Planning ahead is usually one of the biggest parts of a Walt Disney World vacation, particularly when dining is involved.
But guests hoping to experience the new Hurly-Burly lounge at Disney’s BoardWalk are going to have to throw some of that planning out the window.
When Hurly-Burly opens October 1, guests won’t find advance dining reservations for the new location. Disney is instead making the lounge available through its Walk-Up List system.
That means guests will have to wait until the day of their visit before they can try to get a spot.
Hurly-Burly Is Taking a Different Approach
Disney’s Walk-Up List has been around since 2020, but it works very differently from an advance dining reservation.
Rather than picking a date and time before your vacation, guests check for availability through My Disney Experience on the same day they want to dine.
Groups of up to seven people can join through the app. Guests select their party size and the current date before looking for restaurants offering Walk-Up List access.
You can’t use the system to claim a place for the following day or later in your vacation.
For Hurly-Burly, that distinction is particularly important because there won’t be an advance reservation alternative when the lounge opens.
If you want to visit, the Walk-Up List will be the key tool to watch.
High Demand Could Complicate Things
Of course, a Walk-Up List doesn’t mean everyone who wants to visit will automatically get inside.
Disney can make the list unavailable when demand is high.
More than 50 dining locations around Walt Disney World can offer the feature, but availability varies. A restaurant participating in the system doesn’t guarantee guests will always see the option to join.
That creates an interesting situation for a completely new location.
Hurly-Burly could attract plenty of guests simply because it’s new, especially during its first several days and weekends. If demand climbs too high, some visitors could find themselves unable to join the list when they check.
Guests may want to keep their plans flexible rather than building an entire evening around getting inside.
Hurly-Burly Changes After 9 P.M.
The time guests visit will also determine what kind of Hurly-Burly experience they get.
During the afternoon, the location welcomes families and offers activities including trivia and games.
Then, beginning at 9 p.m., Hurly-Burly becomes an adults-only venue for guests 21 and older.
The nighttime version centers around live musical entertainment, coastal-inspired cocktails and light bites, creating a different experience from what families encounter earlier in the day.
That makes Walk-Up List timing particularly important.
Parents traveling with children can’t simply wait until later in the evening if the list becomes difficult to join during the afternoon. Adults interested in the nighttime entertainment, meanwhile, may find increased demand once the 21-and-older portion of the evening begins.
Guests who don’t make it into the lounge will still have another option for certain drinks. Disney plans to sell select beverages from Hurly-Burly’s walk-up window.
Don’t Expect the System to Stay the Same Forever
Like plenty of Walt Disney World procedures, Walk-Up List availability can change.
Disney reserves the ability to add or remove the feature without advance notice. Changes involving newer locations such as The Beak and Barrel and GEO-82 have already shown that guests shouldn’t assume today’s procedures will remain permanent.
For Hurly-Burly, though, the opening-day setup is straightforward.
Advance dining reservations aren’t part of the equation.
Guests will need to use My Disney Experience, check the Walk-Up List on the day they want to visit and remain flexible if demand prevents them from immediately joining.
For Disney World visitors who normally lock in their restaurants before arriving in Florida, that may take some getting used to.
Hurly-Burly is offering a much more spontaneous setup. Whether guests love that freedom or miss the certainty of a confirmed reservation may depend on how easy it actually is to get onto that Walk-Up List.
