There are Single Rider lines....what about Single Diner?

[FettFan]

I'm going to be attending a teacher's convention in July, and while breakfast and lunch are provided by the organization, dinner is on our own.
Naturally, I plan on visiting a number of WDW restaurants (scouting for a family vacation in Feb. 2020)....but seeing as how I'll be there by myself, I'm wondering if reservations are really a necessity.

What say you good people?

PS - I don't intend to go to the high-end places like Le Cellier or Be Our Guest.
But I definitely want to try the Boathouse. In fact, I MAY just stick with Disney Springs, seeing as how this is all being hosted at the Hilton Buena Vista.
(or just go ahead and get an AP since I'll be back in February)

 

[The Pho]

I never make reservations earlier than at most a few hours before the meal, they are not necessary at all as long as you don’t want to eat at Be Our Guest, which you don’t it’s the worst place in the 4 parks. Springs has a ton of great places, and not once have I been turned away at one of them for not having a reservation. Pretty much every restaurant seems to have no issue finding a seat for a group of 1 or 2. Inside the parks, sometimes there’s a short wait if you go at the standard meal hours, stretch your times a little and you should be fine.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I was able to get a single table for myself at Hollywood & Dine character buffet with a fairly small wait time at about 10 mins..

 

[Paper straw fan]

I walked in and ate this past weekend at Art Smith’s HC and Boathouse by myself without a wait. You might have to sit at the bar, but to me that’s kind of preferable to sitting at a table by myself.

 

[JIMINYCR]

July can be more difficult depending on the time. When Ive gone solo I was able to get in but not always where I wanted to. It did take some searching for availability, ( this was in early August) and at times just gave up and went for CS. It can be done but you may not get what you want when you want it. If you have your sites set on a particular spot go ahead and ADR it for certainty.

 

[Hockey89]

I walked in and ate this past weekend at Art Smith’s HC and Boathouse by myself without a wait. You might have to sit at the bar, but to me that’s kind of preferable to sitting at a table by myself.

Definitely... Bars are great to get a nice meal instead of sitting by yourself...

 

[Minthorne]

I walk into any TS restaurant and find a group already seated at a table with an empty seat and just sit down!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Another vote for sitting at the bar. Better chance of being seated quickly, more flexibility, the chance for human interaction (if desired), no kids, etc.

 

[LAKid53]

99.99% of my trips are solo. I've done many restaurants as a single diner. I'd try restaurants you think you'd enjoy but perhaps not your family.

 

[FigmentFreak]

I"ve also found a lot of times when I travel solo I can't get a reservation for 1, but if I look for a table for 2 I can score the reservation. And I do the sit at the bar and eat also.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Here's a list of great TS places to dine solo without needing an ADR as the bars are first come first serve.

Disney Springs
Boathouse Bar over the water
Edison
Enzo's Hideaway
Homecomin'
House of Blues
Lava Lounge
Raglan Road
Splitsville

Parks
Nomad Lounge (DAK)
Rainforest Cafe (DAK)
Tune in Lounge (DHS)
Tutto Gusto (Epcot)
Yak and Yeti (DAK)

Resorts
Ale & Compass Lounge (YCR)
Banana Cabana (CBR)
blueZoo Lounge (Dolphin)
Cabana Bar & Beach Club (Dolphin)
California Grill (CR)
Cape Town Lounge (AKL Jiko)
Crew's Cup (YKR)
Geyser Point (WL)
Il Mulinos (Swan)
Kimonos (Swan)
Kona Island (Poly)
Rix Sports Bar & Grill (CSR)
Sanaa Lounge (AKL-KV)
Territory Lounge (WL)
Wave Lounge (CR)

 

[FettFan]

I walked in and ate this past weekend at Art Smith’s HC and Boathouse by myself without a wait. You might have to sit at the bar, but to me that’s kind of preferable to sitting at a table by myself.

I'd be okay with sitting alone.

I don't think the management would like that though, for obvious reasons.

 

[Trackmaster]

You know, funny observation about this:

I'm not sure how much you've traveled, or eaten or drank alone. But usually if you're by yourself and want a bite and want something more than a cafe, deli, or fast food -- you usually just go to the bar of the restaurant and find a spot and get immediate service (well, the service may be slow at the bar, but you don't have to wait). You don't even have to get drinks, but you get the full menu. You can even do this with larger parties, but you probably won't sit together unless the bar is dead.

When I was first going to the Disney parks again after several years, I thought their restaurants would be like normal restaurants that had bars where you just go and get service. They looked at me like I was crazy, and tried to point me in the direction of the over the counter places that served alcohol. I had to explain that I wasn't interested in drinking (well I was going to drink, but more importantly wanted food). And in real life, you can't use parenthesis, so this was difficult to explain to an overworked CM. They mentioned that the restaurant had been booked for months, and that was the first I had learned about ADRs.

So in real life, the SRL's are usually just the bars. But it might be cool if to maximize capacity, Disney would seat you with families with empty seats at their table. Americans generally don't do well with strangers (especially since so many of the Disney guests travel from the Northeast) so this might not work despite being such an awesome opportunity for people to meet and talk. And maximize capacity.

 

[larryz]

Biergarten. You will be seated with strangers, but that's half the fun. And after a liter of beer, you really won't care anyway.

 

[Think Tink]

I’m going by myself in July as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[awoogala]

I go alone all the time. Haven't tried boathouse. I agree lots of the lounges are the best bet- Nomad has great food and drinks, tutto gusto for wine and food, etc. They don't take reservations, so it's easier.
The only place I've been turned away so far was sci-fi as a single walk-up, in July. No big deal, I just waited until I went to EPCOT later.
I don't like sitting at the bar, honestly- I like a nice table. (but I don't want to have to make small talk with the bartender)
Places I like to eat alone:
MK: Jungle Navigation
AK: Nomad Lounge
HS: (sometimes I get a pretzel at the new beer place, but I usually just don't eat here, and wait until epcot) The brown derby has a lounge with walk ups only, but I haven't had good food when I've been to the restaurant, so I haven't tried it.
EPCOT:
I love Tutto gusto- charcuterie, small plates, paninis.. and they say you can order tutto italia menu stuff.
I've never had a problem walking up in Morocco at Spice Road Table (small plates/full meals/on the water), unless you're trying to snag a seat around fireworks.
Rose and Crown pub - if you're in the mood for fish and chips.
Disney Springs is usually easier. My favorite is Jock Lindseys- great drinks, good small plates.
There is also wine bar george- charcuterie and wine.
Raglan road- entertainment so you don't feel alone!
The edison is also fantastic- especially if you go after 9 pm- entertainment and no kids.

 

[danyoung56]

Biergarten. You will be seated with strangers, but that's half the fun.

I did this once, and it didn't go well. I said HI to the family, and they spent the next 30 minutes staring at me in fear, like they were worried I was gonna go into attack mode. Very uncomfortable!

 

[aladdin2007]

Biergarten. You will be seated with strangers, but that's half the fun. And after a liter of beer, you really won't care anyway.

Years ago it seems like they use to have a few small two person tables for a party of two. Do they not have that anymore?

 

[awoogala]

I did this once, and it didn't go well. I said HI to the family, and they spent the next 30 minutes staring at me in fear, like they were worried I was gonna go into attack mode. Very uncomfortable!

Yeah, Biergarten is hit or miss. We went with our family of 4 (2 teens, 2 adults), and got sat with 2 adult couples (who didn't know each other) who looked at us like that.

 

[Demarke]

Be Our Guest is usually pretty “gettable” for a solo in my experience for breakfast or lunch (when it’s in that middle ground between quick service and full table service) and you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg either (plus I love having self serve drink stations with unlimited refills!). You can pre-order and get in and get your food fast, which is a plus as a solo not having to waste a bunch of time just sitting and awkwardly waiting. For breakfast I usually get the crepes or the French toast (because those dishes appeal to me more not specifically because they are on the kids menu, although it is nice that they are significantly cheaper!) and the masters cupcake with the grey stuff. Plus, as a solo at breakfast you have a great perk that they will still bring you the full plate of complimentary pastries that they would give to a family of four so you can have them all to yourself (or put them in a big ziploc and save them for later if you prefer). And, if you eat on the early end towards 8AM when the park opens at 9AM you can usually get a ride or two on 7DMT before the rest of the crowd can access that area. For lunch, I really love their French onion soup, sometimes I’ll get it and an entree or sometimes just the soup and a cupcake, which doesn’t end up terribly expensive (and again you can preorder which saves a great deal of time).