(Updated October 2009)

Planning for dining experiences at Walt Disney World has drastically changed in the past couple of years; unprepared Guests are finding themselves shut out of many popular restaurants in the parks...don't be one of them!

Thanks to the incredible popularity of the "Magic Your Way" dining plan - given away by Disney during some late Summer/early Fall promotions and reasonably-priced otherwise - WDW restaurants are filling up fast!  In the past, you could call a few days in advance to make evening reservations...this is no longer the case.  Even calling the traditional 90 days in advance is no guarantee.

We called more than a full month in advance of our trip, and found many of the restaurants were totally booked for the evenings.  We're not talking just things like Cinderella Castle's princess breakfast...we're talking places like 'Ohana in the Polynesian, Le Cellier in Epcot's Canada pavilion, Chef Mickeys, etc.  Times that were open were very late...after 8 p.m.  This year, we  booked all our reservations a full 145 days in advance...even in doing this, all evening meals during that the two weeks we'll be there were already booked at Le Cellier!  Now, we're talking September, when Walt Disney World has in the past been pretty empty.  During busier times, it's probably even worse.  So what can you do?

• Use the 90-day Window - Here's a secret for vacationers.  Call when the FIRST day of your vacation hits 90 days.  If you are staying on WDW property, you're permitted to make priority seating reservations up to 10 days into your vacation at that time.  You can always rework your Priority Seating later, but get meals in place as soon as possible!
•  Consider Doing your Main Meal at Lunch.  You'll get the same quality and plenty of food at lunchtime, but normally reservations are less then and prices are usually a bit less.  This is crucial especially for the more popular restaurants.
• Consider Eating Changing Your Eating Habits - Unless your stomach is permanently set at 12 noon and 5 p.m., consider eating slightly earlier to avoid restaurant crowds and get reservations easier.  In addition, lines are shorter during traditional meal hours as the majority of Guests tend to eat that those times.  11 a.m. for lunch or 4:30 p.m. for supper isn't bad, and many restaurants offer Early Bird prices at dinner.
• For Dinner, Discover Resort Dining - There are some marvelous restaurants in the Disney resorts...they can be a nice retreat from the crowds of the parks.  Some of our favorites include Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge), Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Kadani Village), Boatwright's (Port Orleans), Citrico's (Grand Floridian), Artist's Point (Wilderness Lodge) and Cape May (Beach Club).  Surprisingly, the best Food Courts are located in the All-Star resorts, although Port Orleans' Riverside food court is absolutely wonderful and very nicely themed.

The 2009 "Magic Your Way" Dining Plan

If you're staying on-property, this can save you BIGtime.  And for the past three years, Disney has given it away during off-season times.

The Plan:  You choose to eat at any of more than 100 Disney restaurants (pretty much 90% of the places on property).  For each night of your package stay, the dining plan allows each person to get:

• A Table Service Meal - This includes entree, non-alcoholic beverage and dessert and tax.  NOTE: It no longer includes an APPETIZER or TIP.
• A Counter Service Meal - This includes Entree/Combo Meal, Dessert, non-alcoholic beverage and tax.
• A Snack - Many snack items under $4.

To make up for the removal of the tip and appetizer from the plan, they lowered the price for the plan a dollar ($38/day for adults and $10/day for children under 10 years old).  And if you know the prices at WDW, you know it's a great deal.  We did this plan in 2006, '07, '08 and '09 and saved literally $1,000 in the two weeks we were there...for September 2009 (as in previous years), Disney added it as a FREE bonus to our package.

Magic Your Way Tips

1) Most Character Dining only counts as one sit-down meal...so be sure to take advantage of this!  Whether you have kids or not, it's a wonderful time.  The best one we've found is Norway's Akershus Princess lunch or dinner...great food, lots of princesses coming to your table AND (at least at the time of this update) a FREE photo with a princess (something that you get charged for at places like Chef Mickey's).

2) Experiment!  Disney has SO MANY different restaurants...with this plan, you can sample a world's worth of dining.  Our rule is: If we can eat it at home, eat it at home...try something you can't find anywhere else.  For us, that means eating at Marrakesh for Moroccan, Norway's restaurant or the Rose & Crown of England.

There are some wonderful sites in cyberspace - Allearsnet is one that has most of the menus of Disney restaurants - to help you plan wisely.  Doing your homework well ahead of time will make your vacation SO MUCH nicer while you're there...and instead of being angry because your favorite restaurant is booked up, you'll be inside enjoying some great food.

I'd appreciate you taking a moment to mark YES below where it asks if the Guide was helpful.  Thanks!