Planning Arrival Day

[rjrcstan]

Hi all,

Sorry for the longwinded post. You have all been so helpful in planning my trip, I wanted to seek your advice yet again. My flight changed to earlier time for my departure date. I was originally lading in the evening, now I am arriving in Orlando at 2pm. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and aren't sure what to do with this new found time. This will be my 5 and 7 year olds first visit. I have a 4 day park hopper and planned to do 2 in MK, 1 HS (they are into star wars) and 1 day in AK with the evening in Epcot. I was thinking of extending my park hopper to a five day and going to Epcot on the day we land in addition to going another evening during our trip. However, I wonder if I should stay at the hotel, unpack, use the pool (although I'm not sure if early November is swim weather), or try to tackle some of a park or maybe head over to Disney springs. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to add the Sunday I have a RO rate, my package doesn't start until Monday. Therefore, I will be unable to make advanced fast pass selections for Sunday and I would have to go to Guest Relations in Epcot to pick up my tickets.

Thank you

 

[Cynister]

I'm not sure if I followed completely, but I think what you are saying is you are arriving to WL at 2pm on Sun & should you go to a park? Or is it MCO at 2pm? We've stayed at WL & loved it. Personally, I think I'd take advantage of the proximity on what would essentially be a 1/2 day (or less) & go to MK. I'd choose this because it is so easy to just hop on the boat to MK. I wouldn't necessarily waste the time waiting for the bus to take me to a different park where I'm starting off late in the day with young kids, especially if you think they won't last long after dinner before they're ready for bed. If you don't want to waste a park ticket on that day which would essentially be a few hours worth of park time, you could always do pin trading at the WL, Contemporary, Poly, & Grand Floridian shops.

 

[dkmulder]

I would go to Disney Springs - Downtown Disney has always been a must for me though. And maybe try to get an ADR in DS or one of the resorts.

 

[LisaRay]

Unless you are booked with the free dining package that requires the park hopper (we are later that month) maybe you could save some money and get more park days by dropping the hopper and adding another day. Just an idea.

 

[ArielSRL]

This isn't an easy question!! I just went in June and we did MK on our arrival day. We drove (split the drive) and arrived at SSR around 1 or so. We got luggage unloaded, ate lunch at the resort, then made it into MK at around 5pm. But I felt very rushed and we ended up staying later than we planned which had a domino effect on our vacation. So next June, we will not be going to a park on arrival day. We are hoping to stay at WL (also) and relax, unpack, swim, maybe Disney Springs. But, we have 7 day park hoppers and 3 scheduled days at MK. If I only had 4 days, I would probably be incredibly tempted to hit up a park on arrival day.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are landing at MCO at 2 pm, you won't be at WL until about 3:30/4:00 pm. Even if you checked-in and immediately turned around, you would get to EP probably around 5 pm and then have to get your tickets. IMHO, that's a lot of traveling with a 5 and 7 year old. If you really want to go to a park, I would do MK as it is closer to WL. I, personally, would check in, explore the resort and perhaps take the boat over to Ft. Wilderness for dinner at Trail's End, see the WDW horses and ponies at the stable (your children may be able to ride a pony if they meet the height requirement) and play on the playground. WL and Ft. W are lovely, it would make for a more relaxing evening and then you can rest up and get ready to hit the parks fully rested the next day.

 

[Aliceacc]

I would think that a 5 and 7 year old could petty much never have too much time in the Magic Kingdom.

I would go there for the evening.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would skip the park on arrival day. By the time you get to the resort you need to figure 3:30, and maybe later. I would use the time to explore the resort, and then hop on a boat so you can use the monorail and "tour" the area. You could have dinner at any of the monorail resorts (we like Chef Mickey when we have kids with us) or head back to Fort Wilderness (Trails End buffet and then CHip and Dale Campfire sing-a-long) or WL.

I never plan too much on arrival day because you just do nto know how exhausted excited kids will be.

 

[Parker Clan]

Given your situation with two kids' 1st visit & # of days I'd agree with others on more MK time.
On our rest day / arrival to Disney we do breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe, hit the pool all day, then go to Disney Springs. They do have a Lego store and fun restaurants for the kids, T Rex etc. Our very first park day is always MK the following day.
Enjoy

 

[Klayfish]

For me, if it's your kids first time visiting and you've only got 4 days, I would unquestionably add a park to your arrival day. For me, it would be MK, but that's just me. I don't think it's too much for a 5 and 7 year old to go to a park from 5-9pm, but I don't know your kids. I would try to get the kids to sleep on the plane or just relax and conserve energy. Nobody says you have to stay out until midnight, but 4 hours in a park is better than sitting in the hotel. You're going to WDW to see parks, not a hotel bed or it's pool.

 

[rjrcstan]

Thank you all! I am landing at 2:00 and am having such a hard time trying to decide what to do. I didn't realize there was a chip and dale camp fire, that sounds cool. It's tough because I think they are going to want to hit the parks (I mean who wouldn't?) but we also have 8:15 breakfast reservations the next morning at CP. Decisions decisions.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Personally we do not like to go to a park on arrival day. We find with all the travel we have a better time relaxing, swimming, eating and exploring the resort. Landing at 2pm means you will not be settled at the hotel for a couple of hours probably.

 

[tobikaye]

I think this comes down to what would be best for your family. I have arrived at my resort as late as 6 or 7 pm and headed to a park. I have also arrived also arrived as early as noon and only spent a few hours at DS before hanging at my resort the rest of the day instead of using my park ticket that day.

My suggestion would be to play that day by ear. You may find that you have a delay in travel plans or someone needs some down time after travel. Then you could hang out at WL or head to FW. If you arrive on time and get into your room and are ready to go, then you can head to a park since I think it would be about $60 total to upgrade 4 from 4 day to 5 day park hoppers.

 

[W.E.D.]

We like to, as my wife says, let the pixie dust slowly settle on our shoulders.
We typically arrive around 11:30 - Noon. By the time we take ME and are checked in its 2pm. We grab a nap (the red-eye out of town leaves at 5:45 a.m.) and then wander the resort while we wait for our luggage. Go for a swim. Eat at the resort restaurant.
This way we are totally refreshed and ready for our first park day.

 

[wdw&sonny]

In case it wasn't clear above, you can add a day to your tickets...at any time during your trip (you could have also added the hopper when needed, instead of in advance). So you don't need to decide yet.
My 2c: You can arrive and see what you (and the kids) feel like. If energized, go to MK by boat. It's a memorable way to see MK for the first time. If tired, take it easy at the resort, take a swim, wander the resort etc.
Also, since you have a hopper already, I would take more advantage of that than just one day where you do multiple parks. With a 5 and 7 y.o., I would take afternoon breaks and return to a different park. This allows more flexibility in evening shows v. rope drop rides and just makes the trip feel longer as if you went to more than 4 parks.
Don't overplan with a 5 and 7 y.o. or you will feel obligated to accomplish the plan and they will be overtired, underenthused and you will all enjoy the trip less than if you put some wiggle room into the plan.

 

[bochnikm]

Changing your 4 day park hopper to a 5 day only cost about an additional $16 per person. For that you can easily visit a park on arrival day/eveing. Since it is your first time, I think that $16 is a great deal.

 

[Pesky]

I do think that it would be tough to squeeze in a park visit given when you will likely arrive at your resort. Maybe plan for something else: DTD dinner and exploration, FW exploration, WL swimming and dinner, even checking out another resort for dinner and such. If you get there and are up for it, you can always switch (barring ADR fees if it results in a cancellation) your park tickets to add a day when you pick up your tickets and go from there. FYI, I am flying with a 9 and 7 year old, landing around the same time. We will have a rental car for at least the first part of our trip so we have tentatively planned to check out Gatorland, hit a grocery store and THEN check into our hotel at USO. It's tentative because I don't know if the kids will be able to sleep at all on the plane and if they will be up for checking stuff out or too tired. We're making no promises and not even mentioning it so we can gauge as we get closer.

 

[Pkltm]

We always do Disney Springs on arrival day, the Lego store and T-rex would be a win for most 5 and 7 year olds

 

[DJFan88]

In case it wasn't clear above, you can add a day to your tickets...at any time during your trip (you could have also added the hopper when needed, instead of in advance). So you don't need to decide yet.
My 2c: You can arrive and see what you (and the kids) feel like. If energized, go to MK by boat. It's a memorable way to see MK for the first time. If tired, take it easy at the resort, take a swim, wander the resort etc.
Also, since you have a hopper already, I would take more advantage of that than just one day where you do multiple parks. With a 5 and 7 y.o., I would take afternoon breaks and return to a different park. This allows more flexibility in evening shows v. rope drop rides and just makes the trip feel longer as if you went to more than 4 parks.
Don't overplan with a 5 and 7 y.o. or you will feel obligated to accomplish the plan and they will be overtired, underenthused and you will all enjoy the trip less than if you put some wiggle room into the plan.

I get that you go to Disney for the parks. But don't underestimate the value in using the resort pool and taking time to enjoy the things you do. With only 4 days you're never going to do everything. So, know that and don't worry if you don't cram everything in. The suggestion above is excellent. Play it by ear, and from experience, I will tell you, the kids love the pool and depending on how many hotels your family travels to, it may be the only thing on their mind when they first get there.

 

[ArielSRL]

Thank you all! I am landing at 2:00 and am having such a hard time trying to decide what to do. I didn't realize there was a chip and dale camp fire, that sounds cool. It's tough because I think they are going to want to hit the parks (I mean who wouldn't?) but we also have 8:15 breakfast reservations the next morning at CP. Decisions decisions.

I think if you arrive early enough and can be disciplined with leaving the park at a reasonable hour, then go for it as I think it's only like $12-$15 to add a day onto each ticket. But for us, we were not disciplined, stayed too late, and then missed rope drop and morning touring the next day.