Favorite Activites for Your Arrival Night

POSTED: Mon, 10/03/2011 - 05:05 | POSTED BY: Kristen Kirk

We asked our Facebook Fans what their favorite arrival day activities were and the overwhelming response was that they head right to the parks! Starting off at the Magic Kingdom or grabbing at drink around Epcot's World Showcase seem to be the most popular ways to go. However, if you're flight is scheduled to get in later at night or you experience some travel delays there are still fantastic ways to kick off your magical journey.

The Monorail Takes You To Arrival Night Fun!

Enjoy the Hotel - Take a minute or two to settle into your hotel room, and get situated for your vacation. Erin Williams "plans the next days itinerary with the park schedule", while Gail Voris might take a "dip in the pool"! Finish off the night at your resort's featured restaurant for a fabulous dinner, and maybe catch some Stacy TV.

Downtown Disney - This was the go to first night for several fans like Aesha Richardson and Roz Helms. A movie, dinner and shopping in this Disney atmosphere elevates a date night to something wonderful. Best of all if you're running late you don't need to worry, just catch the next show.

Hotel Hopping on the Monorail Loop - Lori Nordfors and Fallon Adamo offer great ideas start off your trip "soaking in the Disney magic". If you can't afford to add a park on the day of your arrival hit a hotel on the loop for dinner. A monorail crawl and fireworks from the beach are a fantastic way to kick off your vacation!

Whatever your arrival day traditions, don't schedule anything that you would regret missing due to travel delays that are beyond your control. Not only could you be out the money, but you might miss out on the experience of a lifetime. It would be heartbreaking to miss a Dinner Show, La Nouba or a reservation for Victoria & Alberts because you were sitting on the tarmac.

What's the first things you do when you get to Walt Disney World? Do you head to the parks or take a more conservative approach? Have you ever missed a reservation do to travel delays? Leave a message below and tell me how you do it!

In:

JeffC wrote on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 17:50:

We always save the parks for our first full day. So on our arrival day, we typically unpack at the resort, and then head straight for the Boardwalk to walk around, and then to DTD.

That gets us right into the mood, and is casual enough that we can unwind and relax after the long drive to WDW and be fresh for the very first Rope Drop of the trip!

Dinner is usually at Wolfgang Pucks - it's become tradition.

The World of Deej wrote on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 21:22:

Add me to the "Drink Around the World" group, although if we do find ourselves at the Contemporary, we enjoy a drink at Top of the World...

Kristen K. wrote on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 16:17:

I had tickets for us to go to the park our first night last week, but we still ended up doing a monorail crawl instead! Old habits are so hard to break!

Debbie V. wrote on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 22:42:

Our first trip to WDW is set for Nov 13-18, 2011. We arrived at the airport at 5:30 p.m. We're staying at the Polynesian Resort. We have a dinner reservation at Teppan Edo (Epcot World Showcase, Japan) for 7:50. It sounds like we are cutting it pretty close. Any suggestions?

Heidi T wrote on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 00:28:

The "Monorail Crawl" sounds like so much fun, going to try that as our next "first night"! We enjoy flying in early afternoon, so we have plenty of time checking in, unpacking, relaxing, and enjoying our first evening of magic. On our flight home day, we drop our bags at the holding area before breakfast. We catch a flight between 4pm-5pm so that we can make the most of our trip. We catch resort highlight or walk, shop, and enjoy lunch at Downtown Disney. Can't wait for our next trip!!

jbarkee wrote on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 04:54:

We always hit the pool then the Resort lounge.

H20, then booze............can you beat that?????

Nancy wrote on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 10:40:

After our long drive we hit the pool to cool off, take the boat to wilderness lodge and grab a quick service then off to Magic Kingdom or back to the cabin to enjoy "family friendly" television and a much deserved rest.

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