Fellow Disneyites.....

My wife and I will be venturing to the House of Mouse in the 1st week of December this year as part of a family outing that will include 4 other adults and 4 kids; 11 in total.

We've done more than our fair share of research of what to do, when to do it and with whom but the ONE thing we want to accomplish is the hardest thing to accomplish by Disney standards.......

A RESERVATION AT CINDERELLA'S ROYAL TABLE!!!!

Has anyone been successful at pulling this small feat off and if so, what was your experience and what advice can you offer?

Thanks

We've done it twice in the last couple of years. They've moved out the booking period by quite a few months which has enabled those who plan ahead to have a better shot.

I don't know for certain, but I would hope they give priority to those booked at WDW properties.

The only issue for some is that the reservations require it being paid ahead of time. I cannot recall if they charged me for our entire party or just a deposit.

If you're willing to layout the cost ahead of time, you might want to call ASAP. But, it's hard enough with a party of 4, might be very tough to get a reservation for 11 people.

In terms of the other character dining options, we've done Chef Mickey's, the breakfast at the Animal Kingdom, and the breakfast at Ohana. They were fine for what they were.

Have you asked this question at www.disboards.com? The folks there can give you all the insight and tips you need.

Also check out allears.net. That webstie always had great suggestions.

You need to be on the phone to Disney dining at 6:55 the morning on the day you are entitled to make reservations, (180 days before your desired date). You need to keep redialing until you get the recording that means the switchboards are open. You need to have rehearsed which options to take in the phone menus so that you can get to dining as soon as possile. If this doesn't work, you can keep checking back to see if you get lucky with a cancellation. This is for breakfast. Dinner can be a little easier, but you still need to be on the phone on the day the reservations open up.

It's not that hard to get ressies at Cinderella's anymore. One reason is that the cost ($32 for breakfast) puts a lot of people off. Another is that reservations are taken by credit card only, and if you're a no-show, your credit card is charged.

If you do not get your res. keep calling, there are always cancelations, that's how I got mine. But if you do not get it don't let it ruin your trip, we were not that impressed with it and feel it is not worth the money.

I wonder if any Disney restuarants serve venison and call it Bambi's Mother.

We are going mid-August and I called for a reservation in April and had no problem getting one at Cinderella's Royal Table. I couldn't believe it as I had read that you have to call very early in the morning. I called in the evening. I did have to give a credit card to hold the reservation.

Disney is Such a Happy Place! I hope all your plans fall into place...

With credit card in hand, call the day you are 180 days in advance to make reservations;
but know that my 4 year old God-daughter was intimidated by the characters and surrounding noise;

nobody ate $30 worth of food - but we do have some forever memorable photos of the event!

PS -- we went to Disney the first week of December, and the holiday decorations were amazing! and the temp great for walking about! (ONE RAiN SHOWER - BUT IT BARELY SLOWED US DOWN THAT WEEK!)