2025 brought major changes to Disney’s dining system. Here’s what you need to know.
I’ve been helping people navigate Disney dining reservations since starting Steps to Magic in 2016, and I can tell you that 2025 has been a year of significant changes. Between the massive app overhaul in June, restaurants opening and closing, and substantial price increases, the dining landscape feels different.
Based on the reports and data that have come out this year, here’s what actually changed and what it means for your next Disney trip.
Finally! Disney Fixed the App (Well, Mostly)
The June Update That Made a Difference
When Disney rolled out their June 2025 app update, it actually addressed many of the frustrations people have had with the dining reservation system for years.
The biggest improvement is the new time slider feature. Instead of having to click through separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner windows repeatedly, you can now drag a slider from 6 AM to midnight and see all available times at once.
Here’s what actually improved:
The calendar view now shows green dots for days with availability and gray for sold-out days. You can scan 10 days at once, which makes planning around your park days much easier.
The location filters work better now too. You can quickly filter by each park or Disney Springs without scrolling through endless lists.
The multi-restaurant search is another major upgrade – you can search multiple restaurants simultaneously instead of opening multiple tabs and refreshing each one.
What Stayed the Same
The booking window is still 60 days out at 6 AM Eastern, with phone lines opening at 7 AM. If you’re staying on-property, you still get that 60+10 rule where you can book your whole trip (up to 10 days) starting 60 days before check-in.
Important note – if you’re doing split stays at different Disney resorts, you lose that benefit between properties. Also, Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and Disney Springs hotels don’t qualify for the 60+10 advantage.
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The New Kids on the Block (And the Ones We Lost)
The Beak and Barrel: Magic Kingdom’s First Bar
On August 29th, Disney opened their first-ever dedicated bar inside Magic Kingdom after 54 years. That’s pretty significant when you think about it.
It’s located next to Pirates of the Caribbean where the old Pirates League used to be. The theming focuses on Captain Meridian “Merry” Goldwyn’s pirate hideout, complete with a talking parrot named Rummy.
The rules are strict – 45 minutes maximum and a two-drink limit for guests 21 and older. Based on reports from guests, getting a reservation here has become extremely competitive, with difficulty levels comparable to Space 220.
The Cake Bake Shop: BoardWalk’s New Neighbour
This place opened in October 2024 where ESPN Club used to be, featuring an elegant Victorian-inspired atmosphere. The catch? It operates completely outside Disney’s reservation system – you have to use OpenTable instead, which actually offers both advance reservations and walk-up availability.
The pricing has generated some very interesting discussion within the community, with cake slices running $22.99-$24.99.
What We Lost Along the Way
DinoLand is shutting down for that new Tropical Americas thing, so say goodbye to Dino-Bite Snacks (already closed) and Restaurantosaurus (closing in February). Mama Melrose’s at Hollywood Studios closed back in May for Monsters Inc. Land too.
The one that really stings is that the Grand Floridian’s Afternoon Tea is still closed indefinitely. That was such a hidden gem.
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Let’s Talk About These Prices (Deep Breath)
Victoria & Albert’s: The New Price Reality
Victoria & Albert’s is now $295-$425 per person, depending on which dining room you book. That’s before drinks, tax, or anything else.
The restaurant continues to offer three dining experiences: 18 tables in the main dining room, 4 tables in Queen Victoria’s Room, and the 10-seat Chef’s Table. With their back to back Michelin-star status, demand remains extremely high, but those prices put it beyond most theme park dining budgets.
California Grill also increased to $99 for their new prix fixe menu effective November 7th. Even quick-service items saw increases of about 50 cents across the board in October.
Character Dining Changes
Hollywood & Vine switched up their whole breakfast thing in October. No more Disney Junior – now it’s Minnie’s Seasonal Dining for all three meals.
And 1900 Park Fare? After being closed for four years, it reopened and immediately became impossible to book. Like, harder than Space 220 impossible. The new character lineup is apparently that good.
The Reality of Restaurant Availability
Based on comprehensive research from TouringPlans that tracked availability at 3 days, 30 days, and 60 days out, here’s what the data shows about booking difficulty:
The Nearly Impossible
Space 220 Lounge showed 0% availability across all time periods in the research – making it the single hardest reservation to secure. The smaller capacity compared to the restaurant and more affordable pricing contribute to this.
1900 Park Fare breakfast showed 0% availability at 30-60 days out. After being closed for four years, the new character lineup has created unprecedented demand.
Space 220 Restaurant showed only 20% availability last-minute and 0% at 30-60 days out, with only single tables when available.
The Beak and Barrel has quickly joined this tier of extremely competitive reservations.
GEO-82 Lounge inside Spaceship Earth reportedly sells out within an hour of reservations opening for both regular service and fireworks viewing experiences.
The Very Difficult
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater showed 35% availability last-minute but 0% at 30-60 days out, with only single tables available.
Cinderella’s Royal Table achieved 20% dinner availability last-minute, 0% lunch availability, and 6% overall for breakfast searches.
Topolino’s Terrace breakfast appeared in only 33% of last-minute searches with 0% availability at 30-60 days out.
Chef Mickey’s was found about one-third of the time in last-minute searches with none at 1-2 months out.
The Surprising Changes
California Grill has experienced a significant decline in popularity, making it “easily accessible” compared to historical demand.
Be Our Guest frequently shows same-day availability – a dramatic shift for a restaurant that once required months of advance planning. We know why, but hoping that Disney will eventually take the hint that we’d like to see the return to pre-pandemic operations.
Most EPCOT World Showcase restaurants (except Space 220 and Le Cellier) offer reasonable availability, particularly for lunch service.
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Strategies That Work (Based on Guest Reports and Data)
The Early Bird Approach
Many guests report setting alarms for 5:45 AM on their 60-day booking window, as availability sometimes appears a few minutes before the official 6 AM opening time.
Multiple Device Strategy
Using multiple devices – phones, tablets, and computers – can increase your chances when booking highly competitive restaurants. Just coordinate so you don’t accidentally book the same reservation twice.
The Party Size Technique
Searching for one more person than your actual party size often reveals additional availability due to how Disney’s system allocates tables. You can modify the party size after booking.
Strategic Booking Priority
Resort guests should prioritize booking the most difficult restaurants first for the later days of their trip to maximize the 60+10 advantage. This gives you access to dates that are 61-70 days out for everyone else.
Key Cancellation Windows
Guest experiences suggest checking for cancellations at these strategic times:
- 45 days out: When vacation package final payments are due
- 7 days out: Final planning adjustments
- The night before: Last-minute changes
- 2 hours before: The cancellation deadline creates availability
Helpful Tools
The walk-up waitlist feature in the My Disney Experience app provides same-day opportunities. Paid services like MouseDining offer cancellation alerts for highly competitive restaurants, which many guests find worthwhile for the most difficult reservations.
Dietary Stuff: Disney’s Pretty Good at This
Disney handles over 7,000 allergy-friendly meals every month, which is honestly impressive. They can work with the usual suspects – gluten, dairy, nuts, shellfish – plus special diets like kosher, halal, vegetarian, vegan, keto, you name it.
For Most Allergies
If you’ve got one to three common allergies, just note it when you make your reservation in the app (there’s a “Dietary Requests” tab) or mention it when calling 407-WDW-DINE. Then tell your server when you sit down.
When Things Get Complicated
If you’re dealing with four or more allergies, rare stuff, or medical dietary restrictions, you’ll want to contact their Special Diets team 14 days before your trip:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 407-824-5967
They’re open Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM, weekends 10 AM-5 PM.
The Fine Print
Here’s the reality check: Disney doesn’t have allergen-free kitchens and they can’t guarantee completely allergen-free meals. Cross-contamination happens. They’re pretty upfront about this – they basically say “we’ll do our best but use your judgment.”
If your allergen is a main ingredient at a restaurant (like if you’re allergic to seafood and want to eat at a seafood place), they’ll tell you to just skip it.
Special Mentions
Kosher meals are available at most places with 24 hours notice. They come from Borenstein Caterer and are legit Orthodox Union certified.
Erin McKenna’s Bakery at Disney Springs is 100% vegan and allergen-friendly if you need a guaranteed safe space for dessert.
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Bottom Line: It’s Still Worth the Effort
Look, dining reservations at Disney will probably never be “easy.” But honestly? The app improvements this year have made it way less painful than it used to be. And the restaurants that are worth the hassle – Space 220, 1900 Park Fare, The Beak and Barrel – really do deliver experiences you can’t get anywhere else.
My advice? Pick your battles. Don’t stress about getting every single reservation. Focus on the one or two that would really make your trip special, and have solid backup plans for everything else.
Your game plan:
- Mark your calendar for 60 days before your trip (set multiple alarms)
- Download that updated My Disney Experience app if you haven’t already
- Make a priority list – what’s your must-have versus nice-to-have?
- Consider MouseDining alerts for the impossible stuff
- Book your ADRs first thing on that 60-day mark, not as an afterthought
And hey, if you strike out on the impossible reservations, don’t let it ruin your trip. I’ve had some of my best Disney meals at places I’d never heard of before walking in.
What’s been your experience with the 2025 dining changes? Any tips that worked for you? Drop a comment below – I’m always curious to hear what’s working for other families!