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How to Get Disney Dining Reservations When They are Sold Out

How to Get Disney Dining Reservations When They are Sold Out

This post is sponsored by WDW Dining Finder. It is a service we have personally used and tested and doesn’t influence our opinions and review in this article.

Ever put together your wish list of places to eat on your next Disney World vacation only to find out that when you go to book them all your top picks are sold out? Yup, us too! Since the reopening Disney World dining reservations have been harder to get than ever. A big part of that is that there is less availability and not every restaurant at Disney World has reopened. So we are sharing the secrets on how to get Disney Dining reservations when they are sold out.

Are Disney Dining Reservations Hard to Get Right Now?

While it has been getting easier to get a Disney Dining reservation as more and more restaurants are reopening (they aren’t all open yet, Disney stated the goal is by the end of 2022) getting the one you want can still be tricky.

Some spots are just always popular or extra small and are consistently a difficult Disney World dining reservation to get. These restaurants include but aren’t limited to Cinderella’s Royal Table, Space 220, Ohana, Oga’s Cantina, and many more.

Hardest Disney Dining Reservations to Get

If you don’t frequently vacation at Disney World you may be unsure which reservations you are going to have a hard time getting. We have a list of all the hardest to get Disney World dining reservations so have any of these on your list then you need to follow our steps below.

  • Space 220
  • Victoria and Alberts
  • Cinderella’s Royal Table
  • Be Our Guest
  • Ohana
  • Oga’s Cantina
  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
  • Chef Mickey’s
  • Le Cellier Steakhouse
  • Topolino Terrace
  • Beaches and Cream
  • T-Rex Cafe
  • Homecomin’
  • California Grill
  • Epcot Dining Packages

Read: The Hardest Disney World Dining Reservations to Get

When Disney Dining Reservations Become Available

Of course, it’s only natural to want to be the first to snag a Disney World dining reservation. Disney reservations open up 60 days in advance and if you really want to eat somewhere it’s best to do it right on that 60-day mark.

Book Disney Dining Reservations Online

Online reservations open for booking at 5:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Yes I know it’s crazy early that’s why we love booking through a Disney Travel agent since they will handle it all for you. The advantage to booking online is it actually opens sooner than the phone lines so you get the first pick of openings.

Call to Make Disney Dining Reservations

If you are opting to call in to make your dining reservations the phone lines open up at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Some reservations can only be made over the phone so be sure to check if it’s available on My Disney Experience. An example is the Captain Table at the Crown of Corella on the Galactic Starcuiser.

Disney Resort Dining Advantage

Don’t forget if you are staying at a Disney World resort when you hit the 60-day mark you can book your dining reservations for your entire length of stay, up to 10 days. This gives you a big one up on those that stay off Disney property or locals visiting. So prioritize snagging the hardest dining reservation to get at the end of your stay when your odds will be much higher.

Use a Disney World Dining Reservation Finder Service

When you have no luck snagging a reservation on your own this is where it is essential to use a reservation finding service. When we are in a pinch, WDW Dining Finder has saved our butts. We tend to be the ones who schedule our dining pretty last minute which means where we want to eat is often already sold out.

WDW Dining Finder is a tool that will alert you when a reservation becomes available on the My Disney Experience website. It won’t actually book the reservation for you, when you get one of their alerts you will want to use their link to book the dining reservation as quickly as possible.

How to Use a Dining Reservation Finding Service

Each restaurant watch costs $4.99 and best of all it works, we have used it several times now. Getting a watch on a reservation is super simple to set up, just head to WDWDiningFinder.com and enter the restaurant you want to dine at. From there then it’s just adding the details of how many people you want to dine with and the date (or multiple days, this will give you better odds!). I also recommend you add both your email and phone number for alerts, the popular reservations like Space 220 disappear crazy fast!

How to Get Disney Dining Reservations When They are Sold Out 1

When WDW Dining Finder finds the reservation you are looking for it will email or text you an alert based on the preferences you selected. You can use the alert to click the link and immediately be taken to the booking process on Disney World’s website.

To my point above, what if the reservation sells out before you can book it? Surprisingly, super easy to handle. You will be given the option to restart your search if it ends up not being available and you can do this an unlimited amount of times until you can secure your reservation. With Space 220 I think I had to restart our search 3 times before I was able to scoop up an available one quick enough.

How to Increase your Odds of getting a Disney World Dining Reservation

There are a few secret tips we have to share with you on getting a hard-to-get dining reservation. First up don’t forget about lunch, if the restaurant is open for lunch this is typically an easier time to find openings. You can also look for the real extremes of dinner service. Like 4 pm – 5 pm or later after 7:30 pm.

Best Restaurants to use a Disney World Dining Finder On

WDW Dining Finder will work on any Walt Disney World restaurant but it is best utilized on a reservation you were unable to book yourself. This will be extremely specific to you and also the time of year, if you are going during a holiday week, you may need to set a watch on a restaurant you wouldn’t have needed if say you went the first week of December when it’s less busy.

If you find yourself needing a specific Disney World dining reservation last minute I highly recommend using WDW Dining Finder it saves you time and has a 95% success rate!