Short answer: Disney World dining opens 60 days before check-in, at 6 am Eastern, and if you’re staying at a Disney resort you can book your whole stay that morning. Lightning Lanes open at 7 am Eastern, 7 days before check-in for resort guests and 3 days before each park day for everyone else. Put in your check-in date and you’ll see your exact mornings.
The windows at a glance
| What | Disney World, at a Disney resort | Disney World, staying elsewhere | Disneyland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 60 days before check-in, 6 am Eastern, your whole stay (up to 10 nights) | 60 days before each day, 6 am Eastern | 60 days before each day, 6 am Pacific |
| Lightning Lanes | 7 days before check-in, 7 am Eastern, your whole stay (up to 14 days) | 3 days before each park day, 7 am Eastern | On the day, in the app, once you’re in a park |
| Hotel rooms | When Disney opens your dates | When Disney opens your dates | When Disney opens your dates |
How not to miss your booking windows
- Write the mornings down the day you book your room. Every window counts back from check-in, so you can know them months ahead. Use the calculator above and put each one in your calendar with an alarm.
- Link everything to your Disney account early. Disney gives you the resort-guest head start when it can see your resort reservation on your account, and Lightning Lanes need your park tickets linked too. Do it the week you book, not the morning of.
- Mind the time zone. Disney World opens on Eastern time. 6 am Eastern is 5 am Central, 4 am Mountain and 3 am Pacific. Disneyland opens on Pacific time, so East Coast families book at 9 am.
- Be signed in a few minutes early. Open Disney’s site or app and sign in before the window opens, not at the minute it does. The hardest tables to get go first.
- Know your first choice and a backup. Pick the meals that matter most, and a second choice for each, the night before. Staying at a Disney resort? Book the hardest table first, even if it’s late in your trip. That’s the whole point of booking your stay at once.
- Staying more than 10 nights? The resort-guest dining window covers your first 10 nights. Later nights open one day at a time, 60 days before each. Lightning Lanes cover up to 14 days.
- Let us remind you. Tell us your trip once and we’ll text you at 8 pm the night before each window, and again 5 minutes before it opens. Your first trip is free. Get booking alerts.
Dining: 60 days, and the resort-guest head start
Everyone gets 60 days, but not the same 60 days. If you’re staying off site, each day opens 60 days before that day, so dinner on day five opens four days after dinner on day one. A Disney resort guest books the whole stay, up to 10 nights, on the morning that’s 60 days before check-in. That’s why a hard-to-get table late in a trip goes to resort guests before anyone else can try for it.
Disney says new days open at about 6 am Eastern. The morning matters most for the hardest tables, so be signed in and ready a little before.
Lightning Lanes: 7 days or 3
Disney resort guests can buy Lightning Lane passes at 7 am Eastern, 7 days before check-in, for their whole stay up to 14 days. Everyone else buys at 7 am Eastern, 3 days before each park day. Those 4 extra days mean first pick of the popular return times. Our Lightning Lane guide has what each pass costs and whether it’s worth it for your family.
Disneyland: dining is the one to watch
Disneyland dining opens 60 days ahead, at 6 am Pacific, one day at a time for everyone. Lightning Lane passes there work differently: you buy them on the day, in the Disneyland app, once you’re in a park. So there’s no Lightning Lane morning to plan around.
Hotel rooms: there’s no date to circle
Disney used to open resort dates on a rolling countdown. Now it opens them in batches, so there’s no fixed day to wait for, and checking every morning is the only way to catch it yourself. Set a room alert for your dates and we’ll email you when Disney opens them. If your dates are already open and the resort is sold out, rooms do come back, and an alert catches those too.
Get a text before each window opens
Tell us your trip once. We’ll text you at 8 pm the night before dining and Lightning Lanes open, and again 5 minutes before. Your first trip is free.
Common questions
What time do Disney World dining reservations open?
At about 6 am Eastern, 60 days ahead. If you’re staying at a Disney resort hotel, that morning opens your whole stay, up to 10 nights. Everyone else gets one new day each morning.
How far ahead can I book Disney World dining?
60 days. Resort guests book their whole stay, up to 10 nights, 60 days before check-in. Everyone else books each day 60 days before that day.
When can I buy Lightning Lanes?
At 7 am Eastern. Disney resort guests buy 7 days before check-in, for their whole stay up to 14 days. Everyone else buys 3 days before each park day.
When do Disneyland dining reservations open?
60 days ahead, at 6 am Pacific, one day at a time. Lightning Lane passes at Disneyland are bought on the day, in the Disneyland app, once you’re in a park.
Can someone remind me when my booking window opens?
We can. Tell us your trip and we’ll text you at 8 pm the night before each window, and again 5 minutes before it opens. Your first trip is free.
When does Disney open hotel rooms for my dates?
Disney opens resort dates in batches rather than on a fixed countdown, so there’s no date to circle. Set a room alert for your dates and we’ll email you when Disney opens them.
What should I book first?
The room. Dining and Lightning Lane windows count back from your check-in, and the resort-guest head start on both only applies once you have a Disney resort booking.