On July 9 and 10, we spent some time exploring Orlando as a family, doing some things off Disney property. We are used to Orange County, California – not Orange County, Florida! It was definitely different but still interesting to see the local area. I’ll share more about why we went off property at a later date.
We returned to Disney property for dinner on July 9 and 10 for our dinner reservations at Disney Springs!
To read about our arrival day, click here!
To read about Magic Kingdom’s reopening day, click here!
July 9 – Wine Bar George
On July 9, we had dinner reservations at Wine Bar George. I was hesitant about bringing our young son to Wine Bar George (I mean, it has “wine” in the name) but knowing that it is Disney and mostly everything is family-friendly I knew we’d be alright.
We were a bit confused by the layout of Disney Springs as it’s much more spread out than Downtown Disney, but we made it to the restaurant after consulting several maps and asking a couple of friendly Cast Members along the way. Stroller parking is located just outside the restaurant, but it is not covered, so if it’s expected to rain make sure to bring a rain cover just in case!
After we parked and got inside the restaurant we were escorted to our table, upstairs in a corner, overlooking parts of Disney Springs. At this point we were the only guests in the upstairs dining room, but about 3 other parties had joined us by the end of our meal.
This was our first experience at a table service restaurant on Disney property, so we would need to use a QR scanner to view the menu. We both have Huawei phones running Android and it’s not immediately obvious where to go on our phones to scan a QR code… in fact we had some trouble with it, so they ended up giving us disposable paper menus.
The menu here is quite limited. The focus is on wine and accompaniments for wine such as charcuterie boards and small appetizers, although there are some entrees. I’m not sure if the small entree menu is due to supply issues related to COVID (other restaurants on Disney property are having this issue) or if the menu is like this usually. We both ordered the Bell & Evans Chicken Breast which came with mushrooms, caulilini, and Yukon hash.
The chicken breast was large and juicy! The mushroom sauce added a nice touch of flavor, although I didn’t eat the mushrooms themselves as I’m not a fan of mushrooms. The hash & caulilini were excellent! We would both order this dish again in a heartbeat.
After dinner, we made our way back to our hotel, wandering through various shops including World of Disney. At World of Disney, physical distancing efforts were hard to follow due to how crowded it was. Personally I wasn’t uncomfortable but I can see how some would find it too crowded for comfort.
We also picked up a Mickey Mousse pastry from Amorette’s Patisserie & ice cream from Ghirardelli on the way back. So delicious! A perfect way to end our evening.
The Good:
-Wine Bar George was pretty empty; easy to stay away from others
-food was good!
-dessert was delicious!
The Bad:
-pulling up the menus on our phone didn’t work for some reason
-menu for entrees at Wine Bar George was a little limited for our liking
-World of Disney was probably too crowded for some, but we were okay with it
July 10 – Homecomin’
For dinner on July 10, we had reservations at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’! I had eaten there once before a few years back with my mom, for Sunday brunch, but my husband and our son had never eaten there before. I was really looking forward to it because brunch was so good, and I was excited to take my husband there!
We were running a bit late so we decided to park in one of the parking garages at Disney Springs, something we had never done before. It was a bit confusing at first, because some of the parking garages were closed (I believe this is due to reduced capacity related to COVID). Temperature checks take place in the parking garage, and it was a breeze to get through. For Disneyland locals – there’s no security checks to get into Disney Springs, unlike Downtown Disney, so it was really fast getting in!
Once again we were a little bit lost on the way to the restaurant – it’s pretty close to Wine Bar George, but with parking in the parking garage we were a little confused! We made it just on time for our reservation, though, and were seated right away. Our son fell asleep right as we got to the restaurant, so he was able to stay in the stroller for the meal.
Homecomin’ is definitely one of the more popular restaurants at Disney Springs, and it can be difficult to secure a reservation there! If you’re interested in dining there, I recommend trying to get a reservation ASAP. Despite the restaurant being fairly crowded, they did a great job of spacing tables far apart. They were also doing QR code menus, but we were having issues with our phones again so we were given paper menus.
This restaurant also had a bit of a shortened menu as they were dealing with supply issues related to COVID, but there were still plenty of options to choose from. Wait service was a little slow here, but it was busy, and since our son was sleeping in the stroller, we were enjoying a bit of a quasi-date night without having to entertain him. I know I wanted dessert after dinner, so when it was time to order, I opted for the Church Lady Deviled Eggs appetizer. My husband ordered an entree that is actually 3 sides. He chose mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, and green beans as his 3 sides.
The deviled eggs were HUGE and I actually only got through 5 of 6 of them! They were really fantastic and I would definitely order them again. My husband loved all 3 of his sides, commenting that the mac & cheese was the cheesiest he had ever had. We made sure to save room for dessert, and ordered a slice of hummingbird cake. We were expecting a small slice with a scoop of ice cream… but the slice that arrived was massive! We could have split it 4 ways easily. I’m glad I opted for a smaller meal so I could enjoy more of the hummingbird cake. I kept telling myself “one more bite”… “one more bite”… I’m still dreaming of that cake. My one complaint was that the frosting was a little thick for my liking, but that was easily avoidable. I’m personally not a big frosting person to begin with, so that just boils down to my personal taste.
After that, we piled in the car and headed back to our hotel for the evening. We wanted to take our son swimming, but as soon as we arrived at the pool, a lightning storm hit the area. When there’s lightning in the area, they shut down the pool deck for safety concerns. We waited about 20 minutes but it didn’t appear the storm was dissipating, so we went back to the room and took a bath in the massive tub instead! It was going to be a busy day tomorrow… at the Magic Kingdom!
The Good:
-Homecomin’ was excellent! Great food all around.
The Bad:
-service at Homecomin’ was a little slower than anticipated
-lightning in the area ruined our swimming plans… but that can’t be helped! Oh well.
