Dining Reservations

First of all, the answer is, indeed, yes. The weeks of spring break are among the busiest at Disney, and if you want to visit some of the better restaurants, you'll need to plan in advance.

You'll need to know, however, that they don't call them "reservations" at Disney. Just as employees are "cast members," customers are "guests," and rides are "attractions," reservations are called "priority seating." It's the same basic idea, but it doesn't hold the Disney World restaurants to as specific a time frame as a conventional restaurant reservation does. For example, let's say you have priority seating for four people at 7 p.m. When you show up at seven your table won't be waiting with your name on it, but instead you'll be given the next available table for four. Waits average between ten minutes and thirty minutes under this system, but you'll fare far better than you would if you were a walk-in.

So how do you arrange for priority seating? If you're staying at a Disney resort you can make the arrangements before you leave home by dialing (407) WDW-DINE. Most restaurants take priority seating 60 days in advance, while others--most notably, the dinner shows and character breakfasts--will let you arrange priority seating 120 days in advance. If you're staying at a Disney hotel but aren't sure what your schedule will be--or which restaurants look the coolest--you can arrange priority seating during your stay by pressing the dining button on the phone in your hotel room.

For guests staying off-site, it's a bit trickier, and each theme park has its own system. Except for character breakfasts, the Animal Kingdom takes no priority seating. (This is probably because they have only one full-service restaurant, the Rainforest Cafe. If you want to eat there, simply show up, get a buzzer, and wait.) At the Magic Kingdom, go directly to the restaurant in question on the day you visit. Go as early in the morning as possible, especially if you're aiming to get into Cinderella's Royal Table, which is very popular due to its location in the castle.

In MGM, drop by the reservations booth at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard as soon as possible after you enter the park. They have menus for all the full-service restaurants for you to look at. At Epcot--which, has by far the most dining options, thanks to all the international eateries throughout the World Showcase--arrange priority seating at the WorldKey Information Center beside Spaceship Earth.

If you're staying off-site and would like to dine at a restaurant in a Disney resort, such as the wonderful California Grill in the Contemporary, let Guest Relations or the concierge at your own hotel handle the reservation for you. Or call the restaurant in question directly.

Because Disney allows guests at their own resorts to arrange priority seating so far in advance, guests who are staying off-site often find themselves shut out of the most popular restaurants at the most popular times. This can especially be a problem if you're traveling at a busy time of the year. The solution? Be prepared to eat at truly "off" times, such as 3 p.m. or 9 p.m. At these hours, you may be able to walk into restaurants with no priority seating at all.

Updated February 2006.