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.
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.”
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.
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:
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.
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!
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!
Disney Park Reopening Details and Info
Click HERE for the All Latest Updates
Click HERE To See FULL LISTS of the Rides, Attractions, Shopping, Entertainment, and Restaurants Opening in Disney World!
TUTORIAL: How To Use Disney World's NEW Park Pass Reservation System
ALL Disney World Reopening Procedures
Disney World Hotel and Ticket Booking Information
We’re Visiting ALL the Reopened Disney World Hotels and Have All the Need-to-Know Details
We’re LIVE in Disney World's Magic Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We’re LIVE in Disney’s Animal Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We Got a FIRST LOOK at Disney World’s New Character Cavalcades and Entertainment!
Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks in Disney World
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Have questions about making reservations for the reopening days of the parks? Ask them in the comments!
Stacey says
Hi! I was able to make mine at 5:50AM! So I’m not sure what time it actually opened up.. I was able to get all of mine except for Sci Fi. I actually checked and it says there are no days available for lunch in all of August. I was wondering if you know anything about that. Thanks so much!
Raymond Wheeler says
Talk about frustration. I also got the e-mail that I would be able to make dining reservations because of a cancelation. Well, as mentioned, and in orbit, I got the Paws of death notification. Tried different browsers and the same message. Since I am a DVC member I am trying this avenue. 20 tries to get into the phone que, waiting to hear the results. All this work to make a Birthday Lunch reservation at Via Napoli in EPCOT. Still on hold with DVC for over 55 minutes, with a promised hold time of 30 minutes
Amanda says
Both my mother and I got emails about making dining reservations today, but we keep getting the “Sorry for the Paws” page when we make selections. We had a trip cancelled at the end of June so we are eligible but we aren’t having any luck. And it’s not like you can talk to anyone on the phone.
Alicia says
Stacy you might want to try SciFi again. I was able to see it for August 13th. I was able to get all our dining pretty easily for mid August!
I’m finally In the phone queue for Driod Depot after trying for a few hours.
Payton says
I received the email yesterday and have a trip scheduled in 30 days (hotel included) and I’m still getting the message that I can’t book. I have tried calling in to Disney and nothing is getting answered. The Disney system even hung up on me during one call! 😭 I had ALL of my reservations made before they cancelled them and now I’m afraid I won’t get any of the ones I wanted because the system isn’t recognizing that I should get to book them!
Cathy Gold says
Not sure what happened but I got up at 3:45 Disneyland time and logged in to my Disney world account. I went ahead and clicked reservations just in case. it put me in a waiting queue and at 10 minutes to 4:00 I was able to make all of my reservations. I never did get the email from Disney letting me know what was going on. But I hope everybody was able to get the reservations they wanted for their vacation. Now my fingers are crossed that they figure out how to throw up some barriers and open Savi’s. Good Luck everyone
MMS says
This applies to guest who have tickets/park reservations in the next 60 days (and who’s dining reservations were previously canceled), correct?
RyanM says
We received an email about this, logged on and was able to remake our reservation as well as two additional ones. We still haven’t had any luck with Droid Depot yet that we had cancelled, and I’ve been on hold multiple times in the phone for it.
DFB Sarah says
Ryan M., here’s some info that might apply to Droid Depot for you: Beginning June 30, Guests who had an active experience reservation between May 28 and September 2, 2020 that was cancelled as of May 28 due to our temporary closure can begin to make a new experience reservation by calling 407-939-6690. Learn more about reservations during the phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort.
DFB Sarah says
MMS, that’s the letter of the ‘law’ Disney announced, but we’ve heard some mixed reports from others, so it’s worth checking.
DFB Sarah says
Cathy, Savi’s is on our minds, too!
DFB Sarah says
Payton, I hope it worked out for you today!
Ingrid says
I also received email but since I was only able to get Park reservations for Sept (that is the only time we could go now), I cannot book anything because it’s OVER 60 days out… So frustrating… Hopefully we will be able to make reservations so we can celebrate our birthdays…
Patty says
We are a large group, so I called for group reservations at 6:58, 6:59, 7:00. “Your wait time will be at least 15 min.” 3.5 hours later, a very patient CM was able to help me make reservations. Unfortunately, the system would not allow for a large group. Although she did her best to keep the times together, I have multiple reservations which “add up” to the correct number. I wonder why have a separate phone number for group dining if there is no way to make a reservation for more than 6, sometimes 8. I understand in a place like Sci-Fi, the cars are a set size. But Biergarten is usually an easy score for a large party, but still separate reservations. On the positive, we are in the system, and I printed out the reservations from my Disney experience. I will keep checking over the coming weeks to see if I can modify the reservations.
Sara B says
We moved our reservations to the end of the year. I got the email and logged on this morning just to check. Sure enough, the reservation calendar only goes through August 31–60 days out. Wishing everyone luck with their reservations!
DFB Sarah says
Patty, I’m relieved they’re in the system for you!
Neil J Thompson says
My family and I were originally meant to travel to Orlando from the UK during Easter 2020 on flexible park tickets (allowing a two week window for visits any time in 2020) but our flights were cancelled before the parks were closed by Disney, so I cancelled the ADR’s myself and rebooked them all for October 2020. However, when Disney closed the parks later in March, ALL my ADR’s for October were cancelled including Rose & Crown Fireworks and dining, which I had paid for but that was refunded (fine). I’ve now booked Park Pass reservations for all the days for our trip in October, however, I’ve not received the email from Disney saying I’m eligible to make ADR’s with priority. I’m hoping I’ll get them when my October reservations are 60 days out, which seems to be the new ADR window. But do you know if people whose cancelled ADR’s were for after September cut off date will get priority over new bookers?
Dawn F says
Truthfully I don’t understand why we are not eligible. We were to be at Disney May 25 for the whole week. Of coarse all our reservations were wiped clean. Then we rescheduled for the week of September 14 and our dining reservations were wiped once again for the new 60 day policy. So I don’t understand why we are not eligible. In earlier communications we were told we would be able to rebook once reservation system opened up. But we have been relegated to the 60 day policy. So I’m beyond frustrated and upset.
Nik says
I never received an email about making reservations, but I stumbled upon an announcement. I was able to make reservations but assumed it started at 7 since the notification on Disney website was vague. Able to get a lot – but not able to get toppilino for breakfast. Hoping they add signature dining restaurants before our trip in August.
DFB Sarah says
Neil, no word on that from Disney at this point.
Steven S. in NJ says
My ADR was cancelled by Disney BUT since they were for week of October 4th, I cannot make NEW ADR at this time! If I have to make new ADR 60-days out, then that would be the first week of August so it’s only another month from now. It’s still confusing because when Disney sets a date of ADR up to September 2, they are really saying you are within the 60-day ADR and why didn’t they say that in the first place? That is what they said when they cancelled all the dining reservations and said they are changing it from 180-days to only 60-days.
Kay says
If you carry a bucket of popcorn & eat on it all day, you can’t wear a mask right?
DFB Sarah says
Kay, according to our experience and what Disney cast members have told us, you can remove your mask only when seated with food and/or drink. Walking around with a popcorn bucket, they’d ask you to raise or lower your mask for each bite.
Amy says
We had 2 Disney vacations and reservations canceled! One in April , the other in May ! We have Resort and park reservations for August, 43 days away and I’m still not able to make dining reservations! Pretty upset !!