Disneyland Dining - Online Bookings

[RachelleBeaney]

Hi wise and all-knowing DIS Disneyland experts !

I'm hoping some of you can help answer a question I have about Disneyland Online Dining bookings. We will be heading to Disney in early October, and I was under the impression you could start booking dining 60 days in advance.

However, at the moment, though I can see up to the 6 October (60 days out from today) and book lunch reservations for most of the popular restaurants until that date, I can't see any dinner reservations available for any of the restaurants after the 28 September!?!

• Do they release dinner hours at a different time?
• Should I call and book that way instead (because the website says you can book 60 days in advance) to make sure I get reservations such as Blue Bayou and Lamplight?
• Why are some of the restaurants (i.e. Blue Bayou) available to book 60 days out (lunch only) yet others (i.e. Carnation Cafe) are only showing availability until the 28 September?

I know it isn't Disney World, where you have to make reservations exactly 180 days out to get spots at the most popular places, but I still prefer to be safe and want to try book as soon as I can. Any thoughts on if I should wait a week or two and see if dinner reservations become available, or if I should call and see if I can book that way?

 

[DisTXMom]

The dinners and dinner packages seem to be opening up later than the 60 day mark. The fantasmic! Dining packages for the entire month of September opened today- for reference. They were not bookable online or by calling until today. I don’t have any insights on Carnation Cafe but hopefully someone will chime in.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Very lackadaisical about the schedule. Just keep checking.

 

[RachelleBeaney]

The dinners and dinner packages seem to be opening up later than the 60 day mark. The fantasmic! Dining packages for the entire month of September opened today- for reference. They were not bookable online or by calling until today. I don’t have any insights on Carnation Cafe but hopefully someone will chime in.

Ok that is super helpful to know! Thanks so much! I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t miss out if I called instead of booked online but if they haven’t even been released yet then that’s no problem! I’ll just book my lunches now and my dinners whenever they are released and will keep checking the reservations page frequently

 

[avalon451]

I'd still call, though, just to see if you can get any insight from a CM. Though when I called this morning, I was on hold for an HOUR. I was trying to book Blue Bayou F! packages, but it wasn't showing any available times online or in the app. The CM on the phone was able to find available times, though.

 

[RachelleBeaney]

I'd still call, though, just to see if you can get any insight from a CM. Though when I called this morning, I was on hold for an HOUR. I was trying to book Blue Bayou F! packages, but it wasn't showing any available times online or in the app. The CM on the phone was able to find available times, though.

Thanks that’s helpful to know. I might leave it until I’m 60 days out from the last day of the trip and call then if the online reservations haven’t shown up.

 

[RachelleBeaney]

Very lackadaisical about the schedule. Just keep checking.

It does seem that way! I wonder if this is to do with the makeup of Disneyland guests being APs who don’t demand as much info that far out. It’s such a contrast to planning for WDW, where you have to be online as the reservations open just to make sure you get them! I was lucky enough to get all the FPs I wanted for our upcoming trip (though not at the times I wanted) but only because I logged on the second the 60 day mark refreshed!

 

[RachelleBeaney]

Am currently on hold to Disneyland Dining. Got through after calling just as is opened within 10 mins but the line fuzzed out after the operator picked up and I’ve now been on the line for 30 minutes z So frustrated!! Anyone have any ideas about average wait times?

 

[RachelleBeaney]

And....after spending almost an hour on hold I was told that they haven't released schedules for dinner for October yet, nor for show packages - but they should "definitely release that information this week"....Grrr! But at least now I have my answer. You can book 60 days out it just a vague guide and can't be counted on (honestly that makes me grumpy - why release some things and not others!!!)

 

[pharmama]

And....after spending almost an hour on hold I was told that they haven't released schedules for dinner for October yet, nor for show packages - but they should "definitely release that information this week"....Grrr! But at least now I have my answer. You can book 60 days out it just a vague guide and can't be counted on (honestly that makes me grumpy - why release some things and not others!!!)

But don't be surprised if that answer isn't correct and stuff still doesn't show up "this week" (since its already Friday). The CM's on the dining line try to be helpful but they don't really have that much more insight than we do and I'd take any info they give with a big grain of salt. At the end of the day no one else is booking either so you should still be able to get what you want once things open though I understand its frustrating not knowing when that will be. Generally speaking though dining isn't that hard to book at DLR.

I think what's happening here is they haven't decided when the park will close for the fall. They are hurting big time from unexpected poor attendance this summer so are playing a difficult game balancing staffing and operating expenses vs. trying to guess what fall crowds will be. Is everyone going to flood the park once many APs are unblocked and with all the press in the last week about low crowds and poor earnings? Or will crowds continue to be low...

 

[RachelleBeaney]

But don't be surprised if that answer isn't correct and stuff still doesn't show up "this week" (since its already Friday). The CM's on the dining line try to be helpful but they don't really have that much more insight than we do and I'd take any info they give with a big grain of salt. At the end of the day no one else is booking either so you should still be able to get what you want once things open though I understand its frustrating not knowing when that will be. Generally speaking though dining isn't that hard to book at DLR.

I think what's happening here is they haven't decided when the park will close for the fall. They are hurting big time from unexpected poor attendance this summer so are playing a difficult game balancing staffing and operating expenses vs. trying to guess what fall crowds will be. Is everyone going to flood the park once many APs are unblocked and with all the press in the last week about low crowds and poor earnings? Or will crowds continue to be low...

Thanks - and yes I did wonder about that. Hopefully they will make a decision soon! In the meantime I’ll just check each day online until something comes up!