Total Newbie- need guidance on reservations

[Mnshorty2]

Hi everyone! We are headed down in December of this year- arrive on the 9th with a stay until the 13th (parks on sunday-wednesday) I am excited but overwhelmed with all of the details and in particular the dining. I would love some general advice and recommendations on what to book (or to try) for family of 4 with a 9 year old girl and 7 year old boy. I have looked at the booking site and there is pretty much nothing available for our stay for any character dining? Any advice would be appreciated as I am totally lost!! Thanks!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would believe there's nothing much available. Most of the dining reservations for character meals would have been snapped out 180 days out -- in June.

Your best bet is just to search regularly and be flexible.

 

[purple figment]

to the disboards!

Dining reservations open up 180 days in advance so pretty much all of December is already booked. Character meals are very popular so they will be harder to find, but cancellations will come up because of the no show penalty which most want to avoid.

Many find openings closer to their trip days, but keep checking online multiple times a day because cancellations can occur at any time. You can also subscribe to the December cancellation thread at the top of this forum, but be sure to read the rules in the first post. Also, many have had success with the reservation finder on the Touring Plans website.

It helps to be flexible with the time you want to eat so check for non-peak meal times (i.e. lunch before 11 or after 1 PM or dinner before 5 PM or after 7 PM) and at restaurants where there are characters at all meals (e.g. Garden Grill, Tusker House, Crystal Palace) look for times for all meals.

There are character meals in each of the parks, but you can also try to combine a day at a park with a character meal at a nearby resort if you cannot find a reservation at an in-park restaurant (e.g. Magic Kingdom day - Chef Mickey's at Contemporary or 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian), Epcot or DHS day - character breakfasts at Cape May at the Beach Club or Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk).

If you go to the parks at opening and go on rides and attractions the first two or three hours when the parks are less busy you can then book a late breakfast/early lunch.

 

[Dakota731]

Wait till a few days before when all the people who have multiple reservations start cancelling them to avoid charges. Friends of ours got everything that way during Easter week!

 

[SarahMynah]

I always forget to book 180 days out (usually end up booking 30-90 days out) and almost always end up finding what I want. As others have said, you just have to check all the time. People book more meals than they intend to use and then drop reservations when their plans come together. Follow the reservation cancellation thread for December and you may find some there. And remember that no one reservation or dining experience is going to make or break your trip. There are plenty of good counter service options (especially in Epcot and Disney Springs) that you don't even need reservations for. Even if you don't get your top choice you're still going to have a great time.

What kinds of foods does your family like? And are you looking for more sit down places or counter service?