8 Things You Should Definitely Do When You Arrive At A Walt Disney World Resort

When you first arrive at your Walt Disney World Resort, you will be so excited and busy taking in all of the amazing sights all around you.  There are definitely several things you should do when you arrive that will help set the tone for your entire vacation.  Here are 8 things you should definitely do:

8. Grab a map of the resort.

When you check in at the resort, you should be given a map of the resort in your packet. Make sure you have one and you spend a couple minutes looking over it so that you have a good lay of the land at the resort.  Walt Disney World Resorts are quite large and have a lot of buildings, so this extra information will definitely help you find your way around during your vacation.

7. Check out events and amenities that the resorts offer.

Each Walt Disney World Resort will have different activities available at the resort for all guests.  Many of these activities are free to attend and enjoy, too.  These activities will be on certain days at certain times, so you will want to check those options out so that you include them in your itinerary and plan around the ones that you want to attend.  There are also amenities like boat rentals, bike rentals, spa services, etc. that vary from resort to resort.  These are also great to add into your vacation, too!

6. Do a walking tour of the resort.

The best way to learn the resort is to walk around and familiarize yourself with where everything else.  The resorts are beautiful and absolutely amazing, so you will love walking the grounds and taking it all in.  It is definitely Disney magic at its finest.  You may also save yourself a lot of time if you already know where to find things, where events will be, where restaurants are, etc.  It’s much easier to remember how to find things when you have already seen them.

5. Get and activate your Rapid Refill mugs.

If you purchased one of the Disney Dining Plans, then you get a Rapid Refill mug for each paid member of your party.  If you didn’t, you can still purchase them at the quick-service location at each resort.  If you plan on using one of these for the duration of your stay, then you want to get them as early as possible so that you get the most bangs for your buck.  You can start using them right away, even if you haven’t been able to access your room yet.

4. Drop off your stuff at the room.

If you are able to get into your room already, then it is a great idea to go ahead and check it out.  You can drop off the baggage that you have on you so that you don’t have to worry about it.  It is exciting to see the room and make sure you have everything you need, too.  If you know you will need more towels, soap, etc. then you can go ahead and request that so that you won’t have to wait until you actually need and find yourself waiting.

3. Unpack and organize.

We like to unpack and organize as much as we can once we arrive.  This doesn’t work if you can’t access your room right away, but if you are able to it is a great thing to do.  Once you get going on the fun, you won’t want to take time to do it.  It also saves a ton of time if you just go ahead and put clothes and toiletries away and get the room organized so that when you come in for the evening you are already ready to get to bed and get prepared for the fun the next day.

2. Ensure everything is linked to your Magic Bands.

Your Magic Bands are your room keys, park passes, dining plan, shopping, PhotoPass and more. It will save you a lot of time and hassle if you make sure that everything is linked and works so that you don’t run into any issues at the park.  You do all of this through My Disney Experience.  If you have any problems, you can ask for help at the front desk to help ensure you have all members of your party linked together, your credit card information on file, etc.  This will definitely save you a ton of time and help make everything go much smoother for you.

1. Head out to the parks.

As soon as you get all settled at the resort, go ahead and get out and enjoy the fun. If you don’t have park admission, you can also head over to Disney Springs.  We like to make the most of the first day and fit in at least some of the fun from at the parks and other locations outside of the resort.  Our favorite it to go to Magic Kingdom on the first day so that we can see Cinderella Castle on the first day!