First Day

[hutt90]

Any help I could get would be nice. We will be arriving on our first trip soon and I'm a little confused on where to plan on going first? We will arrive at our hotel at about 1:00pm with five day hopper passes for the four of us. What do I do first? Staying at the All Star Movies. We have reservations for Liberty Tree Tavern for character dinner on second night but that is all I have come up with so far. Also do I have to look for somewhere to see fireworks or can you see them from anywhere? Never been there and could use a little help with itinerary? Thanks

 

[Disneymom2AA]

If you do not want to waste a ticket for half of that day you are arriving, you might want to have a character meal (one that is not in a park). You can go play mini-golf and one of the two mini-golf courses WDW has. I'm still fairly new and have only been to WDW once but the character meals are great!!! We did Chef Mickey's. Also, you can go eat at any of the other resorts!!!I hope you have a great time and enjoy WDW-WE DID!!!

 

[trracers]

How long will you be there? If you go to the park on the first day, will that leave you a day short on park access or are you only there for five days anyway?

We usually have the UPH and it doesn't matter, so I haven't been faced with that much. We usually get settled into the hotel, then head to MK and watch the parade (to get that out of the way) or ride as much as we can while everone else is at the parade. We usually arrive on Sat or Sun so we also make sure to stay for the Nightime parade and the fireworks. That "knocks out" both parades and the fireworks at MK for our trip.

Have fun!!

 

[holidaybarb]

Will you have kids with you? Just returned from our trip - extended family of 9 kids and 9 adults. Here's what we did on our first night

-dinner at Ohana in Polynesian Resort. Coconut races and hula hoop contests for the kids. Afterwards we walked outside to the beach to see the MK fireworks. You could also take a ride on the monorail and watch the Electrical Water Parade.

Another suggestion I see often on these boards is to go to Fort Wilderness for the Trailside buffet, campfire complete with making s'mores, and free Disney movie.

These are some other things the kids loved about our trip:

-Chef Mickey's for dinner one night.

-Hollywood and Vine Fantasmic Pkg. You have to eat anyway, so why not have a PS at an air-conditioned place that gives you a guaranteed seat to Fantasmic.

-Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. Wow! Little girls love this one (and big girls love watching the little girls).

-Illuminations Cruise. Great relaxing way to see this.

-Getting passports stamped and making masks at Epcot's World Showcase. A wonderful way for kids to see Epcot.

Have a great time!

 

[zcomic]

You probably wouldn't want to waste one of your PH days on a partial day at the park. We've always gone to Downtown Disney on our first afternoon/evening. There's a lot of good places to eat (we love Portobello Yacht Club), you can do some shopping and ease into the WDW experience. And since you'll probably have been travelling all day you'll be tired and won't want to burn youself out the first day.

As for the fireworks at MK, they're nice but not good enough to use one of your PH days to see them. Assuming they have them on the day you're eating at Liberty tree just plan on watching them then. You can see them from the whole park. If you want a great view of them, you can stand behind the Castle since they are shot from that direction. But the best place to watch is while standing on Main Street. Looking at the castle and seeing the fireworks overhead is one of those magical Disney moments.

 

[CamColt]

What we have done in the past when we arent spending the first day in the parks, is we hang out at the pool, unpack, settle in, then we go to the Boardwalk for dinner at ESPN. We stroll the BW, then walk the path to MGM to catch a bus home. In the past we have been able to catch a little of Illuminations from the BW and hear a little of Fantasmic while walking the path.

 

[GoofItUp]

On our last trip, we spent our first partial day at WDW looking around at DTD and then spent the evening strolling through the Boardwalk. We walked right up to the International Gateway and looked in at Epcot...where we would be the next day. We went back to our hotel (ASMo) and got to bed early so we would be ready for the next day. I really enjoyed this and it got me completely excited for the first 'official' day at Disney!

This year we are going to DTD, having a bite to eat, and then going to Cirque de Soleil. We have tickets to the earlier of the two shows so we can still (hopefully) get a good nights rest before we start the parks.

I have also read a post of someone who takes the family for a ride around the Monorail route. This would be a fun way to preview the parks and get excited for the next day.

As you can tell, I always have had PH and not UPH, so I do things outside of the parks so as not to waste a day on my pass.

 

[cali2gagirl]

We're in the same boat...our 1st trip...arriving at ASMu around 2 or 3... We're not gonna waste our hopper for that day.. I've had tons of advice..here's a little of what I'm debating on...

Check out the pool....then go to Downtown Disney and shop around (Disney Quest is an option..although we aren't into that)..

I've heard Fort Wilderness is awesome..and a cheap way to entertain the kids. They have pony rides..hay rides..sing a longs, bonfire and such.

Check out the other resorts. When I made my reservations they said you're free to go to any other resort and hang out. I know some poeple at those resorts find it rude...but hey, if Disney told me...and it appeals to me...I'm gonna go check it out

If it's hot..and you may have had it planned...go to a waterpark. I'm thinking sunup to sundown is too much for Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon..so that may be a great amount of time! But..if your saving money...hop a couple resort pools and the kids will probably be thrilled!

TRACY

 

[TEK224]

I've been trying to plan the first day too. However, I'm booked on the FTP so have UPH's to use. We'll arrive at ASMovies around
2 PM. Once we get unpacked and settled, I was planning to make ressies for Chef mickeys at 5 PM and then after dinner we could go to EPCOT for a while and then see Illuminations.
But I'm having 2nd thoughts. The kids (4,7,& 9) may be tired after the day of travel. Plus we'll want to get to bed early since the next day is an EE day at MK.
Now I've read about the activities at Ft. Wilderness (bonfire and smores). Can someone describe this for me? What all is there to do there and what are the hours?
Boy! Just when I think I've got things planned, something new pops up.

Terri

 

[bobcat]

hutt I would suggest spending the afternoon swimming or shopping to blow off some travel energy.

You can hop a bus to the MK, walk to the monorail and ride around the resorts, maybe hopping off at the Ticket and Transportation center and switching to the Epcot monorail. The Epcot monorail goes around Space Ship Earth so you can get a nice preview of some of the park. Ask to ride up front of the monorail.

The campfire at Fort Wilderness is fun. There is a sing a long with Chip and Dale and then they come around and greet everyone. You can buy a s'more kit and roast marshmallows, cost around $5 and feeds a family of four. Then there is a Disney movie shown. Check out the camping board for more specifics.

There is an Electrical Water Parade on Seven Seas lagoon and you can see it from the beach at Fort Wilderness, Contemporary, Poly, and Grand Floridian.

Best of all these are all free! Have a great trip!

 

[RobinMarie]

If it were us:

If we were using Park Hopper Passes:

Check in, unpack and tour your hotel.

Go to dinner at Chef mickey's or O'hana - both good meals, one with characters.

Ride monorail once around

Shop at Grand Floridian and say 'ooo' and 'ahhh' in the lobby.

Head back to hotel and swim and plan the next day!

If using Unlimited Park Hopper Passes:

Check in, toss bags in room
Head to MGM
Do a few attractions knowing you may return another day
See Fantasmic
Back to hotel and swim if you have any energy!


We have a hard time lasting until Fantasmic when we do the parks for a full day which is why we've done it on the first night.

 

[mrslane]

How old are the kids? Their ages would help make or break some suggestions, perhaps. GoofItUp had some GREAT suggestions.

If you leave on a bus to Downtown Disney (no admission price), there are great shops and restaurants. For kids there is a Lego playground next to a McDonald's--I think. There is a Rainforest Cafe` which has a beautiful aquarium and neat decor. OR, try the Boardwalk area. You can take a bus to any hotel around this area and take a long, beautiful walk. There is Beaches n` Cream at the Beach Club Resort, pizza to go at Spoodles, I think, and some great resort sit-down restaurants. You and the family can rent a surrey? bike and drive around the Boardwalk. It is a very festive atmosphere and it is free. You are near the backdoor to Epcot, so it is possible to see the fireworks from Illuminations. The ESPN sports club has an arcade. There is minature golf across the street from the Swan--not free, but I hear it's fun.

Unless you have a limit of stay pass and NOT a Park Hopper, save your days for a full day. There is more to WDW than the parks and all of the suggestions I've read are excellent!

 

[mmiller711]

With Park Hoppers we always check in and then go to Fort Wilderness for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Dinner Show. It is a must see for our family. This year we have UPH with the FMP so we are taking our grandson to the MK on the first night.