Put These Dates in Your Phone

For guests booking on the standard 60-day schedule, these are the dates to remember:

• Christmas Eve (December 24th, 2026): Opens October 25th
• Christmas Day (December 25th, 2026): Opens October 26th

New dining availability generally opens at approximately 6 AM EST through Disney World’s website and the My Disney Experience app. Set your alarm early enough to be signed in and ready before then. Nobody needs a password reset standing between them and Christmas breakfast.

Christmas at Magic Kingdom

Staying at a Disney Resort hotel? Your booking date could be EARLIER. Eligible hotel guests can make dining reservations 60 days before check-in for their entire stay, up to a 10-night stay. That means Christmas dining could become available to you before October 25th or 26th if those meals fall within your eligible booking window. Make sure your hotel reservation is linked to your account ahead of time. It also explains why some tables may already be gone when the standard 60-day window opens. Other guests may have had access through an earlier check-in date.

Book the Big One First

We’d decide on our most important holiday meal BEFORE booking morning. When availability opens, go straight for that restaurant. If Christmas dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table is the whole dream, start there. The casual lunch you’d also enjoy can wait a few minutes.

Cinderella

Disney doesn’t publish a Christmas reservation sellout ranking, but based on the restaurants we’ve covered and the bookings that remain competitive, these are some we’d put near the top of the search list:

• Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast — Pay attention to the meal here. We’ve found dinner has become easier to book, while breakfast remains a tough reservation. Mickey and friends are the morning draw.
• Space 220, especially Space 220 Lounge — This remains a priority booking in EPCOT. The restaurant and lounge have separate reservation listings, so check the one you want.
• Cinderella’s Royal Table — Christmas inside Cinderella Castle is the kind of plan people build an entire park day around. If that’s your family’s wish, search for it first.
• ‘Ohana and California Grill — Keep these popular resort meals high on your list, especially if you’re after a specific dinner time.
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point — A character dinner at Wilderness Lodge makes a strong holiday wish-list contender. We’d prioritize it if Snow White and that magnificent lobby are part of your Christmas plans.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point

Be Our Guest is worth watching, too, but don’t assume every historically difficult reservation is still equally tough. We’ve seen more availability there than in years past. Christmas can change the picture, so book according to YOUR priorities rather than an old list of impossible tables.

Do the Boring Stuff Tonight

Booking morning should involve choosing a time and completing the reservation. Save the account maintenance for the night before. Check your login, payment information, linked hotel reservation, and party size. Include everyone in the head count, even infants. Then open the restaurant’s booking page on your computer and have My Disney Experience ready on your phone. Our team has recommended having both the website and app available so you can switch if one gives you trouble.

©Disney

If another adult is helping, assign each person a different reservation to pursue. One person handles Christmas breakfast; another tackles Christmas Eve dinner. Give everyone a job before the coffee has to start making decisions. Have a short backup list, too. Knowing your second choice saves time if your first search comes up empty.

Let Christmas Dinner Be Lunch

A narrow time window gives you fewer chances to find a table. If you can eat at 3:30 PM instead of 6 PM, include that earlier meal in your search. Check the full day’s available times rather than stopping when your preferred dinner hour doesn’t appear. We’ve long recommended searching beyond the obvious meal times. An early holiday meal leaves room for an evening snack, which feels like sound Christmas planning to us.

Thanksgiving Eats from Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom

For larger groups, you can also try searching for smaller parties with reservation times close together. Have another adult help make the separate bookings and expect that you could be seated at separate tables. You can request nearby seating at check-in, but the restaurant cannot guarantee it. If sitting together is essential, keep searching for a reservation that fits the full group.

Give OpenTable a Turn

A search with no results in the My Disney Experience app doesn’t always mean every booking option is exhausted. DFB’s former Cast Members have recommended checking OpenTable for participating restaurants. We’ve found times there when Disney’s system showed no availability.

The Boathouse

Options include Disney Springs restaurants such as The BOATHOUSE, Wine Bar George, Morimoto Asia, Jaleo, Summer House on the Lake, and Raglan Road, along with select restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin and The Cake Bake Shop at Disney’s BoardWalk.

Cake Bake Shop Restaurant

Each restaurant controls its availability, and booking windows can differ from Disney’s. It’s worth checking those options before your Disney booking morning, too. Read the cancellation terms for whichever service you use. And remember that OpenTable only works for participating restaurants — it won’t unlock a hidden Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation.

Keep Checking After Booking Day

An unsuccessful first search is your cue to check again. People change their plans, cancel meals, and adjust their party sizes. Those changes can put tables back into circulation. We recommend checking throughout the weeks before your trip, with another close look in the final days and on the day you want to dine.

Let’s dig in!

Many Disney World restaurants allow cancellation without a penalty at least two hours before the reservation, though some meals have different policies. Check the terms attached to your booking, especially for prepaid dining and special experiences. Release any reservation you no longer need within its cancellation window. Another DFB tip worth remembering — check dining availability when Disney extends park hours. Additional restaurant times may appear if dining hours expand, too. That doesn’t happen with every park-hours change, but it gives you another reason to run a fresh search.

Via Napoli

Once you’re there, participating restaurants may also offer a Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist. Availability varies, and you generally need to be nearby to join. Treat that as a backup option rather than your entire Christmas dinner plan. Before booking an in-park meal, make sure your admission and any required park reservation cover your visit. A dining reservation doesn’t provide park admission or override entry restrictions.

Inside The Hollywood Brown Derby

Our advice — find your booking date, choose the meal that matters most, and be ready before 6 AM EST. Keep your acceptable times broad and your backup restaurants handy. Christmas dinner is one reservation we’d rather settle in October. December is for eating the cookies.

HURRY! You Can Get $59 Flights to Disney World for Christmas!