Why We Love Mobile Ordering From Capt. Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian

What do you do when you find yourself exhausted, hungry, and in need of a break from a busy Magic Kingdom? You hop on the monorail for some aloha time at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. No reservations? No worries! While waiting for the monorail, you can open the My Disney Experience app and order a quick service meal from Capt. Cook’s. It will likely be ready by the time you’ve arrived. Here’s how we do it!

Mobile orders can be placed at any time on the day of your visit. For example, if you’re staying at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and know you’ll visit the Polynesian later in the day for a meal at Capt Cook’s, you can place your order that morning. You could even place your mobile order on the bus ride to Magic Kingdom. All you have to do is select a window of time that works with your schedule. Now I know what you’re thinking. What if you select 1:00 p.m. for lunch and are stuck in line to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Again, no worries. You’ll open the app, select your order, and change the arrival window. Note that the arrival window is when you’re ready to order your food, not when it will be ready.

On a recent visit to Magic Kingdom, I left and took the monorail to the Polynesian for a bite to eat. I placed my order while waiting for the monorail and chose the next available window, which appeared on the screen as between “now and 3:45 p.m.” Below is an example of what the screen looks like after placing an order. It says, “Ready for Your Food? Your order will be freshly prepared once you tap the button.” It then says that I have until 3:45 p.m. to place my order. I arrived at the Polynesian at 3:12 p.m. Since I wasn’t exactly sure how long the monorail would take, I waited until we had pulled into the monorail platform to place my order.

This gave me time to exit the monorail, stop by the restroom, freshen up, and make my way downstairs to Capt. Cook’s. When I walked into the restaurant at 3:23 p.m., I received the notification that my order was ready. Not bad, huh?

My order was in a mobile order pick-up area to the left of the registers. It was in a sealed container in a brown paper bag with an empty cup for the soda refill machine.

I ordered the Spicy Korean Chicken Bowl, a new menu item. It’s described as crisp chicken strips with Gochujang sauce, steamed rice, and a cucumber salad. Okay, I ordered this because it was new and one of the few things I hadn’t tried. Surprisingly, it was an excellent meal, especially for a quick service. The only thing I would change was the cucumber salad. That’s the extent of it on top of the chicken, two measly, thin slices of cucumbers. They were tasty, and I would have enjoyed more.

We eat at Capt. Cook’s pretty regularly. So I wanted to share a few other items that I’ve mobile ordered in the past year or so. All of these items have been on their menu for years. We’ll start with the Super Foods salad, which is one of the best healthy quick-service options at Disney World. It’s described as kale and cabbage tossed with quinoa and edamame, walnuts, grapes, blueberries, and Mandarin oranges served with a side of apple cider vinaigrette. I’ve had this a couple of times and find it filling and refreshing. I ordered this one afternoon during our club-level stay at the Polynesian and took it back to the lounge to enjoy the views of Seven Seas Lagoon while I ate.

Next, we have the Thai Coconut Meatballs. The first time I had these (probably ten years ago), I didn’t like them. But I have grown to like them over the years. I would order them again.

I went through a time when I went vegan for about six months. This roasted red pepper and arugula plant-based burger was my top choice for vegan burgers at Disney World. It’s still available on the menu and comes topped with a delicious chutney.

When mobile ordering from Capt. Cook’s, you have a couple of options as to where to dine. If I visit the Polynesian as a day guest, I usually sit at a table and chairs inside the quick service. It’s a fun location. All of the posters on the walls are names of Hawaiian Islands. They also reflect the names of each building at the resort.

If the weather is nice enough, I forgo the dining room and eat outside on the patio.

Of course, if I’m staying at the resort, I like to pick up my order and return it to the room. The Moana rooms at the Polynesian are my absolute favorite on the property.

Ultimately, mobile ordering from Capt. Cook’s will save you a ton of time. These days, we almost always mobile order from quick-service restaurants. The process is simple and convenient, allowing you more time with your family and less time waiting in line.

Here are a few other places where we’ve recently placed mobile orders at Disney World:

• Ordering To Go from Geyser Point Bar and Grill (Quick Service)
• Ordering To Go from Ale and Compass Restaurant (Table Service)

You might also enjoy our entire Disney World Dining Guide. It’s an excellent primer for planning your dining during your vacation.

In the Comments

Have you ever placed a mobile order at Capt. Cook’s? Do you use this service often? Let us know below in the comments.