To say that securing a reservation for Space 220 has been on my radar since the day reservations were launched (:giggle::) and broke the internet is putting it mildly. So imagine my surprise when I was not only able to get reservations, but I was able to get them for Thanksgiving.
So here is the trick, do not look for dining reservations by ‘lunch’ or ‘dinner’ actually scroll the times that are given (eg; 11:30, 12:00, 1:00pm, etc.) and search through the half hour times of what you are looking for. Time consuming?! Yes! However what I found is that there are actually more reservation and dining options when you search this way then when you look for just lunch and dinner. I have no idea why this is, but I am beyond excited as reservations that I needed or were looking for never seemed to ‘pop’ the other way and I was able to get pretty much everything I was looking for and the times, by taking the time to search by the half hours. The only thing I was unable to snag was Oga’s Cantina….okay, I take that back, I could have but the reservation was at 10am and I am sorry but since I have already had the experience, Oga’s Cantina at 10am was a negative Ghost Rider from me.
I wish I had a video of me scoring this reservation as it involved a lot of squealing, running around the house and screenshotting the reservation (just in case).
A couple of things, there is a line that is against the Space 220 wall, this is NOT for the restaurant, but rather the line for the lounge. You have to walk around the corner and check in with the host. I would check with those around you if they are waiting for their reservation as you will more than likely get a stern talking to from someone in line that they have been “waiting” too (::cue rolling eye emoji::). Even the waiting area once inside (there is a shuttle elevator that takes you to the ‘space station’) is magical. You already become distinctly aware that you are paying for the experience the minute this is happening. The feeling of being transported to a space station is immediate and the immersive experience that Disney has created with this restaurant is incredible.
You are given a space station ‘ticket’ that you bring with you to give to the host when you arrive. Super clever and fun for the kids.
Inside the ‘space elevator’
You see something similar in Living With The Land and this is right when you get off the elevator.
In full transparency, I forgot to take pictures of both my mom and Sean’s food, but the reality is we had kids, it is a smorgasbord of visual amazingness and our round table was quite big so it was easy for everything to go to the wayside.
To answer first, is it worth the cost if you know this is going to be your one over the top meal and you are already aware how hard these reservations are to get?! I feel that the answer is yes. The food (at least what we got) was incredible, the service was outstanding and the immersive experience will get you excited for all the new things that Disney is rolling out in Epcot because they REALLY set the bar high with this restaurant.
If you are going with small children, there are a couple ways I would navigate this experience to get the most out of your money, enjoyment and time. because trust me, you want the time to soak it all in and enjoy everything going on around you. Plus,the cast members working there are wonderful, informative and super interactive with you and your family and if you are rushing through everything for the kids sake, you are going to miss a lot of what you are paying a great deal of money for.
As I am sure you will see when you see the menu, it is EXPENSIVE…especially for dinner ($79 per person)! In all honesty, I would only do dinner again there for a special occassion and even then I would do it differently. How differently?! Glad you asked…
- First and foremost if your kids do not eat that much or do not eat a lot, I highly suggest they either share a meal or you feed them prior to going to the restaurant. Obviously, if your kids are older, sharing may be the better option, but I would say for kids under 10, I would consider the latter. At $35 a plate, yes it is a lot of food for kiddos, but I do not think it is worth it (IMHO). It is going to add up VERY quickly and with my kids being more of the snacking variety, this was a waste even if they had shared it. Plus, with everything to look at, it was hard to concentrate on wanting to eat (kind of like Character dining).
- Secondly, the adult portions are quite large and it is a prix-fixe menu so each guest gets an appetizer (Sean had the buffalo cauliflower that I am still dreaming about), dinner/lunch, and a dessert (there is a plant-based carrot cake that is life-changing…do not look at ANYTHING else…you are welcome). With that being said, it is very easily shareable with kids. I have mentioned previously that I always have kids travel containers with me, so you can either go to a quick serve restaurant and mobile order something they will like and pop them in these containers OR you can feed them prior, let them nibble off your plate (especially the dessert) and bring snacks with you. Knowing what I know now, this is a 100% what I would do the next time.
- Thirdly, bring activities especially if you have young ones. Yes, it is magical, yes there is plenty to look at, but it is an experience and you will want to fully take in and the last you thing you will want when spending this type of money is to have kids breaking down because they are bored of looking out a space shuttle window. I say this also if you are looking forward to taking a breather from being in a hot park all day where it is finally nice to sit down and have a glass of whatever is your poison.
Parents can judge me all they want, but Sean and I pack both kids tablets when in the parks. I am not going to apologize for wanting a nice meal with a glass of wine and letting my kids watch “some shows” once they are done with dinner. Especially, considering the price of this restaurant. Could I emphasize the price anymore?! Luckily, there was so much to see and look at, that the kids until the very end, could have cared less about the tablet. Once at the table they give kids space station trading cards which made their absolute day!
However, there are a few additional things I pack in their bag for Disney for entertainment sake. I have flashcards with fun questions on them (I get a bunch of these every year from the Bullseye Playground in Target during the ‘new school year’ time for $1) and the last time we were in Animal Kingdom, I got them each binoculars (they love pretending they are on an adventure) and these were a HUGE hit in the restaurant as they immediately became space explorers and excitedly told Sean and I everything they were seeing.
All in all it was incredible and we talked about it for days. Worth. It.
So how would we change it for next time….
I heard recently that they opened up reservations for the lounge (tapas are now being served) and that it is considerably less expensive to do it this way (one of my girlfriends actually swears that the food is better here as well). I am a really looking forward to hopefully trying this on our next visit as the restaurant was simply incredible and we would definitely do it several times over just for the experience…however a little differently and the less expensive modified version.
Have you been? What are your thoughts?
