Dining Party of 12

[FeliciaB23]

Hi -

I am helping a friend plan their Disney trip for this coming summer. They are staying at CBR and will have a party of 12. I'm used to planning for just my Mom and I (party of 2 lol) so I had a few questions about booking their dining. They have 4 hotel rooms, separate reservations; No one is linked in MDE yet (I plan to assist them with connecting everyone in January).

1. For ADRs - is it possible to get a table for 12 when booking dining reservations? Or, should I try for two tables - 6 and 6 or maybe 8 and 4? The family plans to spend a chunk of their days apart (due to the little kids / big kids age differences, etc.) but come together each evening for dinner so a table for 12 would be preferred.

1a. What are the best places to accommodate a large party that they will likely be able to get a table for 12 at 60 days?

1b. Are there any specific restaurants to avoid that wouldn't be able to accommodate this? I'm assuming Sci-Fi might need to be broken up into 6 and 6 due to the car configuration - would they get cars next to each other?

2. Once they are linked in MDE, if they cannot get a table for 12, will they have an issue booking 2 separate reservations? Do they need to use two separate accounts at 6am?

Thanks in advance.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We are usually a group of 9. We book for
1 group where we can and when we can’t we book 2 groups and on arrival ask to be seated as close as possible snd they almost always accommodate. Biergarten has those long tables, good for large groups. The buffets are usually good with large groups also. Ohana has some large tables. The smaller places, like the Plaza wouldn’t work too well. If booking two separate ADRs they will need two separate lead guests on separate accounts because you’re only allowed one adr at a particular time per account. Every restaurant has different max group numbers per adr (usually 10) so check into that before booking day

 

[thanxfornoticin]

My recommendations, having done this recently - for a group of only 8. Most restaurants will not immediately offer a table of 12. You'll likely need to have 2 people making the ADRs for a couple tables of 6 - or perhaps even better would be 3 people making reservations around the same time for tables of 4. Now, that being said, if you opt to wait until 7AM of the morning you can make them (which means you lose an hour of ADRs to others online!), the folks at WDW-DINE can make multiple reservations for you around the same time.

We had 6 or 7 meals with our group of 8, and the only meals we could get an ADR for the entire group were at Biergarten and a fireworks party. All the rest were reservations for 4, around the same time. When we checked in, we asked to be together or near each other. All but one restaurant was able to seat us together as a group of 8. Some places that seem better for larger groups are Boma, Chef Mickey's, and a few other buffets. Biergarten was nice since they have tables for 10 (perhaps even 12?).

Good luck with your planning. Something to keep in mind, you don't actually need to have everyone linked in F&F to make ADRs. However, you will need someone on a Disney room reservation making the ADRs if you want to take advantage of making the ADRs 60 days, plus the length of your resort stay (I expect you would already know that!!). And taking advantage of the extra days can be very helpful.

 

[champagne&disney]

I find it easier to book large groups on OpenTable available restaurants at Disney Springs and the Swan / Dolphin / Swan Reserve - they are also open months in advance. I have a table for 10 at Il Mulino in January that I secured back in July!