char. meal on arrival night

[PaDisney02]

Do you think we can do a character meal @ chef Mickeys on our arrival night or will that just bo too much? We have 2 kids 2&5. We will be arriving from our 16 hr drive approx at 3pm. I really want to do chef mickeys 4 a late dinner but I affraid it will be too much for us after our long drive. What do you think? We were planning on just relaxing at the resort/pool on our arrival night but Chef Mickeys would only really fit into our trip for that night.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I think it would be fine. We did that one year and it worked really well. Yes, you'll be tired after the drive, but you have to eat dinner anyway. Plus, if it ends up that you're too tired, you can always cancel the ADR.

 

[rph117]

If possible I would wait for another night. You want your children to really enjoy their character experience. If they are tired, they may be cranky. I would wait for another night and go somewhere that won't cost as much and be a quicker meal. After all they will have just sat in the car for a long time. Have a great trip!

 

[AlicynWonderland]

I'd go for it, but I wouldn't make that reservation too late as you may all sleep through it. I know from previous experience with loooong drives that you get a second wind from the excitement of finally arriving at your destination. I would give yourself some time to settle in to your room and breathe for a bit, and then hit Chef Mickeys...and pool later if you still feel up to it. Definately don't wait on that ADR though...Chef Mickey's books up really fast.

 

[scootch]

We always do a character meal on arrival day. Taht is what they can't wait to see when they know they are going to disney world... MICKEY! Actually we get in this year around noon and I asked the girls if htey wanted to go to a park.. and they said no, lets just swim and go to Chef Mickey's!!

 

[gibsontrio]

That is exactly what we are doing (except we are flying) We arrive on monday and dont eat dinner till 7:45 , we have kids ages 2 and 5 also but we figured we'd give it a shot!

 

[dspads]

I'd do it. I'd try for as early as possible, though. The kids will likely be restless & cranky from the long ride. It's a perfect, fun way to start vacation. Not too overwhelming like the parks would be. Plus you want them to be tired enough to go to sleep easily since they will be excited too.

On our last trip with a 3 & 5 yo we arrived at hotel (flew from NY) around noon, then did lunch and DTD and dinner at CM 5:30. It was perfect for us. (note, my kids were up since 4:30am and there usual bedtime is 7pm).

 

[autumnbaby9]

That is what DD and I are doing. We get into orlando at 7:30am after an over night flight from Boise and have a 5:20pm ADR for chef Mickey's.

I figure I can always cancel the ADR if we are too tired to make it.

 

[canadianmom2three]

Well, we are hoping to do the same thing, I have 7:05 booked at Crystal Palace, and then it is EMH evening hours at MK, so hopefully I can convince the kids to nap en route so that we can spend some time in the park in the evening. Of course, I haven't even found a flight yet, so my whole plan may go out the window if I can't get an early flight, but on the other hand, we may just wind up driving, and that for sure will put the kids to sleep!!! plus allow us to be more flexible with our arrival time. We are 18+ hours away, so I figure we could do one super long driving day, then wake up and drive for 3-4 hours and arrive just before noon...I think you would just have to play it by ear, and see how your kids are doing.