Snagging That Dining Reservation

Ask any of us Disney adults why we go to the parks. Sure, the attractions, nostalgia, the magic—it's all amazing. But no. We are there for the food ... food and vibes.

We all have our favorite restaurants. Whether the Blue Bayou is on your bucket list, Cinderella's Royal Table is your "must stop", or Oga's Cantina always hits right--you know how hard it is to get some of the most elite dining reservations. Rest assured, we've got you covered!

Booking Your Dining Reservation

Dining reservations for Disney World and Disneyland open up 60 days in advance of your target date at 6:00 am eastern time and pacific time respectively. At any point after that, open your Disney World or Disneyland app, navigate to "Check Dining Availability", fill out the selections for date and party size, and voila! You'll be able to scroll through all available reservations for the day of your trip.

Alternatively, while perusing the park map on either app, you can change your selection from "Wait Times" to "Dining". Then, you can select a restaurant to see upcoming openings just for that restaurant.

One word of advice, don't wait till you know exactly what your park plans are to schedule your dining reservations. Dining reservations can be cancelled up to 24 hours in advance without a penalty. After that point, it's up to the individual restaurant or experience to set their cancelation window and penalty. Each restuarant will have their cancelation policy stated when you secure the reservation.

The Walk Up List

Sometimes, it's enjoyable to approach your park day without a plan; just going with the flow! Luckily, for some of the more low-key restaurants, you'll be able to join the walk-up list without much of a delay. You can find the restuarant on your app to see what the estimated wait time will be, or just ask a cast member at the host stand. To join the list, you'll need to be in relatively close proximity to the location.

Walk-up list wait times are prone to change.

Once joined, you'll get a text message confirming your estimated wait time on the list. However, I would say now is not the time to go get in line for Guardians of the Galaxy. Your estimate is not a reservation, and is very prone to change! They'll get you in as soon as they have an opening.

The Cheat Code

So, if you're a solid planner with all your ducks in row, I applaude your abilities! For the rest of us, we need a little help to ensure we can enjoy our Monte Cristo on the banks of the bromine bayou.

I swear by this; Mouse Dining is the way to secure those last minute dining reservations! This third party website allows you to create an alert for any Disney restaurant for the particular day and meal you want to eat there. Once someone cancels their resevation, Mouse Dining will send you an alert of the opening. Act fast! You'll need to select the link, log in to your Disney account, and snag that slot for the Tiffin's signature bread service!

Mouse Dining has a few different service levels and price points. For a week long trip to Orlando, you may value having 50 different text notifications set for any possibility of dining decisions. For $9 a month, it's a steal. However, being honest, I've never paid for it. For free, you can have six alerts set to come in through email. With Mouse Dining's free services, I've been able to get last minute Lamplight Loung and Blue Bayou reservations the week of.

Mouse Dining is the key to snagging your last-minute dining reservations.

So don't delay! Or do ... whatever floats your boat! However you plan your next Disney day, there are options to ensure you're getting the most out of your trip.