Tips on Making Reservations

Eating in Disney World is the of the most magical experiences you will ever have--if you have a reservation. Whenever my family goes to Disney World, there is always a family who didn't know they had to make any reservations and is wondering why every restaurant is at least a 2 hour wait or no seating at all available.  Yes many people do just eat at quick service locations, but if you want a nice table service meal, reservations are a must!

Reservations Tips
1. Plan ahead! Every trip my family ever went on, my dad always made an itinerary and booked all of our reservations way ahead of time.  Restaurants like Cinderella's Royal Table must be booked 180 days in advance because of their popularity.  Usually 60-90 days ahead of your trip is a good time to start booking reservations.  Pick a park to go to each day and make your reservations based on that.  Or in peak season, choose what park you go to based on reservation availability for your favorite restaurants.
2. Look at the menu ahead of time! Menu of the restaurants have the menu on Disney's website.  It is a good idea to check this out before booking a reservation.  You don't want to go to a seafood restaurant if your entire family hates seafood or bring your children to a place without a children's menu.  Looking this up allows people to choose their favorite restaurants and allows you to narrow down the restaurant list from the many that Disney has to offer.
3. Make the reservations! Making reservations at Disney is simple! Simply go on their website and go to Dining and Reservations.  Here you can choose your restaurant name, number in your party, date and time.  Then you can keep track of reservations under My Reservations in your account.  How easy is that?
4. Double book your reservations! As long as I can possibly remember, my dad has had 2 reservations for every single meal we have ever had in Disney World.  This is a great tip for a few reasons.  Make reservations in multiple parks this way you can switch parks and still have a dinner reservation.  Also you never know how hungry you are going to be at a certain time.  My dad always made a 5 o'clock and a 7 o'clock dinner reservation because if we were starving we had the 5:00, but if we weren't we could wait until 7:00.  However, always remember to call ahead if you are going to miss a reservation.  It is not considered polite to just not show up without notice to a reservation because reservations are very limited.  Once you have decided your plans, call the restaurant and let them know so that they can accommodate other guests.
5. Never be disappointed! Eating in Disney is very popular, and you are not always going to get the restaurant you want at the exact time you want.  Be flexible and if you really want a specific restaurant, check for cancellations daily until the time of your trip.  Many restaurants also may have a restaurant that is similar to it.  If you can't get one breakfast buffet, there will probably be a different one available that offers similar food.

Hope these tips have helped!  To make reservations and learn more about Disney Dining please check out this link:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/