What do you do on your first and last days?

[ammag]

What are your must do activities on the first and last day of a trip? Do you always hit a certain park on these days? What do you like to do when your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening?

My next trip will not start this way but I adore the morning show, of course it makes me cry each time.
I feel like I want to start and end at the magic kingdom. I am trying to decide if we want to spend our last day (ME will get us at 1:30) in park or maybe doing a little resort hopping and eating...or something else?

 

[Dawn68PA]

Our first day is easy. Hang at the resort and dinner out. Relaxing.

Last day is usually packing to leave and a last lap through the resort. No parks on either day for us on most trips

 

[ammag]

We should arrive late, at 10:30 to the airport, so who knows how late to the resort. Going right to bed. Spending the next day relaxing, napping, resorting then MNSSHP. Our last day is a Sunday flight will leave at 4:30 I am not sure what to do. We don't really have a special tradition but I'd like to find one. Of course that being said those thigns usually happen spontaneously! I am thinking of doing a monorail resort loop, have a nice brunch and head back to check out. Bt idk....kind of want four hours at magic kingdom too!

 

[DisneyHardin]

We only stay for 5 nights when we come, so first and last days are park days for us. We usually try to take the earliest flight of the morning, so we are at the resort by noon and usually go to Epcot after that for the rest of the day. On our last day, I usually try to book us on an evening flight to go home, so we usually hit RD at MK, then head back to the resort after lunch to catch DME back to the airport.

 

[quagmire0]

We usually stay for 7 nights and stay at a condo outside the park. I try and schedule our flight to come in around Noon/1pm. I want to say both times we've gone, we've gone straight to Magic Kingdom. We kind of walk around and see what isn't too long of a wait. After a few hours, we'll get dinner and then head back to the condo to get everything set up. Once the kids are in bed, I'll head to the Publix and stock up with what we need for the week. For our last day, we did O'Hana for breakfast and downtown Disney the first trip. Second trip I think we did Crystal Palace for breakfast and then a couple hours in Magic Kingdom. I think we're usually pretty well worn out on that last day, so any visits to parks are brief, but we still want to get one last taste of Disney before we leave.

 

[buttercup14]

Usually my first and last days I spend at downtown or resort hopping. I think it's just to much doing a theme park on the same day as travel, to exhausting, and you're going to need that energy for the rest of the trip! Plus first and last days where you're tired are the easiest days to catch a cold or get sick! I always get sick if I do to much on the first day after travelling!

 

[Buttrcp16]

Our tradition has always been to start and end our trip at Downtown Disney. We don't arrive early enough in the day to make it worth a trip to a park, and DTD is the perfect way to get in the Disney spirit! We spend our last evening there relaxing, having dinner, and buying last minute souvenirs we aren't the type to have an exhausting long day at a park when we have to fly out the next morning.

 

[MrDanielOwens]

The very first night we eat at T-Rex. Our cheesy tradition, but special moment. And of course the night before we leave is Wishes followed by crying at last glimpse of The Castle.

 

[mickeymom22]

Our arrival night is usually spent hanging out at the resort and eating at the food court and going to bed early to be ready for a rope drop the next day. Our first full day at the parks usually is Animal Kingdom. Our last day at the parks usually has us closing down Magic Kingdom. On our departure day we usually go to Downtown Disney. EXCEPT on our last trip, we went to Downtown Disney on our arrival day...wow! So much better! I have never enjoyed Downtown Disney before...probably because I am exhausted from closing down MK! I am planning our next trip, and DtD will not be on our departure day....I just might go crazy and schedule a stroll through World Showcase this time around!

 

[IndianaRRT]

Our first day is Epcot. Last time we went straight to Test Track (a family favorite), then relaxing in the World Showcase. I am semi-obsessed with the Boardwalk area, so we went over there as well before heading to Illuminations. This visit will be much of the same. We try to save our most-looked-forward-to ADR for the last night so we head out on a special note.

 

[Amunet]

Our arrival day is DTD Usually we fly in at early evening/late afternoon times and feel a full ticket would be a waste. It gives us time to relax too!
Departure day is usually just sleeping in and hanging around the resort.

 

[BelleBriarRose]

We begin and end with MK. On the first day, we're there at rope drop for the opening ceremony and do some big rides for the first hour we're there. On the last day, we stay till the kiss goodnight. It always feels like a good way to bookend our trip. Lately, we've been doing Peter Pan's Flight for our first ride of the trip and Space Mountain as our last ride, and I kind of like that. What's most important to me is making beautiful memories at the beginning and the end of the trip, to help kick off vacation and ease you out of it.

 

[Wendy5055]

We usually arrive in the morning so my DD13 is usually ready to go to the MK right after we check-in. At some point we ALWAYS go the Crystal Palace for breakfast...always have since my DD was 5 years old. It's our tradition together. On our last trip, we ended by having breakfast then lunch in the MK a few "final rides". Then it was back to our resort to collect bags and relax while we waited for ME to come. I like to make sure we have a meal before we go to the airport...that way nobody gets super hungry on the flight.

One note...on our last trip we had the last available flight with South West and it was delayed for HOURS...we sat in the airport and were eventually refunded the total cost of our tickets (one way). Not something I will do this time. We are going to have a mid-day flight (hopefully) so we aren't stranded late at night in the airport. I also have to add a 45 minute ride home after we arrive at our airport. (especially since it is just myself and my DD13 this time).

 

[karpy111]

Arrival day we just hang out at the resort. The day we leave I always book a late departing flight home usually around 7 or later if possible. We do rope drop at MK then head over to chef mickeys for lunch then back to the park for some last minute rides or shopping. We then watch the 3 o'clock parade and head to the buses.

 

[mel&me]

just go with the flow. almost never have any type of schedule.

 

[Monykalyn]

DTD on arrival day! This trip we are getting in later but I still think a stop at DTD is worth it...our other tradition (not necessarily first day or last) is Mickey and Minnie M&G in AK. Not sure why Animal Kingdom but that is where we started with our our family Looking back through trips as a kid (and CP participant) I always seem to have family photos outside Living with the Land too...

 

[Frozen2014]

Our flight got in at 1:30pm. Our plan was to check into our hotel and then head over to MK for a few hours before our Ohana dinner ADR. However, by the time we rented our car, checked in (magic band issue opening our room), it was getting late so we skipped the park. We checked out our resort, let our kids play in the arcade and then dinner.

On departure day, our flight was early afternoon so we had last meal at Chef Mickey's for breakfast (character meal with main 5 seemed like a good way to end the trip). Then we returned to our room and ...boo hoo...checked out.

I suppose it depends on the time of your flight arrival and departure how much you can get done.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We always do Downtown Disney while we wait to check in. That gets a lot of shopping out of the way so we don't spend so much time in the park shops. We get hoppers, so dinner is usually at Epcot. Closing day is either at a park we want to catch something we missed, or weather permitting, we pack up the car and head to a water park, then leave around 3 or 4. We live in Virginia, and we always allow a couple of days to get home. Last trip we headed to Myrtle Beach for 4 days after Disney World.

 

[loves to dive]

I drive down from Georgia, it's about a 7 hour drive so I usually arrive around 2 or 3. After I check in I just play it by ear, if I'm at an Epcot resort I walk over to World Showcase and just wander around and eventually grab something to eat and make an early evening of it. If not staying at an Epcot resort I usually go over to what ever park is closer by bus and again just wander around and grab a bite to eat. I rarely ride a ride on the travel day, just too tired and need to soak in the joy of being there. I always have park hoppers for the entire length of stay so going to the parks is no problem. I have an AP now so don't feel the need to go to a park if I don't feel like it. On my departure day I try to leave around noon or 1 so I get up and usually go to MK for one last stroll then over to Epcot to finish any shopping I need to do. I go ahead and check out and let the resort store my luggage if I valet park, if I self park I usually just take it to my car. The nice thing about driving is you really aren't on a schedule.

 

[THREEBOYSPLUSONE]

We have only gone a few times and the last time was 11 years ago. Usually we get the earliest flight there and after we check in we would head to Hollywood Studios( of course it was MGM then). This time our flight is in the afternoon because we saved $100 a person by flying in the afternoon instead of morning. Since we are staying by the airport and we don't have to get up early we decided to surprise our sons with the Pirate and Pals fireworks cruise the first night. We will head to Hollywood Studios the next morning for our first ever time at SWW. Our last day we usually fly home as late as possible so we have time to do something before we go. Last time we went to MK and did the family magic tour and had lunch at Crystal Palace before we headed back to resort to leave. This time we have ADR for OHana because our 12 year old son loves Stitch and Lilo. We will probably head to MK to get one or two last rides before heading back to AKL to get ME to airport.