Arrival Day Suggestions? About This Page:

[Julian]

We arrive at WDW on MONDAY!!!!!

We should be landing at Orlando International around 15:40 local time and will be taking Disney's Magical Express to Disney's All Star Sports Resort.

I figure allowing two hours should be more or less ok, which will take us to about 17:40, by which time I'm hoping we'll be in our room. Fingers crossed!!

Bearing in mind that, by then, we will have been "on the go" for about 15 hours (including the 9 hour flight!) and our "body clocks" will be telling us it's 22:40, what do you suggest we do?

DW and I work shifts, so are used to working "silly hours" and having our body clocks upset all the time. DD, however, is 5 years old, and will probably be flagging by then!

Should we just chill out, check out the resort, and have an early night in preperation for our first full day in the parks? Should we go to Downtown Disney to start soaking in some "magic"? Or, should we make our way to one of the parks for an hour or two of "total immersion"?

[Jack's mom]

I wouldn't do anything than relax and maybe if your DD is up to it, taking a ride on the monorail to get some magic before you hit the parks the next day. Enjoy!

[Pax]

Originally Posted by Julian

Bearing in mind that, by then, we will have been "on the go" for about 15 hours (including the 9 hour flight!) and our "body clocks" will be telling us it's 22:40, what do you suggest we do?

If you haven't got an ADR already?

Head over to DTD, grab something at one fo the counter-service places (Earl of Sandwich would be a good choice), and stroll around just to stretch your legs and do some relaxed browsing of the souvenirs and such on offer.

Maybe, in fact, stop by the custom T-shirt place (can't remember the name) and make each other a shirt to wear on the way home ...?

[WillCAD]

After 15hours of traveling, plus the time difference, you will be exhausted. Grab a light meal at the ASSP food court, stroll slowly around the resort for a few minutes, unwind a little, and get some sleep. Be rested for the beginning of your park experiences the following day.

[debrabrown]

No advice here...other than have a magical vacation!

[Dave Marx]

Allow for a little flexibility. Maybe your DD will have slept on the plane enough that she's alert. Maybe she'll be ready for bed. So... plan to eat a quiet, relaxed meal at the food court or carry the food back to your room, depending on circumstances. After that, see what happens. She may enjoy a dip in the pool to unwind and exhaust any remaining energy, and even an exploration of the resort may be enough to sample the magic and take the edge off. After all that travel, another 20 minutes on a bus might not be worth the bother. There's a lot to be said for staying in one place for a bit. But, if you're all still itching to go, then the World awaits.

[xgirlherox]

it's a tradition for us to head to the room and freshen up a bit, let the DD rest for about a half hour, and head to DTD. it's disney world- there's no such thing as relaxing! lol!

[chezp]

I'd chill out. On that first night, we usually try and stay up until our "usual" bedtime - for us, around 9pm. Usually, we're absolutely shot by then, but it does make it a bit easier the next day - instead of being awake at 3am, we might sleep in until 5am! with the jetlag - it's a killer, isn't it?

[KMB733]

I'd plan a relaxing time at the resort. Get something to eat and explore the resort. Get to bed early, that way you'll be refreshed and ready to go in the morning! Safe travels!

[scottjs]

I would just say relax.

But I have noticed that it is easier to travel from east to west then the other direction. Have fun.

[mommadjones]

Another vote for relaxing at the resort!!! We had a flight that landed and had us to the resort by 19:30. Our flight was only a few hours but we were zapped. We had a light dinner took a swim in the pool and off to bed. We woke up bright and early the next am and had a wonderful and full day at the MK. I hope you have a great flight and a magical time.

[Mimie]

I go with the group, relax. With DD with you I would go by her clock. If she is up for a stroll or a swim in the pool I would go for it but keep it low keyed. Also the relaxed dinner, Maybe you should pick out a specail place and just go get some dinner. Have bunches of fun.

[Mystic]

I would grab some dinner, either at the resort or at DTD and then chill out and check out your "home" for the next little while. This is what we always do, even though our flight is only about 3 hours long it's still a long day of travelling. Because we have to cross the border and there are a lot of flights that leave Toronto early in the morning for places like NY etc that people are trying to catch for business meetings it means the airport can get really busy after 7:30 in the morning so even though our flight doesn't leave until 10am we are usually going through US customs at 7am and then we have a long wait until our flight. By the time we get to our hotel at 2pm we've been up and travelling for 10 hours already and we're pretty wiped. Our first day usually consists of grabbing dinner somewhere, then checking out our hotel and depending which hotel we're staying at, checking out some of the other hotels near by.

[revral]

I agree with the others. Hang out at the hotel, have dinner at the food court, and make an early night of it. Traveling is exciting, tiring and stressful with a healthy dose of hurry up and wait thrown in. You'll have had a 15+ hour day, crossed multiple time zones, and dealt with customs and basically have been out of your normal routine, on the go, excited, and stressed all day. I fly from Seattle to Orlando which is about a 6 hour and 3 time zone flight so with the time difference even with a non stop morning flight I don't get in to Orlando untill evening and by the time I get to the hotel, check in and ditch my carry-ons in the room I'm tired and hungry. The only things I'm interested in doing are getting dinner and relaxing a little before going to bed. After ditching my carry-ons in the room I get dinner at the food court and then go back to the room and unpack with the tv on before going to bed. This way I actually enjoy my first full day instead of being to tired to enjoy it.

[Julian]

Thanks for all the advice guys, we've decided to go with the majority and stay at the resort, grab some food, and do some "gentle" exploring. We'll be guided by DD as to the extent of our adventures. We know from previous experience that she'll be up early (usually VERY early) more or less regardless of when she'll go to bed, so we have to be careful not to over tire her, or our first day in Magic Kingdom might be a little cranky to say the least!!

Thanks again.