Do Your Research Ahead of Time

A common mistake people make when trying to reserve dining reservations is not doing any research beforehand about the restaurants they might want to eat at. If you plan ahead, you're much more likely to snag reservations at popular Disney restaurants that usually fill up months in advance, including Be Our Guest [4] at the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios, and Le Cellier at Epcot. Once you've made your vacation reservations, restaurants should be your next priority.

Start Booking Dining Reservations 180 Days Before Arrival

If you're staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel, you can start booking your dining reservations 180 days in advance. It's a good idea to make a calendar reminder about this date, and Disney will send you a few email reminders as well. When your window opens, book any high-priority dining reservations first. This would include any character meals or signature dining for the duration of your trip. Then go back and reserve any other reservations you might want that would be lower priority. Low priority restaurants would be Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Floridian, Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge Resort, or Via Napoli at Epcot.

Try Something Outside of the Parks

There are a ton of incredible restaurants at Walt Disney World that are located outside of the theme parks. These tend to fill up less quickly, so you have a better chance at getting the location and time you want. A few of my favorites are Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs, Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian Resort, Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort, and Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort.

Dine at Non-Traditional Hours

Almost everyone is going to try to get a reservation around 6:00 p.m. for dinner. If you're willing to be flexible with what time you eat, you're more likely to get in at more of the places you want to eat at. At most Disney restaurants, dinner runs from about 3:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Be willing to make dinner a "late lunch," or have an early dinner and a snack again [5] later in the day.

Disney Springs Has a Huge Selection of New Restaurants

There are a ton of new restaurants at Disney Springs, with even more on the way. With bus service provided from each park and all of the Disney resorts, getting to Disney Springs shouldn't be an issue for your dining reservation. Because of the massive selection of restaurants, they tend not to fill up as quickly as restaurants inside the parks.

If you're craving Italian food, Maria & Enzo's is great. If you're in the mood for Mexican, Frontera Cocina is fantastic. And if you want something from across the pond, Raglan Road Irish Pub has you covered.

If You Don't Get the Location You Want, Keep Trying

People reserve and unreserve dining all the time. People change their minds about where they want to eat, so be sure to check for new dining times a few times a day for the whole week before your vacation.

Some Restaurants Do Take Walk-Up Reservations

While some restaurants are strictly reservation-only, like Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian, other places do leave some tables available for day-of and walk-up reservations. If you're planning on using this strategy, going to the restaurant first thing in the morning to see if they have any day-of reservations left is going to give you the best chance of scoring a table for later in the day. This is a great strategy to use for lunch reservations at Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom.

You Can Get Great Meals at Disney Bars

If you can't get the dining reservation you wanted, a lot of the bars at Disney serve the main dining room menu. All bar seats are first come, first serve, so you might have to wait a little while, but it'll be worth it for the great meal you're going to experience. Hollywood Studios' 50's Prime Time Cafe and Tune in Lounge are examples of this type of dining experience.

There are also bars at Disney that don't serve the main dining area menu, though they do have a great selection of small plates and shareable items. This is a great way to try a few new things while still getting a delicious meal. Via Napoli and the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar at Epcot are perfect for this.

Try Booking "Non-Disney" Restaurants on Open Table

Open Table [6] is a free booking site for dining reservations. A selection of restaurants at Walt Disney World that are not owned by Disney are listed here to make reservations, most of which are are located at Disney Springs. These include Morimoto Asia, Frontera Cocina, The Boathouse, STK Orlando, The Edison, Maria & Enzo's, and Raglan Road, which are all at Disney Springs.

Character Meals and Buffets Fill Up First

No matter what, always book character meals and buffet-style meals first. These two usually go hand-in-hand at Disney, but there are some table service character meals. These reservations always fill up first, and guests usually don't cancel these. If you want to eat with the princesses, you're going to have to be online, with all of your information ready, right when your booking window opens.