j. To-Do List

(For the summary of this itinerary, see this. For a 180 day calendar, see this.)

Your To-Do list for the Walt Disney World basic December itinerary follows.

A. MORE THAN 90 DAYS (180 DAYS AFTER 2009) BEFORE YOUR PLANNED ARRIVAL DATE

(Note that a travel agent, such as Destinations Florida, can do almost all of this for you, for free. If you use Destinations Florida as you travel agent through a link for this site–like this one–then they share a bit of the pixie dust they get from Disney with me.)

1. Confirm your budget, planned dates, kids’ development paths and heights, and your transportation choice and its availability for your planned dates.

2. Make your plane reservations, if flying. Make any other needed transportation arrangements.

3. Set up your hotel and tickets. Call 407-939-7675 (preferred, because this allows you to tell the reservationist which building at your resort you wish to be in, which the new WDW website no longer allows you to do), or click here to use Disney’s online system.

• When the page opens, click “Book Vacation Packages”
• Add your dates, party size and age of your kids
• Set up your basic package:
  • Click “Advanced Search”
  • Click “I know the Resort I want.”
  • In the drop down menu that appears, click to open, and scroll to pick your hotel
  • Click “Dining Plan”
  • Click “Continue”
  • Wait
• Fix the options–a page will open that has selected several options for you, most of them wrong. You will need to fix in each section, and update the sections as you go.
  • At the top of the page you will be put into the most expensive room. Click the button for the least expensive instead. (The views aren’t worth it for first time family visitors, except Animal Kingdom Lodge visitors should always pick a Savannah view)
  • Click “Update” and wait
  • Click, in the “Park Tickets and Options” section, the button in the upper right that says “Open.”
  • Unclick the “Park Hopper” and “Water Parks and More” boxes
  • Change the number of days in your tickets to 8
  • Click “Update” and wait
• Click “Ground Transportation” and when it opens, click Disney’s Magical Express, and add your airline info
• Click “Continue” and wait
• Click “Select this Offer” at the bottom of the page and wait
• When the pricing pages shows up, unclick Trip Insurance (if offered)
• In the “Special Room Requests” section, click to open, then click “Refrigerator”
• If you are on the phone, tell the reservationist what room you want
  • If a Polynesian guest, ask for a room on the third floor (quieter) in Rapa Nui or Tahiti. (These are 2 of the only 3 buildings with both the largest rooms and balconies on all floors, and are the 2 buildings closest to the Epcot monorail. You are in fact so close to TTC that you can take the express monorail home from the Magic Kingdom–much faster than the resort monorail.)
  • If a Pop Century Guest, ask for a room on the 4th floor (quieter) in the 1970s area. (This is the only building group at Pop Century that does not surround a pool, so it will be quieter at night.)
• Complete the transaction with your credit card.

B. 91 DAYS (181 DAYS AFTER 2009) BEFORE YOUR ARRIVAL DATE

Go to the online restaurant reservations page here, set up an account if you don’t already have one, and practice trying to reserve restaurants.

This may well drive you crazy, but the site works better than it used to…and is likely the only way you can get your Cindy reservations done! (as the site opens up a new reservable day at 6a, whereas the phone reservation line opens at 7a).

Collect your restaurant reservations together. You will want to do them online in order of hardest to reserve first. This is how they are listed below.

C. EXACTLY 6am EST, EXACTLY 90 DAYS (180 DAYS AFTER 2009) BEFORE YOUR ARRIVAL DATE

This material continues here

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LINKS TO DAYS AND TO-DO LIST

The links below take you to pages with specific guidance on what to do every day of your first family Walt Disney World vacation, and the To-Do List for preparing for your trip.

• Summary
• To-Do List
• First Saturday
• First Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Second Saturday
• Second Sunday

LINKS TO BASIC ITINERARY VARIANTS

BASIC ITINERARY LESS SECOND SUNDAY: Summary To-Do List

BASIC ITINERARY LESS FIRST SATURDAY: Summary To-Do List

BASIC ITINERARY LESS FIRST SATURDAY AND SECOND SUNDAY: Summary To-Do List

BASIC ITINERARY 5 NIGHT VERSION: Summary To-Do List

BASIC ITINERARY RELAXED VERSION: Summary To-Do List

ITINERARY LINKS

• For itinerary design goals and the basic December Itinerary, see this
• For shorter and longer itineraries targeted at the same December week, see this
• For itineraries covering all the other parts of the year, see this
• To design your own itinerary, see this
• For rides that might be skipped, see this
• For a comprehensive guide to rides and attractions, see this

LINKS FOR WHEN TO GO

• For when to go, see this
• For next best dates, see this
• For best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2009 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For 2010 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2010 Week Picker App, see this
  • For 2011 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2009 price seasons, see this
  • For 2010 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2011 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

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