I write about and visit the Disney World parks for my job, and I STILL made some mistakes on my recent family trip. We always share our wrongdoings with you, so YOU don’t make the same mistakes!

Disney World is constantly changing, and your “foolproof” strategies might not work depending on when you’re going, who you’re traveling with, and other factors like weather or crowd levels. I followed one of our expert dining tips during my trip, and it kept backfiring on me!

Here at DFB, Disney World dining is kind of our thing, and we’ve mastered the tricks of the trade. One thing that we warn folks about constantly is overbooking dining for your vacation. It can be tempting to reserve every meal in advance, but table service meals are time-consuming, pricey, and you never know when you may need to change your park plans last-minute. We often suggest that you should just make a few key dining reservations (the ones you want the most) and then be a bit more flexible when you’re in the parks. With offerings like Mobile Order and the Walk-Up Waitlist in the My Disney Experience app, this is often a good strategy!

However, I followed this tip for my last vacation, and it turned out to be a problem. I was taking my toddler, my husband, and my parents along with me, so I thought it would be nice to build in some flexibility to my week-long trip. I made two reservations in advance and figured we’d just eat quick service, do EPCOT festival booths, and make use of the Walk-Up Waitlist for any other meals. Well, that bit me in the butt…TWICE.

The first problem came on Wednesday, when we transferred hotels. The plan was to move to the BoardWalk midday and then snag a last-minute reservation or use the waitlist to dine in the EPCOT Resort area. It took a while to get into our room and get our luggage, and by the time we wrapped up, the dinner rush was in full swing. All of the Walk-Up Waitlist options in my area were completely full for a party of five, with no reservations available until after bedtime. We ended up snagging quick eats from a few different places at the BoardWalk and eating outside at a table until rain rolled through. I wanted the day to be flexible since it was a resort day, but I could’ve made a more solid plan.

The other problem came on our Hollywood Studios day. We had a lot of must-do rides, and I didn’t want to book a dining reservation that would interfere with any of our Lightning Lanes. I had hoped to use the Walk-Up Waitlist for either The Hollywood Brown Derby or The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge (I was craving a delicious Cobb Salad), and that completely fell through. There was no lounge availability for a party of five, and the restaurant was ONLY operating on dining reservations the day of our visit. We ended up Mobile Ordering from ABC Commissary, which was still delicious, but we lost half an hour when we were scrambling around to make a plan.

After these two experiences, I learned my lesson! I had one more dining slot open for the week — breakfast on Saturday morning. I went ahead and started looking for available reservations two days before and was able to snag us one for Topolino’s Terrace. My son loved meeting Mickey and friends, and we had a really yummy meal.

Basically, I was trying to be flexible all week and keep our schedule open while traveling with an unpredictable toddler, but I would’ve saved some time avoiding indecision purgatory if I’d just made plans ahead of time. Also, the Walk-Up Waitlist is a wonderful invention, but it might not be as easy to use if you’re traveling with a party greater than four people. In that case, make the reservations!

So, don’t make the same mistakes as me and book those reservations! You can always cancel them up to two hours before your reservation time. For more tips on how to make the most out of your Disney World vacation, subscribe to our newsletter and our YouTube channel!

Former Cast Members Reveal Tips for Making Dining Reservations

What’s your best tip for making dining reservations? Tell us in the comments!