A lot of times when I have friends come to me with questions on their upcoming trip to Disneyland or the Walt Disney World Resort, the same questions seem to pop up. When’s the best time to go to the parks? Where should I stay? What type of ticket packages should we buy? But the question that rarely pops up that I try to always take a poke at is dining. Many people just seem to (rightfully) assume that in a park that receives thousands of visitors a day, there’s bound to be food. And well, they are right. But there’s more to it than that.

For, while both Disney locations offer tons of quick service options, if you are looking to sit down and have a chance to escape yet another line (because the quick service lines can become akin to the attraction lines on many occasions) you’re best advised to make a Disney dining reservation. And they’re simple to get… as long as you plan ahead. Knowing this, I’ve made a short guide that will hopefully help you prepare for your next trip to Disney.

First up?

Location! Location! Location!

The first tip I like to give people when they decide to take on the daunting task of making a Disney dining reservation is to get a general itinerary of where you will be on certain days of your trips and to plan from there.

The next step is to map out what experience you are hoping to achieve while on your vacation. Is having a personal meeting one on one with the characters on your list? Think about a character dining experience. Want to experience the parks with little to no people in the pictures? Look for restaurants offering breakfast times before the park itself officially opens. Being able to know what you want out of your trip can be a big help in determining where to book your meal. Disney is great about offering all sorts of experiences so that your meal becomes more than just a stuff and run affair.

One thing I personally like to do when I travel to Walt Disney World, is book a breakfast or early lunch reservation at a resort along the monorail track that goes to Magic Kingom. This allows me to be able to park in the resort parking lot and after our fabulous meal, hop on the monorail and poof! We’re there!

Timing is Everything

Then, what may be the most important thing to remember, is booking your dining reservation as soon as possible. Although Disney treats reservations more like call-aheads (as in, if you make a reservation for 6:30pm, be prepared that as it’s prime dining time, you may still have to wait for a seat), there are people “calling” ahead as far as 60 days in advance for Disneyland and even 180 days on the dot for hard to get Walt Disney World reservations. So if you know where you might like to eat, go ahead and book it. While the online system does now ask for your credit card, you’ll only be charged a nominal fee if you cancel outside of their very fair cancellation window. Last time I checked, it was up to 24hours in advance.

Picking and Choosing

Finding choosing between the over 100 sit down restaurants at Walt Disney World and over 20 at Disneyland to be too hard to sort through? Well, here are some of my top picks for each location. While they aren’t for everyone, hopefully it’ll give you an idea of what’s out there and narrow down what exactly it is you are looking for in your reservation.

Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• Be Our Guest : Sounding exactly as you’d picture it, this hard to get into but quick to please location functions a quick service location for breakfast and lunch and as a table service location for dinner. However, despite having two quick service times, you can still make reservations for any one of these three meals. And if you book breakfast or lunch, you can even order you meal as far as 30 days in advance to ensure your meal is hot and ready for you once you arrive!

EPCOT

• Biergarten Restaurant: Playing off the theme of Oktoberfest, the restaurant is a chance to not only fill up and refresh yourself for the rest of the day but also a chance to enjoy a show as well. At the buffet you’ll be treated to traditional German dishes but also Disney staple buffet items like chicken nuggets.

Hollywood Studios

• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano: Although I wish the menu were a tad bigger, this place has ambiance, fair prices and just straight up good food.

Animal Kingdom

• Tusker House Restaurant: Offers buffet style dining with a chance to meet characters as well.

Disneyland

Disneyland Park

• Blue Bayou: One of my all time favorites, this restaurant shares its location inside the same building as the Pirates of the Carribbean attraction. Because of this, the restaurant is dimly lit with string lights and large overhanging trees making you feel as though you are in the bayou itself. Oh, and the food is delish too.

California Adventure Park

• Carthay Circle Restaurant: This restaurant themed after the Carthay Circle Theatre which premiered Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 is a favorite among many guests. It boasts a lounge on the first floor with the restaurant being upstairs. It’s an elegant affair beckoning you to experience the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Enjoy!

And the last piece of advice I have to offer, is to enjoy it all! Although it’s tempting to rush through meals to make it to the next attraction, often times taking the time to sit down and actually let the parks soak in can make or break the day. A smiling cast member, great food and even sometimes just the decor of the restaurant can do wonders to remind you that hey! this is a vacation! So enjoy!