Are you ready to relive Simba’s journey to adulthood in The Lion King and witness the ongoing eternal battle between the dark and light sides of the Force in Star Wars? Disney+ is here, and for the uninitiated, it is Disney’s exclusive streaming service that’ll be your portal to the Magic Kingdom’s best and most beloved properties.
From classic animated titles and to Disney Channel favorites and all the Marvel Cinematic Universe content you can handle, Disney+ is an incredible value. There are over 600 titles to choose from at launch, and we’ll see a lot more titles in the months and years ahead.
Before you can get going on your binge sessions, you’ll need to sign up for a Disney+ account and figure out which devices you’ll be watching all of this on. Fear not: The process is quick and painless, and we’ll lay it out for you right here.
How to get Disney+
There are a few different options for securing your Disney+ subscription, though the most popular starting point will be the seven-day free trial Disney offers to all new subscribers. That should give you enough time to evaluate the service and determine whether you want to continue.
First, head to the Disney+ website (available at the links above) or download the Disney+ app on your smartphone, tablet, or smart TV device. Next, hit the free trial button, create your account, and enter your payment information. Before long, you’ll have access to Disney+ for a full week for free.
You can cancel that subscription any time ahead of the trial period expiring to avoid a charge if you decide to pass. You’ll have your pick between monthly and annual subscriptions, the former being a $7 recurring charge, while the latter demands a lump-sum payment of $70 in exchange for a 16% discount over 12 months. Payment options include PayPal and any standard credit or debit card.
Disney also offers incentives for those subscribed to both Hulu and ESPN+. They call it the Disney Bundle, which gives you $6 off if you’re signed up for all three services. There are a couple of different ways to get this bundle, and the differences between them are pretty important:
- Your first option is to buy the Disney Bundle directly from Disney. The bundle is a good option for those who also want Hulu and ESPN+, but caveats apply. For starters, you’re stuck on the $6 version of Hulu, which is ad-supported. You also can’t add extras to your Hulu package if you go this route. Lastly, there’s no free trial for this streaming cocktail, so you’ll want to be sure that everything in the lineup whets your appetite.
- The second option is for those who already have Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions. You can keep your existing accounts exactly as they are, and so long as they share the same email account as your Disney+ subscription, a quick call to customer service will get you squared away with a permanent $6 monthly credit. The upside is that you can keep your full Hulu service with add-on channels and features, ad-free viewing, and Hulu + Live TV, but account management and charges are handled individually as opposed to one neat package.
No matter which route you go, note you can’t currently add Disney+ to Hulu as an add-on service, which means you’ll need to continue using two different apps. For more information on the Disney Bundle, be sure to read through the FAQ here.
The absolute best deal is available for Verizon customers. Verizon is offering an entire year of Disney+ at no extra cost for anyone with a Verizon Wireless unlimited plan, Verizon Fios Home Internet, or Verizon 5G Home Internet service. Both new and existing customers are entitled to the freebie. To claim it, log in to your Verizon account via the company’s website or the MyVerizon app, then head to Account > Add-ons > Get Disney+.
Which devices can I watch Disney+ on?
After creating your account, the next step is to sign in and enjoy. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways to watch. Disney+ is available via any standard web browser, and there are native apps for all the popular platforms. Those include iOS, Apple TV (tvOS), Google Chromecast, Android, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and select Samsung and LG smart TVs.
While that list doesn’t have everything, there are enough popular devices covered by these platforms that you should have no worries accessing Disney+ whichever way you fancy. Don’t see your device or platform? Sit tight. The company is sure to whip up more apps to cover the few bases that remain.
Now that you’re all ready to go, the only thing left to do is grab some popcorn and decide what you want to watch! You could lose an entire week just browsing through the 600+ titles Disney+ has to offer, let alone trying to watch it all. Need some help? Explore the best movies and shows streaming on Disney+ right now.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, however, your first stop must be The Mandalorian, an original live-action series that follows the musings of a badass gunslinging galactic bounty hunter.