My Disney Experience to bring improvements to dining reservations for users of iOS and the website

Aug 12, 2014 in "MyMagic+"

Posted: Tuesday August 12, 2014 8:28am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

The 'My Disney Experience' website and iOS apps will begin offering an improved dining reservation service from tomorrow, August 13 2014.

Guests will be able to make same day dining reservations from 20 minutes out. This improves on the current system by a couple of hours.

Initially, the update will only be available to iOS users on iPhone, iPad and iPods. The My Disney Experience website will also offer the new functionality. Similar functionality on the Android platform is expected later in the year.

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UnpluggedAug 26, 2014

You can tell by the app implementation they are designing it based on logical functions, which are grouped nicely. However, we need it designed by Use Case. That is, when I'm standing in a park at 1:35P and want to change or make a new ADR, how can I perform this task quickly? This all comes down to the project/product manager for the app, or if it's being driven by a higher power....NexGen. I'm sure they are trying to make the app & web look the same or appear very similar to reduce confusion, so they think. As stated, the issue is that how I use the web site from here at home 6 months out is not the same as how I need to use the app in the middle of the resort.

cazygirlAug 26, 2014

Can't believe its only the bold colours, why would you by these when you get them with the package, its the special edition ones that people want to buy, like Frozen and Star wars I have people in my party for August next year who would love these, but I expect by then they will no longer be available. Come of Disney see sense.

ABQAug 14, 2014

Ahh, I see, thanks so much. Just terribly poor app design that you cannot get to the same options if you select Dining from the menu ribbon at the top of the screen. Knuckleheads in the Disney IT department.!

BrianVAug 14, 2014

Thanks! That is really helpful!!!

HRHPrincessArielAug 14, 2014

This is whAt I've done in the past as well back to Spring Break 13

Brian NobleAug 14, 2014

I've been making day of or night before ADRs for years now---well before the credit-card hold policy. I've gotten same-day dinners at some surprising places, including 'Ohana and Le Cellier.

tribbleorlflAug 14, 2014

Works the same in my Android app and my wife's iPhone app. Click on the menu button at the top by the Mickey head, scroll and select " Dining" and then you will be able to search by location.

RSoxNo1Aug 13, 2014

It's still not really user friendly. The app needs a lot of work.

ABQAug 13, 2014

You're going to have to help me out then @tribbleorlfl , as I can absolutely select a park, but there is no filter to select a dining time, only once I select an individual restaurant can I then select # in the party and times. Maybe this is yet another shortcoming to the Android app vs iOS, though I'm not sure which platform you are using.

tribbleorlflAug 13, 2014

Uh, yes you can (though admittedly, the feature didn't reliably work until the most recent update). Plan & Manage > Dining > Search By Location. Then select "All Parks & Resorts," a specific park or a specific resort, along with party size and desired time. I've found the generic "Lunch" or "Dinner" options yield the greatest results, though they tend to be further out.

BrianVAug 13, 2014

Cool that it works. But not on the Mobil app? I guess I can look on the ipad while back at the hotel in the afternoon if needed. Or just search one by one.

ABQAug 13, 2014

Yes, as stated above, it does work on the website, but you cannot search an entire park or resort area on the mobile app. At least not yet.

BernardandBiancaAug 13, 2014

Yes, you can do that on the WDW Dining Reservation website (it has historically been one of the WDW sites that works). You can input date, and get dropdowns for park (upper left corner) and time (on the right). The time will give you availability for two hours.

BrianVAug 13, 2014

I spent the morning canceling our unneeded reservations for 10 days from now. With FP+ and BOG lunch all tied up, I know where I'll be when. Hated throwing back a wishes dessert buffer, but someone will be happy. I just looked now and plenty of same day reservations are available in EPCOT Center and Hollywood Studios Apropos to this new change, is there a way to search for everything available at a given time? For example, if you are at EPCOT and hungry, can you search for all restaurants with a 7pm availability? Seems like this would be the obvious next improvement, if you cannot already do it.