Disney World Restaurants Have CHANGED in 4 HUGE Ways, and You Need To Know About It

Planning a trip to Disney World ain’t as easy as it used to be.

Yak and Yeti

You have to decide the best time to go based on crowds, figure out where you’re going to stay (on-property or off-property?!), and if it’s your first trip or maybe been a while, there are a lot of changes to keep up with, too — especially when it comes to dining. From new restaurants to app updates and more, we’re sharing the new ways that dining in Disney World has changed.

Mobile Order Changes

Mobile Order at Disney World can be a game-changer — but it also goes through updates pretty often, at least lately. The most recent update brought the “As Soon as Possible” and “Schedule for Later” options to the top of the order screen and provided some photos of the dining location and select foods as well. Not only that, but the Order Food section is neatly organized with drop-down menus for easy scrolling.

Mobile Order Signage

This service is generally great because you’ve got a whole list of restaurants to order from through the app and then go pick up during a designated time period. In the past, people have had a 30-minute window to go pick up their food after placing an order, but we recently noticed this has changed at several restaurants. A few dining locations are showing 15-minute windows instead, so make sure you keep an eye on that during your next visit.

Reservation Updates

Disney World is changing the way you search for dining reservations and is now in the process of rolling out a new system both online and on the My Disney Experience app!

©Disney

So, folks looking for specific dining reservations can now see ALL of the available dining reservations for the restaurant you want to dine at. Let’s say you’re looking for a lunch reservation for 50’s Prime Time Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (a favorite among many) on a Sunday, you can see all the available lunchtime reservation times for that day. From what we’ve seen, this update has been rolled out slowly, so it may take a while for you to see it.

Learn More About the New Update to Disney World Dining Reservations

Updated Cancelation Policy

This one isn’t too new, but if you haven’t been to the parks in a while it’s still good to have a refresher. You previously had to cancel your dining reservation at least one day before it was scheduled, but Disney updated this in November 2022. Now, you can cancel Disney World dining reservations just 2 hours in advance without any kind of cancelation fee. This applies to most locations, though it may not apply to all of them.

Cosmic Ray’s food

You should be able to click on your reservation in the My Disney Experience app and see a modify button, where you can then cancel the reservation as long as it is within that 2-hour window. If it isn’t, you will be given a number to call instead and you might still have to pay a fee.

New Restaurants

Depending on when your last trip was, there may be quite a few restaurants that are new to you — and more new ones are on the way, too! Check out the list below of new restaurants you may not have experienced in Disney World before (in no particular order):

Energy Bytes in Magic Kingdom
Carousel Coffee at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
BoardWalk Deli at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Connections Cafe and Eatery at EPCOT
Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya at EPCOT
Roundup Rodeo BBQ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Rosa Mexicano at the Swan and Dolphin Hotels
Summer House on the Lake in Disney Springs — Opening 2023
EET by Maneet Chauhan in Disney Springs — Opening 2023
The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers — Opening 2024
Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn — Opening 2023

That is a LOT of new restaurants to consider on your next Disney World trip!

Sashimi from Shiki Sai

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. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

We’ll be keeping up with all the Disney World dining changes you need to know, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more!

11 Major Changes Coming to Disney World in 2024

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