Would you be comfortable with an ADR on arrival day if you arrive 1:15?

[summermac]

Well I guess it'd be 3:00 by the time we catch ME and get to the resort.

I was thinking a 5:00 ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe & then go to Magic Kingdom. Or do you think we should just hit MK and get CS for dinner?

If so when would you add another TS in?

Sunday - DHS & 50s PTC hopefully
Monday - MK & CP for breakfast
Tuesday - AK & Tusker house for breakfast
Wednesday - Epcot & LeCellier for dinner
Thursday - park TBD & dinner at Kona
Friday - park TBD & dinner at 1900 PF

None of these are finalized. I'm just hoping. My call in is Sunday!

 

[Cinderella94]

Personally, we're too exhausted to do much of anything the day we get there. Your (possible) ADRs look good though!

 

[KatMark]

Well I guess it'd be 3:00 by the time we catch ME and get to the resort.

I was thinking a 5:00 ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe & then go to Magic Kingdom. Or do you think we should just hit MK and get CS for dinner?

If so when would you add another TS in?

Sunday - DHS & 50s PTC hopefully
Monday - MK & CP for breakfast
Tuesday - AK & Tusker house for breakfast
Wednesday - Epcot & LeCellier for dinner
Thursday - park TBD & dinner at Kona
Friday - park TBD & dinner at 1900 PF

None of these are finalized. I'm just hoping. My call in is Sunday!

Personally, I think it is a little risky (and it has nothing to do with the fact that we don't think WCC is worth it). But you always have to take into account airport delays, etc. If you decide against WCC on arrival day, why don't you do a late lunch/early dinner at either The Plaza at the MK or the Liberty Tree Tavern?

 

[summermac]

I was all about the menu there, that's why I wanted it.

If we'd Plaza, it'd be OOP b/c I do want to eat at WCC.

 

[AlternateEgo]

I would skip MK on arrival day and start out my Disney vacation with a great dinner. Get some time to relax, enjoy the resort, maybe a little swimming and get a good nights rest.

Also, you didn't mention which resort you are staying at... but if you are staying at a resort with a restaurant that is on your list, I would do that on your arrival night.

 

[Cinderella94]

I would skip MK on arrival day and start out my Disney vacation with a great dinner. Get some time to relax, enjoy the resort, maybe a little swimming and get a good nights rest.

Also, you didn't mention which resort you are staying at... but if you are staying at a resort with a restaurant that is on your list, I would do that on your arrival night.

That sounds like a good idea.

 

[summermac]

I would skip it too but we have 7 day tickets & we depart on Saturday morning early so we don't have the opportunity to go to a park before we leave. I was figuring it'd be a relaxing MK day - just taking in parades & fireworks. So maybe I just came up with my answer of not doing WCC on arrival day. Or maybe a late ADR like 7?

Hmmmm..........nice time to start thinking about this, eh?

 

[summermac]

We're at CBR.

 

[ckdsnynt]

Our flight was scheduled to arrive at Orlando at 7:50. We arrived at 7:30 (yep, early!). We cruised into WL at 9:50 (didn't have baggage to claim - ME would do that - but did get mixed up about where to catch ME because we didn't receive our ME packet so that cost about 10 minutes). We didn't have to wait at all on a ME bus but it did go to Poly and GF (I don't recall if it went there first or if it dropped us off first?). Point is, I would not schedule a TS less than three hours after you are supposed to arrive.
But do eat at WC sometime in your trip. Well worth it. We walked in at closing and the service and food was wonderful. We never felt rushed!

 

[Hopefully]

Another vote for a relaxing first day. Your children are young and they are going to be tired from traveling and the excitement. I would NOT try to do too much that first day, you do not want to be tired the whole week.
I believe you need to plan so that if there are travel delays you are not stressed trying to make an early ADR.
I would make a later ADR for WCC. Before that you can check in, hopefully get your room at a reasonable hour, unpack and explore the resort. The head out for a leisurely ADR.
Good Luck

 

[AlternateEgo]

I would skip it too but we have 7 day tickets & we depart on Saturday morning early so we don't have the opportunity to go to a park before we leave. I was figuring it'd be a relaxing MK day - just taking in parades & fireworks. So maybe I just came up with my answer of not doing WCC on arrival day. Or maybe a late ADR like 7?

Hmmmm..........nice time to start thinking about this, eh?

I know you are probably going to want to get your money's worth, but could you have dinner at WCC and take the boat over to MK for fireworks?

OR... What about having an early breakfast at CP on MK day... then have a late dinner at WCC. You could take the boat from MK to WL.

 

[MickeyNicki]

For a late arrival day like that we prefer to go to DTD, shop and have dinner and get a early nights rest so we can hit the parks at rope drop

 

[catne]

I would not book a dinner ADR...your plane could be late, you could miss the next ME, there could be a delay getting into your room, etc, etc. And, especially if stuff goes wrong during the travel, you & yours could be very tired & frazzled. Not the best time to be trying to make a dinner ADR. And if you make it for later in the evening, you may be too tired to get there, too.

I would just plan for a CS in the Magic Kingdom - that way, of all else falls apart you will not be disappointed. We like to go to a park on arrival day...just to get immersed in the magic. We don't plan on doing any major rides or anything like that (although if we walk past one & it's got a really short stand-by, we'll take it!) Mostly, we just want to "be there". And if your travel does get messed up, what the heck. Just get into your room, and go have CS at your resort...relax & chill; hit the ground running the next day.

 

[cosmicdaisy]

I would make the ressie. We have a late landing, that I am none too thrilled about myself... 3:27. We have an ADR at Chef Mickey's for 6:35. I figure that gives us "just enough" time. But you know what, if we get delayed...we get delayed and I'll cancel the ressie. I especially run the risk because we have a connection and they've already changed our second leg once and added 10 minutes to our layover, which I know is just ten minutes... but I digress.

If I were you, this is what I would do. I'd make my ADR for that day for WCC and make another one for your AK day evening. Cancel the one you don't need.

Just my point oh two

 

[TDC Nala]

Unless you were staying at Wilderness Lodge, I'd say it's too great a risk that you will miss that ADR. As long as it is not an ADR that required a credit card guarantee, you could keep it and try to make it, but be sure you have some kind of backup plan.

 

[eeyoreforever]

I guess I'm in the minority because I would definitely make that ADR, but maybe just a tad bit later. We arrive at 12:55 and I've made an ADR for Teppan Edo at 7:30 (we prefer to eat later). Of course your kids are a lot younger than mine (mine are 16 and 14), but if I were to tell them we weren't going to a park on the first day, they would think I had lost my mind. So, I say go for it and if something happens that you don't make it, just have a back up plan in place. Have fun!!!

 

[Tricia1972]

Personally, we're too exhausted to do much of anything the day we get there. Your (possible) ADRs look good though!

We're the same. We generally prefer a low key day when traveling, especially if we have the kids.

On our anniversary trip (just my husband and me) we got in early and did go to Epcot that day, but it was nice to have a low key day in Epcot (we also landed at 9am in Orlando, so we were there all day)

 

[Disneymom2266]

I wouldnt waste a park ticket to go for just a short amount of time. We usually hang around the pool or go to DTD the arrival day. And we always go to Cape May arrival night for dinner.

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

I wouldn't anymore
Last year we were suppose to arrive at 1:30pm into Orlando Airport so I thought we had enough time to catch the P&PP which starts around 7pm, well flights delayed and we only got into Orlando airport at 11:00pm so I will never book anything on arrival day again.
I would just grab something to eat at the resort that day and spend teh rest of teh day exploring teh resort.

 

[summermac]

I think we're going to skip the ADR but we are still going into a park. Disneymom, we won't be wasting a day b/c we really will only be in WDW for 6 full days as we depart really early on June 20.

Tomorrow's the day!!