THE WALT DISNEY WORLD APP

The app is what you’ll rely on DURING your vacation. Countless features — like guest room door unlock, mobile restaurant ordering, table service check-in, attraction wait times, Disney Genie Service and Lightning Lane reservations — are only available via the app, and not on the web version. 

A HELPFUL NOTE | Before we walk through the app itself, it may be helpful to know that the app is not required in order to visit and enjoy Walt Disney World. Guests with disabilities may rely on Guest Services to perform nearly all the tasks that we outline here, and anyone (including young children, older adults, or anyone who doesn’t use a smartphone) may use a MagicBand or a Key to the World Card to pass through turnstiles, enter Lightning Lane queues, unlock hotel rooms, etc. And although the app has heaps of information, there are ample Cast Members all throughout the park who can answer questions and guide the way.

With that said, let’s help you ready to go so you can navigate the app with ease once your trip begins.

Download the App

Well before your vacation begins, everyone in your party should download the app to their iOS or Android device. 

Turn on notifications

You will NEED to see the app’s pop-up notifications during your stay. The app notifies you when your table is ready at a restaurant, when a mobile food order is ready for pickup, when your Boarding Group has been called to get on a ride, and countless other items. You won’t want to miss those notifications.

Link your tickets to your digital wallet via MagicMobile

It’s very helpful to download your own Disney theme park ticket to the digital wallet of your smartphone. Learn more▸

Explore the app’s features

In the days leading up to your vacation, take time to explore the app and note many of the features which are only available on the app version. Before your vacation, you’ll want to make sure you know how to view / perform all the following items:

• Bottom row icons | Begin by tapping each of the five main icons along the bottom row of the app, and note the numerous features that appear under each icon (home, map marker, (+), search, and the sandwich menu.

• Sandwich Icon | The stack of three horizontal lines in the lower right corner opens many of the most important features. For example, be sure to scroll down the list and tap Park Hours & Info to see when the theme parks will be opening & closing during the dates of your visit.

• Map Marker Icon | At its most basic, tapping the map marker icon reveals the map of the parks. You can zoom in and explore, and if you’ve enabled your location access, you can see a blue dot to identify where you are.

But in truth, the Map Marker icon is especially powerful —  we call it the Swiss army knife of the app — because TONS of information is nested within all the categories that appear within the new dropdown menu that appears at the TOP of your screen after you’ve tapped that map marker icon. Tap it! Then tap each category and explore:

• Attractions | This category displays everything you can do. Remember, at Disney, the term ‘attractions’ doesn’t just mean rides — it also includes interactive shows like Turtle Talk with Crush or walk-through animal attractions like Maharajah Jungle Trek.  You can view everything on the map itself, or you can tap Show List (upper right corner) to see a breakdown of everything. Super useful.  Be sure to tap Filter in the upper left corner, and note that you can filter the list based to a specific park, or even select ride elements like Big Drops, Scary, Dark, or recommended age groups. The list and the map (zoomed in) will display current wait times (if the parks are open while you’re viewing). Also note that when you tap to view a specific attraction, you can find it on the map, Get Directions to find out the best walking route (as long as you’ve enabled location access within your device’s privacy settings), or scroll down to see when that attraction is welcoming guests (some attractions open later or close earlier than the park’s own hours).
• Wait Times | If you’re on the app during the park’s opening hours and you just want a quick list of the real-time wait times in the park — ordered by shortest to longest — tap this.
• Characters | This is where you can see exactly which characters are meeting guests today, and see on the map exactly where you can find them. Important: characters aren’t out all day. So if you’ve got a character you really want to see, tap their name within the list below. (Anna, for example — the next screen will explicitly say what hours she’ll be greeting guests.)
• Entertainment | This is the best spot to see what times the parades, shows, and nighttime fireworks displays will perform that day. It also reveals live music showtimes for the performers in EPCOT World Showcase and the character shows in front of Cinderella Castle.

REMEMBER, the app only displays TODAY’S schedule. See our note above on how to see the schedule for future dates on the Walt Disney World website.

• Today’s Plans | Tap the sandwich menu, then tap Today’s plans. That’ll launch an hour-by-hour itinerary of the things you’ve reserved. Note that at the top of this screen, everything’s divided into two organizing tabs: the Tip Board and My Day.

• Tip Board | This is what you should tap if you’re in the park, you’re wondering “what should we do?” and you’re looking for suggestions. You’ll see a selection of the shows that are coming up, attractions that have low(ish) wait times, and nearby restaurants where you can place a mobile order or snag a walk-up table. This list is not comprehensive — it’s mostly a suggestion pile for things that Disney thinks you’ll enjoy.

• Future plans | Also from the sandwich menu, click Future Plans to see your plans that are for tomorrow and the days beyond.

• Rides, Shows & Lightning Lane Entry | Tap the sandwich icon, then tap this panel. It launches the Tip Board — you can scroll down to either purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass reservations.  Alternatively, you can tap the search icon magnifying glass, type in the attraction you want to visit, and see the current wait time or buy a Lightning Lane reservation. Remember, you can only book Lightning Lane reservations on the actual day of your visit.  Learn all about Lightning Lane ▸

• Dining reservations | To make a new reservation, click the + button along the bottom row, then click Check Dining Availability, and enter your party size, date, and time. Or, tap the home icon and then tap Reserve Dining. Be sure to click the filter funnel icon in the bottom right to filter the available tables to your preferred dining location. 

• Quick Service – Mobile food ordering | Pre-order and prepay for your food at nearly every quick-service restaurant — in the theme parks, resort hotels, and Disney Springs — and simply pick it up when you arrive, without having to wait in a queue. Begin a mobile order by pressing the + icon along the bottom row (or the home icon) and then tapping Order Food.

• Walk-Up Dining Reservations | The app uses geolocation to identify when you’re within a short distance of a table service restaurant. If you are, you’re able to check the real-time availability and join the walk-up wait list for a table. To join a walk-up list, click the + button along the bottom row, then click Check Dining Availability, select today’s date, and select Now under the time. Or, search for the name of a specific restaurant and click Join Walk-Up List.

• Resort Hotel exclusive features | During your stay, be sure to click the sandwich menu icon on the bottom row and then tap Hotel Reservation. You’ll see an entire set of features here that aren’t available on the web version. You can unlock your guest room door, view your hotel charges, see the bus times for your resort’s transportation, call the front desk, and review the hours of operation for the resort’s dining, shopping and recreation. Under the dining tab, you may have exclusive resort guest access to mobile order windows or walk-up lists for your resort’s restaurants.

• Guest Services | You may be surprised to see all the services that Disney provides to its guests, from first aid and baby care centers to in-park refrigerators for medications and special access for those with disabilities. Click the map marker icon on the bottom row, then select Guest Services in the top center menu. Scroll through the list; this is where you’ll find a map for ATM locations, ECV / wheelchair rentals, locker locations, laundry services, and more.

• PhotoPass Images | View and download the images captured by Disney’s professional PhotoPass photographers in addition to any action shots captured while aboard a theme park or water park attraction. If you add Disney Genie+, you can enjoy PhotoPass lenses, which add fun Snapchat-esque filters to selfies that you can take throughout Walt Disney World.

COMMON BUGS & WORKAROUNDS

Here are quick fixes if you’re getting error messages or if some things simply disappear.

• If the app is glitching | The most common glitches happen when your day’s full plans don’t display.  Often, the issue is a disconnect between the app and your device’s WiFi connection. To fix this, close the app, navigate to the settings of your phone, manually turn off your WiFi, then relaunch the app while relying on cellular data. If that doesn’t work, remember that you can always open a web browser (like Safari or Chrome) and then log in to view your day’s plans. 

For tech support, scroll down — we’ve got the phone numbers to call and the folks to talk to inside the parks.