What to do on our arrival day?

[Selket]

We plan to arrive at the AKL around 3-4 p.m. on a Saturday in August. We're leaving on Friday and doing most of the driving Friday we hope - but I'm sure we could be tired after spending so much time in the car (850 miles total each way). There is DH and I and two boys: an 18 mo old and a 5.5 yr old. Should we forget the parks that day and spend it at the lodge - swim and the like? I have traveled enough with small children now that I have LOW expectations - LOL! I'd love to hit a park - perhaps for a ride or two and some dinner...but maybe we'd be better off enjoying the lodge and the pool. If I made a PS for Sat night in a theme park and decided to cancel last minute (like an hour or two before) - is that bad form?

Thanks!
Carol

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I think a good idea to help them unwind from all that driving would be to check in and let the kids swim and enjoy themselves at the pool and just enjoy the lodge. We always have a character dinner the first night we are there. That always gets them excited for the parks. Chef Mickey's is my personal favorite for character dinners. Go to bed early so that everyone will be rested and in good spirits the next day when you hit the parks. Plus, if you have park hoppers, by the time you get settled in your room and get to the park, it just doesn't seem like it would be worth using one of your days for just a couple of hours.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I second what momof3disneyholics has posted. I would hang out at the resort and explore it. Then head over to the Contmeporary for a dinner at Chef Mickey. If you time it right (may be too late for the kids being tired), you can see the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom as well as the Electric Water Pagent from the Contemporary....that would be a nice way to end your first day at Disney....

 

[athena's mommy]

I agree with the others. Since this is your first time at the AKL, I would recommend chilling out there for the night. The resort is so beautiful and there is alot to see there. They have a great pool (that is the largest on any Disney property) with a cool slide and as soon as your 5 year old sees that.....he won't want to do anything else! You can also tour all the savannnahs, there are 3 total, and see all the animals. They also have storytelling in the evening that your sons may enjoy. You can eat dinner at Boma (YUM!). I wouldn't waste a day on my PH for only a few hours. My DH and I stayed at the AKL 2 years ago in December and loved it. We spent probably 4-5 hours just walking around.

 

[momxx5]

I agree with the others.

We will are driving majority on Day#1, and only a couple of hrs on Day#2, planning to arrive before lunch. Our plan is to stop at DTD for lunch and look around and then check in at Ft.W cabin around 2:00.

The rest of the day we will spend enjoying the resort, swimming, easy supper, hopefully the campfire and the watch the fireworks from the beach. But if we don't get to see the fireworks that night, we'll do it another time. Low expectations and a flexible schedule makes for a happy mommy.

Good luck and enjoy for vacation

 

[crazelion]

Go to Downtown Disney and have dinner and check out the shops. Dowtown Disney have a carsosul for the kids to ride for a fee. Watch the fireworks at Pleasure Island.

 

[M&M's Daddy]

We had dinner with Pooh and Friends at Park Faire in the Grand Floridian on the first day of our last trip after arriving in the afternoon. It was a great way to kick off the vacation and get into the Disney mood

 

[Baloo]

Stay at the lodge...the place is FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Swim,take a walk around the grounds and look at the animals and Hidden Mickeys.There's a little playground too.Maybe go to Boma's for dinner.The AKL is so wonderful and beautiful,we hung out on the balcony alot and watched the giraffes.

I didn't ever want to leave!!!!

 

[Selket]

Thanks for the suggestions! I wish I could go to WDW more often so I'd get to try all of them My tendency is to stay at the hotel as I think there will be a lot to do there and since we're paying big bucks to stay at a deluxe I might as well enjoy the resort! The older DS doesn't remember much of our last trip to WDW 3 yrs ago so he isn't dying to get to the parks. Probably the pool, the animals, and dinner will make us satisfied for that first night. I'm tempted by Chef Mickey's cause I'd love to eat there and see the hotel but it would have to be an early dinner I think, because of the baby. Might as well enjoy our own hotel first.

Thanks again!
Carol

 

[IMADSNYLOVR]

At first I was going to tell you to go to Chef Mickey's; but I think if I were staying at the AK I would stay there and enjoy the awesome surroundings. Especially having little one's it's a job to drag them around for a short perioud of time. Have fun!

Sarah

 

[Madi100]

For our last trip we arrived at about 1 or 2. I planned a day of exploring. We rode the monorail. We took a boat ride, and we visited Fort Wilderness and rode the ponies. Then, since it was my birthday, we went to Rain Forest Cafe and had dinner. Big mistake. My daughter, who was four at the time, was a major crab!! She was so tired. She normally would have been fine, but after a flight and exploring a bit, she was pooped. This trip, we are going to still explore, but we are going to take our supper at our resort. That way the kids can be pooped when they want to be, and we don't waste money on a meal we can't enjoy.

 

[Taurus]

For our trip to AKL, we arrived about 2:00 pm and dd/dh hit the pool (lucky it was heated - there was no keeping dd out of it despite the January weather!) I spent a few hours just watching the animals (sooo calming after spending a day flying out of a snowstorm that caused us to miss a connecting flight!) Had a great Boma dinner and really enjoyed the storytelling fireside. Don't waste the opportunity to enjoy AKL as other days you may be too busy at the parks! Talk to some of the CMs also - they are from Africa and very interesting to talk to.

 

[flywheel]

We are driving down from NJ and so we don't waste a day at WDW, we got the 5 day 4 night package, starting on monday. We will drive sat, stay in SC, and then get to Orlando on Sun and got a room in a economy hotel. We will get a good nights sleep and start in WDW first thing monday morning. We feel the extra hotel night is worth it so we can get the most out of WDW.

 

[Selket]

Getting down there a day earlier is a good idea too - I just hate unpacking that many times! (unloading the car at least). We could leave Thurs early afternoon and do the biggest part of the drive Friday...hmmm.....

 

[cheeringmom]

The kids love strolling thru the stores and it gets them excited about the week.

 

[scrappinMickey]

We always go to Downtown Disney and usually eat at Rainforest Cafe!! Or get ice cream at Ghirardelli's!! We like to shop there and we can get our Disney fix there at the huge store!

We love Chef Mickey's too, but we like the bkfst food better than the dinner! So, we usually save that for the morning we leave, right before we get back on the road for home! That way it doesn't cut into our days in the Parks! JMO