Prepare for your Disney trip: what to do 1 month before

How to prepare for your Disney trip one month before you leave:

I am less than a month away from my next Disney trip!  Though there’s plenty to be done to prepare for your Disney trip before you leave, and I’m already itching to try and get some other stuff done as well.  And the more you can do ahead of time, the better.  There are certainly some things that are good to check off your list a month ahead of time.  Since I’m making my own checklist I figured I would share it with you, too!

Pay your balance

If you’ve booked a Walt Disney World package (room, tickets, and/or dining), your balance is due 30 days before you travel.  Disney doesn’t mess around with this – miss your payment and your reservation will be cancelled.  If you have a room only reservation you don’t have to pay the remainder of this until check out.

Transportation

If you haven’t set up your transportation from the airport to your Disney resort and you’re thinking about using Mears Connect, now is a good time to do that. Make sure you have your flight info available when booking. You can use a rideshare like Lyft or Uber on arrival, but be aware that they often use surge pricing (when a flight or several flights land at once they will jack up the prices).

Magic Bands

Magic Band orders also have to be placed 14 days ahead of time if you want them mailed to you (you can still purchase them and have them available at your resort up to 7 days before). Magic bands and MagicBands+ are now an extra fee – they typically cost $15-35 depending on the design. If you opt not to get Magic Bands you can use the app on your phone for the same things. You can also purchase additional magic bands from ShopDisney before your trip for even more fun designs!

Make an itinerary

If you’ve booked Lightning Lanes, dining reservations, your flights, etc., now is a good time to put all of that information in one spot.  I have a few different ways that I create an itinerary – you can read more about that here. I note what time everything is scheduled for as well as confirmation numbers.  I also look up park hours and extra magic hours to add to my list.

Brush up on virtual queues

Currently at the time of this writing, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind are using a virtual queue. If you’re interested in these attractions, make sure you are familiar with the current advice and procedure for joining the virtual queue. Disney tends to tinker with the process every so often – sometimes they change the time passes are available, for instance.

Check Closures

Take a look at what attractions might be closed during your visit. I recommend a website like All Ears that has all the information in one place and keeps it up to date. It’s good to be aware of what might be closed so you’re not taken off guard or looking forward to something you won’t be able to do this trip.

Reserve other needed items

Is there anything else you need to reserve ahead of time? Depending on your family and your needs, you might consider looking into a company that rents scooters and/or strollers (if you’re bringing your stroller from home or picking one to rent, make sure it’s a good one that meets Disney requirements). Another thing to have lined up early? If you’re staying at Fort Wilderness, I highly recommend reserving a golf cart ahead of time!

Create a packing list

It might be a little early to start packing, but you can at least start thinking about what you should pack.  The advantage to making a packing list early on is that you may thing of other things throughout the next few weeks you forgot about and you can add that to your list.

Order groceries

I’ll be writing a full blog post soon on how to order groceries to be delivered to your Disney World hotel, but for now if it’s something you’re thinking about check out Garden Grocer.  Even if you just have some basics delivered like bottled water, bagels, etc., it can save you some money in the long run especially with a larger group.

Order memory maker

Thinking about Memory Maker?  Now’s a good time to purchase it!  If you decide to buy it in advance of your trip you can save some money.  You can always get it later too, but you’ll pay more for it.  I find the Memory Maker to be well worth it for all of the photos you get – attractions, character photos, and lots of great spots in front of the park icons and other areas.

Online Check-in

If you complete online check-in before you arrive you’ll be able to skip the front desk completely – Disney will send you a text with your room number and when it’s ready and you can just get in with your magic band or phone. You’re also able to make requests during online check-in.

Leave the last week open for last minute prep

There are plenty of other things that need to be done within the last week before you go to Disney, so make sure you get these items done so you don’t have to worry about them last minute!  Then you can move on to what you should be doing the week before you leave.

Anything that I missed?  How do you prepare for your Disney trip one month before?