Arrival night advice?

[Wendydagny]

I'm torn re what to do on our arrival night, especially about feeding my kids.

We arrive at MCO at 8 pm on a Thursday night, staying at the poly. We will be using MDE. I'll have two teenagers with me. We are going to the airport straight from school, and timing isn't going to allow for a real meal ahead of time. Grabbing fast food is problematic because I have one vegetarian.

We have annual passes, so we would not be "wasting" a day to enter the MK, which closes at 12 am that day (for now).

We're going to want to stay up anyway to wait for our luggage to arrive and because again, they're teenagers.

WWYD that night?

 

[JWigs]

Where are you flying in from?

 

[buzzrelly]

You could eat at MCO. There is an Au Bon Pain that has salads, etc. or you could wait until you get to the Poly, though by then it'll probably be 9-930, and you all might be starving by then. But if you did that, Uou could then grab something at Cap'n Cooks.

Personally, we are flying into MCO in April and our plane doesn't land until 10:30pm. We booked a room at the Hyatt right there and the next morning we will take DME TO The Poly. I didn't want to waste so much money (or points, in my case) and not get there until so late.

 

[patster734]

Because you're staying at the Poly, I suggest eating at Kona Cafe. Its a sitdown restaurant and would be a great way to unwind after a flight and DME bus trip.

 

[Alesia]

Why not just bring sandwiches or something and eat on the plane?

 

[Figmentmommy]

Why not just bring sandwiches or something and eat on the plane?

This is what we did when we had a similar flight schedule. We split a couple of snacks at our resort when we did arrive but didn't have to worry about having a full meal at that time - or being hungry from waiting so long to eat.

 

[minnie mum]

Why not just bring sandwiches or something and eat on the plane?

I agree. You could take sandwiches, fruit, and some packaged snacks on the plane. Capt. Cook's would still be open if the kids were hungry again once you got to the resort.

But since you won't get to the resort until 9-9:30, your luggage probably won't arrive before midnight. You might want to consider leaving the yellow tags off your bags and collecting them yourself. They'll stow them under the ME bus. That way you could unpack and settle in. Just an option.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Since you have AP's and you're not wasting a day, I'd check in, drop my carry-on luggage in the room and hop on the monorail to MK. That's what DH and I do when we have a late evening arrival and the park is open later. It's our tradition now, we get to the park and go on some rides, walk around and grab a bite to eat at a counter service place. It's a great way to start out the vacation, and we don't rush around and go nuts that night - it's a nice leisurely pace. If you don't feel like going to a park, I'd suggest grabbing a quick service meal at Capt Cooks (they do have salads for the vegetarian) or at one of the other monorail hotels.

 

[Tiki Sean]

Since you have AP's and you're not wasting a day, I'd check in, drop my carry-on luggage in the room and hop on the monorail to MK. That's what DH and I do when we have a late evening arrival and the park is open later. It's our tradition now, we get to the park and go on some rides, walk around and grab a bite to eat at a counter service place. It's a great way to start out the vacation, and we don't rush around and go nuts that night - it's a nice leisurely pace. If you don't feel like going to a park, I'd suggest grabbing a quick service meal at Capt Cooks (they do have salads for the vegetarian) or at one of the other monorail hotels.

Thats what I would do but grab a hot dog at Casey's when you make it to Magic Kingdom

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I would pack food to eat on the plane for sure. I do this very often. If they're hungry when you get to Poly, grab a snack or head to MK if you feel like it. We often pack bag lunches/dinners for planes, especially on long travel days with fast connections.

 

[SharonLowe]

Thats what I would do but grab a hot dog at Casey's when you make it to Magic Kingdom

I don't think the vegetarian in her party would like that option ;-)

 

[Wendydagny]

We are just traveling from bwi. Not a long travel time, but they are coming straight from a full day of school.

We plan on using the luggage delivery and just packing a night of clothes in the carry on. It's not that big of a deal to us and it's unlikely theyl want to sleep before midnight.

They had this crazy idea of eating at crt at 11:15. Gotta love teenage girls.

Many have suggested captain cooks. But doesn't the actually cooked food end at 10 pm? Is it reasonable to assume well arrive before then? I've done this a million times and I am still blanking on transit times...

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I would buy something to eat in the terminal once you clear security and eat it on the plane. That way you aren't starving while waiting for and riding MDE. If you can make dinner plans at the resort, great, If not, you won't be famished.

 

[J'aime Paris]

How long is your ride from school to the airport? I know my teen is starving when she gets home. (She has the earliest lunch at school.)
I would pack food to eat in the car. You can put veggie chili, warm pasta/sauce, soup, etc. in a thermos for a hot meal on the go. Cut up some fresh fruits and veggies, and bring some bottled water.
I plan to do this when we pick DD up from school in March and head straight to the airport and on to Universal for a long weekend!

 

[unrequited23]

I would pack easy snacks for the trip (almonds, belvita breakfast biscuits, protein bars) AND plan on going to MK to grab something later even if it is just a dole whip.

 

[Tiki Sean]

I don't think the vegetarian in her party would like that option ;-)

Yeah but who is going to eat the side of Apple Slices?

 

[momoftwinboys09]

I would pack easy snacks for the trip (almonds, belvita breakfast biscuits, protein bars) AND plan on going to MK to grab something later even if it is just a dole whip.

I've heard about the 'dole whip' Going to have to check it out! =)

 

[TAK]

We always bring dinner with us on flights down to Florida (we're from the NE as well). We like to get sandwiches (subs, I call them; my husband calls them heros) at a nearby deli along with snacks, sides, etc. Then we eat mid-flight, whenever we're hungry for dinner. Honestly, we feel a little smug about it when everyone else just has to subside on little packs of peanuts. But it's great to not be HANGRY when we get there.

 

[Shanti]

I'm torn re what to do on our arrival night, especially about feeding my kids.

We arrive at MCO at 8 pm on a Thursday night, staying at the poly. We will be using MDE. I'll have two teenagers with me. We are going to the airport straight from school, and timing isn't going to allow for a real meal ahead of time. Grabbing fast food is problematic because I have one vegetarian.

We have annual passes, so we would not be "wasting" a day to enter the MK, which closes at 12 am that day (for now).

We're going to want to stay up anyway to wait for our luggage to arrive and because again, they're teenagers.

WWYD that night?

Order in room service for dinner the first night. That way you'll get a good, relaxing meal when you're ready for it, & won't have to worry about missing the arrival of your bags.

 

[vicb]

So given that your kids are teens and you have APs, I would totally head to MK even if it is only for 2-3 hours. Love MK at night, get on some rides which takes the pressure off the day you actually have planned to go to MK.

In the past we have brought a few things with us for the plane (like a box of cookies and a can of pringles) but bought a sandwich, salad and/or yogurts to eat on the plane. Then you are ready to go upon arrival, no cranky/hangry teens! You can always get a snack later at MK or your resort... and Poly is so easy to get to and from the MK.

I would not make an ADR, last trip our flight was a few hours late so we were unable to complete the plan we had made (fortunately we didn't make an ADR with $ on the line). We grabbed food at the S/D pool bar and headed into HS for eve. emh... it was great!

Have fun!