Booking Dining Reservations for Large Groups at Disney World
Disney World is a great destination for vacations with extended family or large groups of friends. There’s truly something for everyone! Making dining reservations for groups of 8 or more can be tougher than making a reservation for a smaller party, but there are some ways to secure those reservations more easily.
Try My Disney Experience as Early as Possible
As a guest at a Disney World resort, you can book dining for the duration of your trip as early as 60 days out from your check-in date. Availability is always best when booking first opens, so it helps to start at 6am ET on your 60-day mark.
By going through the My Disney Experience app or the Disney World website, you can search for reservations for groups as large as 20 people. A quick search for a party of 20 people 60 days out from the time of writing this blog shows availability at restaurants and lounges such as:
- Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness)
- Oga’s Cantina (Hollywood Studios)
- Paradiso 37, Taste of the Americas (Disney Springs)
- Sangria University at Coronado Springs (Coronado Springs)
- Splitsville Dining Room (Disney Springs)
- Teppan Edo (EPCOT)
Separate Your Party Into at Least Two Reservations
Since it’s easier to book reservations for smaller groups, another popular strategy is to book two or more smaller reservations for the same date at the same time or around the same time. This improves your odds of finding more availability and more dining options. This strategy works particularly well with larger restaurants, such as buffets and all-you-care-to-eat restaurants. Some examples are:
- 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)
- Biergarten (EPCOT)
- Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Cape May Cafe (Beach Club)
- Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary)
- Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios)
- ‘Ohana (Polynesian)
- Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
Some of these restaurants have character dining, which can make for fun photo ops for your group, especially if you have little ones!
Search Open Table
Many third-party restaurants at Disney World offer reservations through Open Table. This works best for parties of up to 8 guests. Some of the restaurants you’ll find on Open Table are:
- Amare (Swan Reserve)
- Boathouse (Disney Springs)
- Bourbon Steak – A Michael Mina Restaurant (Dolphin)
- Il Mulino (Swan)
- Jaleo (Disney Springs)
- Paddlefish (Disney Springs)
- Raglan Road (Disney Springs)
- Rosa Mexicano (Dolphin)
- Summer House on the Lake (Disney Springs)
- Terralina Crafted Italian (Disney Springs)
- Todd English’s blue zoo (Dolphin)
- Wine Bar George (Disney Springs)
Contact Private Dining
If you’re traveling with a large group to celebrate a big milestone or a special occasion, you may want to consider private dining. Private dining starts at $3,000. To get started on planning, you can submit a request form online.
Disney Restaurants
Some Disney-owned-and-operated restaurants offer private rooms for large group reservations. You’ll find this option at:
- Napa Room at California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
- Sonoma Room at California Grill (Contemporary Resort)
- Cape Town Wine Room at Jiko – The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
- Keeper’s Room at Ale & Compass (Yacht Club)
- Toledo Moonlight Room at Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood (Coronado Springs)
- Toledo Sunset Room at Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood (Coronado Springs)
- Toledo Sunrise Room at Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood (Coronado Springs)
- Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Villa del Lago (Coronado Springs)
- Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue (Fort Wilderness)
- Trek Gallery at Tiffin’s Restaurant (Animal Kingdom)
Swan & Dolphin
The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin, located in the EPCOT resort area, also offers private dining through many of their restaurants. This includes private dining rooms and special menus. You can email [email protected] for more details.
- Amare (Swan Reserve)
- Bourbon Steak – A Michael Mina Restaurant (Dolphin)
- Il Mulino (Swan)
- Kimonos (Swan)
- Rosa Mexicano (Dolphin)
- Todd English’s blue zoo (Dolphin)
DVC villas make the perfect accommodations to suit larger travel parties! Start planning your next Disney vacation by browsing the confirmed reservations or requesting a free quote to rent DVC points.
