Your plans should be firm more than 180 days before your arrival date. See this for why.
If it is already fewer than 180 days from your planned arrival date, see the items below.
ALREADY FEWER THAN 180 DAYS AWAY?
Depending on the week you are targeting, the Polynesian may already be unavailable, and you may have to target a different value resort than Art of Animation. Moreover, you may have difficulty getting in to Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, and Chef Mickeys.
If you can’t get in to the Polynesian or Art if Animation, see Next Best Resort Choices for alternatives.
For Hoop-Dee-Doo try going on a different night altogether that your itinerary does not have you already scheduled.
Missing Cinderella is unfortunate but OK, so long as you are successful in your attempt to reserve Akershus. Just pick the next most appealing Magic Kingdom restaurant for which you are not already reserved from here.
Some of the other restaurants you are targeting may not have availability near the times that the To-Do list and itineraries direct. Make the reservations you can make, then get off the phone and double check the daily itineraries on the dates that aren’t working out, to see how flexible that date looks.
If the itinerary implies that you can move your time around, call back and reserve the right restaurant for a different time that day.
If not, go here and pick the next best dining option for your family in the same setting—e.g., if you can’t get in to the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom restaurant, pick the next best Magic Kingdom option on the list that you are not already scheduled for.
Keep a careful tally of the special dinners and other events that you are forced to miss.
If you have to miss more than half without exciting replacements, are in the wrong hotel, and will be missing both the Akershus Banquet and Cinderella’s Royal Celebration, then move heaven and earth to reschedule to either a later, or an earlier, but much less crowded, date—one that might still have the best of Disney World available.
LINKS FOR WHEN YOUR PLANS NEED TO BE FIRM
When Your Plans Need to Be Firm
ITINERARY LINKS
- For itinerary design goals and the basic December Itinerary, see this
- For shorter and longer itineraries targeted at the same December week, see this
- For itineraries covering all the other parts of the year, see this
- To design your own itinerary, see this
- For rides that might be skipped, see this
- For a comprehensive guide to rides and attractions, see this
MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
- For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
- For the next best dates, see this
- For the best and worst times to visit, see this
- For 2010 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
- For the 2010 Week Picker, see this
- For 2011 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
- For the 2011 Week Picker, see this
- For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
- For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
- For 2010 price seasons, see this
- For 2011 price seasons, see this
- For projected 2012 price seasons, see this
- For weather at Walt Disney World, see this