Hi, Jennifer! Welcome back to planDisney! Your trip is just weeks away, and I am so excited for you! Solo trips are among some of my favorites because I get to do exactly what I want, when I want, how I want. Rarely in life does that happen, and I can't think of a better place to be in control of your fate than Walt Disney World. I have many tricks up my sleeves for bar seating and spontaneity, so let's chat.
First, if you haven't already, I encourage you to download the
My Disney Experience Mobile App. Many restaurants have a walk up list you can join. Type the restaurant you are interested in, into the search bar, and you'll see an icon that reads, "Join Walk-Up List." You do have to be in close proximity to the restaurant for this to work, but as a solo traveler, I've had good luck with this. Beyond this, I'm happy to share some of my favorite places within the parks and resorts for bar seating.
All of the Deluxe Disney resorts and many of the Moderate resorts will have a lounge that seats on a first come, first served basis. I happen to love
Tambu Lounge at
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort because the lounge also serves many menu items from
'Ohana at dinner time. I'm also a massive fan of
Territory Lounge at
Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The loaded potato flatbread is what dreams are made of. It sounds unassuming but trust me on this one!
Steakhouse 71 Lounge at
Disney's Contemporary Resort has first come, first served bar seating as well. All of these resorts are in the Magic Kingdom area, so if you want to take a break from touring that park, these are my recommendations. Check the hours before you go because some of these are open in the evening only.
Within the parks, I'm a fan of
Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge for al fresco dining located in Hollywood Studios. At EPCOT,
La Cava del Tequila gets my vote for tequila and mezcal based drinks and light bites. If you're a fan of tequila and want something a bit special and elevated, I recommend looking into the
La Cava Experience. Reservations are required for that, so this one doesn't really allow for spontaneity. At Disney's Animal Kingdom, I always make time for
Nomad Lounge for the best churros I've ever had. I request outdoor seating if the weather is nice. Even though these are first come, first served, some of these will need to be booked through the walk-up list feature on the app I shared earlier. When you arrive, the host or hostess will inform you of the process used by that location.
I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the places I could recommend as a solo Guest, but hopefully some of these will get you started. Jennifer, I hope you have a fantastic and delicious trip! Please bring any other planning questions you have back to us here at planDisney.
Have a magical trip!
Melanie