Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Onmostdays,acouplehundredusersslamDisney'scomputersystemwithinmil-
liseconds of one another. With this volume, a 20th of a second or less can make the
difference between getting a table and not getting one. As it happens, there are vari-
ables beyond your control. One is the number of computers through which your re-
quest passes before it reaches Disney'sreservation system. The explanation—covered
in excruciating detail in the Big Book—is rather technical, but the same principle ap-
plies whether you're trying to get dining reservations online with Disney or concert
seats through Ticketmaster.
Advance Reservations: The
Unofficial
Scoop
BECAUSE DISNEY CHARGES a $10-to-$25-per-person no-show penalty at its restaur-
ants, no-show rates have dropped almost to zero. The penalty ensures that serious diners
have some chance to get into Disney's better restaurants.
These days you'll need to reserve only a few breakfast venues in advance most times
of the year. The most popular of these is
Cinderella's Royal Table
at the Magic King-
dom. If you don't care what time you eat, you'll need to call about 10 weeks out to get
in for breakfast. If you're visiting during a holiday or peak season, or you want a specific
time such as 8 a.m., you'll need to call a full 180 days in advance. If Cindy's is unavail-
able, we recommend
'Ohana
at the Polynesian Resort, which can be booked as little as a
week before your trip.
Likewise, only a handful of restaurants require lunch reservations. The most popular
is Epcot's
Le Cellier Steakhouse
, in the Canada Pavilion, which fills up about three
months in advance; Cinderella's Royal Table, which fills up during about the same time
frame; and
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
in the Norway Pavilion, which fills up about
7-10 weeks out.
Except for
Be Our Guest Restaurant
at the Magic Kingdom, forwhich reservations
are snapped up as soon as they're available, dinner reservations are generally easy to get
within 60 days at most locations, as long as you're not particular about the time you eat.
(If that's critical to your family's happiness, click or call 180 days in advance.) Note that
it's practically impossible to make a reservation for one person, but if you reserve a table
for two and only one person shows up, you won't be charged the no-show fee. Even if
there are tables available on the day of your visit, you'll be told that a one-person table is
not; asking for a manager, however, settles the matter most of the time.
