Since Disney World reopened last summer, we’ve seen a LOT of changes. There have been updates on masks, park hours, park hopping, and maybe most relevant to us: dining.
Underrated Castle View
Due to capacity limits and health and safety measures, the way a lot of Disney restaurants function has changed. Quick Service restaurants became almost exclusively available on Mobile Order, and we’ve gotta be real with you…that hasn’t exactly worked out as conveniently as advertised.
Ordering via Mobile Order on the My Disney Experience app has long been one of our favorite tips to give our readers. Pre-closure, it was an under-used feature that could get you your food faster, or at a scheduled time that worked for you, without having to stand in long lines.
Mobile Order Pick Up
Now, however, Mobile Order is the status quo for eating at Quick Service restaurants in Disney World. You’ll be expected to utilize this feature pretty much all the time. And while you can technically go up to the counter and order (for example, if you have an allergy or need to pay with cash), that is no longer the norm.
Step by step on how to Mobile Order!
But lately, we’ve noticed a few issues with the system! First of all, Mobile Order can be one of the longest waits in Disney. If you’re hoping to hop on My Disney Experience right at noon to grab a lunch order, you might end up sorely disappointed. Nowadays, lunchtime is one of the most bogged-down periods for Mobile Order, and you could end up not getting to eat for hours if time slots are already full!
Kona Cafe Mobile Order To Go Status
You definitely don’t want to be stranded without a meal — plus, it can be really disappointing if you don’t get to eat where you planned! So here’s a NEW tip: open up Mobile Order a couple of hours before you actually want to eat. Plan ahead and schedule a spot before everyone else does, and you’ll be sitting down with your favorite meal exactly when ya want to be.
Mobile Order Arrival Window
The restaurant won’t start preparing your food until you tell them you’re there, so your 9AM fries won’t be soggy by your 12PM arrival time!
We’re here, where’s the food?
However, this is another Mobile Order perk that has gone a little sour. Since you don’t actually hit “Prepare My Order” until you get to the restaurant, there’s a lot of backup in the kitchen during busy times of day! Even if you can get a time slot for lunch and show up on time, you might be waiting well past your arrival window to actually receive your food.
Preparing your food!
While you’re waiting, you are may not be allowed to enter the restaurant, so you may find yourself standing outside. Suddenly, what’s supposed to be fast and easy has now become a major hassle! So what can you do about it?
Waiting for Mobile Orders at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
Plan ahead. We like to hit “Prepare My Order” when we first start walking over to the restaurant. That gives the kitchen time to get a head start on our order, so there’s a better chance it’s actually ready when we arrive.
Yum!
And to be EXTRA prepared, we’ve got a few other backup plans for ya! Pack some snacks to tide you over just in case you miss out on a prime meal time window or get caught waiting for a while. And remember to check Mobile Order availability and schedule your meal as soon as you get to the park — or at least once you’ve solidified your plans. This is especially true if there’s a particular Quick Service spot you don’t want to miss out on.
Mobile Order Line at Animal Kingdom
While this is a not-so-glamourous side of Disney, it’s our job here at DFB to give you a heads-up, so you can avoid any hiccups! We’ll keep you posted with plenty more Disney tips and tricks, so stay tuned to DFB.
You’ll Need to Know This if You Mobile Order!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Have you tried to Mobile Order lately? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Helpful ideas but going to WDW has just gotten to complicated and uncertain. Park reservations. Mobile orders. Limited choices. Limited entertainment. Reduced hours. Higher prices. We will just wait till things get back to normal before even considering planning a trip….
I always wondered how mobile order worked. being from Canada we would pay sooooo much in exchange rates to pay with our credit card for food. Getting another credit card ( especially and American one) isn’t something that’s an option.
I noticed you said you can pay with cash? How does that work exactly? Do you order on the app first and select to pay with cash or do you just head to a kiosk and order at the QS restaurant and pay like you would before Covid?
I can’t wait until we, as Canadians , can travel again. 😔
I was actually really disappointed last week. I tried to pay cash at Woodys Lunch box and they wouldn’t let me. They told me If I had the capability to mobile order then I HAD to use that option. I really hope some flexibility comes back with the new safety measures in place. They shouldn’t prohibit ppl from using cash.
Another problem with mobile order is that you can’t really customize. For example, if you are ordering a burger served with fries but really didn’t want the fries, in times past you could ask for the burger without fries. As an added bonus you’d save a dollar or two.
In my experience, you cannot do that with mobile order. And by the way, last time I was in DHS, mobile order was *required*. You could not order at the window.
Sara, typically, you’ll explain to a Cast Member outside the restaurant that you need to pay in cash (probably helps to mention the reason, in your case), and you will order inside. Perhaps another option for you could be to purchase Disney gift cards and add them to My Disney Experience so you can use Mobile Order that way.
My group of 7 were in Disney last week and didn’t have any problems with mobile ordering. The ordering windows were great during lunch time, so we pretty much ordered when we were starting to get hungry and never waited longer than 30 minutes for our food to be prepared. We had more issues when we ordered in person. Our orders were always wrong.
I hate mobile ordering! It is a hassle and ends up taking way longer with crowds congregating outside the restaurant waiting for their food. Ugh! I just don’t do it. I tell the cast member I’m unable to do it . They haven’t questioned me as to why I can’t, so far, and let me in to order the old fashioned way. MUCH faster!! Now that physical distancing is down to 3 feet and and you should still wear a mask indoors there, the parks need to bring back the choice of regular in line ordering or mobile ordering, the sooner the better!
I must say that Universal is doing the mobile ordering correctly. You get in line for the restaurant, get seated, order from your table and they bring it to you! It’s no hassle and we were seated quickly. Only problem places were the Harry Potter restaurants.
What if one doesn’t have a smartphone?
On one of my last trips, I was allowed to order from Woody’s Lunchbox as a “takeout” order, as there were no open times. The cast member took my order and walked it out to me. They do not advertise that, but it is an option.
Well it is horrible. My son and his family did not even get to eat at all the last time they went.
Where did you get that Greek salad pictures in the article? It looks delicious
I really wish they’d allow you to customize. Like Bill said above, you used to be able to remove the side dish. Or, in my diabetic husband’s case, get an alternative side dish or get a bun less burger.
You seem to be unable to cancel your mobile order once you hit “I’m Here”. At Animal Kingdom (Satuli) recently I had to leave before food was ready. The cast member told us it would be refunded if the food is not picked up at the counter. However, it was charged to my card and I had to go to guest relations twice to have it resolved.
Nicole, it’s from ABC Commissary at Hollywood Studios.
Gitta, you can speak to a Cast Member outside the restaurant and explain your situation. They’ll likely have you go inside to order.
Aj. Thanks so much for your blog and the great suggestions. I’m 65 and because of your suggestions ordering and reservations were a breeze. We are having a great week
Pk, that’s fantastic news! I’ll share this with the team.
I hate onions, no allergy just cannot abide them in any form. However,I will eat chive , leeks and shallots. Onions, and the previously mention replacements, are often
not listed in many salads, sauces and meals. I always ask if an item has onions in it and ask if it can be served without. I’ m a lost as how to do this if we mobile order. I really don’ t want my family waiting around for me if my order has onions in it and i don’t want to leave a meal i couldn’ t eat . What is my alternative other than eating all meals at a table service restaurant ?
Elizabeth, I think your best bet would be speaking to a Cast Member at the restaurant’s entrance to see what they suggest. In some cases they may be able to access your order and manually enter your request. In other cases, you may be told to order inside to be sure they get your request.
Sounds like a hassle. Disney world is saving more money by not hiring people to do this job. More cuts more profit.
Going with HS Seniors this Wednesday and they have Disney dining cards. Do they put them in the credit card area for payment or do they have to go inside and order?
Hi, Traci. As a former teacher who brought seniors several years back, I hope the planning is going well. 🙂 If the dining card functions as a gift card, they should be able to add them to My Disney Experience for Mobile Order. I’m not 100% sure, but it could be worth trying.
We are going in a few weeks! Do you have to use mobile order for snack carts or Starbucks locations?
Kristin, my understanding is that Mobile Order is not possible for Starbucks in the Parks, but it is available at the Starbucks in Disney Springs using the Starbucks app (not My Disney Experience). As for the snack kiosks, I don’t believe you’ll use Mobile Order. If you have specific spots you’re curious about, you can find Disney’s official list here.
Last October at Woody’s QS, my husband and I ordered a regular meal and a Gluten free meal at 9 am for lunch. At lunchtime, we hit the ‘prepare the meal’ button when we were about 10 minutes away but when we got there, we had to wait an extra 10 – 15 minutes for the Gluten Free meal to be prepared. If I had known this, I would have hit the ‘prepare my order’ much earlier.
My question is: can I make 2 separate orders at about the same time—1) Gluten Free for me and 2) one for my husband. Then hit ‘prepare my (GF) order’ ten minutes before I order his? Would this work? Can you see any benefits of doing it this way? We go again in September this year.
Cyndi, I would guess it’ll all come down to timing. If the GF options always take extra time, I think you could make your order in MDE, then start over and make the second order for your husband. Then, like you said, click “Prepare my order” for yours a bit before you click it for his. Whether this will work in terms of timing, I don’t think we could say for sure. Might be worth it to experiment and see how it goes.
We just came back after a week at the parks and we didn’t have that issue. We did tend to eat a bit later than usual peak meal times (2ish for lunch) but we were always able to grab an immediate pick up time at the place we wanted to eat. This worked in all parks. The wait after we hit “I’m here” was a bit long but we caught on and did exactly what you suggested: hit the button on our way there. We usually placed the order while in line, then hit the “I’m here” button when off the ride and on the way to grab the meal. We occasionally had to wait 5-10mins but that was doable. I can imagine this is a much bigger issue if you are trying to grab lunch at noon-1pm. I’m sure this isn’t ideal for everyone, but if you can shift your meal times a bit, you may be able to avoid the lunch rush. What we did run into was a delay to our dinner reservation. I checked in as soon as the window opened and they didn’t seat until 20mins AFTER our reservation time (so a total of a 40min wait with a reservation!!) . We had lucked out and arrived early at the resort to walk around, so I was able to check in as soon as check in was allowed but our table took forever to be ready.
I’ll be staying at BLT in July and do not have any means of mobile ordering. Can I walk in to the Contempo Cafe at lunch and place an order? If so, can I sit at the restaurant? Also, will I have to wait a long time for my order? How about Roaring Forks at Wilderness Lodge?
Lee, while Mobile Order is strongly encouraged, if you don’t have any means to place a Mobile Order, a Cast Member at the restaurant entrance will likely have you go in to order like normal. I think the process is basically the same as ever at that point, though wait times can certainly be variable. If there’s seating available, you can dine in. Have a great trip.
At several restaurants we have had to wait for our food even longer if the seating is full for that place. They will stop pushing out orders if that is the case.
Seems they are short handed if you have to wait 30 minutes or more to get your food. If that is not fixed it won’t be long before they catch on to the extra time you are giving them and you will be back to square one, waiting. Never had to wait 30 minutes in line for counter food, ever. So why would anybody accept this kind of service? Hoping it will change back to normal someday. Hoping that is not the new normal way Disney does things.
I absolutely Will NOT use the mobile ordering. We like to pay cash when we go to the parks for almost everything. Even before we moved to Florida we only bought the quick service plan a few times when we brought grandkids with us……………..I’ll skip the mobile ordering and either buy a snack or carry something with us to eat
Lorraine, if you want to pay with cash, tell the Cast Member(s) at a restaurant entrance that you’re paying with cash, and they should allow you to go inside to order like usual.
Can you mobile order if you are not inside the park? For example, if you are park hopping to epcot can you order something before you get there?
We went yesterday and the food situation is a disaster.
We were tuned away from 5-6 restaurants because of mobile ordering being full. All. Day.
We had a diabetic woman in our group. One restaurant finally gave her some grapes in a box.
WiFi was slooow and 5G was sloooow so it took us a long time just to place an order.
No places to sit and eat either. Not even at peak lunch time. The park was incredibly crowded, like standing room only about everywhere you went. Rides didn’t seem to have long wait times, so no complaints there. But it’s almost impossible to order a meal or eat in Disney. My suggestion, bring a cooler and prepare your own sandwiches because you’ll never get to eat if you don’t.
Mobile Ordering food is a disaster! Your account is automatically charged when you place the order and you cannot change your order or the pick up time, and your food may be cold when you get it. And your food may not even be ready at your pick up time.
I ordered salad and flatbread recently and waited 30 minutes for it to be ready. Once I got the message that it was ready, I waited another 15 minutes behind someone who forgot to order drinks and had issues with their food. When I finally got to pick up my food, the salads were in the warmer with the pizza. It was over 100degrees outside and now had to eat HOT salad. Definitely wasn’t a good meal!
Pre-Pandemic, we could walk into a quick service restaurant, wait on line, look up at the menu, pay when you reach the cashier and pick up your food. It was done easily and quickly. Two questions
1. Why can’t it be done the SAME WAY NOW AND AVOID MOBILE FOOD ORDERING?
2. If I am paying with DISNEY GIFT CARDS, can I do it in this way? Thanks
Are meals at the Pop Century Food Court and the Food Court in THE LAND IN EPCOT, serving meals the Pre-Pandemic way or are those locations MOBILE FOOD SERVICE? Thanks
I had the Greek Salad from ABC Commissary last week and it was fine but it did NOT look like that. The pita was buried on the bottom and rather dried out.
One thing we learned on our trip in December was that using Mobile Order it does charge to your credit card or debit card vs charge to room, reward card or gift card pay. Years past (as recent as September 2019) you could charge food to your room with magic band and pay before checking out if you had gift cards or reward cards. This was a surprise first day or two not having used Mobile Order before. We have a Disney Credit card and had $1600 built up on our Disney Rewards card that we were using to pay for food. Imagine surprise when couldn’t use that to pay. There is no way to link this to account for mobile order food pay. We were staying at Polynesian and asked a cast member who asked half a dozen other cast members and no one knew of any way to use that to pay. We racked up about $500 on credit card before realizing this. I don’t recall seeing information anywhere that it didn’t charge to room or that you couldn’t link a rewards card or gift card. That being said I may have overlooked this information. This hopefully helps someone else before they go.
Note: Don’t worry though we found plenty of wonderful food at sit down restaurants that we were able to charge back to room and use the rewards card. The California Grill new dining experience was sooooooo good!!!
Another thing I thought of from our recent trip to DW in December. When doing the mobile order yes it does charge your card immediately. There were 2 occasions at Captain Cooks that they were out of a food item we ordered. For example a brownie or a Hummus Veggie pack. They wouldn’t refund for these items but had us pick a different item. The items we substituted for were not something we really wanted but had to do so bc couldn’t get refund. Or at least this was what was told by cast member. Also another thing to watch is that the items you get from cooler case are good and not going bad. We ordered multiple Hummus and Veggie packs on different occasions other than time they were out. There were 2 we received that were not out of date for several days but that the cucumbers were going bad and slimly. Also make sure the full order is there. At Captain Cooks they put it out on a table for you to retrieve. The order is all bundled up and in a bag sealed. One of the instances one plate of food was missing and had to go back and explain they left item out. Luckily they believed me and fixed the breakfast pizza I had originally ordered. Hope this information helps someone in future.
On our last trip to WDW during the week between Christmas and New years, with the parks full, Mobile Ordering was a weird hit or miss. At restaurants like Pecos Bill we could get a last minute lunch mobile order in and didn’t wait very long for it to be made. Same thing at Backlot Express. But an order at Ronto Roasters, at 2 different occasions took forever for them to make and order windows filled up pretty quickly. Similar issues in EPCOT. But ordering and getting food at Satuli Canteen was easy and little wait, even for Cheeseburger Pods. It’s like the smaller the menu, the longer to get you food.
If I want to eat dinner at Ohana in The Polynesian or Crystal Palace in The Magic Kingdom, do I have to make a reservation through Mobile Food Ordering or is there another way to make that reservation? Will sit down restaurants accept DISNEY GIFT CARDS AND DISNEY CREDIT CARD REWARD POINTS? Sarah, please help me with this. Thanks
Jennifer, when you ordered food at Captain Cook’s was there seating inside or outside to eat, or did you have to take the food back to your room to eat?
Hi Ron! You will have to make advance dining reservations for Ohana and Crystal Palace. You can do this either on your MyDisneyExperience App or online by clicking here! Keep in mind that these fill up fast so you’ll want to book as close to 60 days from your trip as possible. Table Service restaurants accept Disney Gift Cards as well as all the Quick Service Restaurants.
Thanks Gigi. Can I walk into Columbia House in Magic Kingdom, wait on line, order food and pay with a Gift Card or Reward Points on Disney Charge Card? Thanks
Hi Ron! Columbia Harbor House is a quick service restaurant so you won’t need a reservation for that one, but you most likely will need to place a mobile order rather than walking up and ordering your food like we were once able to do. You -can- use your Disney Gift Card or Disney Rewards Redemption Card on the mobile app when placing the order, however.
Hi Ron 🙂 There is seating inside and outside of Captain Cook’s. There is a really nice patio outside Captain Cooks and in mid December the weather was very pleasant. We actually even took our drinks from Tambu Lounge and Dole Whips from Pineapple Lania to enjoy while sitting on the beach. It was very very peaceful and nice out there.
Gigi thank you for the info that we can now use the Disney Rewards Redemption card. I did go on to my MDE and looked at options. THIS IS AWESOME! What I ran into before when trying to use there was only the credit card option and there was no CVV on back of card so couldn’t utilize. This will be great when we take our next trip this fall!!!
Ron enjoy your trip and Gigi thanks again for the DRRC info!