1st day at Disney World ?

[lzj21428]

When we arrive at the Poly on Aug 9 we won't be heading off to the parks that day. I was thinking of going to Downtown Disney.
Can anyone tell me what it's like? Would kids ages 16, 11, 8 like it? How do you get there from Poly? Thanks for the help and sorry if I posted this to the wrong board.

 

[JMD]

You should be able to catch a bus to DD right outside the lobby of the Poly. If not the Transportation and Ticket center is only a short walk you can definitely get one there.

DD during the day is pretty much shopping and restaurants. At night is when all the action starts but PI is 18 and over. There are some stores that kids will enjoy, like theWorld of Disney, Team Mickey, the Lego Store. But it may not keep them happy very long, lol.

there are also some restaurants at DD that the kids will like, Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood, and House a Blues to name a few.


Enjoy your trip.

 

[katiemegcz]

We usually plan 1-3 days at WDW before we start our park tickets. It is so much better than hopping off the plane, and directly into the lines!

Downtown Disney is very nice if your kids like to shop. Plenty of Disney-themed stores, and food...I think it is a great way to ease into the Disney feeling...

A couple more suggestions...The Boardwalk resort is our personal favorite hang-out in the evening. We go over, and rent surrey bikes and ride around the lagoon past the Beach Yacht Club and Boardwalk. The shops are open fairly late, and the food is great like the atmosphere. You can see parts of Illuminations from there too.

The great thing about staying at the Poly is that you can grab a hammock on the beach and watch the water parade and the fireworks with the perfect view and a pina colada if you like! We also liked to ride the monorail or boats to the Floridian and enjoy the atmosphere there as well.

I know your kids are older, but we also like the character dinner at Chef Mickeys.

Have a great time!!

 

[soccer mom]

Don't forget Disney Quest in DD. It is a five story arcade. Unless you have an Ultimate Park Hopper (Length of stay pass) it is somewhere around $25-30 to get in and then they can stay as long as they want to. The kids would be find alone (I would make mine promise not to ditch the 8 year old!)

We did it one year. We gave the kids a cell phone and DH and I had a wonderful dinner for two at Wolfgang Pucks. Only difference was that my youngest was 11 at the time.

Poly is also a great place to hang out with the pool, beach, and boat rentals. Then maybe dinner at DD. My kids really enjoyed House of Blues.

 

[Terk-1]

Since you are not hitting a park, I would recommend maybe doing dinner at O'Hana's or even the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. Both are great places to dine and a fun way to start your trip. Check to see if Wishes is being shown. If so, plan on being out on the Polynesian's main beach to view it from there. You can also view the Electrical Water Parade as well from there. Make sure to hit the hay early, since you'll have a fun filled packed day the next morning.

HAVE FUN!!!

 

[lzj21428]

Thanks for all the great ideas. Disney Quest sounds like a great idea for the kids. I think they would enjoy that.

Someone mentioned the park hopper pass, which we will have. Does that mean you won't have to pay to get into Disney Quest?

 

[Mouseteacher]

You need to have the Park Hopper Plus Pass to have DQ included as one of your options.

 

[indymom1]

My older DS is turing 8 this August and DTD is one of his very favorite places. He loves Lego Land, the huge Disney Store, Ghirradelis for awesome ice cream, and of course he has gotten some of his best pins at DTD both at their shop and from CM's at the stores. He is turning into quite a little pin trader. Also every time we go to DW and thus DTD we get each child a personalized ornament from the Christmas shop. He now has about 5 or so and absolutely loves putting them out at Christmas time. If this is something you are interested in it is good to do it early because they take about 24 hours to get made. The other great thing about shopping at DTD is that you can have your purchases shipped back to your resort. You get them the next afternoon which is great. Shopping without having to carry any of the bags. Even my DH loves that