Arrival day - to park or not to park?

[Blondie58]

We always "park" day one but turn in early as we take the earliest flight out of MCO. Do a Disney Springs afternoon and evening if you do not want to pay for park passes for half a day. Turn in early and be ready to go at rope drop day two. Have fun!! (You can alwasy dinner and sight see too. Riding the gondola is great fun.)

 

[CynBeth]

Just something to keep in mind there is the possibility the plane might not leave on time and you get there later than you think. On our last Disney trip a few years ago we were supposed to land at nine something but left 2 hours late due to a mechanical issue so did not arrive at MCO until eleven something and by the time we got our bags and rental car and drove to the hotel and got in our room it was early afternoon and we stopped by the food court for lunch and then went to MK. Luckily we only missed our FPs did not make a lunch ADR only one for dinner.

 

[Tattylou]

Just something to keep in mind there is the possibility the plane might not leave on time and you get there later than you think. On our last Disney trip a few years ago we were supposed to land at nine something but left 2 hours late due to a mechanical issue so did not arrive at MCO until eleven something and by the time we got our bags and rental car and drove to the hotel and got in our room it was early afternoon and we stopped by the food court for lunch and then went to MK. Luckily we only missed our FPs did not make a lunch ADR only one for dinner.

Thanks - I did actually think of that- especially with February weather potential impact since we are coming from the Northeast.

 

[Tawney]

Our flight arrives at MCO at 0930, so I am hoping to be at Pop by 1030 to drop our bags and head out to Epcot.

 

[Shughart]

1st trip we went to a park right away and it was the start of a crazy hectic trip that I eventually had to pump the brakes and pull my family out of some activities (I did not plan). 2nd trip we planned a chill dinner in DS (there was a meltdown, we got through it, but it was rough). Third trip I swear we are stopping at Wawa and heading to our condo to sprawl.

 

[Heather07438]

We always got tickets for the partial days flying in and out. Like you said, day 7 doesn’t add much cost and we found it worth it even just for the extra 3 FPS &/or fireworks. Right now nothing is going on in those departments but there could be something Feb ‘22. Who knows. By then possibly a replacement for FP comes along and maybe some shows.
You don’t have to decide too early. Keep an eye on the situation and know you can always add Day 7 if need be.

 

[MudQueen22]

We usually make our arrival day a resort and DS day.

 

[Erzengel]

I think I'd need a minimum of 10 hours, maybe 8 hours for a water park or even less since I need to burn through 8 fun day passes before 2030.

 

[tjmw2727]

When we arrive early since a room won't (likely) be ready we always plan a park day so we don't feel like we are stuck waiting at the resort for that room ready text. The few times we planned to spend time at the pool it was either too cold or stormy! We don't make ADR's or reservations that require a deposit just in case we do get delayed. If we are arriving later than 3ish then we forgo a park day for a night at the resort or DS depending on time of year and travel party.

In your case Epcot sounds like a great choice! Store your bags with bell services head to Epcot and then when you do get the room ready text if anyone is tired and needs a break they can head back for a rest.

 

[bluezy]

We used to just hang out at the resort and DTD/DS on arrival day because I was one of those people who didn't want to waste a full day ticket for just a few hours in a park. When I realized that since we already had 5-day tickets, that it was only going to cost us $12/person (12 years ago) to add an extra day to our tickets, it was a no brainer. Even if we were only going to spend 2 hours at a park, it was worth the $12. We drive to Disney and usually arrive by 10 or 11 a.m. so we unload the car and do a little unpacking (our rooms have always been ready when we arrived) and have a leisurely lunch at the resort. Then we head to EP for some casual touring -- usually using our 3 FPs (who knows if those will ever return) and having dinner at Sunshine Seasons. We head back to the resort by about 7:00-8:00 to do some more unpacking, maybe a quick swim, and then get a good night's sleep to hit the ground running in the morning. We find going to a park for a few hours on arrival day is a nice way to ease into our vacation.

 

[boomchip]

With the kids being "old enough" I would certainly push for the extra park day . A week is a decent amount of time to really have a blast. Our next trip in 2022 is 9 days so on our arrival day we are NOT doing a park, but our kids will be 6 and 9 at time of travel (and it will also be their first time) so we are taking it easy on day one.

 

[gharter]

Previously, we have done DS on arrival day. This year, its to the resort and then a park. DS is later in our week.