Dining Reservations when staying at a resort

[over50visits]

I understand I can make dining reservations beginning at 5:45 am 60 days in advance. I also understand I can make them for 60 days out PLUS the length of my stay at Disneyworld.

I have three questions:
(1) How does the online dining system know I am staying at a resort..if I am logged on is that all it takes? Do I have to use the "make reservation" button on the "My Disney Experience" page?
(2) Do I have to do anything special, or will the system just offer all dates for 60 days + length of stay
(3) What is my length of stay for dining reservations? For example, if I have a 2 night stay, is my length 2 or 3 days? Can I make dining reservations for the day of checkout, which would be 62 days in advance?

Thanks!

 

[Boopuff]

Do you have the My DIsley Experience app? Download that. It will propagate all your info. On your 60 days, log in and select your dining. I highly suggest using a computer, with tabs open for each restaurant. (Especially if you want the “biggies” space, Toppolino etc.) good luck

 

[over50visits]

is the app any better than the website through a browser?

 

[CynBeth]

When we made dining reservations for our 2021 trip I had issues would get error messages on both the app and webpage no matter if I was on the iPhone or iPad I eventually had to use my work computer to get on the website but then it would not let me do it the regular way I had to bring up the page of each restaurant we wanted and select the date and time. Then even though I had saved a credit card I had to keep putting it in when I got to the screen asking for payment until after I forget how many I did it finally was there.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

(1) Your reservation should be linked to your My Disney Experience account and visible in either browser or app. In some cases, DVC stay on points, stay at Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve or other Disney partner hotels, you may have to link the reservation yourself. (My plans>Link a reservation under resort hotel.

Side note relative to your question above about app vs. browser. They should show the same info BUT Disney IT works very inconsistently and sometimes the app works better and sometimes browser does ... so to improve your chances if you have a dining reservation you REALLY want, I'd be set-up and prepared to use both. Also, you will likely need the app when in the parks if wanting to mobile order, check wait times, join a virtual queue/check on your time for the queue etc.


(2) System *should* recognize your stay if linked as mentioned above. That said, people (somewhat frequently) experience issues where it doesn't and it's seemed that logging out/shutting down and back in and/or clearing cookies has been helpful. One caveat here is split stays at different resorts -- if that's the case you have different booking windows for the length of stay at each resort.

(3) Yes, you can book for check-out day as well.

Hoping it all goes smoothly for you! But if it doesn't, don't panic. There's honestly a lot of good options that become available at the last minute.

 

[over50visits]

Great help, thanks to all.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just an FYI from experience, I don't think you'll find dining opens up to you at 5:45AM, it'll be 6:00AM ET. There will be the occasional situation where folks get in a tad earlier, but for the most part, be ready to go at 6AM, which is the 'official' time things open for the 60 days.

 

[over50visits]

I just did a practice run this morning, and reservations opened 6:00 am on the dot. The restaurant I was checking filled up in about 6 minutes. Whew.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Excellent idea to do a practice run. I know you lose some sleep doing that, but you gain knowledge and comfort for when you do it for 'real'!! Hope you get everything you want to reserve!!

 

[bchbetha]

6am- I tried between 5:50-6am and it would say it couldn't check times yet. I had a tab open at the top of my browser window for each restaurant I wanted and I had them triaged in order that I wanted to try them. Still managed to fail at getting Sci Fi on 60+3 as well as Space Lounge (restaurant was available) at 60+4 but I got the other places I wanted so it's no biggie.
I wish there was a way for things to be more efficient/faster with booking because my credit card is already on file but I had to go through the billing page for each restaurant I wanted that required a pre-pay. It eats up precious time.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Agree 100% on the credit card comment - no reason they couldn't read what's on file. They use it for other parts of our reservations, why not the dining?

 

[sponica]

Agree 100% on the credit card comment - no reason they couldn't read what's on file. They use it for other parts of our reservations, why not the dining?

Mine always appears, but I think I have it stored on my main Disney account somewhere.