10 DO’s and DON’Ts for Dining at Disney World

Disney Dining is a huge part of the Walt Disney World experience. The food is fantastic, the restaurants are unique, and everything is magical and perfect. Getting all of your reservations mapped out and planned can be challenging if you aren’t used to it, plus navigating all of the restaurants and options. Here are ten great DO’s and DON’Ts for Disney Dining:

10 – DO make advanced dining reservations as early as possible.

You can begin making your dining reservations at 60 days prior to when you will be there, and you should definitely do this if possible. Many of the popular restaurants book up quickly, so you will feel much better if you lock in your favorites and desired choices before they are all gone. You also have a better chance of getting your desired times, too!

9 – DON’T quit trying if you don’t snag your desired reservations.

If you can’t get your desired times and locations, don’t give up! Guests are changing their plans daily, so you never know when your desired restaurant will be available. Just be persistent and keep periodically checking for what you are looking for, even up to the day of the reservation. Reservations open up around the day before or the day of, so it is a great time to pick up reservations.

8 – DO pay attention to the gratuity line on the bill.

If you are dining at a table service restaurant, there will be a section for you to add gratuity to your bill. You will want to pay careful attention to this line. The dinner show meals include gratuity, so you won’t have to pay for that. If you use a discount, the gratuity is automatically added, so you will want to double-check that so you either leave it as is or add the amount you intend to add. If you are using a dining plan, gratuity is not included (other than the dinner show meals), so you won’t want to forget to add the gratuity for a job well done as you normally would. Definitely don’t stiff the servers on gratuity. This is how they make their income, which is part of the known costs of dining at table service locations.

7 – DON’T plan too many table service reservations in a single day.

We have made trips before where we have booked a table service restaurant for all three meals of the day.  This really is WAY too much.  Not only is it too much food, but it also leaves you feeling like you are just going from meal to meal and constantly watching the clock rather than enjoying the parks and attractions.  It can also be rather costly, so considering fewer meals and supplementing with snacks and quick service options will save on your budget, too.

6 – DO consider quick service locations, too.

The quick-service locations around Disney are actually quite good!  The locations offer much more than your normal “theme park food,” with a high level of diversity and theming to the lands and areas of the park where the restaurant resides.  These locations can save you a lot of money since they are cheaper than table service restaurants and can save you a lot of time.  Eating off-peak times can save a lot of time since you are more likely to get in and back out enjoying the park.

5 – DON’T make reservations during the fireworks shows (unless you have fireworks views).

If you are dining at a restaurant that offers views of the fireworks and pipes in the music for the show, then definitely ignore this advice. Those meals are fantastic, and watching the fireworks from the restaurant is a stress-free amazing way to see the show. Otherwise, don’t dine during the fireworks if you care about seeing the show! You will want to check times and be sure to give yourself time to enjoy your meal and still get a great spot to enjoy the fireworks or evening show. Every park has some kind of evening show, so plan accordingly.

4 – DO consider one of the Disney Dining Plans.

If you love dining at Disney, consider whether one of the Disney Dining Plans is a good deal. Disney Dining Plans offer a way for you to pre-pay your meals. There are different options, so you can compare these plans against your eating/meal habits and your budget to see if the plan makes sense. So consider these options to determine if either will save you money while on vacation.

3 – DO use the Mobile Ordering option.

You’ll want to use the Mobile Ordering service option in the My Disney Experience App when dining at a quick-service location. This service allows you to order ahead on your mobile device. In the last year, the service has had a lot of trouble, and you may experience just as long a wait time to get your food since so many people are using the service. Check out everything you need to know about this service by clicking here. 

2 – DO give yourself plenty of time to get to the restaurant location.

Don’t underestimate the amount of time it can take to wait for transportation, make the journey there, get through security, and then walk to the location. This can take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on where you are going and coming from, the time of day, how long it takes you to catch a bus, etc. So you will want to consider this and give yourself enough time to get there, so you aren’t late for your meal and still arrive around fifteen minutes early.

1 – DON’T skip one of the reservations or forget to cancel 2 hours prior.

Definitely don’t skip your reservations or forget to cancel reservations you don’t plan to use at least two hours prior to the start of the reservation. This is a change from a 24-hour to a two-hour cancellation policy. If you are a no-show, then Disney will charge you $10 times per number of guests on the reservation. It can be costly to forget, so keep track of this if you are holding any reservations you are iffy about. This is why you can often pick up reservations at the last minute; guests are dropping reservations that they can’t make.