Table Service dining at Disney World can be an experience that you don’t want to miss out on, but what happens when you’re on a solo trip and are worried about dining alone?
I’ve had a number of solo trips where the highlight was the food, so let’s take a look at a few of the tips to ease you into the concept.
Tips to Dining Alone at Disney World
QUICK SERVICE AS A BACK-UP
This is a simple tip – grabbing a meal at a quick service restaurant will give you the time to recharge your batteries and not feel like you’re taking up a table. Being self-conscious is more about your attitude than the judgement of strangers.
RESERVATIONS FOR ONE
Getting a reservation for one through the My Disney Experience App is actually incredibly easy! Take your time and really think about the cuisine that you want to eat, because the flexibility will be available.
GRAB A SEAT AT THE BAR
If you don’t want to worry about reservations, know ahead of time which restaurants have bars attached to the dining room. This will give you the chance to have conversations with the staff and still have access to the regular menu.
One of the most popular bars at Disney World is the Tune-In Lounge at 50’s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
CHAT UP THE STAFF
I had a reservation for one at Be Our Guest for a lunch quick service meal. During the 30-40 minutes that I was in the Beast’s Castle, I had a chance to have amazing conversations with the Cast Members who were working in the area. In fact, the Seater was on the opening team and had an amazing conversation style that made me feel like a million bucks!
The staff in Table Service Restaurants at Disney World are trained to create memorable experiences and it’s all about asking open-ended questions and just being friendly.
KEEP THE PHONE IN YOUR POCKET
Second nature is to bring out your phone immediately after sitting down in order to not look lonely…but you’re missing out on the entire dining experience.
In fact, if you’re playing on your phone and sharing pics of “how awesome your lunch is”…you’re not going to really take time to breath and remember that you’re at Disney World!
JUST ENJOY IT!
Eating alone isn’t a big deal, so once you realize that you’re not going to be shuffled into a corner for everyone to ignore…you’re going to get a kick out of it. AND if you really feel uncomfortable…just say that you’re a travel writer and that your photographer had to miss the meal because they forgot to charge their camera! 😉
Hope this helps in your trip planning adventures! If you’ve got any ideas for dining solo at Disney World, please let me know on the Steps to Magic Facebook Page!