At most Walt Disney World restaurants, you can cancel free until 2 hours before your reservation. If you cancel later, or no one shows up, Disney charges $10 per person to the card you gave when you booked. So a 7:00 PM dinner can be cancelled free until 5:00 PM.
Dinner shows, dessert parties and some premium restaurants need more notice. Most Disneyland restaurants use the same basic terms, and each lists its own policy. Your confirmation email shows the exact terms for your booking.
Unofficial guide·not affiliated with Disney·rules last checked against Disney's website on
The 2-hour rule
At most Walt Disney World table-service restaurants, you can cancel online, in the app or by phone at no charge, as long as you do it at least 2 hours before the reservation time. Inside those 2 hours you can no longer change the reservation.
The $10 late-cancellation and no-show fee
At most Walt Disney World restaurants, Disney charges $10 per person if you cancel less than 2 hours before your reservation or if no one shows up. Disney charges it to the card you gave when you booked. Cancel 2 hours or more ahead, or show up, and there is no charge.
Some meals and shows have their own terms
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and the Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert parties need at least 1 day's notice, or you pay the full price. Victoria & Albert's needs 5 days, or you pay $100 per person. At Cinderella's Royal Table the deadline is still 2 hours, but a late cancellation costs the full price. Cinderella's Royal Table, Hoop-Dee-Doo and the dessert parties cannot be changed once confirmed. Check the terms when you book.
Running late: Disney publishes no grace period
Disney does not publish a grace period for dining reservations. Guests often report that a few minutes late is accepted, but this is not a rule. If you will be more than a few minutes late, call Disney dining at (407) 939-3463 or tell the podium. They may still seat you, but they do not have to.
Disneyland Resort: mostly the same terms
Most Disneyland restaurants use the same basic terms as Walt Disney World: cancel at least 2 hours before to avoid a $10-per-person fee. Each restaurant lists its own policy on its Disney page, and your confirmation email shows the terms for your booking. Dessert parties and dining packages have their own terms. The World of Color Dessert Party, for example, needs a day's notice.
The main difference is for hotel guests. Disneyland has no whole-stay booking window. Its hotel guests get preferred access to a limited number of tables at select hotel restaurants.
Where do cancelled tables go?
At Walt Disney World, Disney says a cancelled reservation time is made available to other guests right away. Disneyland does not publish a rule, but cancelled tables do reappear there too. A few hotel restaurants at both resorts hold some tables for hotel guests, so not every opening is open to everyone. New dates open 60 days ahead: see when Disney World dining opens and when Disneyland dining opens.
Many tables come back in the last day or two, when people cancel before Disney's fee applies. At most restaurants that is 2 hours before the meal. At Walt Disney World, dessert parties, dining packages and a few signature restaurants need 1 to 5 days' notice, so those come back earlier. We have not yet measured how many come in the final 48 hours.
For the alerts people set, we log each opening we see, with the hour we saw it and how long it stayed bookable. Once the log covers 30 days and at least 30 openings, the block below shows the totals. It runs at least 7 days behind.
Catching a cancellation
Set a free MagicFinders alert for the restaurant, date and party size. You can also pick an earliest and latest time. We check around the clock and email you when a check finds a table.
The button in the email opens Disney's booking page for that restaurant. Sign in at disneyworld.com or disneyland.com on your phone ahead of time, so you can book in a few taps. We never ask for your Disney login, and we never hold or book anything.
Can I modify a Disney dining reservation instead of cancelling it?
Yes, for most reservations. At Walt Disney World you can change your reservation online or in the app, if the restaurant has room. Disney does not allow changes within 2 hours of the reservation. Some bookings cannot be changed at all, including Cinderella's Royal Table, Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, and the Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert parties and dining packages.
To switch restaurants, you cancel one reservation and book the other. Walt Disney World does not let you hold two dining reservations within 2 hours of each other. If the new time is more than 2 hours away from the old one, book the new table first. If it is closer, cancel the old one, then book the new one right away.
Does the no-show fee apply if only part of my party shows up?
Disney does not publish a rule for a party that arrives short. The fee is charged per person, so lower the party size in the app before the restaurant's cancellation cutoff. Prepaid meals and dinner shows have their own terms.
When cancelled tables came back
| Hour first seen (park time) | Share of openings |
|---|---|
| Before 6 AM | 3% |
| 6–9 AM | 11% |
| 9 AM–noon | 16% |
| Noon–3 PM | 21% |
| 3–6 PM | 18% |
| 6–9 PM | 13% |
| 9 PM–midnight | 18% |
| Days before the date | Share of openings |
|---|---|
| Same day | 26% |
| 1–2 days before | 32% |
| 3–7 days before | 32% |
| 8–30 days before | 11% |
| 31 days or more | 0% |
Median time an opening stayed bookable, as we saw it: 9.4 minutes (n=33 openings with a measured end).
Totals from the openings MagicFinders saw for the alerts people set. This is not a count of everything Disney sells, and the shares shift as the sample grows. Reports lag by at least 7 days. Free to cite with a link: “Source: MagicFinders (unofficial), CC BY 4.0”.
Questions
What is the Disney dining cancellation fee?
At most Walt Disney World restaurants, $10 per person. Disney charges it if you cancel less than 2 hours before the reservation, or if no one shows up. A few shows, dessert parties and premium restaurants charge more, up to the full price.
Is there a grace period for Disney dining reservations?
Disney does not publish a grace period for dining reservations. Guests often report that a few minutes late is accepted, but this is not a rule. If you will be more than a few minutes late, call Disney dining at (407) 939-3463 or tell the podium.
Can I cancel a Disney dining reservation the same day?
Yes, at most table-service restaurants. It is free as long as you cancel at least 2 hours before the reservation time. Dinner shows, dessert parties and some premium restaurants have earlier deadlines.
Does the same policy apply at Disneyland?
Mostly. Most Disneyland restaurants use the same basic terms: cancel at least 2 hours before to avoid a $10-per-person fee. Each restaurant lists its own policy on its Disney page, and your confirmation email shows the terms for your booking. Dessert parties and dining packages have their own terms. The World of Color Dessert Party, for example, needs a day's notice.
Do cancelled tables really open up again?
Yes. At Walt Disney World, Disney says a cancelled reservation time is made available to other guests right away. It can appear at any hour and can go quickly, which is what an alert is for.
Can I get a Disney dining cancellation alert?
Yes. A free MagicFinders alert watches the restaurant, date and party size you want and emails you when a check finds a table. You book on Disney.
Tell us the restaurant, date and party size. We check around the clock, starting the morning 60 days before your date. Dates in the next 2 days are checked every few minutes, day and night. Later dates are checked less often, some of them less often still at night, and less often still when our checks are busy. When a check finds an opening, we email you right away. With a Trip Pass, we can text you too. You book it in your own Disney account. We never ask for your Disney login.
Set a free alert3 free alerts at a time, up to 2 of them restaurants. Each restaurant or event alert covers one date. A $24 Trip Pass is one payment: up to 12 alerts at a time, date ranges of up to 7 days, and 90 days of checking. Nothing renews. See Trip Pass. An alert is not a reservation. Popular tables and rooms can go in minutes.
MagicFinders is an independent notification service, not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by The Walt Disney Company; Disney names are used only to identify the places our alerts cover. We never ask for, see or store your Disney login, and we don’t hold, book, transfer or sell reservations.