The short answer is, that depends. Many Disney restaurants fill up fast. If there is somewhere you really want to go I would recommend reservations. You can book a dining reservation 180 days in advance. I know that sounds very early for a dinner reservation, but believe me there are restaurants that fill up very quickly. If you are doing Character Dining, reservations are an absolute must and depending on which location and characters you want to see you may have to book 180 days out.  

So what if you don’t really care where you eat, do you still need a reservation? In many cases I would still recommend it. This isn’t something you would need to do 180 days out but will save you some grief. Let me paint you a picture. You’ve been strolling around the Magic Kingdom all day long. You are hot, hungry, and tired. All you want to do is sit down and have dinner. You start trying restaurants in the park and they are packed with long waits because everyone else is in the same situation. After a few tries you will probably get frustrated and end up eating a hot dog since you had a hamburger for lunch. My point is if you think you want to do a sit down dinner make a reservation. Sure you may have to schedule around the time a little but you’ll be able to sit down and eat without being a crabby tourist. 

Now if you don’t care where you eat and the standard counter service back-up meal is fine with you then by all means go wing it. If you are eating a resort restaurant reservations are slightly less important (depending on the restaurant) since most people are in the parks trying to eat.  

Making a reservation is easy and there are several ways to do it. You can make an advanced reservation by calling the Disney dining line at 407-WDW-DINE. Once you arrive you can also make reservations from your room phone, with the concierge, or at the restaurant.

I’m not advocating that you plan you’re entire vacation around dining reservations nor would I encourage that. Lunch is usually not an issue and neither is breakfast unless it involves characters. My advice is if there are any restaurants you simply must eat at make a reservation and if you know you are going to be in the park all day make your life easier and make a dinner reservation. Book a couple and wing it the other days, at least that way you know you won’t be eating hot dogs and chicken fingers everyday. 

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