Arrival day ideas?

[BigHeroKen]

Depending on what time we get in and what resort we are staying at we usually go to Downtown Disney or hang out at the pool, arcade, or playground.

 

[tinkfan160]

We are arriving quite early on our arrival day in July, but we choose not to get a park ticket for that day. Our whole trip is going to be pretty "chill" since we are approaching park veteran status so we don't have many priorities. We are planning on heading to Downtown Disney. I also have a friend who works at MK and I am hoping to meet up with her, because she told me she could take us to the cast member discount store. Depending on how tired we are since our flight leaves quite early, we might also go watch Wishes from either the GF boat dock or the beach at Poly.

 

[KT0191]

I usually always have DTD planned for my arrival day but this time we are going to swim, eat and then do Pirates and Pals

 

[lauraleh]

We like to do DTD. This year we are going for lunch then back to Pop for naps/swimming and then to Boma for dinner. We are driving in (15 hr drive) and while our kids might be up for a park, their parents won't be! I want to make sure we are rested for the marathon we are about to run for the next 7 days!

 

[villainj]

We always do DTD the first night, it's a pretty relaxed night and no particular set plans.

 

[Lisaloo]

I'm not a shopper so I don't enjoy DTD, but we love the Boardwalk for the first night before the trip actually starts. I made an ADR for the Italian place and the kids have saved up some arcade money. It's themed so well and a nice relaxing start to the trip.

We have fallen into the "it's so cheap to add days" thing and extended the trip several times before but I prefer this more relaxing option.

 

[JESSketeer]

We usually start out our vacation with some relaxation, since we know the rest of the trip will be non stop! We'll hang out at the resort for a while, enjoy the pool and then head to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner! This year we'll pretty much be doing the same thing, except we've made an ADR at Ohana for dinner instead of somewhere in DTD.

 

[jacksgirl]

Wow! Thanks for all the ideas. We are driving in, so 3:00 p.m. is our estimated arrival at the resort. We have MVMCP tickets for the 10th, and we're doing Hoop de Doo on the 15th. I considered SoA (we love the Luau), and I considered adding a park day. The rest of my family isn't really into shopping, or DTD would be great. I also thought about letting DH and DS use the 2 DQ admissions and go play while my parents and I do some resort hopping (this is their first trip, and I think they will be amazed by the resorts).

 

[Canuck16]

We go to the resort and hang out and head to DTD for a bite to eat on our arrival day

 

[clr055]

Another vote for DTD. My DD13 and I will be arriving kind of late in January. The plan is to head to DTD, get dinner at Wolfgang's (counter service) and a sundae from Ghirardelli then head back and get some zzz's for RD at MK the next day. We will do DTD again mid-way through the trip for some shopping and so she can build her own light saber at Once Upon a Toy and probably Disney Quest.

 

[eyehartdisney]

I would rather blow a ticket day the day I arrive rather than the day I leave. If you do want another day at the end of yout vacation, its quite cheap, just buy it while you still have a day on your tickets.

 

[Lisaloo]

I would rather blow a ticket day the day I arrive rather than the day I leave. If you do want another day at the end of yout vacation, its quite cheap, just buy it while you still have a day on your tickets.

I like this idea.

 

[ZoZo]

Wow! Thanks for all the ideas. We are driving in, so 3:00 p.m. is our estimated arrival at the resort. We have MVMCP tickets for the 10th, and we're doing Hoop de Doo on the 15th. I considered SoA (we love the Luau), and I considered adding a park day. The rest of my family isn't really into shopping, or DTD would be great. I also thought about letting DH and DS use the 2 DQ admissions and go play while my parents and I do some resort hopping (this is their first trip, and I think they will be amazed by the resorts).

That sounds like a reallly good plan (your husband and son going to DQ, and you and your parents doing a little resort-hopping). Regarding Spirit of Aloha, in my opinion, it's only so-so. The food is okay, and the entertainment is sort of fun - but I don't think it's worth it for what it costs. And I agree that DTD is mostly for shopping now, and the restaurants - not much else to do there since Pleasure Island closed several years ago. So if you're not into shopping, DTD is definitely skippable.

Personally, I would go to a park on arrival day if I got in mid-afternoon. We never really have the energy to do that when we go to WDW, since we fly from the Seattle area. With the three-hour time difference and having to get up at 3:00 am to catch a 6:00 am flight, we're just wiped out on arrival day. If I got in at a reasonable time and wasn't too tired, I'd totally go to a park the first day though - but that's just me. I'm usually so excited that I can't wait to get to the parks, but totally wiped out from traveling.

 

[bsiev1977]

We (me, DH, DS12, my parents) will be coming in on Sunday, November 8th, arriving around 3:00 p.m. We are staying 9 nights but only have 8 day park tickets, so I really don't want to waste a precious park day that night. However, I want to do something that will be fun for DS so he won't be upset about not going to a park as soon as we get there.

-Downtown Disney. The World of Disney store has everything. The Lego Store is great. You could go bowling at Splitsville. Disney Quest. Etc...

-or, go to one of the mini golf courses.

 

[BalooPA]

I would suggest either DTD (including a movie at the AMC Theater), or maybe go over to the Magic Kingdom and ride the monorail to Epcot and back, and then maybe over the the Polynesian for the Spirit of Aloha dinner show, or take the boat over to Fort Wilderness for the Hoop-Dee-Do dinner show.

 

[Ocean]

I like the idea of DTD, but as someone pointed out above, it can be crowded. However, if there is a movie you really want to see, you might be get into the AMC and avoid some of the crowded areas.

If the weather cooperates, the feature pool at your resort might be a nice way to spend some time.

Your son might be too old for this, but if the Campfire Singalong with Chip and Dale is going, that might be fun if the evening is chilly. I've always wanted to do that, but I've never gotten around to it.

As another suggestion, you could look at some of the different resort restaurants and let your little guy pick the one that really interests him. We always enjoy seeing other resorts, and if he gets to pick, that makes it a little more special.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

I would have to agree to Down Town Disney. There is also Gatorland, but I think they close around 5 or 6 (I could be wrong about that). We enjoy going there. Gators everywhere. Down town Disney would make a nice evening.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We always do magic kingdom on arrival day. We always get in before noon. For me I'm not in wdw until I see the castle.

 

[artemis908]

Another recommendation - checking out a different resort and having dinner there. Like maybe Animal Kingdom Lodge of Boardwalk Inn, there is a lot to do at those resorts to keep you busy for the rest of the day.

 

[beck00]

Another recommendation - checking out a different resort and having dinner there. Like maybe Animal Kingdom Lodge of Boardwalk Inn, there is a lot to do at those resorts to keep you busy for the rest of the day.

I like this idea! We were planning DTD for our arrival day of Nov 19th, but now our flight is landing at 8:30 a.m. We're thinking MK then resort or DTD for dinner.