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17. Mark your calendar for the 180-day window. Disney World allows Guests to make dining reservations up to 180 days in advance of their trips. For many Disney World restaurants, advance reservations are absolutely necessary, especially if you are traveling with your family. If you have begun planning your Disney vacation more than six months in advance, be sure to ...

16. Create your online Disney account. If you haven’t yet created an online Disney account, now is the perfect time to do so. It’s simple, and it will help streamline all of your Disney World plans. Simply visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com and click “create account.”

15. Download the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone. Once you’ve created your online Disney account, those login credentials will help you access most of Disney’s sites across the web (www.shopdisney.com, www.mydisneyexperience.com, etc.). Now’s the time to download the most useful tool in your Disney trip planning—the My Disney Experience app for smartphone. Use your Disney account login credentials ...

14. Make your dining reservations. Once the 180-day window has opened for your trip (6 months before the first day you want to enjoy a dining experience), access the My Disney Experience app or www.mydisneyexperience.com, or call (407) WDW-DINE to make your dining reservations. Once confirmed, you will receive an email for each dining reservation you make, and you will ...

13. Customize your Magicbands. Some time after you book your Disney Resort hotel room, you will receive an e-mail from Disney instructing you to click on a link to customize your family’s Magicbands. Follow that link and you will be able to choose a color for each Magicband. You will also be able to choose what name is printed on ...

12. Visit www.shopdisney.com. Often. Yes, you can wait until you get to Disney to buy Disney apparel for your family, and someone in your family will most likely want to buy a t-shirt from Disney World that says “Disney World” on it. But it’s often a good idea to visit Disney’s merchandise website to purchase Disney clothing for your family ...

11. Choose a backpack for at least one member of your family. At least one member of your family or traveling party should carry a backpack. I have a backpack that was purchased solely for trips to the parks, and it hibernates between trips to Disney. But it is my best friend in the parks. I don’t have to carry ...

10. Research parts of the parks with which you are unfamiliar. If you’ve never been to the parks at Walt Disney World, not only are you in for an amazing time, but you’re also in for an overwhelming feeling if you don’t do some of your research before you ever leave home. That’s because it is a really big place ...

Hooray! You and your family are going to Walt Disney World! Is there anything more exciting? If so, I have yet to encounter it. Even the planning of a trip to the parks is fun! If you’ve been to Disney before, you know there are some things that have to take place before you ever leave home. And if this ...

20. Decide on your travel dates. After you have made sure you have the time off from work, that the kids are out of school or can afford to take time away from school and that no other plans coincide with your potential dates of travel, set those dates and be firm with them. Be certain about your dates so ...