Walt Disney World is a BIG place – with TONS to do, see, ride, and EAT, too! Dining at Disney is no simple task – as there are SO many places to eat that you will want to do your research and know before you go what to expect. Eat like the insiders with these “Pro Walt Disney World Dining Tips”:
Timing Is Everything: Your instincts (and your stomach!) will probably tell you it’s time to grab lunch at noon, and dinner around 6 – but you will want to ignore those instincts when possible, as those are the busiest times to dine at Disney World. If you try and grab a meal during peak times then you will be met with long waits for tables at sit down restaurants (if there are even any open tables that aren’t booked by reservations already!), long lines to order at counter service restaurants, and don’t even get me started on trying to scout out a table! Your best bet is to dine at “off peak” times – before 11:30am or after 1pm work best for lunch, and before 5:30 and after 7 for dinner
Research: There are SO MANY places to eat at Disney World that you will want to do some reading before your trip to see what your family might like (and what to avoid too!). Check out the official list of restaurants here. And if anyone in your family has special dietary needs or specific allergies, you can read up on that here (Disney is very accommodating for these needs/requests and will happily discuss it with you over the phone prior to your trip or in person once you arrive!). You should also read up on the different Disney Dining Plans to decide if one of them might be right for you, and if you DO decide to use one, read up on ways to make the most of it
Plan Ahead: Walt Disney World gives guests the chance to book sit down meals 180 days in advance – and I HIGHLY suggest you take FULL advantage of this option. They call them Advance Dining Reservations (or ADR’s as the pros call them!). They allow you to basically make a “call ahead” reservation for sit down dining. I recommend you make an ADR for any and all sit down meals you plan on having at Disney World – and while that may seem excessive (you might be thinking “how do I know what I will want to eat in 6 months?”), trust me, its NECESSARY. Places book up quick, especially character meals and other popular dining spots, so just be smart and make ADR’s ahead of time (read more about ADR’s here)
Try Something New: I mentioned just how vast the dining choices are at Walt Disney World – so this is the perfect chance to get out of your “food comfort zone” and try something new, something you might not have or get to try at home. Here are just some of the cuisines you can try: Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, Italian, Moroccan, German, English, Irish, New American, Mexican, and the list goes on, and on. Live it up and sample something different – isn’t that what vacation is for, after all?
Sharing Is Caring: One thing about Disney is that their meal portions tend to be rather large, and you can really save some money if you order a bigger meal to share between two kids (or adults!). Check out some shareable options here
Hopefully the above tips will help you make the most out of your Disney Dining experience – take it from someone who has eaten a whole bunch of Disney food – that this is some “must follow” advice! You can also check out my list of top Top WDW Rookie Mistakes (And how to avoid them!) for even more ways to do Disney World like a pro!
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