and released a new update that allows guests to more easily see all available reservations during a meal period (i.e., breakfast, lunch or dinner) without narrowing the search any further by specific time windows.
In addition, the new system will let guests know which menu they’ll be offered (breakfast, brunch, dinner, etc.) during their selected reservation time, so guests won’t have to wonder if they will be served the breakfast or lunch menu at 11:30 am.
Guests now have more time to cancel a reservation without penalty
At several of Walt Disney World’s upscale dining establishments, guests who are unable to make a reservation for a dining reservation are required to cancel 24 hours in advance to avoid a fee. This policy has been criticized heavily over the years, as plans can change quickly in a theme park environment as guests navigate unforeseen weather, stamina, and wait time issues.
However, Disney has loosened this policy somewhat, now allowing guests to make changes or cancellations up to two hours before their scheduled time at most Disney Parks restaurants, giving them much more flexibility when it comes to changing their plans without penalty. This won’t apply to ultra-premium experiences (like reservations at Victoria & Albert’s, for instance) but if you get stuck at EPCOT in the morning and realize you’re not going to make your Sci-Fi Dine-In Reservation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you don’t have to worry about rushing to the park and can instead cancel without worrying about a fee.
In addition to these reservation changes, Disney has also confirmed that it is working behind the scenes to improve its mobile-ordering service to “make it easier for guests to find available and nearby dining options.” Though no specifics were mentioned in this announcement, hopefully, this will make dining even easier around the resort, especially during rush lunch and dinner periods, where lines at quick service locations can back up quickly.
Though dining at Disney can be frustrating at times, hopefully, these changes to the reservation and eventually the mobile order systems will help guests feel a little less frustrated on their next Disney trip.
