Listen, y’all. There’s an awesome perk in Disney World that it feels like NO ONE is using, so we want to make sure you know about it so that you can utilize it on your next trip!

Seriously, this thing can save your vacation and help you get some of the BEST food in the parks.

One of the worst feelings in the world is when you wake up early, 60 days before your vacation starts, to make those dining reservations for your upcoming trip, only to discover that the reservations for all your favorite restaurants are GONE. Is hope completely LOST? Do you just have to give up and eat bad theme park burgers the whole time?!

Don’t worry! There’s actually a super cool and easy-to-use way to get into some awesome Disney World restaurants, and it’s called the walk-up waitlist.

What Are Walk-Up Waitlists?

Most table service restaurants at Disney World require advanced reservations, which you can start to make 60 days before your trip. If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you can make reservations for your whole trip 60 days out; however, for other hotels, you will need to make reservations for each day 60 days before that day. (We know it’s kinda confusing — check out our FULL GUIDE to advanced dining reservations for more details!)

For the most popular restaurants, you really need to be QUICK to book your spot, as reservations fill up fast! If you miss your chance and don’t get reservations for a certain restaurant, you might still be able to dine there if the restaurant has a walk-up waitlist.

Not ALL restaurants have a walk-up waitlist, but a LOT of them do! If you don’t have a reservation, you can join the walk-up waitlist on the My Disney Experience app. You just join the list, and then Disney lets you know when it’s your turn to go inside. Easy peasy, no advanced planning necessary.

How Do You Use Walk-Up Waitlists in Disney World?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to using walk-up waitlists in Disney World:

First, check for restaurant availability on the My Disney Experience app. Even if a restaurant has a walk-up waitlist, it might be full for the day, so you still need to make sure that there are openings. If you’re already at the restaurant, there might be a sign with a QR code that you can scan to see that particular restaurant’s availability.

To check for a specific restaurant’s availability, you can use the search feature in the app, type in a restaurant’s name, click on the name, and then locate the “Join Walk-Up List” option.

Click that button, enter your party size, and join the list (note that you might have to move closer to the restaurant to be able to join the list — you can’t join if you’re too far away). Disney will let you know how long your wait will likely be.

You can check for overall walk-up availability by clicking the little “+” button in the menu at the bottom of the screen, clicking “Check Dining Availability,” and entering your party size and date.

Once you’ve entered that information, select “Now” for the time. Your options will pop up with estimated wait times, and you can select the one you want and join the list.

But wait, there’s more! (At this point, we feel like infomercials for walk-up waitlists, and we’re kinda here for it.) You can also check walk-up waitlist availability using the Tip Board. First, go to the three stacked horizontal lines in the bottom menu. Select “Tip Board” at the top.

From there, toggle over to “Dining” instead of “Attractions & Shows” (this option is towards the top of the screen, just under the park name and Genie+ notification). This page will show the restaurants in the park with information on walk-up waitlist availability. Just join the list of whichever restaurant you want to visit! This page also shows Mobile Order availability for the quick service restaurants if you’d rather go to one of those.

Make sure the correct park is selected at the top so that you’re seeing restaurants in the park you’re visiting and not in a different one. Even if you’re in the right park, you still might be prompted to move closer to the restaurant if you’re a little too far away.

Once you’ve joined the list, you just need to wait! You will be notified via the app and through text when your table is ready.

WHERE Should You Use Walk-Up Waitlists?

There are some awesome restaurants — including SUPER popular ones — that have a walk-up waitlist and very possibly could have availability during your next trip.

Here’s a list of some of our favorite places to eat that do have walk-up waitlists:

• The Garden Grill in EPCOT
• Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT
• Boma, Sanaa, and Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Beaches and Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• 50s Prime Time Café at Hollywood Studios
• Yak & Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Steakhouse 71 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Those aren’t all the options in Disney World — just some of our favorites. Here’s a full list!

Click here to see a FULL LIST of restaurants that have walk-up waitlists.

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. 

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on the latest news and best tips about Disney World!

If counting on walk-up waitlists sounds stressful, click here to learn about advanced dining reservations in Disney World!

Have you used walk-up waitlists in Disney World? Tell us about your experience in the comments!