After years of Disney vacation planning and countless trips to the parks, I know firsthand that securing a reservation at Be Our Guest can feel ridiculously difficult. Located in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, this themed dining experience remains one of Disney World’s most sought-after restaurants – though honestly, the experience has changed significantly over the years, and not always for the better.
Whether you’re eager to try the famous “Grey Stuff” (it’s delicious, don’t believe me? Ask the dishes!) or simply want to dine in the stunning Grand Ballroom, West Wing, or Rose Gallery, I’m sharing my proven strategies to help you secure that coveted table.
TIP ONE – BOOK 60 DAYS OUT
The most reliable method for securing a Be Our Guest reservation is marking your calendar for exactly 60 days before your trip’s first day. Disney’s reservation system opens at 6:00 AM Eastern Time, and you’ll need to be ready with fingers hovering over your keyboard like everyone else competing for these slots.
Insider Truth: If you’re staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you get an additional advantage – you can book dining reservations for your entire stay (up to 10 days) starting 60 days from your check-in date. This gives you a significant edge for reservations later in your trip. Disney doesn’t advertise this perk heavily, but it’s one of the few remaining advantages of paying those premium resort prices.
Do your research and have a clear plan before this booking window opens. Know your preferred dates, meal times, and have backup options ready. Those precious morning hours of the 60-day mark can make all the difference.
TIP TWO – BE FLEXIBLE
One mistake I see guests make repeatedly is being too specific with their search parameters. If you’re only looking for a 7:00 PM dinner reservation, you’re significantly limiting your chances of success.
The Disney dining system literally only shows what you specifically request. Instead, try these approaches:
- Search for “dinner” broadly rather than a specific time
- Consider early dinner (sometimes as early as 3:00 PM) or late dinner options (as late as 9:00 PM)
- Know that lunch and dinner are now the same experience and price point (they eliminated the more affordable quick-service lunch option years ago)
- Breakfast is no longer offered at all (another victim of Disney’s menu simplification)
Keep in mind you’re looking at $67+ per adult and $39+ per child regardless of when you dine. That’s a significant chunk of your vacation budget for what’s essentially a themed dining room with decent but not exceptional food. If you’re planning your day around an unusual mealtime like 4:30 PM or 8:45 PM just to get in, be honest with yourself about whether the experience justifies the schedule disruption and cost.
TIP THREE – 24 HOUR PERIOD
Here’s where my insider knowledge really helps: Be Our Guest uses a credit card guarantee system that results in a predictable pattern of last-minute availability.
When booking, guests provide a credit card and agree to this policy:
“Reservations must be cancelled at least one day prior to avoid $10 per person cancellation and/or no show fee. Plan to arrive 5 minutes prior to your reservation time to check-in and allow up to 1.5 hours to travel to your destination when using Disney Transportation. Menu items, pricing, and hours are subject to change without notice and 18% gratuity will be automatically applied for parties of 6 or more. Special Seating Requests may be done upon arrival at the podium.”
This policy creates a golden opportunity! Many guests who can’t make their reservation cancel right before the 24-hour deadline to avoid the penalty. This means a surge of availability often appears almost exactly 24 hours before popular dining times.
Pro Strategy: Set an alarm for 23-24 hours before your desired dining time and start refreshing the My Disney Experience app. You’ll be amazed at how many “impossible” reservations suddenly appear during this window as people realize they need to cancel before the penalty kicks in. This is actually your best bet for scoring a reservation if you missed the 60-day window, and I’ve had far more success with this method than with trying random searches throughout your trip.
Bonus Tip: The “Walk-Up” Strategy
Did you know that some last-minute cancellations never make it back into the online reservation system? This creates an opportunity for spontaneous diners.
The “Walk-Up” approach is simple but surprisingly effective:
- Head to Be Our Guest during operating hours
- Approach the podium and politely ask if they’re accepting walk-up guests
- Be prepared for a possible wait, but also for potential immediate seating
This works especially well:
- During non-peak times (early January, late August, mid-September)
- During inclement weather (when no-shows increase)
- Later in the evening when scheduled reservations might end early
The walk-up strategy is becoming less reliable as Disney has gotten better at filling every available seat, but it’s still worth a shot if you’re in the area anyway. In my experience, parties of 1-2 have better luck than larger groups. Just don’t build your day around this approach – consider it a “might happen” rather than a “will happen” scenario.
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Final Thoughts: Is Be Our Guest Really Worth The Effort Anymore?
Let’s be honest – Be Our Guest has changed dramatically since its opening, and not all changes have been for the better. When this restaurant first opened, it offered a reasonably priced quick-service lunch option that made the experience accessible to most families. Now, with the shift to an all-day prix-fixe format, you’re looking at $67+ per adult and $39+ per child.
The truth? The old meal options were better and more flexible. The current fixed-price format isn’t nearly as accommodating for families with picky eaters or those on a budget. You’re essentially paying a premium just to sit in the castle, as the food quality doesn’t quite match the hefty price tag.
That said, the theming remains spectacular. The three dining rooms (especially the West Wing with its falling rose petals) are truly incredible examples of Disney Imagineering. If you’ve never been inside and experiencing the ambiance is your priority, it might be worth one visit – just go in with realistic expectations about the food and value proposition.