Help! Tips? Feedback?

[PoSh HuNnY]

I'm trying to plan my trip for this Dec. ASAP...I did it once before & I'm contemplating doing it again- do any of you fly out on an evening flight & get into Disney anywhere from 8:30-11:30pm (so you don't have to take the day off or at least put in half a day) so that you're there & have the whole next day to wake up & start you're vacay? I'm torn b/c a flight leaving at 6 or 7am gets you into Disney early enough but by the time you get into a park, you've been up since like 4am! PLEASE HELP!

 

[pg0314]

I've never done it but I don't see why you couldn't. If it were me, I'd plan to sleep in a bit the first full day there and maybe hit the parks after lunch.

 

[aubriee]

I would if I could, but I work night shift (11pm-7am) so it wouldn't work. I always take the first available flight out and the last flight back home, so I can spend every possible minute down there. Due to working night shift, I have to take the night before off anyway, so I can get up around 2:30am to get to the airport.

Sounds like a good idea though, if your work schedule allows it.

 

[lmillercrew]

We like to have the earliest flight out and the latest flight back also. If you have the vacation time to take off of work, take it off. We don't go to a park on arrival day, instead we go to Downtown Disney and eat and shop there, and get to bed at a decent hour and hit the ground running the next day.

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

Since we are flying from Seattle, we either fly a red-eye, getting us into Orlando at 6:15 AM, or we fly all day, and arrive at our resort around 7:00 PM... We have done both, but usually we are so miserable after a red-eye, the first day is ruined anyway. So my preference is fly all day, jump into some Disney magic with a dinner at a great resort restaurant (maybe even seeing the fireworks from the Polynesian beach or California Grill lounge), and then get to bed early enough for an early trip to the parks...

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We did this last May and it was so wonderful. We had a 5 p.m flight got to SSR at 10:00. We weren't tired so we walked around the resort and enjoyed the peaceful night. Then went to bed around midnight and was rest and ready to go in the morning. Bets getting up at 4a.m and feeling rushed to get out of the house and catch a flight a feeling exhusted when we get to WDW. I will never take an early flight again. Plus if you take the early flight your room may not be ready and then you have no place to rest or take a nap if you are tired.

 

[PoSh HuNnY]

Shelly....you said exactly what I was torn about! lol...even if i took the 2nd flight out at 7am...I'd still be up by 4am to get ready, get to airport, check in....by the time I get to the resort at let's just say noon, I'd already have been up for 8 hours & be exhausted...so it was more or a less a toss up for me to spend the $ for the hotel, which can cost about $300 & arrive at night, but the vacation will begin in a relaxed manner & I'll wake up ready to go instead of just dragging all day & not getting money's worth!

& to everyone...Thanks so much for all your input!

 

[Alesia]

We always arrive as early in the day as possible. I've never been tired on arrival day even though I can never sleep the night before. I guess it's adrenaline.

 

[Butterbunkins]

We drive and make stops as part of our vacation on the way down. My preference is to stay somewhere not far from Disney the night before arrival so we can be there early the next day, but it just depends what stops we have planned since we do something different each drive down.

My parents always fly and always get in as early as possible so they can spend time in the parks that first day, even if it ends up being an early night that first night. And they always take a later flight out so that they have at least half a day before they go home.