Helpful Tips & Strategies for booking Candlelight Processional dining packages

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

Please add on to the list, hopefully some will find this helpful:

1. Don't wait until 6:00am EST to go online to book. Many, including one in our party booked 20 minutes or so ahead of the 6:00am window
2. If you have a choice, use the MDE app vs the website to book. The website does not allow you to see performance times until after you have booked your dining times. I'm looking at 12/9 right now on both the App and the website, website shows availability at R&C, the app is showing me availability at R&C but it is also giving me the option of two performance times. On the webpage, I won't see me performance time until after I have booked.
3. If you are an on property resort guest, make sure all your reservations are linked on MDE, that way you can reserve not only at your 60 day window, but 60 + 10
4. You are allowed to make multiple ADRs as long as they don't directly conflict. We have a stay that overlaps with friends. They made our CP for LeCellier for the four of us, but I also wanted to have another option just for the wife and I later in the trip. I had already booked our ADRs for the trip, but I was allowed to keep the existing ADR as long as my CP dining package didn't directly conflict with my ADR times.
5. While maybe not preferable, don't exclude the lunch option in order to guarantee a CP package. Looking at 12/3-12/9, I only see two nights that still have very limited availability for evening dining (Coral Reef and R&C). However, if I switch my parameter from dining to lunch, most days show availability, with multiple performance options, with availability at LeCellier and Coral Reef. (I don't think prices change lunch vs dinner).
6. Lastly because of #4, keep checking back. I have no doubt that people will have multiple CP packages booked, especially if they are taking advantage of the 60+10 days, which means there will be cancellations. Unfortunately, many of those won't happen until week of the reservation, but, there is still hope.

Any helpful tips I missed? Good luck to everyone, I can only say personally, the CP is without doubt one of my favorite experiences in all of WDW.

 

[JulieWent]

Thank you. This was very helpful!

 

[DaisyNY]

Thanks…our booking window opens Monday. Looking at booking Candlelight Processional at 60+7 date. Fingers crossed…

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks. We don’t have the option for lunch on our most convenient day to go, but I will certainly give it a try for the second choice!

 

[Disneydawg74]

When I made my candlelight dining package reservation I opened up in the app the specific page for the candlelight processional bookings. It looks like this

 

[bobbiwoz]

When I made my candlelight dining package reservation I opened up in the app the specific page for the candlelight processional bookings. It looks like thisView attachment 709075

Did you get something?

 

[Disneydawg74]

Did you get something?

Yes. Rose and Crown at 5:50 with the 8:30 show. Exactly what I wanted.

 

[Kimtober]

We got a reservation but we automatically got the 8:30 performance and I'd really prefer either of the earlier ones. Do you know if there's any way we can change this? Is it based on where you book? We looked at Biergarten for both lunch and dinner and they were both 8:30.

 

[Disneydawg74]

We got a reservation but we automatically got the 8:30 performance and I'd really prefer either of the earlier ones. Do you know if there's any way we can change this? Is it based on where you book? We looked at Biergarten for both lunch and dinner and they were both 8:30.

I don’t think so. Showtimes are allocated evenly among the three shows and then allocated to dining. So I don’t think that they can just add extra people to a show. If a particular showtime isn’t available, it’s likely been “sold out”.

 

[liquid17]

We got a reservation but we automatically got the 8:30 performance and I'd really prefer either of the earlier ones. Do you know if there's any way we can change this? Is it based on where you book? We looked at Biergarten for both lunch and dinner and they were both 8:30.

This happened to me. I booked it on my desktop and I didn't know which show I was getting till I had already booked. Someone in another thread (can't remember which) said that if you book on the app, it shows you which show you are getting. I went to the app, got exactly what I needed, and cancelled the first one. Try it and see if you find something better than what you currently have!

 

[Kimtober]

Interesting development today: We originally booked Biergarten at noon with an 8:30pm show when the reservations opened on Tuesday. At the time, all other Biergarten reservations showed the 8:30 show as well so we figured maybe they determined the show time by the restaurant. But today I decided to check and see if that was still the case and they now had an option for a 2:10 lunch reservation and the 5:15pm show which is what we wanted. I guess maybe due to cancellations?

Not sure this is helpful to anyone except to say that if you didn’t get the showtime you wanted originally, maybe check back later

 

[bobbiwoz]

For how many people? I hope we can get a reservation for 2.

 

[VickyLC]

Please add on to the list, hopefully some will find this helpful:

1. Don't wait until 6:00am EST to go online to book. Many, including one in our party booked 20 minutes or so ahead of the 6:00am window
2. If you have a choice, use the MDE app vs the website to book. The website does not allow you to see performance times until after you have booked your dining times. I'm looking at 12/9 right now on both the App and the website, website shows availability at R&C, the app is showing me availability at R&C but it is also giving me the option of two performance times. On the webpage, I won't see me performance time until after I have booked.
3. If you are an on property resort guest, make sure all your reservations are linked on MDE, that way you can reserve not only at your 60 day window, but 60 + 10
4. You are allowed to make multiple ADRs as long as they don't directly conflict. We have a stay that overlaps with friends. They made our CP for LeCellier for the four of us, but I also wanted to have another option just for the wife and I later in the trip. I had already booked our ADRs for the trip, but I was allowed to keep the existing ADR as long as my CP dining package didn't directly conflict with my ADR times.
5. While maybe not preferable, don't exclude the lunch option in order to guarantee a CP package. Looking at 12/3-12/9, I only see two nights that still have very limited availability for evening dining (Coral Reef and R&C). However, if I switch my parameter from dining to lunch, most days show availability, with multiple performance options, with availability at LeCellier and Coral Reef. (I don't think prices change lunch vs dinner).
6. Lastly because of #4, keep checking back. I have no doubt that people will have multiple CP packages booked, especially if they are taking advantage of the 60+10 days, which means there will be cancellations. Unfortunately, many of those won't happen until week of the reservation, but, there is still hope.

Any helpful tips I missed? Good luck to everyone, I can only say personally, the CP is without doubt one of my favorite experiences in all of WDW.

My MDE doesn't offer the candlelight. I can only book on the web site. Also can't book lunch at Rose & Crown, only dinner. Any help would be great.

 

[Kimtober]

It’s been easier for me to find reservations on this page as opposed to the individual restaurant pages. You can filter by location and then see everything that’s available for your day and group size. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining

 

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

My MDE doesn't offer the candlelight. I can only book on the web site. Also can't book lunch at Rose & Crown, only dinner. Any help would be great.

On MDE, on main screen select the "+" button on the bottom of the screen, that should take you to dining availability. Select party size, then go to calendar and select your date then time. Use the filter button at the bottom of the screen to limit your options to EPCOT. You can also use a sub filter to look for dining events. If nothing shows up, then my guess is that there is no availability.

 

[tgropp]

We got a reservation but we automatically got the 8:30 performance and I'd really prefer either of the earlier ones. Do you know if there's any way we can change this? Is it based on where you book? We looked at Biergarten for both lunch and dinner and they were both 8:30.

About 5 years ago we had a Candlelight package at Chefs de France for the 8:30 show. We were so tired from a full park day that we wanted to home after our dinner. Our server brought over our 8:30 show sticker and we told him that we were too tired to attend the show. He left and come back with two 6:45 stickers. It was so kind of him. Anything is possible

 

[goin' again]

Can anyone confirm that reservations are still going live before 6am?

 

[sarehm]

Can anyone confirm that reservations are still going live before 6am?

Mine yesterday was 6:00 am on the dot.

 

[Disneydawg74]

Can anyone confirm that reservations are still going live before 6am?

Today it was 6:00 a.m. for me. Very few choices available and none at Rose and Crown for 60+1 days out.

 

[goin' again]

Today it was 6:00 a.m. for me. Very few choices available and none at Rose and Crown for 60+1 days out.

Unfortunately I'm local so I'm not expecting a whole lot to be available at 60 days