A trip to Disney will forever be one of the great joys of my life! Below is an in-depth statistical analysis that effectively summarizes the emotions I encounter while on a Disney vacation.
So, what are the sub-categories underneath this 2.4% “frustrating” bucket you may ask? Well, there are a few: heat, humidity, crowds, children that won’t pretend to act like adults for like even one stinking minute, and of course… LINES. Lines in Walt Disney World and Disneyland are as abundant as pixie dust and Mickey Pretzels. You will encounter lines to ride, take pictures, shop, transport yourself, use the restroom, and eat. For planners like myself, the great challenge in front of you is to plan effectively enough to avoid said lines. For most lines, proper strategies are already in place to minimize your wait time: effective use of the fastpass system, arriving to the park early, making a determined effort not to use the restroom for an entire day. But for food (of the counter service variety), there has historically been nothing to do but to suck it up and wait your turn.
Most table service meals in Disney (ones where you sit down and have a server) require reservations, and as such wait times are generally not an issue. For counter service meals however, the time required to wait in line to order and pick up your food can be a bit much. What compounds this problem is that Disney is seriously upping its counter service game. In Walt Disney World for example, Situli’s Canteen in Pandora Animal Kingdom, Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom (breakfast and lunch only), and International dining in Epcot are delicious and memorable experiences you can enjoy without breaking the bank. When Toy Story Land opens this Summer in Hollywood Studios, Woody’s Lunchbox is sure to be a crowd favorite
Better counter service options = more people enjoying these options = more time waiting in line. If only there were a way to bypass these lines and still enjoy the excellent counter service experiences being touted at Disney. If only you could pull out your smart phone, access the menu for the restaurant you are going to, pick out your meals, pay online, check in when you are ready for them to prepare your meal, and then pick up your food at the counter avoiding the long lines and checkout process. If only such a thing existed, you could spend more time enjoying your vacation and less time LINING. Lucky for you my friend, such a thing exists. Enter Disney’s Mobile Ordering Service.
Mobile ordering can be accessed via the Walt Disney World (My Disney Experience) and Disneyland Apps respectively. If you are planning a vacation to either resort, you need to download the app for this and a myriad of other reason. The links below from Disney provide further details on how to utilize the service:
Disneyland – https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/mobile-food-orders/
Disneyworld – https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/mobile-food-orders/
To use the Mobile Ordering service, guests must pay with a credit card which you would store within the app itself. For the savvy planners, there is an added benefit beyond skipping lines. Many families will mobile order at the beginning of the day or while they are in line for an attraction. You can take as long as you need before you “check in” prompting the restaurant to prepare your food. For people like me who can never decide what I want in the moment (drives my husband bonkers!), it gives me a little more time to be thoughtful with my choices.
Mobile Ordering does have a couple of drawbacks though, and they are specific to the Disney World system.
- Gift cards and discounts (passholder discounts in particular) cannot be applied via mobile ordering. If you want to take advantage of those, you must wait in line with everyone else
- Dining Plan Credits are also not available vie mobile ordering. Again you will need to wait in line
If history is any indicator, these issues will soon be resolved (the Disneyland Mobile Ordering system already allows you to apply discounts within the app). Even in its current state though, Mobile Ordering is another arrow in your quiver to attack lines in Disney parks. Merida would be proud!
With the recent introduction of mobile ordering at the Disneyland Resort we are certain we will all be doing at lot less waiting and a lot more eating! (I know I will, Bengal Barbecue is one of my favs and I cant wait to pass up the line)
Now if they would only implement a fastpass for the restroom!
