Help With December 2017 Planning, Dining, MDE, The Whole Thing

[rastahomie]

OK, two points before we proceed too deeply into my questions: First, I'm not sure what the best forum is for my meta trip-planning questions, so I figured TPAS is as good a place as any. Second, although I try to keep up with the latest at Disney parks, it's been over a decade since I set foot at WDW, and of course, so much has changed that I'm basically going into this blind. Anyway, here we go:

I'm arriving on December 9, my reservation says check-in after 3:00 p.m.

1) I can make dining reservations 180 days before check-in, correct? So that means that, on the morning of June 7, 2017, I can start making dining reservations for the entirety of my seven-day trip, correct?

2) When do I get to start reserving FastPasses?

3) I have selected the colors of my Magic Bands; when do they arrive?

4) How does PhotoPass (or Memory Maker or any and all other photography programs) play into all of this? I didn't purchase anything photography-related when I purchased my tickets; does everyone get some sort of photography program (sorry if I'm not using the right terminology here), or do I need to buy something before I go?

Thanks, and there will undoubtedly be more questions coming up.

 

[rastahomie]

Another question: looking at My Disney Experience, it doesn't appear that my park tickets are linked, but my resort reservation (which is actually a part of a package) is linked. Does my package automatically link my park tickets to MDE?

 

[rastahomie]

Also, what is the best website for crowd predictions? What about for live entertainment times?

 

[hiroMYhero]

OK, two points before we proceed too deeply into my questions: First, I'm not sure what the best forum is for my meta trip-planning questions, so I figured TPAS is as good a place as any. Second, although I try to keep up with the latest at Disney parks, it's been over a decade since I set foot at WDW, and of course, so much has changed that I'm basically going into this blind. Anyway, here we go:

I'm arriving on December 9, my reservation says check-in after 3:00 p.m.

1) I can make dining reservations 180 days before check-in, correct? So that means that, on the morning of June 7, 2017, I can start making dining reservations for the entirety of my seven-day trip, correct?

2) When do I get to start reserving FastPasses?

3) I have selected the colors of my Magic Bands; when do they arrive?

4) How does PhotoPass (or Memory Maker or any and all other photography programs) play into all of this? I didn't purchase anything photography-related when I purchased my tickets; does everyone get some sort of photography program (sorry if I'm not using the right terminology here), or do I need to buy something before I go?

Thanks, and there will undoubtedly be more questions coming up.

Questions #2, #3, and #4 are answered in the first posts of the corresponding Stickies at the top of this forum.

Yes for your Dining reservations and that's posted over on the Dining Board.

 

[mlamanna1701]

Another question: looking at My Disney Experience, it doesn't appear that my park tickets are linked, but my resort reservation (which is actually a part of a package) is linked. Does my package automatically link my park tickets to MDE?

In case you still need this answer...in my experience, when I book a package, the tickets always show up in MDE. I have an upcoming trip and my tickets are showing up. I would double check that you actually did book a package. If you did, you should speak with a customer service rep to ask how to link your tickets. If you have the ticket numbers, you can add them yourself. Good luck!

 

[mlamanna1701]

Also, what is the best website for crowd predictions? What about for live entertainment times?

For crowd predictions, I use: https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/