1st visit since I was 7...How to plan an itinerary???

[LisaDougKaylee]

I haven't been back to disney since I was seven...lets just say over 20 years

There will be me, my fiance and his 7 year old daughter. (She doesn't know yet...its a suprise, we plan on telling her on her birthday a month before we leave.) Anyway, we're not sure about what to do on our first day. We're not sure how much she, rather we might be able to handle. We'll need to be leaving for the airport about 5-5:30am for 7:20a flight out of boston, arriving in orlando at 10:20a.

Is it best to ease ourselves into all the Magic, or just dive right in head first?????

My concern is that sweetpea tends to get a bit unruly without her beauty sleep, as do others of us, and I don't want to set us up to have miserable time?

Anyone have any thoughts/experiences they could share? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[snuggles]

Welcome to the Dis!! I think I would play the first day by ear. If you get there and need some rest then I would do that first. Maybe an early lunch would help refresh you too. Going to a park would depend on how long you stay, park hours and which tickets you buy. I think the Magic Kingdom would be the best park to start with. The castle should brighten any day.

 

[kilee]

It kind of depends on if you are staying on site and what type of tickets you have. If you have length of stay passes then you could possibly go for a swim when you get there, lay down for awhile, and then go to the Magic Kingdom first. The first trip I made as an adult (actually only time before I was 2), I got teary eyed seeing the castle.
If you have park hoppers, you probably won't want to waste a day going later in the afternoon. Therefore, I would suggest a little shopping after a nap and lunch at DTD. We try and do most of our souviner shopping there on a non-park day. It makes us just as excited for the non-park days.

 

[Piper]

There are a lot of things to think about---how many days are you staying, where are you staying, what kind of pass do you have, etc. If you give us some of those details, I am sure someone could help point you in the right direction.

You may want to consider swimming at your pool, nap and then go to Hoop de doo or the new luau for dinner---or (for a low cost alternative) even go to Ft Wilderness for the campfire program, watch the parade from their dock and then bed.

 

[4greatboys]

We usually arrive late at night, get some sleep and head out out early the next morning. If we were to arrive in the am we would have to hit the magic (after putting our lugguage in our room). Its so hard to wait to get to Disney, once there we just dive right in.
For our family the best itinerary for us is just to pick out what are the must do's and hit those early. Our family is not a good one to stick to a schedule so we dont have a certain order or time. We just see how the crowds are. If it seems busy we get a Fastpass for what we want to do and then hit a couple of other attractions close by.
Passporter is a good guide book to read before you go to help you out with the attractions.

 

[mad4themouse]

Originally posted by LisaDougKaylee
I haven't been back to disney since I was seven...lets just say over 20 years

There will be me, my fiance and his 7 year old daughter. (She doesn't know yet...its a suprise, we plan on telling her on her birthday a month before we leave.) Anyway, we're not sure about what to do on our first day. We're not sure how much she, rather we might be able to handle. We'll need to be leaving for the airport about 5-5:30am for 7:20a flight out of boston, arriving in orlando at 10:20a.

Having caught a few 6 am flights from Philly to MCO, I know how wrung out you can be on that first day. With a 3-hour flight, you may be able to catch up on your sleep while in the air. Or all of you may be so excited that you can't sleep.

Is it best to ease ourselves into all the Magic, or just dive right in head first?????

With a flight arriving at MCO at 10:20 am (if it's on time) you will still need time to get from the terminal to baggage claim, gather your luggage and get your ground transportation to your resort. This will add almost an hour. Figure on leaving MCO around 11:30 am and be happy if you're out of there earlier.

The ride to the WDW area will take you another 20 to 30 minutes if you go by rental car or limo. If you're taking a Mears motorcoach, it will be even longer since you'll be stopping at a number of resorts to drop off passengers.

Checkin time at many resorts is between 3pm and 4 pm. Many will allow you to check in early if your room is ready. Disney resorts will hold your luggage for you if the room is not ready. They even have changing areas where you can slip into your bathing suit and go enjoy the pool while you wait for your room to be ready. Pack your suits and sandals in a small carry on or consider wearing them under your clothes on the trip down.

My concern is that sweetpea tends to get a bit unruly without her beauty sleep, as do others of us, and I don't want to set us up to have miserable time?

You know this child better than we do. If lack of sleep is going to set you guys up for a meltdown later in the day, avoid rushing off to the parks as soon as you arrive. I've seen too many tired parents lose their patience with an overly-tired child at WDW. I've been there myself. It's not pretty.

Consider a fun lunch, swimming in the resort pool and a short nap once your room is available. Unless you have length of stay passes, do not go to the parks that evening. You may want to visit the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney or do miniature golf. Have dinner at Mickey's Luau, Chef Mickey's or the Whispering Canyon. There's also a Princess dinner at the Grand Floridian that she may just love. Make it an early night and start fresh and early the next day.

Anyone have any thoughts/experiences they could share? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

You didn't say how long your visit will be or whether you will be going to any non-Disney parks. My biggest advise would be:

• Take it in slowly. Don't try to do it all in one trip.
• Take mid-day breaks from the parks.
• Keep your schedule flexible in order to avoid meltdowns.
• If time permits, do at least one non-park day in the middle of your stay in order to recharge your batteries.
• Remember that little legs have to take twice as many steps as adult legs in order to cover the same amount of ground.
• Once you tell the child that she's going to WDW, let her help plan which attractions she wants to see. We all have different expectations.
• Set a firm souvenir budget in advance. It can either be a set amount for the entire trip or a daily dollar limit. At 7, your fiance's child is old enough to understand a little bit about the value of money. Since just about every attraction exits into a gift shop, it is very easy for a kid to get the gimmee's.
• Tell yourself that you will return. It helps me get thru the disappointment of missing a much-loved attraction or a parade. I'm always planning my next WDW trip while I'm still there!

 

[apagano]

My advice: take mad4themouse's post, make a printout of it, frame it and hang it on your bedrom wall. Read it every night before you go to bed. With that quality of advice, you cannot possibly go wrong!