Advance Walt Disney World Reservations FAQ 2024

There are a number of advance Walt Disney World reservations you can make before you trip that allow you to have the best vacation. Guests can reserve a variety of different experiences in advance ranging from dining to guided tours.

In this article, I’m going to go over everything that I consider to be important to think about, plan for, and possibly even reserve for a wonderful time at Walt Disney World. For the amount that a Disney World vacation costs, it’s difficult to hear about Guests who weren’t able to get a lot done.

As someone who is a frequent visitor of Disney World and is experienced with the reservation systems, I want to help you make the most of your time and have the best day possible!

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What Can Be Reserved Ahead of Time

When it comes to Walt Disney World vacations, there are two different types of people — those who like to plan in advance and those who like to be spontaneous. If you’re a planner, like me, you most likely want to have as many vacation details as possible in place prior to your trip. Others don’t like the feeling of being committed to certain times or schedules and would rather enjoy their day however it plays out.

There are a variety of things that can be reserved or purchased ahead of time for a Disney World vacation. This includes things such as your resort hotel, tickets, dining, photos, experiences, recreational activities, and transportation. I’m going to dive deeper into each of these categories to see what can specifically be planned ahead of time as well as how to reserve them. Follow along to learn more!

Dining Reservations

If you’re wanting to enjoy a Full Service meal during your vacation, reservations are highly recommended (and sometimes required!). There’s a very slim chance that you’ll be able to simply walk up to one of these restaurants and be able to be seated. You have to consider the fact that many people enjoy having their dining experiences reserved ahead of time and make their dining reservations as soon as they’re able to. The walk-up availability at restaurants will very much depend on their pre-existing reservations, how busy they are that day, and how large your party is. This also applies to other select dining locations and dining experiences, not just Full Service restaurants.

Making Dining Reservations

Dining reservations are able to be made well before your visit. If you’re staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you’ll be able to make dining reservations, for the entire length of your stay (up to a 10-Night stay), 60 days prior to your check-in date. If you are not staying on Disney World property, you’ll be able to make your dining reservations 60 days prior to the day you want to dine.

How to Reserve

Once you’re on the Dining Reservations page, you will be asked to select your party size, the date you wish to dine, and when you’ll be dining (Morning, Afternoon, Evening). You will then be provided with a list of restaurants and their available dining times. After you select a specific time at the restaurant you wish to dine at, you’ll be asked if you’d like to include an Add On, if there are any Dietary Requests, or if there are any Accessibility Requests.

Finally, you will be taken to the Check0ut page. Here, you will be asked to confirm your contact info as well as the reservation you are making. Then you will need to enter credit card information for the Credit Card Guarantee. Please note that your card will not be charged at the time your reservation is being made unless you are reserving a meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table or Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review.

The card on file will, however, be charged if you do not show up to your meal and do not cancel within 2 hours of your reservation time. If you fail to show up or cancel within the given time frame, your card will then be charged a $10 per person fee. If your meal is prepaid (Cinderella’s Royal Table or Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review) and you do not show up for your reservation or cancel in time, you will lose the money that you previously paid for the dining experience.

After all of your information is confirmed and your credit card is on file, you will select “Confirm” to finalize your dining reservation.

Most Difficult Dining Reservations

Guests who make dining reservations naturally have an advantage over those who attempt to walk up to a restaurant hoping to be seated. Nevertheless, there are a few dining locations where it can be difficult to even get a reservation! The availability for these popular locations goes very quickly.

For reference, here are some of the dining locations where reservations can be difficult to get:

Magic Kingdom
- Be Our Guest Restaurant
- The Crystal Palace
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Jungle Navigation Co., LTD Skipper Canteen
EPCOT
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
- Garden Grill
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Space 220 Lounge
- Space 220 Restaurant
- Teppan Edo
- Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Hollywood Studios
- Roundup Rodeo BBQ
- Oga’s Cantina
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Animal Kingdom
- Tiffins Restaurant
- Tusker House Restaurant
- Yak & Yeti Restaurant
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
- Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (Disney’s Beach Club Resort)
- California Grill (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
- Chef Mickey’s (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review (Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort)
- Jiko – The Cooking Place (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Kona Cafe (Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort)
- ‘Ohana (Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort)
- Steakhouse 71 (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
- Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge)
- Topolino’s Terrace (Disney’s Riviera Resort)
- Victoria & Albert’s (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa)
Disney Springs
- The Boathouse
- Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
- Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant
- T-REX

How to Get Difficult Dining Reservations

If you’re wanting to dine at a location that is notoriously known for being difficult to reserve, here are a few things you can do to secure your advance Disney World reservations.

Use a Travel Agent – When using a travel agent, you won’t need to stress and worry about your dining reservations. Simply let your agent know which locations you’re wanting to dine at and let them handle the rest! As I mentioned earlier, we recommend using Get Away Today for your Disney vacation needs!
Make Reservations ASAP – Don’t hesitate when making your dining reservations. Know when your reservation window opens up and be ready to make your reservation as soon as that time comes. This way you can snag a reservation as quickly as possible. If you wait, your chances of availability will decrease rapidly.
Set Up Dining Alerts – There are multiple apps and websites that are specifically made to alert you whenever reservations become available. If you weren’t able to get your reservation right away, you can set up alerts to be notified if a spot open up! Guests change their plans all the time so it’s not uncommon for availability to become available after the fact. I’ve personally used MouseWatcher multiple times for my own trips and have gotten my desired dining reservations every time!
For Large Groups – Sometimes getting dining reservations for large groups can be difficult. If you’re having a tough time, consider splitting your group up. Even if there’s not one large table available for your group size, you may be able to get multiple smaller tables for everyone.
Walk-Up List – If you tried all the other options and still weren’t able to get a reservation, there is still one more option. You can try to join the Walk-Up list on the day of. You can join the Walk-Up list on the My Disney Experience app. If a table becomes available for your party size, you will be notified.

Advance Disney World Reservations Dining Plans

On top of being able to have dining reservations made ahead of time, you can also have your food paid for! Guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort hotels have the option to add a Dining Plan onto their vacation package. There are two different dining plans available: Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan and Disney Dining Plan.

To learn more about Disney World Dining Plans and how to make advance Disney World reservations, click here!

Genie+ – Lightning Lanes & Individual Lightning Lanes

If you’re wanting to avoid long lines during your time at Walt Disney World, you may want to consider getting Genie+. Genie+ is a paid service that allows you to reserve time slots at specific rides and attractions. When you arrive at the ride or attraction that you have reserved, you’ll head to the Lightning Lane. Lightning Lanes are expedited lines that are prioritized over the regular stand-by lines. This allows you to spend less time waiting in lines and more time enjoying all that Disney World has to offer.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the type of advance Disney World reservation that can be booked weeks in advance like dining reservations. At Disney World, Genie+ is able to be purchased at 12:00am or later on the day of your visit to the theme park(s). You will have the option to purchase Genie+ for a single park or multiple parks if you’re going to be Park Hopping. You’ll be able to make your first Lightning Lane selection at 7:00am.

How to Book Lightning Lanes

Booking Lightning Lanes is easy! Here’s how to do it:

Select the ‘Tip Board’ tab on the My Disney Experience App
Scroll through the available rides and attractions until you find the one you want
Select one of the available times for your Lightning Lane reservation
You will then be brought to a page where you can check the ride or attraction, time, and the members of your party
If everything looks ok, push ‘Continue’
After your Lightning Lane is booked, you will be brought to a Reservation Confirmation page
At the bottom of the confirmation page, you can select ‘View My Day’. Your newly booked Lightning Lane will now be visible in your plans

Your next Lightning Lane will be able to be booked 2 hours after this Lightning Lane was booked, after this Lightning Lane is used, or after this Lightning Lane expires. Whichever comes first. You will also be able to see an exact time of when you can book your next Lightning Lane at the top of your Tip Board!

Which Attractions Have Lightning Lanes?

Not every ride and attraction at Walt Disney World has a Lightning Lane. But don’t worry! If you’re thinking about getting Genie+, rest assured that there are many Lightning Lane options within each theme park. Here are all of the rides and attractions that you’ll be able to book Lightning Lanes for.

Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
The Barnstormer
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Frozen Ever After
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Mission: SPACE – Green
Mission: SPACE – Orange
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Soarin’ Around the World
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush

Hollywood Studios

Alien Swirling Saucers
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Disney Junior Play & Dance!
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Muppet*Vision 3D
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!

Animal Kingdom

Festival of the Lion King
DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Kali River Rapids
Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost (Mickey and Minnie)
Na’vi River Journey
The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Individual Lightning Lanes

For the more popular rides, there is another Lightning Lane option. These Lightning Lanes are called Individual Lightning Lanes. These are Lightning Lanes that you pay for individually. Rather than paying for Genie+ and being able to select a multitude of Lightning Lanes, you would specifically pay for an Individual Lightning Lane for one specific ride or attraction.

There are fewer ride options with Individual Lightning Lanes. That, of course, is because these are for the most popular rides in each park. You can't book these with advance Disney World reservations and have to be bought when at the theme parks although Disney World resort guests can book in the morning at 7AM! These rides include:

Magic Kingdom

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
TRON Lightcycle / Run

EPCOT

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Hollywood Studios

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Animal Kingdom

Avatar Flight of Passage

Please note that you can choose to use Lightning Lanes by purchasing Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, or both. You are not required to purchase both. However, you can if you would like to.

Transportation

Depending on your plans, you may need or want to reserve some transportation. This is incredibly ideal for those who are flying into Orlando. While Disney World used to have the complimentary Magical Express service that would transport Guests directly from the Orlando airport to their Walt Disney World Resort hotel, that option is no longer available. You can, however, reserve your own transportation.

One of the most popular options is Mears Connect. This is essentially the same service as Disney’s Magical Express, except for the fact that Guests now have to pay for their trips. Currently, you can book a One-Way Trip with Mears Connect for $17.60 per adult and $14.30 per child (Ages 3-9). You can also choose to book a Round Trip for $33.60 per adult and $27.30 per child (Ages 3-9).

If Mears Connect doesn’t seem like the right fit for you, there are also other transportation options that can be booked in advance such as rideshares, taxis, or car rentals.

Disney PhotoPass Service

Throughout Disney World, you’ll find opportunities to have your memories captured by Disney PhotoPass Photographers, photo boxes, and even on select rides. You’ll be able to treasure special moments during character meet and greets, in front of theme park icons, and while you’re enjoying some of Disney World’s most thrilling rides. You obviously can’t reserve pictures, but you can prepay for them using advance Disney World reservations.

With Disney’s Memory Maker, you’ll have unlimited downloads of ALL of the images captured during your Walt Disney World vacation. You do have the option to purchase Memory Maker during your vacation, or afterwards, but you get your pictures at a better rate if you purchase it ahead of time!

Memory Maker Prices

One Day $75 – Includes all photos and videos from one day of your vacation

Memory Maker (Advance Purchase) $185 – Includes all photos and videos taken within 30 days of activation
Memory Maker (During & Post-Vacation) $210 – Includes all photos and videos taken within 30 days of activation

Capture Your Moment

Even though you can’t reserve times to have specific pictures taken, you can reserve a private photo shoot! Capture Your Moment is a 20 minute private photo session that you have with your own personal Disney PhotoPass Photographer. These sessions are available in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Recently, specific areas have become available for these photo opportunities. Perfect backdrops can be found in places such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios or Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom!

Capture Your Moment photo sessions cost $99 per 20 minute session. If you’d like more time with your photographer, you can book two 20 minute sessions back to back. If you’ve already purchased Memory Maker, you will get all of the images from your Capture Your Moment session at no additional cost!

Enchanting Extras

Besides everything we’ve already gone over, Disney World also has a full collection of reservation based activities. This includes tours, nature experiences, recreational activities, adventurous dining, make believe activities, and more! Some of these options aren’t even activities at all. There are some options that simply allow you to rent out relaxing areas around Walt Disney World Resort!

This collection is called the Enchanting Extras Collection. You’ll be able to find activities to do throughout the parks, Disney Springs, and the resorts that you can make advance Disney World reservations.

The Enchanting Extras Collection includes: