Arrival day traditions/plans

[Mrspeaks]

What are you arrival day traditions/plans? We usually have done a meal at Disney springs or chef mickeys. I'm debating doing a park on our arrival day, if not I'd like to go to mickeys backyard BBQ. My girls would the character interaction the first day, especially if we don't try a park on the first day this year.

 

[loves to dive]

We drive down and usually get there between 2 and 3, after we check in if our room is ready we get settled in and then head to a park. If the room isn't ready we still head to a park. Normally either MK or AK just because no matter where we stay we have to take a bus to both of those parks so we try to get them out of the way.

 

[mom2rtk]

We previously would have chosen to do a character meal on arrival night. But since the addition of FP+, I would choose a park instead. Use that night's fastpasses to supplement what you couldn't get FP for another day (maybe the tiered rides you couldn't select on a different day). Want some character fun? Just go to the MK long enough to meet Mickey and some princesses by FP. That would save your other day's fastpasses for other things. You don't have to stay long, just long enough to catch the 3 FPs and maybe have a bite to eat. (catch one FP late in the window, do the next and catch the 3rd just as the window opens).

 

[SaintsManiac]

No traditions here! This time we are driving, so we have more control. We are going to Universal first, so it's straight to the park.

 

[Parker Clan]

Tradition is Whispering Canyon Cafe breakfast then check in, hang by pool, and Disney Springs after dinner. Last year we did 1900 Park Fare Dinner then Disney Springs... That might be a new tradition!

 

[Ava]

We haven't done a park on arrival day the last two trips but I'm thinking about it as an option for this summer. Our flight gets in at 12:45 so we'd have plenty of time to spend the evening in a park. I don't really want to pre-purchase that extra park day though, in case our flight is delayed or the kids say they just want to stay at the hotel and swim. If we decide we want to head to a park, I'll add a day to our tickets before we go in so it doesn't mess up any of our pre-booked FP+. I'm trying to make our plans a little more flexible this trip.

 

[Marthasor]

What are you arrival day traditions/plans? We usually have done a meal at Disney springs or chef mickeys. I'm debating doing a park on our arrival day, if not I'd like to go to mickeys backyard BBQ. My girls would the character interaction the first day, especially if we don't try a park on the first day this year.

EP is always our first park. It's my favorite and DS9 typically likes to go to the Japan pavilion first thing. I never make ADR's for our first night and, personally, would never book a pre-paid meal (like Mickey's BBQ). We've had a few flight delays and it's not worth the risk for me. I almost booked Club Villain for our first night on our last trip, but decided not to do it and I'm glad I did. We would have made it (just barely), but I would have been a nervous wreck and it just wasn't worth the stress. Instead, we went to EP, and used our FP+ as mom2rtk suggested - to supplement the FP+ we had on another day. We were able to do TT, Spaceship Earth and Mission Space. I was then lucky enough to pick up a 4th FP+ for Soarin' and the hostess at Garden Grill allowed us to do a walk-up so we ended up with a character meal, too. We sometimes make ADR's on our first night, but only after we've arrived and we know where we are going and what time we can actually make it to the restaurant.

Personally, I would pick a park, do a character meet and greet if your kids are interested and get some rides or other attractions done. I would wing dinner , do QS, or make an ADR once you arrive.

 

[Pkltm]

Our tradition is arrive, swim and the Disney Springs dinner and wandering. This year we are come off DCL so might decide to do a park.

 

[EdmondD]

We frequently stay at the Beach Club Villas and arrive around 1, so in the early afternoon we walk over to Epcot and Spaceship Earth is always our first attraction of the trip. This year (May) we'll FP Frozen, for our first-ever time to ride it.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

We always fly out very early, so we're generally arrive about mid-day. We check in, have lunch at the resort, then we hear the siren call of the castle and we head to Magic Kingdom. The last few trips we've done dinner at Crystal Palace, so our children feel that it is now our tradition!

 

[Farro]

Usually we stay in Epcot resorts, so arrival day was always to ride Spaceship Earth.

This time we are staying at Polynesian, so our arrival day will hopefully be The People Mover and dinner at Skipper Canteen!

 

[DisDad4Life]

We definitely have a fixed tradition! On arrival day we head to EP, ride a couple of rides then head over to World Showcase for dinner at the Biergarten. My kids would disown me if we didn't do Biergarten the first night. We save MK for the next morning to take in the morning welcome show (hope the new one by the castle gives us the same amazing feeling this spring!).

 

[gap2368]

I wake up at 2:30- 3 am drive go to the hotel ( If I am staying ) if not I go straight to MK and stay until I get tired normally 9pn 9 unless the fireworks are at 9 then I stay

I go home and sleep well that night ( most of the time)

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

What a neat question. DSO and I split the difference of our preferences on day one (I'm a parks mouse, he's a resort mouse.) We fly early and get to our resort around 11:30 a.m. We spend the next few hours resort-lounging (lunch, pool, stroll, plotz, etc.), then we head into Epcot where we will have Fastpasses scheduled for Spaceship Earth, Soarin', and Living with the Land. Then we'll just stroll around WS to our ADR at Biergarten. Illuminations is optional. Also, this "lazy" night at Epcot helped us learn to really enjoy Epcot.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

We definitely have a fixed tradition! On arrival day we head to EP, ride a couple of rides then head over to World Showcase for dinner at the Biergarten. My kids would disown me if we didn't do Biergarten the first night. We save MK for the next morning to take in the morning welcome show (hope the new one by the castle gives us the same amazing feeling this spring!).

Your night one is DSO's and my night one! Your morning one is my morning one! (While DSO loves breakfast at the resort.)

 

[BalooFan]

I don't have a specific arrival day tradition, but in general we arrive at our resort around 1:30 p.m., settle (hopefully) into our room, decompress for a little while, then go to a park for a few hours and have a table service dinner. There's no way I can wait until the next day to hit a park!

 

[Accident]

We arrive with what we call a full day to do whatever we want when we travel so there really isn't a travel day for us. We do all the parks in half day (or less) over the first 2 days. We do hit the must do, really miss rides and walk around to survey the parks, announce our arrival in victory lap fashion. We dont' do much table service but really like a nice dinner the first night and usually a nice lunch the second day.

then from there, we just go where the day and mood takes us. We've already done the important things, we've seen what is different and decide in the moment what were doing the rest of the trip.

If we arrive later, we'll do the victory lap around MK. We tried to do other parks the first day instead but even if we only have enough time to run up and down main street, we're hitting mk that day.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Against all advice here on the Dis, we attend a party! Either MNSSHP (2009 - 2013) or MVMCP (last 3 years).
We leave PVD airport at 6 am and are at our resort way before noon. We have been magically blessed that our room has always been ready by noon at the latest.
We then change and head out for the party. Because we have a 10 day pass, we enter MK earlier than 4 pm, eat a nice TS meal and then party like it's 1999! lol! Even though we are both old fogies, we are able to enjoy every minute!
I haven't figured out just what we are going to do if we ever go during a non party time!

 

[Mrspeaks]

Against all advice here on the Dis, we attend a party! Either MNSSHP (2009 - 2013) or MVMCP (last 3 years).
We leave PVD airport at 6 am and are at our resort way before noon. We have been magically blessed that our room has always been ready by noon at the latest.
We then change and head out for the party. Because we have a 10 day pass, we enter MK earlier than 4 pm, eat a nice TS meal and then party like it's 1999! lol! Even though we are both old fogies, we are able to enjoy every minute!
I haven't figured out just what we are going to do if we ever go during a non party time!

What a fun first day! If there is a MNSSHP our first night, we might go and then have the next day as a pool day. Our kids are you. And I think if we did stay out late after a day of traveling we would be beat.

 

[lullwater]

We arrive around noon, unpack and then head for the pool or water park. In the evening we head for Magic Kingdom by boat and have dinner at Whispering Canyon or Chef Mickey.