10. You don’t reserve dining experiences beforehand.
Planning ahead means researching Disney’s dining experiences, choosing which experiences you and your family would like to have and then booking those experiences with Disney. You can do this in one of three ways—either online at disneyworld.disney.go.com, via the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone or by calling (407) WDW-DINE.
The booking window for most dining experiences opens 180 days in advance, and many restaurants book very quickly, so the earlier you can make your reservations, the better chance you will have at scoring the reservation and at a time that works for you and your family. (Note: If you want to experience dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to make your reservation as soon as the 180-day window opens. Cinderella’s Royal Table also books fast, so you’ll need to reserve this restaurant as soon as the window opens and pay for your dining experience at the same time.)