When Do Dining Reservations Open at Disney World?

So you’re ready to lock in that table at Geo-82, Space 220 Lounge, or Oga’s Cantina reservation, but you’re wondering: when exactly do dining reservations open at Disney World, and do I *really* have to set an alarm?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: yes, and if you want anything halfway decent, you better be logged in by 5:45 AM Eastern, caffeinated and ready to go.

So When Exactly Do Dining Reservations Open?

You’ll hear people say “60 days out,” but what they don’t explain is that Disney’s definition of “day” starts stupidly early in the morning. Like, still-dark-outside early.

Here’s how it works:

Reservation Opening Times

• Online & App:
  Reservations officially open at 6:00 AM Eastern Time, but many guests (including us) report seeing options drop as early as 5:45 AM.
  If you want the tough-to-get stuff, plan to be logged in by 5:40, maybe 5:30 if you’re the anxious type. Yes, with coffee.
• Phone Line:
  If you’re still living in 1998, you can call 407-WDW-DINE at 7:00 AM Eastern, but by then most good stuff is long gone. We don’t recommend it unless you enjoy unnecessary stress.

What If You’re Staying at a Disney Resort?

This is where things get fun.

If you’re staying at an onsite resort (including Swan, Dolphin, or Shades of Green), you get a booking advantage that off-site guests don’t:

You can book dining for your entire trip (up to 10 days) starting 60 days before your check-in date.

That means instead of booking one day at a time (like off-site guests), you can knock out your whole vacation’s worth of reservations in one go, giving you a leg up on people arriving later in the week.

Example:

• You’re checking in on October 10.
• At 6:00 AM Eastern on August 11, you can book dining not just for October 10, but also the 11th, 12th, 13th… all the way through October 19.

Pro tip: Put reservations at high demand places towards the end of your trip. Fewer people have access to that date, so you’re more likely to snag the big ones, like Geo-82, Space 220, and character meals.

Best Ways to Book

There are technically three ways to make Disney dining reservations. Only one of them doesn’t make us want to flip a table.

Option 1: My Disney Experience App (Highly Recommended)

If we had to pick one method to rely on while racing thousands of other Disney adults to score Space 220 Lounge, it’s the app.

Why we love it:

• It loads faster than the desktop site, especially if you’re bouncing between time slots.
• It autofills your saved party members (no lag).
• You can immediately jump between restaurants, dates, and meal periods without refreshing or crashing.
• It’s easier to try last-minute refresh tricks later (more on that below).

Pro Tip: Make sure you’re logged in and have updated your app the night before. Seriously. Don’t waste your precious 6:00 AM window troubleshooting an iOS update.

Option 2: Disney World Website

This is fine in theory and does the job for most reservations, but if you’re going after anything popular, expect glitches. We’ve had the search tool lag, drop bookings mid-process, and randomly log us out for no reason.

If you use the website:

• Bookmark the direct pages for your top restaurants in advance.
• Be ready to refresh manually.
• Use it alongside the app if you want a backup. This is what we do. We start with both the app and website up and ready to go, that way if the app fails us, we can jump over to the website and not lose time.

Option 3: Calling Disney (Skip Unless Desperate)

Calling 407-WDW-DINE might sound charming and nostalgic, until you’re stuck on hold at 7:02 AM listening to a 13-minute loop of Disney hold music while someone else grabs your Oga’s Cantina spot.

Phone lines open at 7:00 AM Eastern, which is a full hour after the app and website. By that time, the rare stuff is gone.

The only time we ever use the phone is if something went horribly wrong with the app and website and we need to confirm something urgently (like whether a reservation went through).

Disney World’s Hardest-to-Get Dining Reservations (Ranked by Demand)

Books Out in Minutes

Set the alarm. These are the reservations people fight over.

• GEO-82 Lounge (EPCOT) – Adults-only lounge inside Spaceship Earth with clarified cocktails, panoramic fireworks views, and extremely limited seating. Launch day was a bloodbath.
• Space 220 (Restaurant + Lounge) – One of the most competitive reservations in all of Disney World. Lounge is harder than the restaurant due to limited space.
• Topolino’s Terrace – Breakfast à la Art – Gorgeous rooftop views and some of the best character dining on property. Goes fast.
• Victoria & Albert’s (Chef’s Table or Queen Victoria Room) – The most luxurious dining experience at Disney. Booking is like getting Taylor Swift tickets.
• California Grill (Fireworks Time) – Fireworks dining package vanishes quickly. Book it right at the drop or dine earlier and save your receipt for fireworks access.
• Chef Mickey’s – Iconic character buffet. One of the first to go, especially for breakfast.
• Ferrytale Fireworks Cruise – A floating dessert party on a ferryboat with bottomless bubbly and panoramic fireworks views. Think of it as the most expensive way to pregame Happily Ever After, and yes, it books fast.
• Hoop-Dee-Doo – Dinner theater meets bottomless sangria. Fried chicken, cornbread, slapstick comedy, and pitchers of booze. People book this months out for good reason.
• ‘Ohana (Dinner) – Fireworks view, unlimited noodles, and crowd nostalgia = tough to get.
• Rose & Crown Fireworks Dining Package (EPCOT) – Enjoy a prix-fixe British meal with unlimited beverages, including alcohol, and waterfront seating for EPCOT’s nighttime spectacular.
• Celebration at the Top Dessert Party – Upscale sushi, small plates, and Champagne at California Grill, plus rooftop fireworks views with fewer sticky children and more adults who know the word “vintage.” Classy chaos.
• Magic Kingdom Seats & Sweets Dessert Party – Offers reserved seating at Tomorrowland Terrace with a dessert buffet and prime views of the Happily Ever After fireworks. The other dessert parties available here aren’t as difficult to get, but this one goes fast.

Want to know which reservations are actually worth the 5:45 AM wake-up call, especially if you’re planning your trip around cocktails, rooftop sangria, or rare tequila tastings? Check out our full guide to the Best Disney Dining Reservations for Drinks.

Hard to Get at Peak Times

Book these early. These are not impossible, but don’t wait.

• Homecomin’ (Especially Brunch) – Great food, strong drinks, and a cult following. Brunch is the toughest.
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – EPCOT princess dining alternative to Cinderella’s Royal Table.
• Be Our Guest Restaurant – Still extremely popular, even post-prix fixe menu switch.
• Beaches & Cream – Limited seating makes this retro diner-style spot harder than it should be.
• The Cake Bake Shop – Picture Instagram’s dream brunch exploded into a restaurant: pastel decor, glittering cakes, over-the-top cocktails, and velvet everything.
• Any Other Character Meal – Tusker House, Crystal Palace, Hollywood & Vine, all fill quickly, especially breakfast and lunch.
• Any Signature Dining Experience – Think Flying Fish, Narcoossee’s, Citricos, Yachtsman. Smaller dining rooms and foodie appeal make dinner times competitive.
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ – Still in new restaurant territory, and it shows. Prime dinner times go quick but off peak times are generally easy to snag.
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater – A fan favorite with limited capacity (those car booths don’t help availability).
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point – Small space, high demand during peak dining times. The Evil Queen has a chokehold on reservation slots.

Usually Available With Flexibility

Still great, still popular, just not full-blown chaos at 6:00 AM.

• Trattoria al Forno – No characters anymore, which means more open time slots.
• Ale & Compass – Low-key but reliable. Great backup for Yacht/Beach/BoardWalk area.
• The Hollywood Brown Derby – Signature menu and open tables unless it’s a holiday or you want a Fantasmic! dining package.
• Tiffins – Wildly underrated, even with its park location. Often has day-of availability.
• Sanaa – Bread service and savanna views, but lunch is usually easy to get.
• Skipper Canteen – Underrated theming and flavor. Rarely books up.
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point – Small space, high demand during peak dining times but if you don’t mind eating dinner late, reservations are typically relatively easy to snag.
• Wine Bar George – Prime dinner times go first, but the vibe stays chill throughout the day.

Tips from Experience: How We Actually Book Dining (and Recover When We Don’t)

We’ve booked Disney dining reservations from bed, from airports (and even airplanes), and more than once while half-asleep in a hotel room with one eye open. Here’s how to actually win the 6 AM game, or bounce back if you don’t.

Step-by-Step Booking Strategy

1. Log in by 5:40 AM Eastern.
   Refresh the app a few minutes early. Some spots do drop right at 5:45.
2. Start with the hardest reservation on the last day of your trip.
   If you’re a resort guest, take advantage of that rolling 10-day window. The later dates have the least competition.
3. Focus on the hardest-to-get stuff first, not your actual daily plan.
   You can shuffle dining around later. The point is to grab the tough ones first; you’ll figure out the logistics after you’ve locked them in.
4. Don’t waste time browsing.
   Know what you’re going for ahead of time. Use the search bar to jump straight to the restaurant and preferred time window (morning, afternoon, evening).
5. Grab it, then adjust.
   Even if the time’s not ideal, say, 3:55 PM for “dinner”, grab it. You can try to modify it later if more options open up.

Didn’t Get What You Wanted? Here’s How to Fix It

You slept in. Or the app glitched. Or your fingers betrayed you. It happens. Here’s what to do.

Use the “Modify” Trick

Go into the reservation you did get and hit “Modify.”

Sometimes, this reveals times that don’t show up in regular searches, even fully booked restaurants. We modify things all the time, even up to the day of reservation.

Refresh Like a Madman

Especially helpful in the two weeks leading up to your trip. Cancellations happen constantly. The night before? Absolute goldmine.

We once booked a California Grill fireworks dinner same day this way.

Try the Walk-Up Waitlist

Open the My Disney Experience app and search for the restaurant. If it offers “Join Walk-Up Waitlist,” you can do that while you’re nearby (or literally standing in front of it).

Use a Reservation Finder (Optional but Effective)

There are third-party tools that’ll ping you when a reservation opens. We use MouseDining, but there are others out there, too – and they work very well. Just be ready to book fast when you get the alert!

FAQ: Disney World Dining Reservation Basics

Can I book Disney dining reservations at midnight?

Nope.

Online reservations open at 6:00 AM Eastern Time, but some restaurants start dropping at 5:45 AM, so we recommend that you be ready by then.

When exactly can I start booking if I’m staying at a Disney resort?

You can start booking 60 days before your check-in date, and if you’re staying at a Disney-owned resort (including Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green), you can book dining for your entire stay (up to 10 nights) starting that same morning.

What about off-site guests?

If you’re not staying at a Disney resort, you can still book dining 60 days in advance, but only one day at a time. No 10-day advantage, which is why popular stuff goes even faster.

Do I need a credit card to make a reservation?

Yes.
You’ll need to enter a valid credit card for all table service reservations, even if you’re using the Dining Plan. You won’t be charged unless you:

• No-show without canceling
• Cancel within the late cancellation window (usually 2 hours in advance)

Exception: Some experiences like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Hoop-Dee-Doo require prepayment in full.

Can I make dining reservations on the My Disney Experience app?

Yes, and you should.
The app is faster and more reliable than the website in most cases. You can:

• Search by time, meal, or restaurant
• Join walk-up waitlists day-of
• Modify or cancel with a few taps

What if I didn’t get the reservation I wanted?

It happens. And here’s what to do:

• Refresh like a maniac, especially in the 24–48 hours before your desired date
• Use a reservation finder tool (like MouseDining)
• Join the walk-up waitlist in the app for lounges or less formal dining spots
• Modify another reservation; you’ll sometimes see more options here than in the regular search

Can I make multiple reservations for the same time?

Technically, no.
Disney calls this “double-booking” and it can lead to your reservations being canceled automatically. Leave a little buffer between reservations just in case.

Final Thoughts: Book Early, But Don’t Panic

Look, we’ve been there – blurry-eyed at 5:45 AM, frantically refreshing My Disney Experience, wondering why Space 220 is already gone and if we really need that brunch at Topolino’s.

The truth is, Disney dining can feel intense, but if you follow the strategy, prioritize the hard-to-get spots, and stay flexible, you’ll be just fine. And even if you don’t snag the thing you wanted? Some of the best meals and drinks at Disney World don’t require a reservation at all.

Need more help planning? Check out our full Drinking at Disney World guide and EPCOT for Adults itinerary, or build your own bar crawl from our list of Best Bars at Disney World.

And if you do land that La Cava tequila tasting at 6:01 AM, please know: we’re proud of you.