What to do the first day/travel day?

[waughzoo]

Our family of four (dw, ds - 5, dd - 3) will be arriving on July 24th in the Orlando airport at 9:30 am. We are trying to discuss what to do the first day. We are staying five nights and purchased a six day hopper pass. We are staying at the Wilderness lodge and we are all first time visitors. Now we will be getting up around 4 am to make our flight. But again, what would be the best park to view in the afternoon before returning to our resort and getting to bed early from a lvery early travel day?

 

[GC&S]

We have to go to the MK first - no matter what day we get there, what time, how tired, etc. With your children the ages they are, their reaction to the castle will be so precious. There's nothing like that first look. Our trip doesn't begin until we see the castle!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

First of all to the DIS!

We have to go to the MK first - no matter what day we get there, what time, how tired, etc. With your children the ages they are, their reaction to the castle will be so precious. There's nothing like that first look. Our trip doesn't begin until we see the castle!

I have to agree with this. I ALWAYS have to go to the MK first. You are arriving as early as you can hope for so you have plenty of time to go play in the parks, even if you want to get to bed early. OR you can take a quick nap (if your room is ready) and then head out. But I would consider this a FULL DAY considering the time you are arriving.

Being a first time visitor, I would definitely suggest MK for you. Being that you are staying at WL, it's just a quick boat ride and you are there! You'll be there during a fairly busy time of year so don't expect to do it all that one day. Just relax, explore, and enjoy the atmostphere! Have fun!!

 

[MomofKatie]

We always do Epcot on our arrival day. We usually check in to the hotel around noon, settle in and swim. Around 3pm, we head to Epcot. It is a low-key visit for us- we might do 1 or 2 rides in FW, then stroll around WS, just shopping and taking in the atmosphere. We do a TS dinner, and can stay for Illuminations or not, depending on how tired we are from the drive.

We don't like to do MK unless we have the whole day, and we are fresh and ready to go! We have been known to wait and do MK last. To us, all of WDW is magical- not just the sight of the Castle.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I would make an early lunch ADR at Crystal Palace.

After you check in, head to MK. Take your time walking down Main Street. Have one parent head over to Fantasyland and grab a FP(Pooh, Peter Pan or Philharmagic) while the other parent checks in for your ADR.

After a nice lunch and quality time with Pooh and his friends, head to FL and let the fun begin.

Oh yeah, WELCOME

 

[bookgirl2632]

Well, we always go for at least a week, so what we do on our first day wouldn't make sense for you. We always go to DTD on arrival day. I don't know why. It's just something that eases us into the vacation, I guess. Then we head back to the hotel, get into our room, unpack, and head out to Epcot for the evening.

 

[Jillnkids]

I agree with Disneyjunkie. Book a lunch at Crystal Palace and then take your time through Fantasyland and Toontown. When we went 3 years ago, we spent our first day at MK and had lunch at Crystal Palace. It was a PERFECT day!

You are going to love Wilderness Lodge! Have a great trip!

 

[mabenoab]

Sounds like we've got the same flight! We're due to arrive at 9:30am on our first day too, and what to do/or should we fly in the night before? has been a major source of discussion around our dinner table!

We've decided to just go with our plans and arrive early in the morning. Yes, we have to get up at 3:30am to make the airport in time, and hotel check in isn't until long after we arrive, but we can leave our things with the hotel valet, go get a nice lunch, putter around MK a bit, then go back to the room for a mid-afternoon nap if we need it (I will) and then hit another park in the evening.

I totally agree with the person who recommended the Crystal Palace for a relaxed lunch. Thats our plan! We've done it before on arrival day and it never fails to be a fun way to start the trip (we're still talking about the waiter we had on June 30, 2000!)

 

[cougartrace]

we will be arriving at noon on Sunday, June 3rd so we have the same questions. By the time, we get our luggage and get to WL, I suspect it will be closer to 2:30pm before we head out. I guess we will play it by ear.

 

[JMD]

We usually just relax by the pool the first day, go out to a nice dinner and then walk around DTD for a while. First day is kind of relaxing for us, and then we hit the parks first thing in the morning.

 

[slug]

Our family of four (dw, ds - 5, dd - 3) will be arriving on July 24th in the Orlando airport at 9:30 am. We are trying to discuss what to do the first day. We are staying five nights and purchased a six day hopper pass. We are staying at the Wilderness lodge and we are all first time visitors. Now we will be getting up around 4 am to make our flight. But again, what would be the best park to view in the afternoon before returning to our resort and getting to bed early from a lvery early travel day?

We have about the same thing going - up at 4am, landing at 10am. In the past, we've gone to the hotel (this time the CR), checked our bags (unless they allow you to check in early which is probably not likely that early in the morning), and then grabbed an early lunch somewhere on the monorail line (usually the GF Cafe). For you, I'd have lunch at the Wilderness Lodge somewhere. This way you can relax for a bit before hitting the parks.

But I agree with the above posters in that you MUST go to MK first - especially since this is your first time. You cannot replicate walking down Main Street the first time - that should be your first experience. Good luck.

 

[GoofyJeff]

We always do Epcot on our arrival day. We usually check in to the hotel around noon, settle in and swim. Around 3pm, we head to Epcot. It is a low-key visit for us- we might do 1 or 2 rides in FW, then stroll around WS, just shopping and taking in the atmosphere. We do a TS dinner, and can stay for Illuminations or not, depending on how tired we are from the drive.

We don't like to do MK unless we have the whole day, and we are fresh and ready to go! We have been known to wait and do MK last. To us, all of WDW is magical- not just the sight of the Castle.

This is exactly my response, too. We usually stay at BWV, and after all the transportation of the day (cars, planes, busses), we just want to stroll to Epcot and hang out.

And we'll be doing that in another 42 days!

 

[cabanafrau]

Definitely with the time of day you'll be arriving, I recommend going & getting in a bit of park time & the only way we start a Disney trip is by visiting the MK. I think it's for you to decide if you want to schedule an ADR for a TS meal or just decide to take sometime to lunch at one of the very good CS options MK offers.

With kids 3 & 5, it might be anybody's guess how they will feel when you actually hit the ground & I know I would be working up major anxiety if the kids weren't feeling the vibe to sit & eat at the place & time I'd reserved.

Be warned, your arrival day might be what many sources would tell you is a bad day to tour MK. We're not disciplined soldiers here & must start every trip w/ MK. If it's incredibly crowded, take a deep breath & remember your visit has just started & you will have plenty of time to see everything on your must-do before your trip is over. Crowded or not, MK will provide plenty of magic moments to keep your kids entertained & you all will have the time of your lives.

 

[MissionMouse]

...(dw, ds - 5, dd - 3) will be arriving on July 24th in the Orlando airport at 9:30 am...first time visitors...getting up around 4 am to make our flight...best park to view in the afternoon before returning to our resort and getting to bed early from a lvery early travel day?

I think it MK would be best to eliminate wasted time traveling to and from a park, coupled with 5 and 3yo love MK. I would also suggest making ADRs for this day at the MK, WL or a Monorail Resort.

We no longer go right from the airport to WDW. We either go to Sea World, DTD or another Orlando attraction with an offsite resort. It allows for a smoother transition to our Disney Resort and an early start at one of the parks.

I'm not sure you have made any ADRs for your trip, so you might want to look at the Dining Section of the site. Especially, if you desire to eat at a Table Service Restaurant during Peak Summer Season.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining.htm

 

[disneycake]

We usually do MGM first as we only do a handful of rides/walking around there and then head back to the hotel for some relaxation/check-in. Then we'll probably head to play mini-golf and hang out at the Boardwalk area and watch Illuminations.

 

[bytheblood]

to the Disboards!!

We always go to MK the first and last day if the trip and in-between, of course. This really sets the mood for the entire vacation.

If you are arriving late and do not want to use a park pass for the first day, I would head to Downtown Disney!

 

[disneymania10]

We arrive at the same time for the last 14 years we have been going to disney. Nothing kicks off disney like seeing the MK and the castle. I like the idea of the crystal palace character lunch too. The only thing is your kids may not want sit still after their eyes try to take in the magical magic kingdom. If you opt to do this lunch a different day-you can stroll over to mickeys toontown fair. You can explore Minnie's house. Go in the big tent to meet the characters. There are three lines each with about three characters you can meet, take pictures with etc. You can grab some fast passes to some attractions. Then, another nice thing to do is to watch the 3:00 parade. It is such a great side and truly gets you into the "magic". You can go to the at shop in the main street circle and buy them their first mickey ears and have them sew their names on it. What a great memory and souvenier that will be. Then its nice to go back to the hotel early evening for a bit to eat at roaring forks. Good time to go for a swim and explore the wilderness lodge too. Its always exciting to explore the hotel. That is a great hotel too! If you are awake, you can watch the electrical water pageant that goes by your hotel around 9:00sh to end the great day! No matter what have a magical trip!!

 

[ddoconnell]

First of all WELCOME to the DIS

Second...we always get there early our first day so taht we can get the room/bldg that we want. We go to EPCOT or MGM on that first day. Like other posters we like to want to do MK when we are fresh. We always do it our 2nd day. We start off with a character b'fast at Chef Mickey's and then take the monorail over to MK. If we time it right we get there just as the train comes from toontown All of that really gets us a great start on all of the magic.

Have a great time at WDW!

We're there in 9 days!!

 

[waughzoo]

I appreciate all of the thoughts and opinions. Still talking with the DW about what to do. Regardless, our excitement continues to grow as we learn more about WDW.

 

[bookgirl2632]

I appreciate all of the thoughts and opinions. Still talking with the DW about what to do. Regardless, our excitement continues to grow as we learn more about WDW.

No matter what you decide, you are going to have a wonderful time!