Disney Plus Free Trial: How to make the most out of the new streaming service in seven days

Disney Plus is currently treating customers to a FREE seven-day trial, allowing all UK residents to experience the magic the streaming service has to offer.

To access your Disney Plus seven-day free trial, all you need to do is sign up and choose from either the £5.99 per month plan, or the £59.99 annual plan. 

The free seven days is included in both options and although you need to enter your billing information, you won’t be charged if you cancel before the trial or until after the trial has ended. 

Whether you only want to take advantage of the free Disney Plus seven day trial, or you plan to continue using the service after the trial period ends, here are a several things you can do to how to get the most out of the streaming service.

Though… if you’re a big Disney lover like myself, you’ll probably agree it is totally worthwhile to stay subscribed.

Having now used Disney+ at least a few times a week for almost a month (it launched March 23), I’ve put together a few tips on how to use the streaming service efficiently. 

Find out what content is being added  

Before signing up to your trial, I recommend checking out the initial full list of Disney+ content, to determine whether this is the streaming service for you.

It’s also a good idea to regularly check what content Disney is adding to the streaming service each month. For example, Disney+ added two new Disneynature documentaries, including Elephant, which is narrated by Meghan Markle and Dolphin Reef.

In May, Disney+ will be marking Star Wars Day, May the 4th be with you, by adding new content from a galaxy far far away. This includes the premiere of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian and the epic conclusion of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Sadly there is still no official announcement for when Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker will be added to the Disney+ library.

Further ahead in June, Disney+ is adding Disney’s fantastical epic adventure Artemis Fowl, a new live action film starring newcomer Ferdia Shaw in the title role alongside Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel and Adrian Scarborough, with Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.

If these new additions are right up your Main Street, it might be worth waiting to start your trial when this content has been added.

While we can’t guarantee how long the free trial offer will be available for, if you know you’re going to enjoy all of the above, it might be worth getting your free seven days straightaway and continue your subscription. 

Create a Watchlist  

Before watching anything, I’d strongly recommend creating a watchlist. It works just like Netflix’s ‘My List’. To add a title, simply tap the icon situated next to the play button. To view your watchlist, you can find it in the Disney Plus toolbar at the top of the screen titled ‘Watchlist’.

You can also create up to eight profiles on one Disney Plus account, meaning each family member can create their own customised watchlists. 

Note that although adding films to your watchlist seems unlimited, I found it only displays the latest 50 titles I have added. It doesn’t remove the previous ones you’ve added and they will reappear once you start removing other titles, but you will have to search for those titles again if you want to locate it again. I’m hoping Disney+ will update this because I’ll probably end up forgetting what I’ve already added.

Explore the Disney+ Dashboard

Being a huge Disney fan, I was pretty confident I had watched most Disney films and TV shows before the release of Disney+. However after signing up I was a little overwhelmed (but excited) by all the incredible content I hadn’t seen before. Deciding what to watch first was like being a kid in a candy shop- there is just so-much-choice.

And the Disney+ library is growing even bigger. Disney is adding new content to the platform at least every month, so it can make it a challenge to decide what to watch.

Thankfully, the streaming service splits every film into smaller categories, which helps to narrow down your search. Click the ‘Search’ magnifying glass icon to open Disney Plus’ Explore feature and a number of different collections will be displayed, like the Star Wars collection or The Princesses collection.

The Disney Through the Decades collection is another great category to check out. It takes you through each generation of Disney movie and TV magic, starting in 1928 with Steamboat Willie, the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon series, right up to more recent releases such as The Avengers End Game.

Watch Disney+ Originals

As mentioned earlier, Disney+ plans to add new Disney+ Original content each month so it’s worth keeping up to date with what’s being released.

Include the Disney+ Originals you’re interested in watching. My first top picks were Lady and the Tramp, The Mandalorian, Togo and The Imagineering Story.

If you’re only planning on keeping a Disney+ account for the free seven day trial, you may want to wait to subscribe until all episodes of the new Star Wars series have been released in the UK.

Watch Disney films and TV shows you haven’t seen before

As tempting as it might be to tune in to nostalgic Disney animated classics, you’ve probably seen these time and time again and end up missing out content you can only watch via Disney Plus.

Put throwback movies aside for the meanwhile and check out Disney+ Originals or tittles you’ve been meaning to get round to watching. 

Ask for recommendations 

If you know an avid Disney fan who has already been using the service, ask them for recommendations to build your watchlist. If you are watching through the Disney+ website, you can both also share content URLs to make it easier to find in the library.

Have a movie marathon

From letting your kids watch Star Wars for the first time to epic superhero action in Marvel’s Avengers, or even Disney’s Toy Story quadrilogy, there are many sequels, trilogies and sagas on Disney+, which makes for a great movie marathon, either by yourself or as a family.

Watch Disney Plus on different devices

Can’t agree on something to watch? If you and your family have different movie or TV show tastes, Disney+ lets you stream on up to four different devices at the same time, keeping everyone happy and getting the most out of the free seven day trial.

Disney+ can be accessed on a number of devices, including select Smart TVs, Xbox One, PS4, iPhone, Android, iPad, tablets and other compatible devices.

Watch Disney Plus content while tidying or doing chores

Make every minute of your free Disney Plus trial count by having films or TV series you want to re-watch in the background while tidying or doing chores, this way you still get to tune in to your favourite content and be productive.

Download to watch Disney Plus offline

Whether you’re out in the garden where your Wi-Fi isn’t great or want to limit your child’s screen time, you can download movies and episodes from Disney+ to watch offline. 

To download content, simply select the downward arrow icon to begin the download process. Once complete, you can access the titles by tapping the same icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the menu of the app. 

There’s no limits on how many times you can download or watch a title offline, but you will need to access Disney Plus at least once a month to keep the downloaded content active. This protects Disney from people essentially ‘keeping’ the movies you download if you cancel your Disney Plus account.

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