The Full Cosmic Experience…
It’s no secret that there is an overabundance of super cool experiences at the Walt Disney World Resort. Now, we’re not just talking about the many attractions or seasonal events here, but more specifically Disney Dining.
Last September the Disney community exploded with excitement over the grand opening of the much-anticipated SPACE 220. This unique, upscale dining experience was announced at the D23 Expo in the summer of 2019 and was slated to open in February of 2020. We all know that 2020 was not the best year so needless to say, the SPACE 220 opening was delayed…..delayed again…..and then delayed some more. I don’t know about you but we were holding our breath as we entered into 2021…. after all, this was going to be a HUGE year for The Walt Disney World Resort with the beginning of the 50th Anniversary Celebration and we needed some good news, that didn’t revolve around the pandemic. In September of 2021 that good news came and the restaurant opened with quite a cosmic bang! Reservations were extremely hard to get (still are) and this was the place to be and be seen!
It might have taken us 6 months and a few failed attempts, but we finally got a reservation for this past March 2022, which was Spring Break nonetheless (go figure!) Side Note: Although we travel frequently, we sadly do not live in the Orlando area (maybe one day!) so limited time on property did not help us in this situation.
Fastforward to the big day…. we arrived to SPACE 220 right around 11:30 for an 11:45AM reservation and proceeded to the lovely cast member, checking guests in. After verifying our reservation, we were directed to a small line of other guests waiting to be called into the space station that would soon launch us into orbit.
As we waited our turn to outer space, we had a look at the menu board to see what was awaiting us. SPACE 220 has fixed price menus for both Lunch and Dinner. Both dining times are multiple courses with lunch being a 2 course experience and dinner a 3 course.
Each course offers multiple options to choose from so there really is something for everyone. SPACE 220 is a bit on the expensive side with a lunch price tag beginning at $55 for adults and Dinner $79. Children are significantly less at a price tag of $29 for both dining times.
Courses include an appetizer and entree for lunch and an appetizer, entree and dessert for dinner. Prices are subject to change and does not include beverages. Beverage options include water and standard coke products in addition to specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. If an adult beverage is on your radar, there are several fantastic options offered. Prices and menus are subject to change, so make sure to visit the SPACE 220 website or ask your travel advisor for updated information.
After perusing the menu and enjoying the beautiful weather for about 10 minutes, our name was finally called and we were led into a docking bay that housed our ride to outer space. Once checked in, we were handed a boarding pass. and asked to join another line of guests waiting to board. We had a short wait of right around 5 minutes and off we went. Our boarding pass was collected, and we were escorted into the elevator that would be taking us 220 miles above the earth and to the Centauri Space Station.
Once inside the elevator we were asked to gather around the center that housed screens located above and below our feet. The large circular screens offered spectacular views of us leaving earth and approaching the dining room overhead. This part was our favorite of the entire experience. For those of you that have followed us for a while, know that we have a budding NASA engineer on our hands, so this was a beyond cool moment for him.
The elevator ride was smooth and quick, lasting 2 minutes from start to finish. We do caution anyone that is prone to motion sickness as this portion of the journey could trigger a bit of a nauseous feeling, due to the movement of the screens. If this is you, there is plenty of room to move away from the center of the elevator and focus your attention on something else. The actual movement of the elevator is not a challenge.
Once the doors opened, we were greeted by another cast member that walked us to our table and shared a bit about the menu and how the courses operate. In this moment, we were instantly pulled into the heart of the station and all of its amazing space detail. We were lucky enough to be seated at one of the coveted “window’ seats that overlooked the vastness of space.
After quite the journey, we were parched so quickly ordered a few specialty beverages. An Atmospritz, Planetary Punch and a kiddy cocktail called Moon Rocks (served in a souvenir rocket, complete with pop rocks) were the clear winners! To learn more about these and other specialty beverages, visit the drink menu, HERE.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a plethora of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to suit your needs. Water and coke products are available as well. Next stop…FOOD!
Decisions, decisions, decisions…. there were several options to choose from and all sounded so good! We took a little bit to decided but we chose a Big Bang Burrata and a Starry Calamari. Both options were fantastic and beyond yummy!
We ordered our entrees at the same time as our appetizers, so it was a seamless meal all the way through. Our entrees came just as we were finishing up with our first course and offered, a Steak Salad, Centauri Burger and kids smash burger. Our entrees were great however we did feel that the value was a little off. In all fairness, it could have been what we ordered but $55 per adult for a salad and burger/fries was a little steep and seemed fairly basic.
That being said, we all enjoyed our meals from start to finish. Everything came out fast, fresh and all delicious. Service was impeccable and atmosphere was unlike anything we have ever experienced. Our hearts were happy and bellies full. We opted out of dessert, paid our bill and hitched a ride back to earth the same way we came. All in all, we give SPACE 220 an 8/10. We thoroughly enjoyed our time 220 miles from earth and encourage you to check it out! If you’ve had or are having bad luck (like us) getting a reservation, try arriving at the restaurant right when they open, at 11:30AM and either try for a spot at the SPACE 220 lounge or talk with a cast member about possible cancellations for the day.
