Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Brianna!
How exciting that your trip to Walt Disney World Resort is coming up so soon! I always spend the days and weeks before my vacation dreaming about the food I'm going to eat when I'm there, so let's chat about what you can do when you don't have a reservation for a restaurant you'd like to dine at.
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' has long been one of my favorite restaurants at
Disney Springs. I love the traditional southern food and the drinks here are really incredible! The Muleshine is my favorite, but you really can't go wrong with any cocktail on that menu. I guess the word of mouth has traveled pretty quickly, because this restaurant has become super popular in the last year or so, which explains why you're finding it a little tricky to find a reservation at popular dinner times.
My best advice for securing a last-minute reservation at any dining location is this: be flexible and have a backup plan. Guests are able to make advanced dining reservations up to 180 days before their arrival date, and that's a lot of time for someone to change their mind and decide they want to eat somewhere else. Be open-minded about the time you eat, because it's often easier to get those reservations outside of peak dining hours. You can try to walk up and see if they can seat you, but availability changes from night to night so there might be a bit of a wait or it's possible that they won't be able to get you in. I recommend booking the reservation as close to the time you want, and then asking if you can check in a little bit early when you get there. Sometimes the restaurant is able to accommodate you if they have space!
There are a few restaurants at Disney Springs that I've had good luck at getting a last minute reservation or a walk-up table, including my favorite restaurant at the moment:
The BOATHOUSE. It has a spacious dining room and a large patio on the waterfront so I can often get a prime-time dinner reservation here. You can also try
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, one of the newer additions to the area that is also a good bet for a last-minute table!
I hope this answers your questions, Brianna, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation.
Jessica