Dining reservations for many venues for before park open and after park close are normal as FCDub said. I like doing early breakfast when I am not in a rush and late dinner/drinks after close. I have Oga's also in February at 9:30.
One year, December 6 2012, we were celebrating my daughter's 8th birthday and close to the last minute after checking every day for months, we got the first breakfast time in Cinderella's Castle when someone cancelled because the dining plan was just announced.
On the big day, we walked into an empty park and the few people in front of us stopped to take pictures on main street and get their hair done at the castle. That left us as the first ones chatting with the cast members in the arch under the castle. They asked if our daughter would be Princess for the Day, which was pretty amazing. She led people into the castle, got personal time with Cinderella and got our pictures taken first, then each princess came to her table first to take pictures and sign her book. The Belle area had been having unannounced previews where people were allowed in small groups on occasion to enter a door at the construction wall. I was hoping that would happen for us. But when I looked out the castle window, I saw the barricades had been removed! It was the opening day of that area! As I stopped at a window to take pictures, they opened the gates. Way down main street I could see a wave of people walking down the street like a Tsunami. It was an amazing sight. We were the first people to do everything in the Belle area like Enchanted Tales with Belle, talk to Gaston, meet Arial, etc. No lines. Pretty amazing.
After hours dining has much of the park cleared out and you can walk in relative peace, taking time to take pictures as you go out. Amazing in a different way.
