Arrival Day Meal ?

[Easto]

Family of 4

August 20th

Kids will be 7&9

We have DDP

Staying at POR

Arrival in Orlando 8:40am

We loved Ohana Dinner last time we visited in 2016. I think we want to do it again on arrival day if available at a reasonable time.

If we can’t get Ohanas, which dinner venue would you suggest that would give a nice kick start to the Disney vibe

 

[Harambe]

Garden Grill in Epcot? Mickey!!!

 

[3gr8boys]

The restaurants I have been thinking about if our arrival day ends up being a non-park day are 1900 Park Fare (I have 3 sons for Lady Tremaine to choose from for her daughters) and Boma.

 

[Hopefully]

How are you traveling? What time are you Scheduled to arrive? Travel day is full of unplanned, unavoidable delays. I never book an ADR sooner than 5 hours after arrival.

 

[PlutoFan10]

Unless you plan to go into a park, a Disney Springs Restaurant is a good choice. Take the boat to get there from POR

 

[Beachmom0317]

You could do Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness than take the internal bus to Meadow Trading Post after for chip n dale sing along

 

[samsteele]

Completely agree with PP @Hopefully re arrival day ADRs. Depending on your arrival time, and considering that delays often happen, perhaps a fun quick service may be the way to go. A smart alternative may be booking on opentable for no cancellation fee. Check out their website and see if the listed disney springs restaurants work for you. Less stress and worry. Many of those restaurants do take the dining plan. Otherwise, book your ADR for another day at a fun, relaxing 1 TS for lunch out of the heat and in much needed air conditioning. Just some words to wise.

 

[Jillianna]

Storybook Dining at Artist Point..

 

[B-Ride]

Staying at POR. In my mind the perfect choice is Boatwright's at your resort. We ate there for the first time last trip and it was one of the pleasant surprises of our trip. We ordered the Crawfish Macaroni & Cheese as an appetizer to share and there are some notable options for the entrée. Even better you can relax after your travel and enjoy your meal. Start your first touring day well rested and well fed.

 

[dachsie]

Ragland Rd at Disney Springs would be fun or T-Rex for those ages

 

[gillep]

I only schedule restaurants that I can book on Open Table for arrival day, I just don't want to have to worry about potentially missing an ADR due to travel.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Boat to Disney springs. You can make a reservation at some of the restaurants there via Opentable which is far more flexible than WDW dining. Homecomin and Boathouse are our faves.

 

[Easto]

It would be a non-park day

Arrival in Orlando at 8:40am

 

[Easto]

I am even wondering if something like Chef Mickeys would be fine.

Or another character meal to get things off to a cool start for the kids

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I am even wondering if something like Chef Mickeys would be fine.

Or another character meal to get things off to a cool start for the kids

We like Chef Mickey’s for arrival day to kick off our trips. I know it’s not an overly popular opinion around here but we love it. My vacation doesn’t start until I see Mickey.

 

[Hi Pluto]

T-Rex would be a fun choice. Especially since you can boat over to it, then enjoy Disney Springs.

Hoop De Doo Revue is also an experience, and more "Disney" than T-Rex. But I don't know if I would use 2 DDP credits. Maybe pay OOP for that one.

 

[DISNEY1975]

I would eat right at the resort. Not sure how you are arriving, but with your early morning arrival time, I assume youre leaving your house much earlier than that and the kids will be tired by the time it gets to dinner time. Keep is simple on day one and get to bed early so you will be refreshed and ready for the rest of your vacation!

My family usually arrives around 10am. We go to the MK and only go on attractions we have fast passes, with a light lunch (usually the Plaza) around 11:00. We go back to the resort around 3 -4pm, go for a swim, shower, change and have dinner around 6:00 at our resort. Walk around a little and are in bed by 8:30 -9pm, ready for a full day the next day(s).

 

[Farro]

We are going to do Biergarten on our arrival day! We've never been, but the atmosphere and music seem like a great way to kick off a Disney trip.

Regarding ADRs on arrival day, we always do early morning flights and book dinners for the evening. We do non-stop flights. If the flight is delayed, just call and explain that you need to cancel due to a flight change. Most cases (NOT ALL), you won't get charged. We were able to cancel dinners day of due to being sick with no charges.

If you aren't comfortable taking the chance you may be delayed and they may charge you for the no-show, don't book on the day of travel.

We don't mind taking that chance.