Ask a Disney regular what changed their park days the most, and plenty will say Mobile Order. Placing a meal order from the My Disney Experience app at a popular park or hotel quick service location, then picking it up without a long wait, is a convenient time-saver. Disney also keeps adjusting the system, and a notable adjustment appeared earlier this year.
Disney is often tweaking the system, which is part of why small changes like this one draw so much attention from guests who rely on it.
This particular change happened during a busy period, and it's fair to ask whether it might happen again during the busiest one. We want to be careful with that question. The information we have includes no announcement from Disney about a return, so this is a look at what happened, what it suggests, and where our own opinion comes in.
Remember the Error Message?
Around the 4th of July, Mobile Ordering at certain popular hotel locations in the My Disney Experience app started working differently. Guests had to be physically close to the restaurant to place an order.
Anyone who tried to order from outside the restaurant saw an error message that read “You're too far away.” The app then prompted them to move closer. After they did, they could place a Mobile Order like normal.
The Restaurants Caught in the Test
Four locations were affected at the time:
- Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian Resort
- Capt. Cook's at the Polynesian Village
- Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary Resort
- Geyser Point at Wilderness Lodge
At the rest of the resort, Mobile Order worked as usual.
Precision Matters: Location, Not Lodging
It's easy to blur the details here, so let's separate two ideas. What was described was a rule about where a guest was standing in relation to the restaurant. It wasn't described as a rule about which resort a guest was staying at.
That difference changes everything about who a rule like this affects, which is why the wording of the rule matters as much as the rule itself. A proximity requirement can be met by any guest who walks closer. The facts we have describe a proximity requirement, so that's the term we'll use.
An Experiment, in Our Reading
Since only four locations were affected while the rest of the resort kept normal ordering, our interpretation is that this was likely a test of how such a change works at busy times. Disney hasn't said that, at least not in the information we have, so consider it an educated guess.
A small trial like this proves Disney was willing to try a location based rule when the resort was crowded. It doesn't reveal how Disney judged the results or what comes next.
Why December Is on Everyone's Mind
The July 4 period was quite crowded when the rule appeared. Disney World's most crowded time, though, is the year-end holiday season, with the weeks around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's being the busiest of the year. That's the reason we think it would make sense for Disney to try tweaking Mobile Ordering rules again then.
To be clear, this is an opinion built on timing. Nothing in the information we have says the rule is coming back, and nothing says it isn't.
What the Information Doesn't Tell Us
It helps to be clear about the gaps. The information we have doesn't say whether Disney will bring the rule back, and it doesn't say whether a returning rule would involve the same four restaurants or different ones. It also doesn't say how long a rule like this might stay in place or whether Disney considered the summer trial successful.
Those unknowns are the reason we're careful with our language. Anything beyond the facts of what happened this summer is our interpretation, and we'd rather label it than blur the line.
If You See the Message
Should a similar rule return, the most likely experience is the one guests had this summer. At an affected restaurant, a guest ordering from afar would get the “You're too far away” message and a prompt to get closer. Guests who did get closer could order like normal.
Think of it as a possibility and not a prediction. When you arrive at a restaurant you plan to use, take a moment to see how ordering works in the app.
Tell Us What You Saw
Did you run into the “You're too far away” message this summer? Share your story in the comments, and let us know whether you think Disney will bring the rule back for the holiday rush or if it was a one-time experiment.
