One key way to make your Disney vacation more enjoyable is to plan ahead and make some Advance Dining Reservations for sit down meals (Disney calls them “table service” meals) during your trip.
In the early days of traveling to Disney, I never wanted to “waste time” on table service dining. I was very focused on attractions and shopping, and didn’t want to sacrifice time to sit down and order and wait for my food. What I didn’t realize is that often, so-called “quick service” meals take just as long to get through and are often so much more stressful than a table service meal.
If you visit during crowded times, you can end up waiting in line for long periods of time just to get your food. Then, you and your family are walking around with trays of food in your hands, searching for an empty table — or watching people like vultures waiting for them to finish and leave so you can battle the nearby family, also standing there with trays in their hands, for the space. Ah, quick service dining…survival of the fittest! And when you finally get your seat, your food is cold (if it was hot to begin with) and you find yourselves being watched by more vultures waiting for you to hurry up and vacate your hard-won table. It’s so NOT relaxing and recharging. And, to make matters worse, (yes I’m generalizing here) many many quick service offerings are very basic, blah and overpriced. I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions to this—there are definitely some VERY good quick services places on property—but for the most part, Disney’s “quick service” options are like most fast food offerings. They fill the hole in your stomach, but don’t offer much in the way of flavor or experience.
As Disney’s popularity has grown with travelers from all over the world, there are rarely slow times with light crowds any more. During seasons that used to be slower, Disney now offers promotions designed to attract budget conscious travelers, and they are very successful. These days, you can expect at least mid-level crowds almost every day of the year…and the number of days with high volume crowds seems to increase every year. Higher volume crowds mean table service restaurants fill up way in advance, leaving the average day guest to rely on quick service…which can too often lead to the scenario I described above.
A Disney vacation is an expensive vacation. Your park tickets are pricey. It can be very easy to think that you have to spend every minute possible on attractions or in shows to maximize the value of your ticket. However, I have found that I’m actually able to accomplish more, AND the day is much more enjoyable when we take a couple of breaks to sit and enjoy leisurely table service meals. And let’s face it—this is the actual REAL goal of vacation, isn’t it? To have a good time with our loved ones? Sometimes we forget in the overwhelming baggage that an expensive vacation with a lot of expectations brings with it—the goal is to have a good time. If you have a good time, you’ve gotten good value. If you ride every single attraction but everyone is cranky and crabby and fighting…did you get good value? I argue that you did not. So slow down a LITTLE bit, take a break, and sit down and eat. 😊
Advantages of Table Service Dining:
- You know what time and WHERE your next meal will be.
- If you are budget conscious, you can review menus and pricing online prior to your vacation so you can plan for what you’ll spend on the meal. (To be fair, you can do this with quick service meals too, but generally, if you are going the quick service route, you won’t necessarily know WHICH quick service restaurants you will want to visit, so you’d have to review a lot more menus and prices.)
- You get to SIT DOWN AND RELAX. I cannot stress this one ENOUGH. Taking a little time during a busy theme park day to sit down in a comfortable seat and truly REST for a meal is PRICELESS. I realize for many parents or caregivers, even a sit down meal is not a chance for you to relax because you have to take care of your kids—however, sitting down at a reserved table is MUCH more relaxing than standing in line, carrying trays and trying to keep your kids corralled while you search for a table. I promise!
- There is air conditioning. Many quick service restaurants offer outdoor seating, usually covered but not always. Some do offer indoor seating, but not all and for those that do, it’s often not enough seating. 8-10 months out of the year, Orlando weather feels uncomfortably warm to most of us that live in other areas of the country. And at least 5 months out of the year, the weather truly is HOT, and even seasoned Orlando residents avoid being outside in the heat and humidity as much as possible. Running all over the parks in that heat can really wear you out. Taking 30 – 60 minutes out of the heat to rest in the A/C is good for all of you…babies to seniors. Have a relaxing meal, recharge your batteries, and you’ll be ready to face the next part of your adventure.
- There are no vultures circling. Now, I’m going to be brutally honest here: Disney is a business, and all of their dining options, quick service and table service, are based on the concept that the more people you serve, the more money you make. So the table service restaurants have gotten pretty good at turning tables fairly quickly. The upside to this is that when you’re really hungry, you are usually getting your food very quickly. The downside? Once you’re done, the servers do expect you to move on. BUT you don’t have to. If you need a little time to regroup, to rest, take your time. There won’t be other diners swarming around you with trays, but you may get some extra attention from your server or the host or hostess as they keep an eye out to see when you leave.
- You can have amazing experiences. Some table service dining are character meals, where various characters stop by your table to interact with your group and pose for pictures. Most character meals also do little mini-parades where all the children join in and march around the restaurant. Sometimes, various characters will wander through table service restaurants that AREN’T character meals. If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, you may end up with a surprise or two at a table service meal that they just don’t have time or resources to offer at a quick service restaurant.
- Early morning table service meal reservations can get you into the park before it opens to the public. I have to tell you, if you are a Disney fan, there are few things more exciting than walking up Main Street with 10 or 12 other guests on it instead of hundreds!!! And after breakfast, when you are held at the hub until the park opens, and you can turn and look down Main Street and watch the surge of people coming in and heading towards the castle…it’s a magical moment, that’s for sure!
Disadvantages of Table Service Dining
- You MUST plan ahead. There is just no getting around this. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been sitting waiting for our reservation to be called and I’ve watched MANY people approach the podium, hoping to get a last-minute reservation for later that same day, or hoping to walk up and get seated—99% of the time, those people walk away disappointed. DO NOT ASSUME you will be able to get seated at a table service restaurant at any of the parks at any time during your trip without an advance reservation. You will most likely be disappointed.
- You have to be aware of your table service dining reservations when planning your fast pass plus reservations and as you go through attractions during your day. You don’t want to be in a 45 minute line for Space Mountain when you have a dining reservation at Jungle Skipper’s Canteen in 15 minutes.
- Table service dining can be more time consuming. Personally, I have found that we can usually get seated, order, get our meals and pay in 30-45 minutes for lunch and 45-90 minutes for dinner, depending on if we include appetizers and/or dessert. Theoretically, you COULD probably do quick service more quickly than that, especially if you choose to eat at non-peak periods (before 11:30 am or after 2:30 pm for lunch, for example). BUT honestly, I believe in my heart of hearts, that you need (at least) a 45 minute break in the middle of your day—so while you may save time doing quick service dining, I suggest you still take a full 45 minute break.
- Table service dining is usually more expensive than quick service. There are a couple exceptions, and it of course depends on what you order, but generally speaking, you’ll spend more money to dine table service than you will to dine quick service, especially if you choose specialty locations (Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle, for example) or character meals. Careful planning can minimize the difference if character meals and specialty locations aren’t important to you, but if you are extremely budget conscious, you won’t be able to plan as many table service meals unless you stick to the most economical options.
- Disney charges a $10 per person cancellation fee if you cancel with less than 24 hour notice or don’t show for your reservation. They implemented this policy a few years ago, and they are not kidding around. They used to have issues with restaurants booking up and then half the reservations not showing up, it was awful. People would go booking crazy and never go back and cancel the extra reservations, which made it difficult for anyone else to get a reservation for anything EVER. Note: They will work with you for emergencies or special situations that come up—just make sure you call BEFORE the reservation time.
- Less flexibility: The biggest disadvantage is the loss of flexibility. I know for many people, true freedom is important to them on their vacation, and having to be tied to a particular park or meal reservation feels constricting and less fun for them. I know this is aggravating for some people, and I understand. If freedom is more important, you won’t want to be tied down with dining reservations—but understand the trade-offs. You’ll probably stand in more lines waiting for food, and the quality of food you get may not be as good as it would be if you had a dining reservation for a table service meal. It’s all about trade-offs, and only you can decide what’s most important to you!
Even if you’re not a planner, and don’t want to be tied down to a particular park or meal, I strongly suggest that you take a look at the dining options available at each park you plan to visit to see if there are any that you REALLY want to make sure your family is able to do. If so, make the advance dining reservation as early as you possibly can…just in case. You can always cancel it later. (Make sure to cancel at least 24 hours before your reservation to avoid $10 per person fee). Even just a couple of reservations will ultimately help make your trip more enjoyable in my opinion.
Booking Your ADRs
You can book online at Disney Dining Reservations or call 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463). If you are booking online, you will want to be signed in to My Disney Experience so that the system will recognize you and your hotel reservations (assuming you have one!). If you are calling, you will need your reservation confirmation number.
When Can I Make My Reservations?
Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance for most table service restaurants. If you are staying at a Disney resort hotel (including Disney Vacation Club resorts), your window opens up 180 days from the first night of your reservation…and you can book dining for the entire length of your reservation—up to 10 days.
Disney is a pretty popular place, and seasoned Disney travelers (or those Disney travelers working with savvy travel agents) KNOW that many Disney table service restaurants book up months in advance, so if at all possible, you want to plan ahead and book your dining reservations as early as possible.
You can always cancel or make changes later…but better to have a reservation and later cancel it, than to decide you want a reservation later on but be unable to get one.
What this means for you:
- Best case scenario, you want to be planning (at least the basics) your trip at least 6 months in advance—ideally 8-10 months in advance.
- If you are planning to stay on Disney property, book your hotel reservation at least 7 months out to ensure you have that full six-month window to book your dining.
- Generally park hours are not released until 90-120 days out. While this most likely won’t really affect decisions you make about lunch or dinner, this could impact breakfast reservation decisions. You can use sites like touringplans.com to see anticipated park hours and crowd levels, based on previous years, but understand that those hours may be different that the actual hours, once Disney releases them. And even then, Disney may change the hours a little closer to your trip, based on resort reservations and anticipated crowds.
- You need to decide, at least loosely, which parks you plan to visit on which days of your vacation. You also need to consider whether you plan to park hop or not.
- You need to review the various table service dining options available at each park and create a short list of the ones you’d like to try and visit during your trip.
- Do you have any special occasions you are celebrating during your trip? If so, are there any places you’d like to try for your celebration?
- Don’t forget about the resorts. There are many really good table service restaurants at the various resorts around property—if you’re a foodie, Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian is an award winning fine dining experience that is consistently rated one of the finest restaurants in the American southeast. The California Grill at the Contemporary is located at the top of the Contemporary resort and offers stunning views of the Magic Kingdom as well as an award-winning dining experience.
- Are you planning to spend any time at Disney Springs? If so, you may want to plan ahead there as well…there are lots of quick service and table service options at Disney Springs, and the reservations aren’t quite as challenging to get as they are in the parks, but during peak periods, you’ll be grateful you made reservations months in advance!
- Decide if character meals are important for your group. If they are, decide WHICH ones are highest priority. I tend to recommend Character meals for early pre-open breakfasts…I personally think the breakfasts are a better value than lunch or dinner and you can get the added bonus of getting into the park early before the rest of the visitors.
- Find out if any of the restaurants you plan to book require upfront payment. For example, Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle at Magic Kingdom requires 100% payment at the time you make the reservation. Most table service restaurants do NOT require this payment, but I don’t want it to be a shock when you go to book.
- Determine which of your desired reservations are the most difficult to get, and try to take care of those first. Some of the most difficult reservations on property include Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada at Epcot (Warning: this is a “signature” dining experience and is PRICIER than you would probably expect, especially at lunchtime. Be sure and review the menus and prices before you book!), Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest (dinner) at the Magic Kingdom, The Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot, and most other character meals.
- If you’re not sure, take some time to review the menus and reviews on Disney’s website and on other great sites like the Disney Food Blog.
I’m currently getting ready to book the advance dining reservations for the trip I’ve got planned with my mom to go down for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in May. My reservation window opens tomorrow, so in my next post, I’ll update you all with how that goes! I’ll also talk a bit about which restaurants I personally prefer for this trip, and why.
In future posts, we’ll take a look at the Disney Dining Plan and unique dining experiences at Walt Disney World. I’ll also take a look at the best (and WORST) table service and quick service options to be found. Do you have a favorite Disney restaurant? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Dreaming,
Brooke