Getting Disneyland dining reservations is a nightmare right now. Here's how we did it. - SF Gate

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If trying to get dining reservations at Disneyland is driving you to the brink of madness right now, you are not alone.

There’s no question that one of the best ways to plan for a Disneyland vacation is by nabbing dining reservations. It cuts down on wait times, uncertainty and stress — no one’s in a good mood after waiting an hour to get a walk-up dinner table. But since the parks reopened, it’s become significantly more tricky to find available reservations.

With an upcoming trip planned — one that includes a birthday for a member of my party — I began worrying about getting a sit-down dinner reservation. Reservation slots open up 60 days in advance — or so I thought. To prepare myself to be quick on the draw for my intended date, I started checking the site every morning. And lo and behold, nothing. No slots for anything, even when I would check at absurd hours of the early morning.

I wondered if anyone was having better luck than me. I found post after post on Facebook, Twitter and various Disney fan groups complaining there was no availability when they checked either. Because trip planning is my raison d'etre, I became determined to crack the Disneyland dining code. Here’s what I found.

Are Disneyland dining reservations available 60 days in advance?

As of now, not really. If you search exactly 60 days before your desired dining date, you won’t find available reservations. That’s not because they don’t exist. Disney is just releasing them much later than they used to. On average, reservations are being released about 40 to 50 days ahead of time.

So don’t give up hope. Keep checking, and you’ll see reservations slowly trickle into the system as you get closer to your trip. I’ve noticed that reservations sometimes even drop a week or two out (likely a combination of people canceling reservations and Disney adding a handful more as staffing allows). While this is more annoying than the old system of just waking up early 60 days out, at least your dreams of snagging a Blue Bayou reservation aren’t dead in the water. You might just have to set yourself a calendar reminder to check the site every morning for a few weeks until you get lucky.

Why are Disneyland dining reservations coming out so late?

Disney doesn’t like commenting on staffing issues, but it’s not hard to guess that’s the problem at hand here. If you check their job board, there are vacancies for chefs, sous chefs, dishwashers and bussers, wait staff, food preppers, cashiers and more.

With fewer restaurant staff, it’s harder to project 60 days in advance whether they’ll even have enough cooks, servers, etc., to efficiently run a busy sit-down restaurant. As staff schedules solidify, it’s easier to anticipate how many tables they can feasibly seat. Until Disneyland reaches whatever level it considers fully staffed, expect delays and hiccups in food service.

This goes for mobile ordering at quick-service restaurants as well. Placing your order hours early is key to ensuring the pickup window aligns with when you actually want a meal. But even then, don’t be surprised if your food isn’t ready immediately. On a summer trip to the parks, my party saw an overwhelmed cast member crying at a restaurant backed up by long lines. Be patient. Employees are doing the best they can in difficult conditions.

What if the Disneyland dining site isn’t working?

If you get an error message while searching for dining reservations, welcome to the club. Disneyland’s site and app are often glitchy. Don’t tear your hair out. Just close the window and try again in two minutes. It usually resolves itself.

Can I set up Disneyland dining alerts?

You can, although Disney doesn’t offer this as an option. You’ll need to seek out a third-party site. The most popular is MouseDining, which will send you an email when reservations at your preferred restaurant become available.