Dining Reservations

Hi there Disney friends,

In earlier posts, I spoke about budgeting and the meal plan for Walt Disney World, so what I want to talk about here (and in the next post) are some things to think about as you move forward in planning to book your meals at the 180 day window.

A couple of items first. You do not have to actually booked a Disney vacation package, room, or even tickets to book an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR--this is one of the abbreviations that is used when talking about Disney Dining.) If you have not booked a stay, you will still need to use the My Disney Experience website or Disney app email to book the meals. That way when you are ready to book everything will already be there to link together. Also, reserving meals is almost always reserved for table service meals; however, if you plan on eating at Be Our Guest Restaurant, you will probably need reservations.

Secondly, you will need to put a $10/person "hold" on most meals you book. You are not charged the $10 except if you cancel less than 24 hours before you meal. Meals at Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT) and the Dinner Shows require full payment at time of booking. If you end up using a meal plan, the money for these are refunded to you. Full payment at CRT and the dinner shows includes taxes and tips.

So some questions that you will need to think about are (and I will not give specific answers since everyone's situation is different:)
1. Are there any characters that you would really like to meet? If so, you would need to research which restaurants had  those characters and which characters were at each location.
2. Do you plan an eating a sit down (or table service) meal everyday?
3. If you are planning a table service meal that does not include characters, then in which type of cuisine would you be interested? There are so many different types of cuisine at Walt Disney World (especially EPCOT and Disney Springs) that you are likely to be able to find something new or unique to experience.
4. How do you want a table service meal to fit into your day? Do you plan on eating a large meal to start the day? Would you rather use a large meal to break up the day? Or you do not care when you eat, you just want to enjoy it all.
5. Do you want to stay in the parks or would a chance to get away from the crowds be a nice change of pace?

The next post is going will focus on trying to fit your meals into the day in regards to visiting parks and travel time.

I am going to plug my services as a travel agent here (I try not to too much.) As a travel agent, my job would be to help you wade through the many choices that Walt Disney World has to offer and do research for you to help you make wise decisions. If you need my help please email me at brian.herndon@mousemadesimple.com and I will be glad to help you.