Thoughts for activities on arrival day?

[kathy23]

Hi everyone. We just changed our flight (yeah....) and are now traveling in the morning verses night. This means we will get to the resort around 11/12. Because we will be tired from waking up at three am I figured we would just rest and enjoy the time. Hit the pool, nap, explore the resort, etc. But, does anyone have any suggestions as to things to do on arrival day? Looking for a few hours - not the parks. Thanks!

 

[LiaNWillsmom]

Where are you staying?

 

[kathy23]

Caribbean Beach

 

[LiaNWillsmom]

I don't know what all will be closed there during the construction, but when you check in , grab a resort activity schedule. there are usually crafts and games by the pool of most resorts.
Or take the bus to disney springs. The Lego store there is awesome.
Or take a bus to MK, and hop on a monorail tour. Check out the other resorts. Join the campfires by the lake .

 

[kathy23]

Oooh - Lego store sounds good for my boys.

Does the monorail do a "loop?" Which resorts does it stop in?

Is Animal Lodge resort fun to walk around without staying at?

 

[LiaNWillsmom]

Yes the monorail does a loop. and the resorts are Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary.
I don't know about the AK lodge, never been.
but you can watch the fireworks at the beaches of the monorail resorts if you want, and there is a Electric water parade that goes by

 

[LiaNWillsmom]

also
http://www.kennythepirate.com/resorts/walt-disney-world-resort-recreation-guides/

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Oooh - Lego store sounds good for my boys.

Does the monorail do a "loop?" Which resorts does it stop in?

Is Animal Lodge resort fun to walk around without staying at?

The monorail loop is fun! DS9 and I did a monorail hop one night - we started at Poly and had "mocktails" and apps at Trader Sam's which is really fun! They open at 4 pm and kids are allowed to stay until 8 pm. If you decide to go, I recommend going at opening (or even a little before to get in line to get in). Poly has a beautiful gift shop and has lovely theming. We then went to GF to look around and ended with dinner at CR. You can also see the electric water pageant and MK fireworks from any of those resorts though that might be late for you considering your early wake-up time.

AKL is gorgeous. There is a public animal viewing area in the back of the lobby and a nice gift shop. They also have a good QS restaurant if you don't want to make TS reservations that evening.

Boardwalk is also a lot of fun at night! They have a lot of QS and TS options. If your kids like sports, ESPN Club is a lot of fun for dinner. There will be magicians and jugglers on the Boardwalk at night (I believe they start around 7 pm), plus carnival games. You can also rent a surrey bike if you have the energy!

And, yes, there is Disney Springs, which I personally don't find very appealing. It's basically a big, open-air shopping mall, but if your kids like Legos, their store and the sculptures outside are pretty awesome.

 

[Smittolis]

We have AP so its a little different for us as we don't 'burn' a day at the parks by just popping in. We usually fly the redeye and so arrive at the hotel around 7am! We take enough clothes in a carry on to set us all for the day and then pop into the parks and just absorb all the Disneyness we can until we get the text message our room is available. This may not be an option if you have limited park visits with a pass etc. However, as AP holders it allows us to just pop in and out and keep everyone entertained!

We always book a breakfast somewhere as well as lunch dining so we are covered should the room not be ready for a while. As stated above, you can go 'explore' the Disney grounds and see what they have!