Disney Fanatic

Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 a purse or tote—everything

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 fami

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 the insi

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 res

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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.”

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 mo

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

18. Secure your transportation to the Orlando area. If you’re flying to Orlando International Airport (MCO), book your airline tickets. If you’ll be driving and you have planned to rent a vehicle, reserve your vehicle in advance as well. If you’re driving your own vehicle to the Orlando area, be sure you have completed any scheduled maint

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

19. Book your Disney Resort hotel. After you and your family have chosen the Disney Resort hotel at which you’d like to stay, be sure to book your dates immediately, especially if you’ll be traveling to the parks during peak seasons. Disney World allows you to book your hotel room up to 499 days in advance. Take advantage of this so you a

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Disney To-Do List: The Top 20 Things You Must Do Before You Go on Your Disney World Vacation

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 that you don’t have to pay change

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