Hi there Cynthia and welcome back to planDisney!
It's great to see you back here with another question and from the looks of it, you're one of our dedicated Disney foodies based on the kinds of things you've asked our team over the years!
There's definitely a reason why some folks say that snagging a reservation at
Space 220 Restaurant can be as much of a challenge as getting into space itself! In our experience, we tried for over a year of constantly checking and refreshing to find an available reservation to this location that remains just as popular since it first opened and dazzled the guests who were sent up into the sky on its special set of space elevators. The way we managed to make our way in there for a lunchtime launch was by asking the Cast Members adjacent to
Mission: SPACE if they had any interplanetary insider tips, and I'm happy to share them with you now:
- Because of the current dining location Cancellation Policy, folks and families are holding onto their reservations longer and up to two hours prior to their booked time. This does mean that there is a chance that these spots may have a chance of opening up on the day when they change their minds, especially towards the end of the day and before fireworks.
- This can be affected by the "Walk-up" list that tends to grow over the course of the afternoon, which you may be able to join using your My Disney Experience mobile app or just checking in person. The Cast Member let me know they notice guests stopping by early around 10:30 a.m. and being successful with snagging seating at the bar, if that's something that you and your party is comfortable with!
- As of our most recent visit this year we were offered the opportunity to sit at the bar on two separate occasions by the Cast Members who let us know that it was possible to order from either the Space 220 Lounge Menu or the recently-refreshed prix-fixe selections; these offerings are subject to change without prior notice, but this could be a handy hack for a greater variety of meal options when you visit if it's still something they can do for you!
The experience and excitement that they create as you head up into the space station and marvel out at the starry surroundings was well worth the hype, but in our personal experience the intergalactic effort it took just to find a space here didn't quite match a meal that came with lofty out-of-this-world expectations and ended up feeling very much grounded. (For example, at the cost of the
Prix-Fixe Dinner Menu we were surprised to find that we were charged extra for fountain beverages which are not priced on the menu and our
Annual Passholder discount only applied during lunchtime, which we discovered later was due to this restaurant being run by a third-party operator with their own policies in place.) As you keep these in mind Cynthia, I hope you're successful in making your way up there this September;
be sure to come back here to planDisney for any other tips or advice before your visit!
Wishing you all the best on your quest for snacks or supper in space!
Prince