Our daughter is checking in on Jan. 9th and will be there until June 1st. We minus hubby) are flying down on the 6th after our sons get out of school. My husband is driving her car down on Friday. We are planning "family" time on Sat. and Sunday in the parks. Then on check in day we plan to help her move in. The boys and I are flying home late afternoon on Tuesday the 10th and my husband is flying back on Wed. late afternoon so he can spend that evening with her. We have heard that the day after check in is a FREE day so if they need to go out and buy stuff they have that day too. That is why my husband is staying one extra day. The boys don't need to miss more than 2 days of school so we are going back a day before him.
Don't count on it being a totally free day - some have it off, some don't - they have a lot of things scheduled those first days, and depending on what their role is, they may move directly into training, or have their Traditions class. But even if they have the Traditions class or training, they'll still have time to spend with family, and it's a great time - the only downside is that your child can't get you into the parks for a few weeks after they check in (but there's plenty to do without heading into the parks, of course).
Also, and this is for everyone, if you're going down to help them move in, after you drop them off at the check in, go DIRECTLY to
Walmart to buy anything they need. It becomes a MADHOUSE later that day, and they run out of things (although they do know when the move in dates are, and stock accordingly). We didn't head to the Walmart that the bus takes them to, we went to the one down 535 (there is also a small outlet mall down that way with an Easy Spirit shoe outlet store, where we picked up her work shoes - she needed black 'dress' shoes, and would be on her feet all day at the Haunted Mansion, so we wanted really supportive shoes, better than you'd find at Walmart). The Walmart was still pretty crowded, but nothing like the other one (and I'm not sure where that one is, but it's by a Publix, and it's where the shuttle bus takes the kids to go shopping). And if you wait until after they go through the entire check in process, which takes hours, the crowds will have formed. My advice? If you can, shop the night before, or shop while they are checking in.
KC
