How to Get a Reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table at Walt Disney World

A table at Cinderella's Royal Table is the most sought after reservation at Walt Disney World. Cinderella's Royal Table is opened and takes reservations for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and this is the place to meet everybody's favourite princess, Cinderella. Many people will agree that you need to have a set plan and strategy months ahead of time to get a reservation for this restaurant, and be the envy of 90% of those visiting the park that day.

In 2009, Walt Disney World opened up Online Advanced Dining Reservations, that allow guests that are staying at Walt Disney World to make reservations at the Walt Disney Resorts, through the Disney website http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/. This is an exciting new addition to Walt Disney World, and allows people that have hoped to acquire a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, a better chance at being successful.

For those that are looking to make reservations for Cinderella's Castle over the phone, here is the strategy that I learned years ago, and that has helped me secure a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table for myself and for friends!

Step One: The Reservation will open 90 days (90 days as of January 2009) before the date you plan to have your table booked for and you must be on the phone at 6:55am Eastern Standard Time, dialing and redialing until you get through. The Advanced Dinner Reservation lines won't open until 7am, but you never know if their time is a minute or two faster than yours, plus you can hear the opening message and prep yourself for quick hang ups and redials. This also will help you program the number into your phone, so that once you hang up, you simply have to do a quick push of the redial button instead of inputting the entire number again.

The number to call for your reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table is 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463, for all of us with Blackberry's or phones that don't have letters on the numbers) and the reservation service is open seven days a week.

Step Two: When the phone connects to the service, an automated service will welcome you, listen for the message saying "We're closed" and hang up.

Step Three: Many people use both lines that they have in their house (landline and cellular) when trying to get reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table, and are constantly dialing, listening and hanging up. So get out every phone that you have and start dialling. Unfortunately, I only use a mobile phone, but have been able to work my "magic" each time. Just remember when you are using more than one phone to listen to the start of the message when the call connects.

Three Different Welcome Messages

Closed Welcoming Message: "Thank you for calling Walt Disney World. Our office is closed..." Hang up right away and start redialling again.

Open Welcoming Message #1: "Thank you for calling Disney Dining. At this time, we are experiencing very high call volumes. If you have already arrived for your magical Walt Disney World vacation, you may visit any resort or theme park guest services location, or the podium at any Walt Disney World restaurant to make your dining Advance Dining Reservation arrangement. Thank you for your patience and understanding"

When you receive this message you know that the phone lines are now open, but unfortunately someone else was able to secure their call faster than you. There is nothing more that you can do, but wait.

"If you are calling to make an Advanced Dining Reservation for Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, please press 2. For all other locations, please press 1."

The second that you hear "If you are calling..." press 1 on your phone. There is no need to listen to the entire message.

Open Welcoming Message #2: Thank you for calling Disney Dining. We're glad you called. Reservations for character dining and most other dining options can be made as far as 90 days in advance. Certain exceptions apply. If you are calling to make an Advance Dining Reservation for Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, please press 2."

As soon as you hear "If you are calling..." press 1 on your phone.

So far so good...

The service continues on to say:

"If you're calling from the Orlando area, or to make an Advance Dining Reservation within the next 7 days, press 1. If you're calling to make your dining plans for an upcoming trip, press 2."

When you hear "If you're calling from...", press 1 on your phone. By zipping through the messages like this you are hopefully getting ahead of the pack and closer to making those reservations!

Step Four: When one of the Walt Disney World Cast Members finally answers the phone and introduces themselves, do not be afraid to be rude here, and cut them off and tell them what you are looking for. I hear them say "Hi", and I cut them off by saying, "Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast for 2, June 8th, 8am please." Each and every morning, the Walt Disney World Cast Members go through the same thing, they understand how hard it is to obtain the unobtainable reservation for Walt Disney World's Cinderella's Royal Table, so they will not be offended if you cut them off, or do not wish them a good morning (of course when they secure the table for you, you shower them with many "thank-you's" and "you are the best".

Hopefully the operator will be able to come back with the great news that she was able to securea reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table for you, if not at that time, at one very soon after. And remember that Cinderella will also be there for Lunch, which may be easier to get then breakfast. Also note that if there is nothing on that particular date, and you will be staying at a Walt Disney Resort, you are able to make a reservation 90+10 days in advance (so you can call and make all your dining plans from the date of your arrival for up to the first 10 days of your trip).

One last note: You need to have a credit card in your name (or someone who will be dining with you), when you are calling to make a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table. If you do not have a credit card and no one in your party has a credit card, you cannot make a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table. Your credit card will not be charged right away for this meal, but you will be charged in full if you fail to cancel your reservation and do not show up.

Good luck to all the moms and dad's out there trying to secure reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table, and please enjoy yourself at Walt Disney World's most magical restaurant!

Click here for more Walt Disney World information and tips by Amanda M. Rose