Hello, Theresa, and welcome to planDisney! I recently had a similar experience with trying to book my own dining reservations. I was able to secure a couple of reservations within a few days of my Walt Disney World arrival, so be sure to keep checking! You never know what might just happen to pop up for you.
When I was actually on the WDW property, I found that I could check dining availability on my
MyDisneyExperience app quite easily. I was able to put in for a Walk-Up list reservation at Olivia’s Café one morning while we were checking in and getting our luggage situated for the day at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
If you haven’t ever tried
Olivia’s Café for breakfast, I would highly recommend it! Delicious and affordable, the Olivia’s breakfast is definitely my favorite.
When in any of the theme parks, you can open up your MyDisneyExperience app, and click on the plus sign in the bottom middle of the screen. Then, select “Check Dining Availability”, and enter your party size, today’s date, and click “now” under “Search by Time”. This will show you the list of available Walk-Up lists. I had good luck getting into
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen for lunch, with only about a 40 minute wait. (I had never been and it was DELICIOUS!) My friends and I were in Tomorrowland, so we rode the PeopleMover while we waited, and when we got off, I had an alert on my phone that our table was ready.
I hope this helps ease your mind a bit. None of us went hungry on our trip, that is for sure! I used the
Mobile Ordering on the MyDisneyExperience app SO much! It is a game-changer! You can even preorder your lunch hours in advance if you know what you will want to eat and what time.
It will be hot on your August trip, so be sure to stay hydrated with extra cups of ice water when picking up your mobile orders. Plus, be sure to take frequent air-conditioning breaks! One of my favorite breaks is in the
Carousel of Progress. It’s nice and cool, plus the story is fun!
Happy Traveling,
Tracy