With four Theme Parks, Water Park fun, two entertainment districts, and over 25 Resort hotels, it’s unsurprising that there’s a huge amount of choice when it comes to dining throughout Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. And when there are so many locations, themes, and cuisines to choose from, deciding where you’re going to eat is an important part of planning your holiday. That’s where advanced dining reservations come in.
If you’re ready to make your Walt Disney World Resort dining reservations, here’s everything you need to know about the process.
What restaurants require dining reservations at Walt Disney World Resort?
You can make a dining reservation at any of the Resort’s table-service and buffet dining locations, including signature restaurants and Character dining, and some bars and lounges. The full list of restaurants can be found on the Walt Disney World Resort website (you can filter your search by ‘Reservations Accepted’) including:
- Magic Kingdom Park - Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest Restaurant, The Crystal Palace
- EPCOT - Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, Space 220 Restaurant
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Roundup Rodeo BBQ, 50s Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, Oga’s Cantina
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park - Tiffins Restaurant, Tusker House Restaurant, Yak & Yeti Restaurant
- Disney Springs - Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe, Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant
- Disney Resort hotels - ‘Ohana, Boma - Flavors of Africa, Chef Mickey’s, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
Quick-service restaurants do not require reservations - simply walk in when you please and order at the counter.
How soon can I make my dining reservations?
Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel can make dining reservations for the first 10 days of their stay from 60 days before the date they check in.
Guests not staying at a Disney Resort hotel can make dining reservations one day at a time, from 60 days before the date you want to dine.
How do I make a dining reservation for Walt Disney World Resort?
We recommend making your advanced dining reservations on the Walt Disney World Resort website. If you’re booking at exactly 60 days before your trip, availability is released at 6am EST so you should be ready to make any highly sought-after reservations at 11am BST - take a look at some of the most popular restaurants here.
Make sure you’re logged in and your booking is linked to your My Disney Experience account. This is especially important if you are staying in a Disney Resort hotel as this will allow you to book for 10 consecutive days.
- Under the ‘Things to Do’ tab, click ‘Make Reservations’. This is where you can research locations and menus, filtering by area and restaurant type. It’s best to do this a few days before so you know which restaurants you would like to eat at before making your reservations.
Once you are ready to start booking, click ‘Check All Availability’.
- Select the number of people in your party. This should include any infants, even if they will be sat in someone’s lap or in a pushchair during the meal.
- Select the date that you would like to make your reservation for. Dates available to book will be highlighted in blue.
- Select the time you would like to make your reservation for. At this point you will only be able to choose a rough time frame based on the meal you want to book; breakfast (before 12pm), lunch (12pm to 4pm) or dinner (after 4pm). If you do not have a preference you can select all day. You will be able to choose the specific time at the next step.
- You will now be shown all the available dining options for your selected date and time. If you are planning to be in a specific theme park you can filter the selection by location. Once you have chosen the restaurant you want to book, you can select the specific time to make your booking.
If the available times don’t suit you, you can also check availability for multiple days. This allows you to see all the available times for a specific restaurant over a 10 day period, giving you more options for your reservation if you can be flexible with your plans.
- Once you have selected a time, you will be given a summary of your booking. Make sure the date, time and party size is correct before continuing. This is also where you can add a celebration cake to your booking (perfect for any special occasions), note any dietary requirements, and make any accessibility requests.
- To finish booking your reservation you will need to confirm your contact information (email address and phone number) and add a credit card guarantee. This will only be charged if you fail to show up for your reservation or don’t cancel in accordance with the cancellation policy. Make sure you check this before you arrive so you don’t get caught out if you change your plans!
- Agree to the terms and conditions and confirm your reservation!
What if I have a Dining Plan?
If you have the Disney Dining Plan included in your Disney Resort hotel package you’ll get one Table-Service meal per person, per night of your stay. You don’t need to do anything different to make your reservations for these meals, but you should filter your options by your specific dining plan to make sure all the restaurants you are booking are included. Some restaurants, known as signature restaurants, require two Table-Service credits per person, so research these before making your bookings as well.
When you arrive at each restaurant during your holiday, let your server know that you have the Disney Dining Plan, and when the bill comes you’ll simply tap your card or Disney band to use your credits. Service charge isn’t included in the dining plan so this will need to be paid separately.
So now you’re ready to make your dining reservations! Or if you still need to book your tickets don't forget to make the most of our Disney 4-Park Magic Ticket!
