Flight arrives at MCO at 5:30 pm---would you PS a dinner??

[JessetheCowgirl]

Hi, all.

This will be our first time flying to WDW. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:30 pm. We are reserving a limo to take us to the Poly for check-in.

Do you think a 7:45 PS is doable?

I would like to take the kids to Chef Mickey's for our first night.

 

[chessie]

I wouldn't, but I don't like hitting the ground running. I don't like having time restraints that first day as there are too many what ifs. (plane delays, luggage back ups, highway tie ups). I like to take it easy, grab something at the food court, hang around the resort. Maybe go over to the boardwalk and grab an ice-cream. You can always call once you get there and see what PS times they have available.

 

[fairytinkerbell]

yes i would! here's why

540 plane gets in
by 6pm u've found yr luggage and limo is waiting
by 630 pm ur at the hotel, now u just have to check in
i would say 745 is a safe bet BUT a better bet
is making it at a later time, say 8 or 815 pm because
you have to get there BEFORE THE PS time - don't forget!

i think 5-15mins. someone can confirm this - ahead of time.

u can do it.

schedule ps for OHANAS which is IN YOUR POLY HOTEL!!!

have a great time!

 

[Dreamin' Disney]

I think you might not have enough time, for the following reasons:

1. Check in time at your resort could take 15-30 minutes. Has anyone ever checked in and got to their room in less than 15 minutes?

2. Will everyone want to leave the room immediately upon checkin? Chances are everyone has to use the restroom and want to relax even for a few minutes.

3. How long does it take to get from Poly to CM? It's just a monorail ride away, but could this take another 15 minutes or more.

I would either try to get a later PS time or just go to one of the restaurants at the Poly.

You have to arrive 5 minutes before your PS time.

Our own flight arrives at 5:54 pm, and I think we'll be lucky to get our bags, get to the resort (BWI) and checkin before 7:30 pm. I was trying to get a PS at Spoodles for 8 pm, but could only get one for 8:30 pm - but now we don't have to rush at all.

 

[Ted and Holly]

We tried this once. Our flight ended up having an emergency landing and we called to reschedule our PS FOUR times. We finally arrived at WDW at 11pm when we were supposed to be on property by 3pm.

I suggest not making a PS because you'll get your hopes up and if anything goes wrong with your transportation to WDW you'll be very disappointed.... not a good way for a vacation to begin.

I would suggest calling when you get to the airport or your hotel and asking for a PS. Depending on what time of year you go, it shouldn't be a problem. We often decide at the last minute to head to WDW for dinner and we simply call to get a PS before we leave. It has only not worked ONCE, and it was a holiday weekend.

Holly

 

[Dreamin' Disney]

Or at least make a PS for a certain time (maybe a little later to factor in the unknown), that you can always cancel.

 

[Blueberry]

I wouldn't it..as it will only add stress of we gotta get there for the PS and if things go wrong you will be all stressy starting your vacation....

 

[Kimberle]

Don't do it.

Our flight was over 3 hours late a couple weeks ago. We should have landed at 1:00. By the time we landed, got our bags and found our driver, we pulled into the CR (where we were staying) at 5:55. I had a 6pm PS at Chef Mickeys. Luckly, we were staying on the 14th floor. So we rushed up, quickly checked in, threw our bags in our room and rushed down to CM's. We did get our table about 10 minutes later.

However, we were all wiped. I had a massive headache. I didn't have time to buy Brittany her autograph book or anything. It was so rushed and not enjoyable at all. We ended up repeating our dinner another night.

I would recommend you do something more casual, like Kona's Cafe for dinner the first night and save a character for another night.

 

[Magic2000]

Yes, I would definitely make a PS for about 7:45 or 8:00 PM. If your flight lands at 5:30, you should be pulling in to Disney around 6:30 or so. That would give you about an hour to check in and get to the restaurant.

You can always cancel from the airport if your plane comes in late. I would think it would be easier to cancel the PS, than to try to make a PS at that time, especially for Chef Mickeys! What a great way to start your trip!!!

We've also done Ohanas for our arrival night - we enjoyed it - food was good, and watching the fireworks from the beach was great!!!

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[erikthewise]

There's no need to sweat missing a PS. It is NOT a reservation and your absence causes no hardship on the restaurant staff or other guests. If you don't check in, they don't even miss you. You should not make a PS unless there's a pretty good chance you're going to be there. But possible flight delays should not be an issue when making a PS.

I strongly agree you should eat at one of the restaurants at the Polynesian -- either one is fine. That way if you're running a little late you can just pocket the room keys and go directly to dinner. Plus getting to the Contemporary means going around the monorail loop the LONG way. Leave Chef Mickey's for a time when everyone is rested and can enjoy it.

 

[swilphil]

O'Hana's would be fun. Plus if you're a little late, you can stop by to see if they can accomodate you a little later...or you may be hungrier earlier. Maybe do Chef Mickey's for breakfast the next morning.

Definitely eat somewhere at your resort. There's also a couple of other restaurants at the Poly. You may just want to play it by ear and see where you can get in. Everyone may just want to swim and explore the resort. Remember you will want to rest up for a full day in the parks.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Personally, I wouldn't. I did it once before and it wasn't very much fun, to be honest. I do love Chef Mickey's and I don't have much problem going from one thing to another, but it did feel like a bit of a rush and was not fun for my kids.

How old are your kids? Older kids might be more up for the "rush" than younger ones.

I wouldn't worry about delays -- if you don't get in on time, you don't go, not that big of a deal, but even if you land on time and get to your hotel by 6:30 to begin checking in and getting in to your room, how quickly will you wnat ot turn around and rush out to get to dinner. I thinkyou would need an hour to make sure you get checked in, get your luggage to your room, settle in for a few minutes, use the bathroom, "freshen up" a bit....and then get back on a bus at 7:30 for an 8:00 ps (will you be hungry before that after travelling all day? How long was your flight? What time did you leave in the am?)

And dinner at 8:00 - not back to the room until about 9:30, then need to unwind and fall asleep to get up at what time for the parks??

Anyhow, I always thought the idea sounded great, but when we did it, it was too much -- and our flight landed before 4 pm.

Just my thoughts after having been there....It definitely can be done, but not sure it's all it's cracked up to be. Maybe if you land before 2:00, but when arriving on the later side, it's kind of a rush.

Actually, I would consider it if it was a pretty short flight, my kids were older, and I was staying at the Contemporary -- then it would be less of a rush.

Hope that helps!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Ok, I missed the detail about staying at the Poly. I agree, stick with a restaurant there! O'Hana's would be good if you really feel you will be l;ooking for some excitement.

 

[April76]

I think that expecting to be at your hotel by 6:30 is very optimistic..... there are so many little delays that can cause you to be as late as 7 - 7:30pm getting to the hotel and then you have to get checked in; not to mention travel time to the restaurant.

Of course, you might be able to drop your luggage at Bell services and go to dinner - then come back and check into the hotel. But I agree with the others who say no PS (or make a later PS) and not have any stress about "needing to be there by a certain time"..... you don't want to start your vacation in a rush!!

* A side note about the limo..... we've found in the past that the limo might not be parked just outside the door (not all limo companies have designated parking spots at the airport).... so because of 9/11 security issues they have to park away from the terminal and the driver has to go get the car after meeting you and drive it to the place you're waiting.... this takes a few extra minutes.

 

[Northwoods]

I would do it - but make a PS for Ohana.

We are doing the same thing - flight gets in at 5:17 and we are staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge and we have a 7:20 PS at Whispering Canyon.

I figured I could go check in while everyone else heads to the restaurant - if we are close on time.

 

[HollyJoy]

I wouldn't for a couple of reasons... first, you don't know if your flight might be delayed.. these things could happen, and then you could end up missing your PS. Secondly, I think you'd have to rush around, even if you did land on time. For me, personally, I'd like to hang out at the resort for a while.. get settled in, ya know? Maybe then go to Downtown Disney for the evening and do some shopping and grab a bite to eat there.

 

[kathyclownfish]

Definately do it! The family is going to be soo pumped up about being in WDW. Chef Mickeys or any other restuarant on Disney property would be a great start. I would keep the 7:45 reservations. You don't want to get back to the hotel too late. Need a good night sleep to tour the parks the next morning!!