Nervous about planning our return to DLR (few questions)...

[LizzyS]

TIA to anyone that responds to this thread! We were last at DLR in February 2020 mere weeks before the shut down. I've been vaguely following along with resort happenings, but I have a few questions and need some clarification on a couple of things. I've made hotel reservations already, but as far as other things go-

Do I have to buy tickets before making reservations (approximately 120 days out, correct)? I'm pretty sure we'll do two park days, but I might even opt to just do one, so that's why I'm asking.

Dining is still 60 days out, but some restaurants have been less than this, correct?

Our trip is at the end of February, but I'm also considering booking the hotel later in the year as well in case I cancel the February dates. I certainly WANT to go then, but if COVID spikes again (ugh) or something else makes our trip infeasible, I'd like to have a backup plan. I don't even mind having a somewhat limited experience or wearing a mask, I'm just worried about case numbers going up around that time.

 

[pharmama]

Do I have to buy tickets before making reservations (approximately 120 days out, correct)? I'm pretty sure we'll do two park days, but I might even opt to just do one, so that's why I'm asking.

Sort of? Reservations are tied to tickets so you must have a ticket to make a reservation. If you purchase tickets directly from Disney, I believe you are forced to make a reservation as part of the ticket purchase process (though you can always change your reservation later). If you purchase tickets from a third party (such as one of the ones that offer slight discounts) then you will just get eTickets like before. You scan them into your account and then make a park reservation. So for those you can purchase farther in advance and make reservations later (but don't forget!).

Dining is still 60 days out, but some restaurants have been less than this, correct?

Yes, theoretically 60 days out but it has been very sporadic. Honestly, it was like this in "before times" too as far as inconsistencies when reservations loaded etc. The difference now seems to be that the reservations go much faster. It used to not be that big a deal to catch things right when they released except for a few "hot tickets" (weekend dinner at Blue Bayou type stuff) but now it seems like almost everything goes FAST once people figure out it's dropped.

 

[LizzyS]

Sort of? Reservations are tied to tickets so you must have a ticket to make a reservation. If you purchase tickets directly from Disney, I believe you are forced to make a reservation as part of the ticket purchase process (though you can always change your reservation later). If you purchase tickets from a third party (such as one of the ones that offer slight discounts) then you will just get eTickets like before. You scan them into your account and then make a park reservation. So for those you can purchase farther in advance and make reservations later (but don't forget!).

Yes, theoretically 60 days out but it has been very sporadic. Honestly, it was like this in "before times" too as far as inconsistencies when reservations loaded etc. The difference now seems to be that the reservations go much faster. It used to not be that big a deal to catch things right when they released except for a few "hot tickets" (weekend dinner at Blue Bayou type stuff) but now it seems like almost everything goes FAST once people figure out it's dropped.

Thank you so much for the information! I started to doubt that I understood how things currently work at the parks since it's been so long and things are different.