My wife watched a YouTube video yesterday (I think it was) where Disney has changed for the Monorail resorts at least (and perhaps Wilderness Lodge??) where if you attempt to place a to-go order in the app, it now says that you have to be STAYING at that resort in order to place the order. This is a change from just a week or so ago, where they were implementing a change enforcing the ability to place an order based on a geo fence. (I tested the geo fence, and sure it enough it blocked me from even placing the order last week.)
Thing is, the geo fence now seems to be removed, and there is instead this message saying, for example, that if you want to order food from Steakhouse 71 To-Go, you must be STAYING at the resort.
I didn’t see discussion about this here. My apologies if I missed it. But with this change, my wife and I both went in to see, and sure enough, the pop-up is there saying this now. But what is also interesting is that it allowed both of us (her using an iPhone, me, using Android) to actually place orders after tapping away the acknowledgement. We got all the way to the point where you actually have to pay…so PERHAPS it would have blocked us if we had tried to pay, but we weren’t willing to risk that!
So, it seems like this is a change that either Disney is flat-out lying about, or they are quietly putting into place with eventual intention to enforce this. You want to order that coffee drink from Kona to-go at the Poly? You might not be allowed to in the future based on this unless you are actually STAYING at Poly.
ETA: Update…As pointed out in the responses, it appears the vlogger was reporting fake news on this matter. No need to panic.
They have had this pop up for like a couple of years now? I am not sure how long. You can go past it so it’s not enforced. The geo-fencing was the enforcement mechanism.
I believe this was so people couldn’t do a mobile order and then try to park by telling the guard they were just picking up food.
We’ve beaten this to death, but I do believe that WDW would prefer Quick Service at the resort to be used only by resort guests. There are staffing, operational and customer service reasons. Each of these “methods” is an attempt to reduce non-resort guest use with the least “negative impact” so to speak.
I got that message when I was visiting the Contemporary back in April while I was doing a monorail resort loop. I didn’t try going past the message, though, and just went on the to Poly.
This is what I’m getting from the QS mobile order situation.
Yet, I think I just recently read something Disney (possibly about the change in traveling from DS to resorts) that guests staying on Disney property were encouraged to visit other resorts. I didn’t really believe it, tho.
Case in point: December 2020 we drove to several resorts to shop and look at decorations and were only refused admittance without ADR at the Poly. Understandable as their parking is about the size of a postage stamp.
Recently - possibly 2024 or 2025 - we were denied access, by POV, to Boardwalk without an ADR. We parked at the gas station while I secured an ADR at Flying Fish and then drove back to the Boardwalk.
I guess I’m confused then. The vlogger was reporting that this is new/different. Not the fact that there is a pop-up, but what the pop-up says, and the potential impact it could have if enforced.
I thought the pop-up before was a little more generic, related to a non-enforced geo-fence related message. (The geo-fence enforcement was implemented like a few weeks ago, which was the subject of another thread, and I tested that the geo-fence was, in fact, working/preventing placing an order, but has since been removed.) I know that the message before stated that you had to be close by, but would allow you place the order regardless.
Now, the message is saying that in order to place an order you have to have an active reservation at that hotel! (Forget the precise wording.)
I have gotten the staying at the hotel for mobile orders pop up many times over the years. Gaspirilla Island Grill, Contempo Cafe, and Steakhouse 71 To-Go are the biggest offenders.
I recall reading about this being used at Contemporary specifically but not other places.
Here is a Plan Disney post from 2024 saying that if you try to Mobile Order you will get a message saying it is only for guests of the resort. But they also say that it is ok to order in person.
Here’s another thread on Disboards from 2022 with people complaining about the same verbiage (the OP specifically mentions the Boardwalk Pizza Window, which incidentally doesn’t take mobile orders at all now).
No risk. You can order but until you click “I’m here, make my food” it doesn’t charge you. Anything not completed auto-cancels at the end of the day. I have done this
True, and also you’ve got to know how to read between the lines. Some of them know certain subjects better than others. And some of them gloss over the details to cater to the comprehension ability of their user base.
And some of them just like to stir up drama and outrage because that’s what drives success online, and either didn’t know this isn’t new or don’t care because it will sound new to someone who will share, like and subscribe.
Yeah YouTube was showing me a video that is doing a series on the evolution of our economy and has an episode about Disney. It looked interesting and started with the things that used to be free as part of a stay, but ate no longer free, yet room costs didn’t go down. It looked interesting except it gave the number that the average cost of a Disney hotel room in 2025 was $1,363. And I call BS. I am sure there is a way you can get to that. Probably if you add in the rack rate of every two bedroom villa on property, but that isn’t an honest number which makes me think the point is to stir up drama.
I’m actually not sure. My wife was watching her and I was out. When I came in, she had paused it on that part of the video and played it for me so that we could discuss it.
There has been an influx of people trying to be Disney influencers on YouTube, Instagram, etc. but a lot give really basic or just flat out wrong info.
That message has been there for years, especially for Poly, CR, GF. I’ve never seen that message for “To Go’ orders though. AND I’ve always been able to blow through the message and place an order, even if I wasn’t a guest… Eventually they might remove the ability to place a MO w/o being a guest, but you’ll still be able to walk up to the counter and place an order.
