Disney's Themed Restaurants

Most families plan their vacations to Walt Disney World around the four major theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), our family and many others are an exception to that rule. It may sound a little crazy but our Disney vacation is planned around our restaurant choices which are usually booked 180 days in advance. Since Disney is a very popular place to visit, you can only imagine that their restaurants are just as popular. If you're a Disney fan, you'll notice all the "themes" that go into the resorts, the parks, and even in to their restaurants.

Some Examples of Disney's Themed Restaurants

50's Prime Time Café

This restaurant leaves you feeling like you stepped right into a 1950's sitcom. (You'll find many of the classic sitcoms playing on TV's throughout the restaurant.) You will soon reminisce over all the knick-knacks you see through-out the restaurant and you'll find yourself saying, "Hey, I believe mom has one of those". Speaking of mom, don't be surprised if you see her or one of your relatives serving dinner. (Wait staff here are "in character".) Before long you're chowing down on pot-roast, fried chicken, or some other home cooked favorite. Remember to clean your plate or there will not be any dessert in your future.

'Ohana

Another place to run into family. No chance of running into mom here but you will see a cousin or two. (Servers are referred to as cousins.) 'Ohana offers a Polynesian themed dining experience. This is a Disney dining must for us on every trip and one you'll want to book in advance. (I just tried booking this restaurant for an upcoming trip, which is over 80 days away, and for the four nights that we are at Disney the earliest I was able to get a dinner reservation is at 7:50 PM) As mentioned before, book early as in six months in advance. This upcoming trip was a spur of the moment trip for us, believe me if it was planned I would have had reservations set for 5:00 PM when they first open.

Boma

If you're looking for a dining adventure you will definitely find it here. We missed dining at this Disney restaurant in January and made sure we booked it for this upcoming trip. You'll be awed by the wide selections of unusual and tasty soups, salads, meats, and desserts. The best part of this themed restaurant besides the food is that it's located in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and you're able to view and take pictures of animals like giraffes, zebras, etc, with no added cost. Don't be surprised if you learn a new song or dance.

I could go on and on about Disney's restaurants and their themes. However, the point of this article is to make sure you have an opportunity to dine in style while at Disney. These are the tips that I have to share with you to help make all your Disney dining dreams possible.

Talk to your family about restaurant choices and choose them based on your family's likes and dislikes. (There is no point in going to a seafood restaurant if your family does not like seafood.) You can learn more about Disney's restaurants by visiting sites such as www.waltdisneyworld.com, www.allearsnet.com, www.wdwinfo.com, and www.passporter.com.

Make your advance dining reservations well in advance by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE. Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance. (This was how it worked in the past but as with progress all things must change. As of last week, a few changes we're supposed to be made as Disney is improving their reservation system. The latest reservation date is supposed to be for around January 25^th, 2009. A few of the more popular restaurants such as Cinderella's Royal table can still be reserved 180 days out. A new and improved reservation system is scheduled to be in place by late October that will once again allow reservations to be made 180 days out.) When you call the dining number and are connected to an agent, please have a plan in place and be prepared to be flexible. You can do this by knowing which restaurant you want to dine at, the time at which you wish to eat, and then if you're told it's not available be prepared to accept another dining time, ask for a different day, or ask for another restaurant that's on your families list of dining choices. (Having all of this planned before you speak to an agent cuts down on the time you're on the phone and the number of calls that you make to Disney's dining reservation system.)

Don't take "no" for an answer. Sometimes "no" means that we don't have any reservations available at this time. You are more than welcome to keep calling back to see if there has been any cancellations. We've had really good luck in the past by being persistent with repeated calls. (Example: You wanted to eat at 'Ohana but when you called you were told it wasn't available for the night you wanted so instead you make a reservation for Boma. A few weeks later you call back to see if 'Ohana had any cancellations and you're able to get the dining time you had inquired about so you make reservations. The next step while you are on the phone with the reservation agent would be to cancel you're reservation for Boma, that way someone will be able to get that dining spot.) Just keep in mind though that there is a chance that if you wait to make your reservations that your restaurant of choice may be full and you may not get into the restaurant. If you're wishing to visit a restaurant that offers lunch and dinner and dinner is booked solid, consider eating a late lunch. (A plus is that prices will be a bit cheaper.)

I have had friends and relatives tell me by not planning ahead that they had a hard time getting reservations for Disney sit down restaurants by waiting until they got to Disney to make reservations. (What a huge disappointment!) Please don't let this happen to you. Everything about Disney is magical including your dining experiences.