Disneyland Dining Explained

Disney parks fans tend to take a lot of knowledge for granted – I know I’m completely guilty of it when planning trips with friends that rarely visit. We kind of forget that a lot of “101” stuff for us is something not everyone knows, and many trip guides skip right over that and get into the more complicated tips and tricks. I’ve received a bunch of questions recently asking for super basic help on things like “what is a quick service restaurant?” and it made me pause and realize I need to take a step back. For anyone who is a total beginner at Disneyland dining, this guide is for you.

TYPES OF DINING

At Disneyland, there are 3 main types of dining options:

• Table service – Restaurants where you sit down at a table and have a waiter take your order/bring your food. You’re expected to tip here, and you can make reservations for these dining experiences (more on that later).
• Quick service – Restaurants where you order at a counter and eat your meal at any free table you can find. Some places will let you grab your food before you pay, and others will have you pay and then give you a number to come get your food when it’s ready – it just depends on the configuration.
• Snack carts – These don’t usually have names; they’re found in every land and typically offer a couple of snack and drink options.

The only exception to these “types” would be show packages. Sometimes, nighttime shows like Fantasmic! or World of Color will offer a package that includes a dinner and access to a premium seating area for the show. In these cases, traditionally quick service restaurants may offer a package and therefore take reservations when they normally wouldn’t. Table service restaurants also offer these types of packages, and will sometimes have a separate menu for people participating.

RESERVATIONS AND WAITLISTS

Table service restaurants (or quick service restaurants doing a show package) allow you to make reservations up to 60 days in advance. If there’s a restaurant you really want to visit during your trip, I highly recommend making a reservation as early as you can. The resort used to have a standardized cancellation policy, but this now varies by location. When you make your reservation, they’ll tell you what the window is to cancel and the penalty if you miss that window. You can make reservations on Disneyland’s website or through the Disneyland app.

A few locations at the resort also offer a waitlist if you don’t have a reservation. These are first-come, first-serve but they tend to move pretty quickly in my experience. All you have to do is open the app and check out “walk-up availability”. If the location is accepting names, you can add yourself to the waitlist. You’ll then get a text when your table is ready, just know your entire party has to be with you to be seated. As of writing this posts, here are the locations that have a waitlist option:

• Disneyland – Blue Bayou, Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe, Oga’s Cantina, River Belle Terrace
• California Adventure – Carthay Circle, Lamplight Lounge, Magic Key Terrace, Wine Country Trattoria
• Downtown Disney & Resort Hotels – Craftsman Bar, Storytellers Cafe, Trader Sam’s

MOBILE ORDERING

Most quick service dining spots also give you the option to mobile order. That means you can place your order from the Disneyland app and select a pick-up window. This is a great option if you’re on one end of the park and want to eat from a location on the opposite side; you can order it before you haul all the way over. You can also set your pickup time for later in the day. If I’m stuck in a long line for a ride and I’m getting hungry, I’ll place an order and schedule a pickup window for after I know I’ll be done.

If you open the Disneyland App and filter the map for dining, you’ll be able to see the locations that offer mobile ordering. In most cases, the menus in the app have pictures of the food to help make ordering even easier.

DINING TIPS & TRICKS

And finally, here are some general tips and tricks worth keeping in mind as you navigate dining across the resort.

• Make reservations as early as possible – Some people will wake up at the crack of dawn to book them right at the 60-day window when they open up. You don’t have to do that to get what you want in most cases, but I’d still make reservations as early as you possibly can for the best chance of getting the option you want.
• Schedule mobile orders early in the day if you know what you want – This tip only makes sense if you are planning on eating somewhere – if you don’t know what you’ll want, then don’t worry too much about it. Mobile ordering windows are finite and do fill up. While you should be able to get meals at most places throughout most of the day, very popular restaurants will fill up their ordering windows quickly. For example, when I tried Tiana’s Palace for the first time, I placed an order at 11 am and my pickup window options were already 8 pm or later.
• Eat at off times if you can – This may sound obvious, but it can make a huge difference. Eating lunch at 3 pm instead of noon often means shorter lines and more available tables at quick service restaurants. Of course this is sometimes unavoidable, but if you can snack to hold yourself over until off-times, it’s a little less hectic.
• Order kids meals if you’re not that hungry – Sometimes when roaming the park, I don’t want a huge meal. At quick service restaurants, it’s perfectly ok for adults to order kids meals (not the case at table service FYI) – and for me, it’s often exactly the right amount of food. And if you’re too timid to order a kids meal in person, you can do it quietly through mobile order!