Arriving in WDW

[gracey712]

My family and I are going to WDW for the first time in October and I'm wondering what's the first thing you do when you get there!?
I think I'm more excited than my kids (will be dd9, dd7 and dd7) and I'm clueless on what to do upon arrival. Are dinner shows too much on the first night? (BTW we're driving from Buffalo) I was going to plan the Hoop Dee Doo for our first dinner, good idea?
I'm also wondering about Character Dining...I can tell by what I read that most of them are worth it, how many is too many for the week we're going to be there?
Do they do fireworks everynight?
Thanks!

 

[Shells9]

Better call about Hoop De Doo now, isn't that one of the ones you can call waaaay out for PS for?

What resort are you staying at? After that drive you might be better off just to relax and explore your resort. I'd say one or two character meals in a week would be more than enough for my family, but yours may be different. The buffets at Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's have something for everyone.

We drive about 3 and a half hours to get there and the first thing we do when we get there is hit MK -- it's my favorite!

Enjoy your trip!

Edited add - Fireworks every night at Epcot and most nights at MK. Try to see Fantasmic at the Studios -- it's awesome!

 

[barbeml]

Welcome to the DIS!

Arrival day activities depend on what time you are arriving, where you are staying (WDW resort or off site?), whether or not you have a car, and what kind of park passes you have.

We usually arrive early afternoon, check in to our WDW resort and unpack. We always make the earliest PS (5 PM) for 'Ohana at the Polynesian. We leave our resort early enough to get to the Poly by 4 PM so that we can enjoy one of the awesome drinks at the Tambu Lounge. After dinner, we hop on the monorail and spend the evening in the Magic Kingdom. Since we have Annual Passes, we are not "wasting" any pass usage.

If you are arriving later, you might have dinner at your resort and enjoy the amenities and atmosphere there before resting up for a full day in the parks.

If you provide more details, you may get better advice.

 

[gracey712]

We're staying at po riverside and will probablly be arriving late afternoon. Has anyone ever checked in before actual check in time? If we get there earlier will they hold our luggage until then?
we all have php passes (we got them before the end of last year so we can still save the days we don't use) and we'll have our car. Is it easier to get around by car or by bus?
It has been suggested to save the day and explore DD and the resort. But there's so much to do. I know we can't get it all in in 8 days and I don't want to ruin our vacay by trying. But I do want to see as much as possible, of course!

 

[barbeml]

I find that WDW transportation works well going from your resort to parks, but if you want to visit other resorts, take your car. Get a WDW transportation map when you check in and keep it in your car.

You can check in early and they will hold your bags. Sometimes rooms are available early.

Since you are arriving late afternoon, I would keep things a bit low key. You might not want to waste a PHP day on a park where you will have just a few hours. Check on the park hours for your stay so that you can plan accordingly.

 

[marty0518]

I agree on not wasting a PHP day when you arrive late in the day. You can always check out the Boardwalk, grab a bite and enjoy some of the entertainment options.

 

[MinnieM21]

I also agree with not wasting a day of your PHP. We really enjoy going to the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. It's a lot of fun and the pastries and tea are delicious! Heres the link to the description about Afternoon Tea if you're interested. http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_gft.htm

I would also recommend going for a ride on the monorail, checking out the Boardwalk, and maybe going shopping in Downtown Disney.

 

[areno79]

Mini-golf or DTD might be a good idea...we always like to have the first night to unwind after a long drive (we drive from NH).
Or, you can always do some resort hopping since you have your own car it's easier to get around

 

[mickilovesmickey]

Depending on when we arrive...if we arrive really early (sometimes we drive through the night) we head for a water park or to the resorts pool. I also don't like to waste tickets on the park for this day. We always make PS for Chef Mickey's that evening. It is a tradition. We have also spent the day at DTD. I just love to immerse us in Disney so that we know we are really there.

 

[Disney5Mom]

Go to a deluxe resort for dinner and take some time to explore the resort. OHana's at the Poynesian, Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge or Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We did this last year on our vacation and really enjoyed having a chance to walk around and explore other resorts. At the Poly you could also watch Wishes from the beach after dinner or time your dinner reservation for an hour before Wishes and view the fireworks from the restaurant.They play the music to go with the show in the restaurant.

 

[Tinkerbellfan144]

Go shopping at DTD! Take the boat it's really nice. Or go to Ohanas at the Poly! It has great food and a wonderful family atmosphere.

 

[beattyfamily]

It depends on your arrival time and day but we MUST head to MK first to 'feel' like we are at Disney!

If we arrive on a Saturday though, then no, we avoid MK.

You've had some great suggestions so far! Have fun planning!

 

[gracey712]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Since we're planning on returning to wdw again it wouldn't be so bad to not visit any of the parks until the next day after we've revived from the drive.
But how will the kids feel about not visiting any of the parks until the next day, I mean we'll have drove for 20+ hours?

 

[Hockeychic]

We check into the resort and believe it or not we have to turn on the TV to see Krista and the top 7 must sees....now she annoys the out of me but I now know we are at disney....lol

Then usually DTD or just hang out at the resort.

 

[danny1649]

Is we always go to HDDR first night.We always arrive on a Sunday and like to settle in at our resort(OKW)then go to DTD for a little shopping.That evening go to Pioneer Hall for 7:15 performance of HDDR and take the hayride after show.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Is we always go to HDDR first night.We always arrive on a Sunday and like to settle in at our resort(OKW)then go to DTD for a little shopping.That evening go to Pioneer Hall for 7:15 performance of HDDR and take the hayride after show.

Yeah we do pretty much the same thing. HDDR is a first night in Disney tradition for my family. But if you're going to do HDDR you should make your PS's now. The shows fill up fairly quickly and if you want really good seats it's better to reserve them as far out as you can. As for character meals, I'd say do 2-3. Any more than that may be overkill, lol. I think your kids will probably be just as tired as you guys from the drive so I wouldn't worry about not doing a park as soon as you arrive. It'd be worth it to wait until the next day. And that way, you can get there bright and early and go for as long as you'd like