Booking Disney Dining Reservations Just Got Easier
We love our Disney vacations. Most people do. But not many of us love the anxiety-inducing mad dash to reserve our favorite table-service restaurants. Thankfully, it’s getting easier to make those Disney dining reservations thanks to the updates being made to the company’s websites and the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps. For the first time, I actually enjoyed using the MDE app when my 60-day window opened a few weeks ago. I’m still not a fan of waking at 4:45 AM, but I’ll take any win that I can get.
What’s new?
Disney used to limit your ability to see a restaurant’s availability for an entire day. Now, the app lets you choose one of the following options:
- All Day
- Before 12:00 PM
- 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- After 4:00 PM
Most guests want to book their favorite restaurant no matter the meal time. That first option allows them to see all options without having to refresh the screen. That’s a huge deal. Every second counts when you’re trying for Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Selecting “All Day” will show all available restaurants with dining times grouped according to breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. If you opt for one of the other three options, you’ll see availability only for that block. I always choose “All Day”. Sorting the results is simple enough without choosing a more specific time.
Quick-service dining tools have also been updated. You’ll now be able to sort results to see the restaurants that are close to your current location and offer the earliest pickup times. Last year, Disney also made big improvements to mobile ordering, allowing you to edit your order more easily before checking out.
By the way, if you’re not mobile ordering, you’re doing it wrong. Never stand in a line unless it’s for a ride!
Need help knowing when you can book your favorite Disney dining reservations? Our reservation calculator will make sure you’re ready when your booking date arrives.
What’s coming?
A future update will let you select a block of days to check a restaurant’s availability. This is the feature I’ve been wanting ever since the MDE app debuted. It will be a game-changer for people who want to enjoy Disney’s most popular restaurants. This feature is already available when reserving special tours, and it works perfectly.
While waking up early 60 days before your vacation is a beating, these dining reservations upgrades make it a little less brutal. Maybe they’ll move the start time to the middle of the day next…
