Arriving at 11, go straight to the park or stop at the hotel (Boardwalk Inn)?

[askias]

Our flight gets in at 11 AM. We're renting a car, so let's assume we're at WDW at noon. What should we do? We have a park reservation at Hollywood Studios. We could go there, have lunch, and enjoy the park and then leisurely return to the hotel around 5 or so to get ready for dinner. Alternatively, we could go the Boardwalk Inn first, drop our bags presumably and see/hope our room is ready, and then look for lunch in that area. My hope is to buy a couple of ILL's (ROTR and Runaway Railway) in the morning before we get in, hopefully for some late afternoon boarding times. I'm also holding a Savi's reservation for 4:30, a 6 PM dining reservation for Shula's and an 8:00 PM Oga's reservation. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

 

[GoingSince1990]

Drive to the Boardwalk, and if your room is ready, great, if not, drop your bags and walk or ferry to DHS. Boardwalk is so close to DHS that there is no point in moving your car a second time when you can just park at Boardwalk and enjoy the rest of your day.

 

[Marionnette]

Our flight gets in at 11 AM. We're renting a car, so let's assume we're at WDW at noon. What should we do? We have a park reservation at Hollywood Studios. We could go there, have lunch, and enjoy the park and then leisurely return to the hotel around 5 or so to get ready for dinner. Alternatively, we could go the Boardwalk Inn first, drop our bags presumably and see/hope our room is ready, and then look for lunch in that area. My hope is to buy a couple of ILL's (ROTR and Runaway Railway) in the morning before we get in, hopefully for some late afternoon boarding times. I'm also holding a Savi's reservation for 4:30, a 6 PM dining reservation for Shula's and an 8:00 PM Oga's reservation. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I think you're trying to do too much in one day.

I doubt that you will be in Disney at noon with an 11 AM arrival at MCO. Just getting from the gate to the main terminal is going to take time. Then there's baggage claim, getting the rental car and finally driving to the World. Just go to BWI, drop your bags off (unless the room is ready) and grab lunch at a restaurant on the boardwalk or over at YC/BC.

I have a feeling that you're going to be rushing through Savi's @4:30 in order to eat at Shula's @6:00 and I doubt that you will finish dinner in time to rush back to HS to visit Oga's @8:00. It all sounds very hectic.

 

[Kirsti]

I agree with @Marionnette especially with the dinner reservation. You are really unlikely to finish your meal at Shula’s, and get back to Oga’s in two hours. Maybe do Shula’s a different night and look for something in HS for dinner instead? Docking Bay 7 has some solidly good food options and you can use mobile order. Or there’s Brown Derby if you want more of the steak/fine dining environment. Then you can really relax and enjoy your park time rather than feeling rushed and stressed from day one of your trip.

 

[scrappinginontario]

One other thing to keep in mind when booking arrival day activities is what time you may have gotten up to catch your flight. We learned that the hard way a number of years ago and now plan our arrival day to be a quieter one, especially as sleep the night before a trip is often disrupted.

When it comes to leaving luggage in car at DHS or at resort, the majority of the year choosing for it to be at the resort is a better option as cars get hot very quickly in FL. It can do a number on makeup and other things.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

If you do on-line check in Disney will send you a message when you room is ready. We’ve gotten a notice when we landed before 9:00 am but lately our rooms haven’t been ready until after 2:00.

i also agree you won’t have enough time to make all of your reservations plus you will be spending a lot of time traveling back and forth.