When to make meal reservations

[scrappychar]

I am a WDW vet and am used to the big window of restaurant reservations, when can I make my reservations for DLR meals?

Char

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

You can make reservations 60 days ahead of time, though that's typically not necessary. I like to make my Blue Bayou reservations for an 11:30 lunch 60 days ahead of time to help ensure we can get a waterside table, but even that's not really necessary.

 

[Flitterific]

Yea...the window opens 60 days in advance but you are almost guaranteed the reservation you want if you make it even one month in advance (less if it's not during peak season). However, part of the time is planning and crossing things off my list so I like to make my PSs as soon as the 60 day window opens up

 

[oc_tony]

I am a WDW vet and am used to the big window of restaurant reservations, when can I make my reservations for DLR meals?

Since you are used to WDW, I will just add that dining reservations are made over the phone at (714)781-DINE. There is no on-line reservation system for DLR.

 

[pixarmom]

We are WDW vets, and made our DL dining reservations at the 60-day mark. The DL system is different in several ways, including:

1) no on-line system, as a previous poster mentioned - you need to call

2) your name is your confirmation - no confirmation number

3) no confirmation e-mail

4) when you call 60 days in advance of check-in at a DL hotel, you can't make the PS reservations for your entire trip. (Unlike WDW, where you can go online or call 180 days before you check in and make all of your ADRs at once for your entire trip - up to 190 days away.) Because we're in DL for three days, I called back three days in a row. I know I probably didn't need to do this, but I just wanted to be sure we had a good chance of getting the PS reservations we wanted.

5) even calling at the 60 day mark, DL seems to only open certain times for PS reservations, and leaves other times for walk-ins. For example, I asked for lunch at Carnation Cafe at 11:30am, and the CM said the first lunch PS available was at 1pm. I asked if that's because others already booked the earlier PS times, and she said that 1pm is when they start taking PS reservations for lunch. Same with Blue Bayou - either 5:50 or 6:50, but she said they did not make any PS reservations available for 6:30.

6) the CM thought it was funny that I knew where we wanted to eat 60 days in advance!

 

[MulanFan]

I think it depends on the restaurant - we were able to get a reservation at Cafe Orleans 6 days before we went to that restaurant to eat.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I think it depends on the restaurant - we were able to get a reservation at Cafe Orleans 6 days before we went to that restaurant to eat.

We got Carnation Cafe for breakfast on a MM a few days before Christmas (and booked it less than a week in advance).

 

[LuvSulley]

We were able to book Blue Bayou for lunch a few days before the date. We had a good selection of times to pick from too.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

I was able to make PS reservations for the Blue Bayou 3 weeks prior. I got an 11:30am lunch-time, and we were able to sit at a waterside table (we checked in at 11:10am). And this was on a weekday in the middle of this summer.

I was able to make a PS reservation for the Carnation Cafe 1 week prior. I got an 11:50am lunch time, and this was last year for Thanksgiving Day.

In the last couple of years I've been able to make PS reservations for the Carnation Cafe at 11:30am. (That's the first lunch-time of the day.) In July '09 I made a PS reservation for the Carnation Cafe for 11:30am.

If you want to make all of the PS reservations for a 3-day trip, some people will call on the 57th day and make all the PS reservations with one phone call.

And here's a relatively unknown tip: It's generally said that you can call the Disney Dining line (for DLR) 60 days ahead, but it's actually 2 months ahead. For an example, if you're making reservations for, say, November 15, you can call Disney Dining on September 15, which is actually 61 days. This really isn't necessary for DLR, but it's easier to simply subtract 2 months.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Lissame]

And here's a relatively unknown tip: It's generally said that you can call the Disney Dining line (for DLR) 60 days ahead, but it's actually 2 months ahead. For an example, if you're making reservations for, say, November 15, you can call Disney Dining on September 15, which is actually 61 days. This really isn't necessary for DLR, but it's easier to simply subtract 2 months.
:

This tip is not true for tours or Fantasmic dessert seating. You have to call exactly 30 days in advance--I tried to call a month out and they told me to call back the next day because their computer was locked out to book until then.