Dining reservations

[Goofy-Runner]

Getting close to the time to start trying for dining reservations for our trip. Wondering if it’s as difficult at DL as WDW? And does the trick of looking for tables of 3 if no availability for tables of 2 works out there as well?

 

[YodaRulz]

It's easier at DL than at WDW to get the dining reservations you want (at least, that's been my experience the last 3 times I've visited). I will be there the first full week of May with 2 other family members and got everything we wanted, including Blue Bayou.

I always seem to have more options with a party of 3 instead of 2, but if you are looking right at 6 a.m. PT, you should still be ok. I always log in to my account and then open each reservation I want on a separate tab in the order I want them. Right at time I refresh the first tab make the reservation and move on to the next.

I have also found better success with dates and times showing up on my computer vs. the app (I'm not sure what others have experienced).

 

[disneychrista]

It really depends on what places you want to get. Trader Sams, Lamplight go very quickly. When I booked Trader Sams last week. I got onto the reservation page at 6:01 and there were only 3 available timeslots for after 4pm.

My advice is if there is any place you know you want get on the app/website at 6am PT and book it.

 

[Pluto468]

Most restaurants aren't super hard to get, but some go fast like Trader Sam's and Blue Bayou. If you're ready to go right at 6am PST you should be able to get what you want, and if you don't you can set up a dining alert. I haven't had a problem getting tables for 2.

 

[Jawwdoc]

Typically the hard to get reservations get snapped up in the following order: Trader Sam’s (almost instantly) Blue Bayou, Napa Rose and Carthay Circle (restaurant then lounge). If you are hoping to stage one of these hard to get reservations your best bet is to sign into your Disney acct on the web 5 minutes before 6 AM pacific time (reservations typically drop 60 days ahead of time), navigate to the dining section, select the restaurant you are most interested in, then select your party size, wait until 6 AM then click on date shown on the calendar precisely at 6 am (the date will be highlighted if active), final step is to choose a time and then proceed to payment. I would recommend practicing a couple of times at 6 am a few days before the 60:day window opens so you are familiar with the process. Good Luck!

 

[disneychrista]

To add to @Jawwdoc tips also have your payment info added to your account to being able to process quickly. I am glad someone told me that because I didn't even think about needing payment info to make the reservations because the last time I went to Disneyland they didn't charge for no shows.