What to do arrival day? Boardwalk? Springs? Poly?

[Alaskadisnerd]

Coming on my honeymoon in April! Hubby and I arrive at MCO around 1:30 so hotel around 3! After we check in and get acquainted...we are staying at POR, where should we go? Disney springs sounds fun but also packed on a Saturday night. Heard the boardwalk might be fun and the brewery interests us as well as jelly rolls or we are also interested in trader sams! Looking for advice! Could be something I didn't list! Thank you!

 

[Wild4Walt]

This was the same question we had. We will arrive around 430p on a Friday and weren't sure either. Our trip is September so we expect the crowd to be a bit less ( although this may be naive ). We plan on dinner at the Boathouse and then just hanging out at Disney Springs for the evening. If it's too crowded then we plan to take the Disney bus over to the Boardwalk and hanging out there.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Jelly Rolls is SUPER fun. I also think Disney Springs is way more fun now that when it was Downtown Disney (don't hate me!) so that's a good one to check out too. It will be super packed though, you're right. Trader Sam's is always fun! If it was me I'd do some time at your hotel pool, do DS during the day/for dinner, and then later in the evening go over to Jelly Rolls.

 

[bryanb]

Those are some great ideas!

From Port Orleans you can take the boats down the Disney Springs and enjoy an afternoon of shopping and dining. I love the ride itself. Such a relaxing atmosphere and a nice way to ease into a fun vacation.

Boardwalk would be a decent second choice. Though I would probably pick a different day for Boardwalk; maybe combine it with a visit to Epcot or DHS. There are a few fun things to do, but it's not as complete of an experience as Disney Springs, and the transportation options back to your hotel are limited.

Personally this would be my favorite: You could consider doing a monorail tour of the hotels in the Magic Kingdom area. That will give you a first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom, get you into Trader Sam's, and some bar hopping around the other hotels in the area. I like watching the fireworks from the TTC dock... they look so big, bright, and beautiful from there and reflecting against the lagoon. Very romantic and magical. It will give you a different experience from when you see them up-close in the Magic Kingdom.

Also, depending on how many days you're staying, you could consider upgrading your ticket to enter the parks early. Although you'll have only a few hours, the cost of the upgrade might be less than what you'd pay for similar activities elsewhere.

 

[ludari]

On my past trips to WDW I usually arrive 5PM to my resort and after I unpack I usually stop at the resort bar for a few drinks before dinner. After dinner I will find my way to Trader Sam's as long as the line to get in is not long.

 

[jimmymc]

Boardwalk and Disney Springs are both great ideas. DS is definitely crowded on Saturday nights, but if you get a reservation that will make finding food easier. Also if you're not there on spring break it won't be super crowded, still ok to walk around.

You can also eat and watch the fireworks from a monorail loop resort. I like the California Grill Lounge (restaurant is a bit out of my price range), but any of the resorts have somewhere you can watch from. You can also rent a boat from the time you arrive to when you get hungry.

You can also go to Fort Wilderness and just hang out near the water. They have a lot of smaller activities to do and good casual food.