Hi there, Abby!
Welcome to planDisney! I'm excited to hear you are planning to visit the Disneyland Resort...and at Halloween Time! You are going to love all the special spooky touches throughout the parks from the Mickey and Friends Halloween Cavalcade to the seasonal sweets and treats to Jack Skellington's epic takeover of the Haunted Mansion!
Of course, an essential piece to any Disneyland vacation is dining! Whether it's snacks along the way or a midday break, or a special spot for an evening meal, there are so many options at your fingertips.
Dining reservations at the Disneyland Resort can be made as early as 60 days ahead of time...one day at a time. If you are used to visiting Walt Disney World and staying on property, you may be accustomed to booking your dining at 60 days out for the entire length of your trip. It's a bit different at Disneyland. I grabbed your question today because dining reservations have just opened up for October 23, and in a few hours will be open for the 24th as well!
Reservations can be made on the Disneyland website or in the
Disneyland app. If you are staying for multiple days and are hoping to grab reservations throughout your trip, you would need to make them one day at a time as they open up. Once all the dates are open, you can actually select the full range to search for availability. Typically, reservations open around 6:00 AM PST, local time. A few of the most popular spots will fill up quickly, namely
Blue Bayou, where you can dine under the stars at any time of day and watch your fellow Guests sail away on Pirates of the Caribbean or
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. If you have your heart set on a certain experience, I'd recommend logging in as soon as they open to try to secure that reservation. If for some reason it's not available, keep checking! Guests are always changing their plans, especially as you get closer to the date. I was just at the resort two weeks ago and was able to snag a four-top at Blue Bayou the morning of our park day! These will go quickly if they pop up, so have your fast fingers ready!
Abby, I hope this has been helpful, and your palate is ready for all the flavors of the parks! Another helpful feature I like to use once I'm on the ground is the
Mobile Dine Walk-Up Availability. This will let you know if there are any last-minute openings available same day. When you open your app once you've scanned into the park, tap the "+" in the bottom navigation bar and select "Check Dining Availability". Enter the party size and the date, and an option will pop up that says "Hungry Now?" and you can tap the button to "Join a Walk Up List". This is great if you're feeling like being a bit more flexible with your day.
If you have any more questions, we are always here for you at
planDisney!
Magic awaits!
Tara