Mobile ordering .. is it necessary /beneficial?

[TammyLynn33]

Sorry newbie question We are going in two weeks. Used to mobile ordering at WDW and it was so easy and time saving .
That said we had dining plan and magic bands..
Is it necessary at DL? I assume I just link a credit card ? I bought gift cards but if the lines are bad and will be utilizing mobile ordering .. hmm

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Mobile ordering can be a big time saver, but it unfortunately doesn’t allow you to pay with gift cards. We mostly use gift cards in the parks, too, and try to avoid the worst waits by eating super-early. I guess, depending on how much in gift cards you bring, you can give mobile ordering a try once you run out of gift card funds & use a regular credit card. Until the you are unfortunately stuck in those food lines, some of which may move quite slowly during their lunch or dinner rush.

 

[midnight star]

You can only use a credit or debit card in the app. If you use gift cards you will have to wait in the regular line. But yes, it does save time! When the lines extend out of the doors, many of the CM's will tell guests to use mobile ordering because it is faster. But people rarely listen or do it, so the line stays long and slow.

 

[22Tink]

Necessary? No. Beneficial? Yes! It's a real time saver. I usually use gift cards as well but sometimes it's just worth it to pay with cc and use mobile ordering to avoid the long line.

 

[BadPinkTink]

After 9 visits to Disneyland California, I used mobile ordering for the first time last month and I loved it. I usually just have 1 TS in a day and have counter service and snacks for the rest of the day. I loved the spur of the moment ordering. I would be in a land, maybe just off a ride or attraction and decide to have something to eat. I could mobile order while walking to the food place, and then walk straight to the mobile order pick up and my food would be ready. It really added a lot more time to my day, as I didnt have to waste time looking at menus when I got to the food place and then waste more time waiting in line , ordering and paying. Also I found myself trying food I might not have ordered if I was just ordering and paying at the food place.

 

[gerilyne]

Our trip last year we didn't use it until close to the end of the trip. As soon as we used it the first time we couldn't believe we didn't use it sooner. It isn't necessary, you can still wait in line but once we did it we were hooked. The nice thing is you can use it once, see if it works for you and if not you don't have to use it again. I would encourage trying it once or twice though.

 

[Brett Wyman]

It can be a real lifesaver when the lines are long. Even if they aren't long you can order you food on the way there and it will be waiting for you. I use it 100% of the time that its available.

 

[2 Pinks]

I haven't used it yet and I'm not sure we will this trip. I prefer to charge everything to our hotel room. But if the lines are long enough, we might end up using the mobile ordering.

 

[Jperiod]

Mobile ordering is a game changer! I save the gift cards for the food carts and places that don't have mobile ordering.

 

[DLgal]

I'm just going to say it. Anyone not using mobile ordering is a fool. It is SUCH a benefit. Use the gift cards for places that don't have mobile ordering (like the carts). Use mobile ordering at every opportunity, especially if you are "charging back to the room." It all ends up on the same credit card, in the end. I have my Amex Gold linked to my mobile app and get 4% points on all my mobile orders since they are restaurants. It's awesome.

 

[fly girl]

Love mobile ordering!!

Get off a ride, tell the app start making your meals, wash hands and grab & table, and voila your order will be ready to get!

 

[2 Pinks]

I'm just going to say it. Anyone not using mobile ordering is a fool. It is SUCH a benefit. Use the gift cards for places that don't have mobile ordering (like the carts). Use mobile ordering at every opportunity, especially if you are "charging back to the room." It all ends up on the same credit card, in the end. I have my Amex Gold linked to my mobile app and get 4% points on all my mobile orders since they are restaurants. It's awesome.

The difficult part for us is we have a family member who is paying for the hotel and room charges but isn't coming on the trip with us and I don't have his credit card info on hand to plug into the mobile ordering system. That's why I'm hesitating (can't speak for others). We might use our own credit card info, but we are also okay with waiting. Or if the line is too long, just going somewhere else.

 

[cinnaminny]

I used it at WDW last summer and thought it was amazing. I also learned/realized that you can order coffee from Downtown Disney starbucks through their app also. If you're into that sorta thing

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

It’s good if the app doesn’t glitch and, while trying to fix the issue and get your food, you accidentally pay the money three times... oh and food doesnt show up until like 5 hours after you get through the glitch...

 

[Brett Wyman]

The difficult part for us is we have a family member who is paying for the hotel and room charges but isn't coming on the trip with us and I don't have his credit card info on hand to plug into the mobile ordering system. That's why I'm hesitating (can't speak for others). We might use our own credit card info, but we are also okay with waiting. Or if the line is too long, just going somewhere else.

It charges to the card setup in MDE for the account logged into MDE at the time you order. Who paid for the hotel or how the magic bands room charge is setup is not factored in. Now if you aren't paying anything and your generous benefactor is paying for all you meals if they are charged back to the room, then I guess that's worth the wait, but obviously an extreme example. For most people who aren't tied to gift cards, mobile ordering is a no-brainer.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I'm just going to say it. Anyone not using mobile ordering is a fool. It is SUCH a benefit. Use the gift cards for places that don't have mobile ordering (like the carts). Use mobile ordering at every opportunity, especially if you are "charging back to the room." It all ends up on the same credit card, in the end. I have my Amex Gold linked to my mobile app and get 4% points on all my mobile orders since they are restaurants. It's awesome.

I agree. On Friday we mobile ordered ice cream from Clarabelle’s as we walked off of Soarin’. Waltzed in past probably 80 people in line (not an exaggeration in the heat) and our ice cream was ready within 60 seconds. We were the only people getting a mobile order. I was tempted to make an announcement to the line. But seriously, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why people don’t use it!

I do get the gift card thing to some extent (although I also just use gift cards for other purchases), but there is no way ALL of those people were paying by gift card. And yeah, there are a handful of people with unusual situations like a family member paying all hotel charges, but again, that’s not the norm.

I don’t understaaaaaaaand.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I agree. On Friday we mobile ordered ice cream from Clarabelle’s as we walked off of Soarin’. Waltzed in past probably 80 people in line (not an exaggeration in the heat) and our ice cream was ready within 60 seconds. We were the only people getting a mobile order. I was tempted to make an announcement to the line. But seriously, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why people don’t use it!

I do get the gift card thing to some extent (although I also just use gift cards for other purchases), but there is no way ALL of those people were paying by gift card. And yeah, there are a handful of people with unusual situations like a family member paying all hotel charges, but again, that’s not the norm.

I don’t understaaaaaaaand.

Just like FPs if the masses knew it about it, it wouldn't work for everyone else. So just smile and get your ice cream : )

 

[TammyLynn33]

Thanks don’t really consider myself a fool if anyone who is unaware .. simply ordered a whack of gift cards and am now figuring out how to budget

I'm just going to say it. Anyone not using mobile ordering is a fool. It is SUCH a benefit. Use the gift cards for places that don't have mobile ordering (like the carts). Use mobile ordering at every opportunity, especially if you are "charging back to the room." It all ends up on the same credit card, in the end. I have my Amex Gold linked to my mobile app and get 4% points on all my mobile orders since they are restaurants. It's awesome.

 

[TammyLynn33]

Thanks everyone I will simply save our gift cards for Dec in WDW perhaps pay off MVMCP tickets with them ..I wasn’t thinking of the differences when I bought them or the ease of mobile ordering .. just trying to plan

 

[ktlm]

It was hit or miss for us in June. We ordered Dole Whips- walked over to Tiki Room from Fantasyland and had to wait half an hour for our Dole Whip to be ready. We never would have ordered had we known it would be half an hour after the time we selected for it to be ready. The regular line was going significantly faster. There were a lot of frustrated people around us who had also been waiting for their mobile orders a long time. We didn't seem to have a lot of luck with it in DL (stuff not ready; lines to pick up longer than the regular lines)--- in CA it was completely different. Seemed to work fine there and was a time saver. DH still had to wait in line 5 or 10 minutes for his Michelada because so many people had mobile ordered, but at that specific time the regular line was huge. It was definitely hit or miss for us.