Parks on first day?

[AngieInOH]

Yes, without question go to a park!!! Not much extra money to add a day. Plus I think you will find 5 days is just not enough time to get everything in that you want to. We did MK on our arrival day. Just used our fastpasses and watched the fireworks. Got a few things out of the way.

 

[kboo]

How old are your kids? I have done both, and found that EP on a weekday when our room was ready by 1pm (so we could nap) was a LOT more fun than trying to go to MK on a Saturday afternoon without freshening up, and taking 2 hangry/tired little kids. Also, in both those instances we were staying walking distance to a park. That said, we will probably still try to go to a park on our first day, even if it's just for a little while to get psyched for the Disney magic.

 

[izzy25]

How old are your kids? I have done both, and found that EP on a weekday when our room was ready by 1pm (so we could nap) was a LOT more fun than trying to go to MK on a Saturday afternoon without freshening up, and taking 2 hangry/tired little kids. Also, in both those instances we were staying walking distance to a park. That said, we will probably still try to go to a park on our first day, even if it's just for a little while to get psyched for the Disney magic.

My daughter is 9. This is our 2nd trip in 3 years and my parents are going with us. We all decided we have to do a park on our arrival day, since we are getting in so early (10:00am).

 

[hskaggs11]

We have done it both ways. Our last trip and our upcoming trip in May, we had/have a room only the night before our package stay. This year we will probably go in to HS on arrival day even though our flight doesn't land until almost 5:00pm, assuming that the Star Wars fireworks are that night because we really wouldn't stay that late at HS otherwise as it's our least favorite park. Our last trip, we drove down and got in late afternoon/early evening and just chilled at the resort, went over to DTD/DS and relaxed and got ready for RD the next morning.

We had originally planned on driving this trip as well but I found a great deal on airfare for the 6 of us so that was a happy wrench in my plans.

Just a FYI, You can actually use your park tickets that are a part of your package a day or two early even if you have a room-only the night before. We've done that several times with free dining. I would find free dining for maybe 7 nights, and we usually like to stay longer. So I would add a day to the front end, sometimes days to the back end depending on availability at the resort. We go to the concierge desk and ask nicely to activate our park tickets early works every time. I just make my tickets for 8 or 9 days on the 7 night package, so we have enough for the whole stay.

 

[kboo]

My daughter is 9. This is our 2nd trip in 3 years and my parents are going with us. We all decided we have to do a park on our arrival day, since we are getting in so early (10:00am).

With an older kid and grandparents, I would definitely go to a park! You're going to have a blast! Our 6yo is just getting to the point of being able to power through the day if she's up early and her schedule is disrupted, and the "baby" is luckily able to stroller nap, so we are going to MK on our arrival day as well. Unless it's ridiculously hot or thunderstorming - both possibilities in late August!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Well it's official. We upgraded our passes from the 5 day to the 6 day park hopper passes. For an extra $14.00 a person, you can't go wrong. Thank you everyone for your insights and opinions! 185 days can't go fast enough!

With FP+ it's even more worth it IMO. Have a magical trip!

 

[bluezy]

With FP+ it's even more worth it IMO. Have a magical trip!

I totally agree. If scheduled effectively, you can ride 3 rides in less than 2 hours. Very little effort, no rushing around the park, and very little cost. It's a great way to knock off a Tier 1 ride and get a head start on touring one of the parks. It doesn't need to be a long, over-busy arrival day. A few hours can be very effective when planned appropriately.

@izzy25 , I'm sure you'll be very happy with your decision. And I'll bet you'll find yourself doing this on future trips a well!