Wanting to Eat at the Disney Parks?
Then you should know there are two main types of dining options at Disney World: Quick (or Counter) Service and Table Service.
What is the Difference?
Quick Service
Quick Service is the Disney Equivalent of fast food, though you can get some healthier (often premade options) depending on the establishment you are eating at.
Quick Service meals require no preparation whatsoever. Hungry? Find a Quick Service restaurant, stand in line and order. (Or order online ahead of time through the Disney World app. This is an option at some, but not all Quick Service restaurants). For a list of restaurants which utilize online ordering go here.
Table Service Meals
Table Service meals require an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) which can happen as much as 180 days from the first day of your visit. If you are staying at a Disney-run Resort you can start making reservations for the whole of your trip starting 180 days out.
The strange exception to the no reservations rules is “Be Our Guest” restaurant which is a bit of a hybrid. Breakfast and Lunch count as Quick Service Meals. Because of the restaurant’s popularity you can get Quick Service reservations. You could stand in line for those meals, but reservations will serve you better. Dinner is a Signature Table service meal.
Some Table Service meals are harder to get reservations for. Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion at Epcot is one. Be Our Guest reservations for all meals are difficult to come by. Character meals (separate post coming soon) are all Table Service or Signature Table Service.
How to Plan Your Reservations
Because we find running from park to park to make reservations stressful, I try to keep our dining reservations consistent with which park we’d like to travel to that day. It doesn’t always work out, but that is our ideal.
I recommend you figure out which parks you want to visit first, decide on the restaurants you’d like to eat on those days and make your dining reservations. Start with the most difficult to get reservations and know your ideal day to get them on. We do this because crowds are an issue for my children on the autism spectrum.
If crowds aren’t as much an issue for you, you can make your reservations according to availability and not worry about park crowd levels.
Another way to minimize sensory stimulus for my children is to make first or last seating reservations which are not at peak times.
Once You Have Your Reservations and Later at the Parks
With all Table Service meals your whole party must be present in the restaurant when you check in. Your reservation doesn’t guarantee you a specific table, but a seating window when they expect to have availability. You check in and wait for an actual table.
You must secure your Table Service reservations with a credit card and you will be charged a no-show fee per person if you skip going. You can avoid the fee if even one person shows up. In case of emergencies or illness call and let them know as soon as possible. Disney has been good to us with unexpected illness.
There are more aspects to cover like the Disney Dining Plan options; character dining; and dining with allergies, metabolic diseases and food sensitivities. As these posts go up I’ll link to them here.
Until then, good luck and see you in the parks!
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