Hey all you party people, it’s time to book your Disney World theme park dining reservations! …Unless you’re not one of a special group of guests who had dining reservations canceled during a specific set of dates. Confused? Us too. So let’s dig deeper.
Le Cellier in EPCOT
Yesterday, Disney announced that theme park dining reservations for Disney World’s park opening dates and beyond would open this morning to “eligible guests with dining reservations cancelled during the closure.”
Dining Reservations Announcement
Now we were a little confused about this. And, tbh, we still are. This date applies to guests who had their dining reservations on or before September 2nd canceled as of May 28th. But did the dining reservations have to be canceled by Disney to count us eligible? What if WE canceled the dining reservations BEFORE May 28th…but it was still due to the closure? Does that still count?
Am I Eligible To Make Dining Reservations Today?
Well, your first clue as to whether you’re eligible is that you received an email yesterday SAYING you’re eligible.
Reservation Email
This is basically everyone who had a dining reservation, scheduled before September 2nd, that was wiped out by the mass cancellation of all Disney Dining Plans and dining reservations back on May 28th.
But if you think you should be able to make reservations this morning based on Disney’s website language, you should definitely try. You can make reservations via the online system, or by phone. (We haven’t been able to book on the My Disney Experience app.) And we’ve heard from folks who didn’t think they were eligible being able to book. So…worth a try!
If you aren’t eligible, you’ll receive this notification:
Not Eligible. Womp womp.
BUT WAIT! We’re getting reports that people are being told they’re not eligible to book online, but are having luck by calling Disney directly to book dining reservations.
So, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. Try every avenue if you’re eager to book dining reservations and think you may be eligible — both calling Disney World AND trying online via your browser.
And remember, to dine in any theme park after Disney World reopens, guests must have valid park admission AND a Disney Park Pass reservation for the day of the desired meal.
So What Happened This Morning?
After all the crazy park pass reservation system glitches last week, we weren’t sure what to expect this morning! But things went pretty smoothly overall. FYI — the online system opened at 6AM ET, which is commensurate with pre-closure policy.
After a few minutes waiting “in orbit” (<– that’s what we call the space mountain rocket ship picture that characterizes one of Disney’s virtual waiting rooms…with which we’re all too familiar after last week), we were able to make all of our top tier dining reservations, including Be Our Guest Restaurant, pretty easily.
Entrance into Beast’s Castle
UPDATE: As of 8:30AM ET the “waiting room” is taking a little bit longer to get through. Keep us updated in the comments with your experiences!
Disney World website Virtual Waiting Room
UPDATE: We’ve also noticed that “eligible” guests are able to book Disney Resort Hotel dining locations via the website now as well! (Up until today, only guests with hotel arrivals prior to July 10th were able to book hotel dining reservations…and only by phone.)
As a reminder, not all of the Disney World restaurants will be open with the parks initially. You can check in on our list of announced restaurants for the FULL LIST of those restaurants that WILL be open and available for reservations.
In addition to “eligible” guests being able to book…well…everything, online reservations are currently available for all Disney guests to book Disney Springs restaurants, and guests with hotel arrivals prior to July 10th can make select Disney World hotel dining reservations by calling the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 824-1391.
Keep an eye on DFB for the latest updates, and get ready to make those reservations!
Click here to see the full list of restaurants that are opening with the theme parks!
Have questions about making reservations for the reopening days of the parks? Ask them in the comments!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney parks, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Be Our Guest Restaurant, disney theme parks reopening, disney world dining cancellations, disney world dining reservations, Disney World reopening, disney world restaurants
