OVERVIEW 

Your plans should be firm more than 90 days before your arrival date. See this for why.

If it is already fewer than 90 days from your planned arrival date, see the items below.

ALREADY LESS THAN 90 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 Pop Century. Moreover, you may have difficulty getting in to Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Cirque du Soleil and the Akershus Banquet character meal.

If you can’t get in to the Polynesian or Pop, see Next Best Resort Choices for alternatives.

For Hoop and Cirque, try swapping nights, or going on a different night altogether that your itinerary does not have you already scheduled. If you must miss one at the expense of the other, miss Cirque Du Soleil.

Missing Cinderella is unfortunate but OK, so long as you are successful in your attempt to reserve Akershus, or, on those itineraries that include it, the character dinner at 1900 Park Fare. 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.