What To Do The Day You Arrive???

[sdrsdd]

We are going to stay in the POFQ from March 17-24. Since we have a 2.5 and a 4.5 year old and they will have been traveling from Missouri to Florida. What should we do the 1st day? Check-in , nap, swim, eat maybe at our hotel's restaurant for dinner adn then go to bed early so they will be ready for the parks the next day OR would you go to the parks the 1st day. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[lovethattink]

Chances are once you get to the motel and they see all the excitement, a nap will go right out the window. What time do you arrive at the resort? A boat ride to DTD might relax them. Swimming might tire them out more where they'll go to bed early and be ready for the next day. Your resort has a nice food court. I'm sure they'll love looking at all the Mardi Gras decorations while eating. There is also a tv in the food court that usually either shows the disney channel, a movie or cartoons. My kids like to sit near the tv.

 

[theflowerladee]

I would play it by ear, if you are there early enough maybe nap lunch at resort and a park in the evening for a few hours, just to see your kids catch a glimpse of the castle. I have taken my kids young and we have done everything on the first day, from swimming all day to dropping our bags and running into a park. This past Nov. my youngest was 5 and it was Thanksgiving day and we left our house about 3am and by dinner he was cranky!!!, but that is really the first time he was ever like that. If you think your kids would not be up for the parks, how about a nice afternoon swim and then go over to downtown disney for dinner, we always enjoy that and
we feel like we have done something disneyish. They have some great restaurants down there and the kids can shop, ride the carosel, play in legoland, ride a train you can rent a boat and take a nice trip down river. They have alot to do in downtown. Have a magical trip.

 

[mommy2savannah]

We went to downtown disney on our first day and had a very relaxing time. We ate at Rainforest Cafe, went to world of disney and walked around enjoying everything around us. My dd2.5 loved loved loved DTD!

 

[belle&beast]

We played it by ear in January with 4.5 yo DD and soon to be 2yo DS. We ended up arriving inthe late afternoon, checking in, grabbing a CS and headed to MK for Spectromagic and Wishes. It was a wonderful way to start our vacation and the kids had slept on the flight so they were ready to go!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

My plan to to arrive mid-day, check out the resort, maybe have a swim, or visit DTD, and then have dinner at Chef Mickey's to get the excitement going. We'll do MK the next day.

 

[peacelovemickey]

Just a suggestion........My kids (ok me included) have trouble waiting to get to MK on the first day. We go around 6 or so, see what rides have short lines, then about 1/2 to hour before the first Spectromagic head to Liberty Square for good parade seats. Of course we have to grab some Mickey Ice Cream bars (and A Dole Whip for me) to enjoy while we are waiting. THe CMS come out and entertain kids waiting for the parade with hopscotch, ball games, golf etc. This is such a cool way to start our trip. We have done it this way on the last 2 and will never do it again. I time our flights so we will have enough time to do it this way.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You won't be able to get to your room until after 3PM at the earliest.

 

[UtahMama]

We went straight to Magic Kingdom....after a LONG flight, no changes of clothes , we were exhausted and cranky. Went back to hotel when our luggage arrived for naps and relaxing. PLUS we needed to get our refilable mugs bought. So part one of our first day is an example of what not to do. Play it by ear, or if you are a schedule keeper, have a plan B!

 

[fultons96]

We always love an afternoon trip to Downtown Disney on the day we arrive...and you can take a boat from POFQ there. The shops, the water, Rainforest Cafe and Legoland will be a blast for a 4.5 year old. Of course the airport itself will be a big exciting place for them-getting to ride the shuttles from the plane to baggage claim is kinda like riding the monorail!
Port Orleans is a big exciting place for little ones to explore, hit the pool or take a walk of the grounds (have they ever seen a palm tree before? interesting looking trees to little midwesterners!), it will give you the chance to get to know your way around the resort and help tire the little ones as well.
And if you are having trouble getting them to go to sleep (as I often have on my first night!), tell them that Mickey is getting his sleep as well so he can be refreshed and ready to see them too! (that's what my wife tells me!)
Relax and enjoy, don't push yourselves to see everything, it is rarely accomplished (believe me I know!) You are giving us the fever.....maybe we're gonna have to start planning our next trip

 

[sameyeyam]

We always go to hotel, relax, swim, unpack, explore the resort area, etc...

Then in the evening we have dinner at Downtown Disney, go to the Under $10 store and let each of the kids buy a grab bag. Lots of goodies in them and cost about $7.

Early to bed and then MK first thing the next morning!!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Down Town disney! we do it every year on our first day! it's tradition!!

 

[PrincessV]

This is pretty much our standard routine for extended WDW trips. DD is fairly low-key, but allows for some walking around to stretch legs and has nifty stuff like Legoland and the big Dis store to get the kids excited about the trip.

I also reccomend hanging around your hotel - there's plenty to occupy - and/or touring some of the other resorts.

 

[jordansmomma]

I was wondering the same thing. We will be leaving WA state at 8:15 am and arriving in the early evening but i am thinking, hotel, swimming, dinner and to bed early after the very long plane ride, from West coast to East coast. Then up early to hit the parks early.

 

[emh1129]

We are planning to go to MK on our first day there.. I wasn't planning to go to a park that day, but I saw it's open until 11pm that night, so I think we might go for a little while. We'll eat dinner at the Plaza restaurant and spend a few hours there

 

[BankerMom]

Great ideas here, our first trip in Oct. ds6 and dd4. We will probably arrive around 4 and I like the idea of letting them visit Downtown Disney however will we need to use one of our passes or can you visit without a pass?

 

[Gina35]

No, you don't need a ticket for Downtown Disney, only Pleasure Island.

 

[samano]

We will arrive at MCO around 10am, and plan to spend our arrival day hanging out at CBR. On trips past, we've never really spent any time at the resort, so this time I want to rent a boat, ride a surrey bike, lounge in a hammock on the beach, hit the pool....and then just play that evening by ear. We will have been up since around 5am that day, so I'm just leaving that night completely open to see what we feel like doing!!

 

[brat5063]

We land in Orlando at 9:15am. It is going to be an early day for us. I am thinking we will be at the hotel around 11ish. We are staying at ASMo. If we can't check in right away, we are planning on eating at the food court and maybe hanging out by the pool for the afternoon. Early evening we are going to try and head to MK, we have reservations at 5:30 for Tony's. This is our first time traveling to WDW with a toddler. If he is in a good mood, we might hang around the park for a while. If not, we will just head back and get a good nights sleep.

 

[noodleknitter]

We went to downtown disney on our first day and had a very relaxing time. We ate at Rainforest Cafe, went to world of disney and walked around enjoying everything around us. My dd2.5 loved loved loved DTD!

This is what we did also. Took the boat, traded some pins, and had a lovely time! We also always have beignets our first night there. complete with photos!