Hi Graham,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for asking us a question, my fellow Canadian!
One of my number one tips to Canadians who are travelling to Walt Disney World Resort is to have some vacation essentials (such as sunscreen and shampoo) shipped directly to their
Disney Resorts Collection hotel. I got into the habit of doing this while my son was itty bitty and I’ve kept it up because it’s a great way to cut down on the amount of luggage my family needs to bring along for our trips.
As for timing, I typically try to ensure that my orders arrive at my hotel no more than a week or so before my arrival date. This is because most hotels have limited space for holding Guest deliveries, so it’s important not to overburden the system. Another tip: Just make sure that in the “name” section when you fill out your shipping address, that you include the words “GUEST, ARRIVING MM/DD/YY” so that the Cast Member who receives your package knows where it should go. Please note that you will be charged a service fee for every package that arrives at your Resort for you, so it would be good to try to consolidate your orders into as few deliveries as possible.
That said, the process for
MagicBands is a little bit different. As you know, they unfortunately can’t be shipped to a Canadian (or other international) address. From what I understand, the
shopDisney system will place a “hold” on any orders placed by international Guests and only ship them to their Disney Resorts Collection hotel in the days before their check in. This means you can go ahead and order your family’s MagicBands whenever you’d like, and they’ll get shipped out in time for your arrival. I would recommend checking the site regularly if you have your heart set on a specific design and ordering it the moment it pops up, just to ensure availability.
I hope my answer helps you plan the perfect Disney vacation! Please don’t hesitate to come back and see us if you have any other questions.
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne