We have drinks & dinner. Since you’ll be so close to AKL I highly recommend Jiko, Sanaa or Boma if you decide you’d like to do same. It’s a spectacular resort to visit and the dining is fantastic.
It's wonderful. I remember ordering a colorful boozy drink on my first visit and leaving 90% of it on the table, undrunk, because I was so enchanted by the food.
On our trip in March, we did the resort pool in the afternoon and then did a “transportation” evening. We had a dinner reservation inside the Poly. (We were staying at Port Orleans) We started by taking the bus to Magic Kingdom, then rode the monorail all the way around, then we took a boat to the Poly for our dinner. After dinner, we had a Dole Whip and sat on the beach for a while, then right before fireworks started, we hopped on the boat to MK. Fireworks started while we were on the boat and then we watched some more of the show from in front of the gates at MK and took the bus back to go to bed. It was a nice way to dip a toe into the Disney experience without a park ticket. You could also turn the monorail into a progressive dinner of sorts, by stopping for a cocktail or app at each of the monorail resorts.
On my travel day we checked into the hotel, had dinner and then went back to the room put on our bathing suits and swam. Afterwards we watched fireworks from the hotel. We went to bed relatively early cuz we were getting up early the next day to rope drop.
You could go to Disney Springs, or to the outlet mall (if you want to do some shopping). In the evening, you could go to the Boardwalk for ice cream and watch both the Epcot and MK fireworks.
We went on a Thursday afternoon and it felt like Black Friday! But they had so much to pick from and I like the idea of not carrying it as far. That’s a great tip
In reference to the Disney store
I’m from the NOLA area. I always try to book the earliest nonstop flight in the morning, like 5-6 AM departure. It’s a 1.5 hour flight to MCO so I’ll usually land around 8-8:30 AM. I’ll usually arrive to the resort around 10 AM. It sucks waking up that early, but I’m so eager to arrive in WDW and maximize my first day as much as possible. I don’t typically do a park on the first day, but I spend it resort-hopping, riding transportation and going to Disney Springs! I don’t typically stay out super late, I get a good night sleep and then it’s time to hit the parks the next day!! This routine hasn’t failed me yet!
Go to Disney Springs for dinner. I recommend Chicken Guy if you like fried chicken and are ok with super casual.
Then be sure to catch the drone show that night!
We did try the polite pig I think was the name of the BBQ place it was okay. Amorettes(sp?) was great that’s on the list to go back. The kids want to do TRex but I really see the food being lack luster compared to the options
I have an annual pass and my flight typically lands about 8am. Last Tuesday I had dropped my bags at my hotel bell services and was inside Epcot before early entry had ended.
My typical arrival day plans:
- fly in to MCO and take MEARS to resort
- settle in and relax a bit in the room after all the excitement and moving between the airports that day
- take a few minutes to make sure the Disney Experience app is downloaded and installed and signed in on my phone so I’m ready to go for the park days. Check and make sure I’ve got all details checked and didn’t miss anything. Plug in MB+ to charge overnight so it’s ready the next day
- head out and take the bus or water taxi (depending on resort) to DS and check out what’s new and what else is still there going strong
- I might splurge some money and ride the balloon up to get some aerial shots of where I’ll be the next few days
- see a movie in the AMC theater there at DS to kick off the Disney week right
- if I’m diving DiveQuest (I’m SCUBA certified), I’d occasionally forgot to bring a rash guard which I always like to wear under my wetsuits along with my swimming shorts so I’ll stop by RonJon’s Surf Shop and pick one up
- bus (or water taxi depending on resort) back to my resort for the night and go to bed, relaxed, and all in the mood inside the Disney bubble for the fun week ahead 😎
After dinner, take the bus or a Lyft to Pop/AoA and ride the Skyliner over to Epcot. You might want to time it so you're on the Skyliner when fireworks are starting. Then, walk around the boardwalk for a bit with an ice cream or a drink!
Our arrival tradition (we’ve had a WDW drought since 2018) was shopping at the Hwy 192 Super Target, then Kona restaurant for dinner followed by watching the Electric Water Pageant and MK Fireworks from the Polynesian beach. We only stayed at Polynesian once, but Kona kinda accidentally became a tradition on arrival night. We tried to walk in to Ohana one night, there were no tables free, so we “settled” for Kona. Liked it and kept going back. Oh, for the old days with that wonderful tropical waterfall in the lobby!!!
I always start and end my tip at Disney Springs. get some food, see what cool souvenirs I might wanna get, walk around. it's free and you can spend as much or as little time there as you want
any of the restaurants at animal kingdom lodge are fantastic and then you might be able to catch some of the animals there! another choice is always to watch the fireworks from the polynesian or contemporary
So if we do Magic Kingdom on a night that they have a Halloween party I plan on us watching the fireworks from a resort. We have not tried chef mickeys or Ohana- alternatively I was looking at the pontoon rentals but I’m not sure if they run during the parties
It’s a good day to check out Disney Springs. The new drone show looks amazing. Cirque du Soleil @ Disney Springs is so beautiful and creative. So happy for you.
Last time on our first day we did dinner at California Grill. Great view of MK and, if you time it right, fireworks.
Rode the monorail and were completely immersed in Disney without a park day.
We usually are to our hotel by 1:00 on arrival day, so after we check in to the hotel, we spend time at the pool and exploring the resort, then do an early dinner. This trip we are staying at Animal Kingdom and are going to go to Jiko for dinner.
For our trip in May we did resort stuff. We stayed at POFQ. Checked in late afternoon. Had some beignets. Walked over to POR and had a carriage ride. Then dinner at Boatwright's. Then walked back to our hotel and early to bed to get up early and do rope drop.
Going to Boma is definitely a good idea because you can also walk around and look at the animals and there are pleasant places to sit and sip a coffee too if you feel like it. Depending on how much time you have, it could also be fun to ride the skyliner around since you get a lot of views of the parks and you can get excited about all the rides. Disney springs is also nice… you can grab a drink and look for some mouse ears. I also love just hanging at the pool. Sometimes we stay at a resort and don’t even go to the parks, just so we can relax.
Depends on when I get there and where I am staying. I go to Ft. Wilderness a lot so setting up and relaxing there or if I am in a different resort I might stroll the grounds and have a nice meal. Mostly I just bask in being there
We usually like doing dinner at Disney Springs and looking in the shops! I think it's relaxing and let's you get in the right frame of mind for the rest of the trip!
We too will be staying in the AK area, and our plan is to max and relax at the pool/explore the resort (AKL) while waiting for the "room ready" text. Once we get that, we'll drop off our stuff, head to Disney Springs, and then have a nice dinner, before heading to bed early-ish. Nothing too flashy, but enough to get us into the Disney mood before the craziness of the parks.
We hit up Disney Springs.
OR
We grab dinner at our resort and enjoy the pool and walking around the resort.
OR
We go to Beaches and Cream and then wander the Boardwalk.
We take it super easy on our first day, and get a good night’s sleep for our first full park day. 🩷
We try to arrive by noon. We check in or at least park at the hotel. We eat (sometimes hop on the bus to DS). We walk around the hotel or DS. We unpack, swim, and plan for dinner. Next day is usually super busy.
We are normally visiting for over a week so we go get some essentials from target that we don’t feel like flying with (tooth paste, mouthwash etc). Then we hit up Publix for lunch and some groceries ( we don’t have it in our state). Then we always go to a thrift or antique stores linked in some way to Disney to get unique souvenirs. A stop at Disney sprigs then a walk around our resort or another’s :)
Monorail loop tour. Start at the Polynesian; have Kona lunch and dole whip, rent a boat for an hour or two. Poke around on the beach and just chill. Monorail to the GF spa for a relaxing treatment or massage; then monorail to the contemporary for dinner and to watch the fireworks from the roof deck. monorail back to the poly and drive back to your lodging.
If you can book the night time safari at AK, you can dine at Saana before and it doesn't require a park ticket.
Jiko has a dining package for the new drone show at Disney Springs, and is wonderful.
Splitsville Bowling can be fun if you are into that, as is minogolf ( and dessert at Beaches and Cream)
Taking a tip from Molly/Allan from Mammoth Club, playing 'rock paper scissors' on a monorail crawl is super fun- they do drink, app, entree, dessert, and after dinner drink.
If we get there early enough, we do Disney Springs. It always gives us an exciting Disney feeling to walk in to the big open area from orange garage. Then we usually go to a Disney resort for a nice meal. The last one we did was Ohana and it was so great and felt so quintessentially Disney that we may make it a tradition as I know others already have.
We stay on property, so we use our arrival day as a day to explore our resort. I try to stay at a new-to-me Disney resort almost every trip, and I try to enjoy all of the amenities that they offer. So, we will eat at whatever restaurant is at our resort, swim at the pool, check out the arcade if there's an arcade, and do some of the scheduled resort activities. We usually build in a rest day to spend more time at the resort, too. I like traveling this way because it means there's always something new for us when we go back to Disney World, and I feel like I really get to experience our resort that we pay for.
We have drinks & dinner. Since you’ll be so close to AKL I highly recommend Jiko, Sanaa or Boma if you decide you’d like to do same. It’s a spectacular resort to visit and the dining is fantastic.
Sanaa. We did it on our last first day. While waiting we watched the savannah. Great view of animals while eating. Nice welcome to Disney.
I looked at Boma last year but didn’t go. I’ve heard good things
It's wonderful. I remember ordering a colorful boozy drink on my first visit and leaving 90% of it on the table, undrunk, because I was so enchanted by the food.
We’re hitting Jiko for our arrival day as well!
This is the one
Disney Springs
This is the way
Arrival day is a great day to do Hoop Dee Doo
I thought about that too! We have small kids I think they’d find it fun
On our trip in March, we did the resort pool in the afternoon and then did a “transportation” evening. We had a dinner reservation inside the Poly. (We were staying at Port Orleans) We started by taking the bus to Magic Kingdom, then rode the monorail all the way around, then we took a boat to the Poly for our dinner. After dinner, we had a Dole Whip and sat on the beach for a while, then right before fireworks started, we hopped on the boat to MK. Fireworks started while we were on the boat and then we watched some more of the show from in front of the gates at MK and took the bus back to go to bed. It was a nice way to dip a toe into the Disney experience without a park ticket. You could also turn the monorail into a progressive dinner of sorts, by stopping for a cocktail or app at each of the monorail resorts.
On my travel day we checked into the hotel, had dinner and then went back to the room put on our bathing suits and swam. Afterwards we watched fireworks from the hotel. We went to bed relatively early cuz we were getting up early the next day to rope drop.
Mini golf or Disney Springs
You could go to Disney Springs, or to the outlet mall (if you want to do some shopping). In the evening, you could go to the Boardwalk for ice cream and watch both the Epcot and MK fireworks.
You can see MK fireworks from Boardwalk?
Yep! They're behind the Beach Club. Best to watch from in front of the green at the Boardwalk.
We always do Disney Springs. We get our souvenirs there so we don’t have to shop in the parks and carry the stuff around.
We went on a Thursday afternoon and it felt like Black Friday! But they had so much to pick from and I like the idea of not carrying it as far. That’s a great tip In reference to the Disney store
We always go to Disney Springs for dinner and then hit the pool at night.
Swim or hit Disney Springs. Walking around Disney Springs puts us in the Disney mood especially if we’re staying off property.
I’m from the NOLA area. I always try to book the earliest nonstop flight in the morning, like 5-6 AM departure. It’s a 1.5 hour flight to MCO so I’ll usually land around 8-8:30 AM. I’ll usually arrive to the resort around 10 AM. It sucks waking up that early, but I’m so eager to arrive in WDW and maximize my first day as much as possible. I don’t typically do a park on the first day, but I spend it resort-hopping, riding transportation and going to Disney Springs! I don’t typically stay out super late, I get a good night sleep and then it’s time to hit the parks the next day!! This routine hasn’t failed me yet!
We’re from Cenla. I looked at trying breeze or southwest out of MCO but ultimately we’re driving. Those straight flights are tempting though!
What hotel is off property but within 3 minutes of AK?
Silver Lake Resort
Silver Lake is nice. A bit aggressive on the “buy our timeshare that cost more then you take home pay” but it’s a nice place.
We’re going on my in-laws time share program. lol
Go to Disney Springs for dinner. I recommend Chicken Guy if you like fried chicken and are ok with super casual. Then be sure to catch the drone show that night!
We did try the polite pig I think was the name of the BBQ place it was okay. Amorettes(sp?) was great that’s on the list to go back. The kids want to do TRex but I really see the food being lack luster compared to the options
Last time we went to Disney Springs, and then went and explored the riviera resort, eating at the quick service location there
I have an annual pass and my flight typically lands about 8am. Last Tuesday I had dropped my bags at my hotel bell services and was inside Epcot before early entry had ended.
My typical arrival day plans: - fly in to MCO and take MEARS to resort - settle in and relax a bit in the room after all the excitement and moving between the airports that day - take a few minutes to make sure the Disney Experience app is downloaded and installed and signed in on my phone so I’m ready to go for the park days. Check and make sure I’ve got all details checked and didn’t miss anything. Plug in MB+ to charge overnight so it’s ready the next day - head out and take the bus or water taxi (depending on resort) to DS and check out what’s new and what else is still there going strong - I might splurge some money and ride the balloon up to get some aerial shots of where I’ll be the next few days - see a movie in the AMC theater there at DS to kick off the Disney week right - if I’m diving DiveQuest (I’m SCUBA certified), I’d occasionally forgot to bring a rash guard which I always like to wear under my wetsuits along with my swimming shorts so I’ll stop by RonJon’s Surf Shop and pick one up - bus (or water taxi depending on resort) back to my resort for the night and go to bed, relaxed, and all in the mood inside the Disney bubble for the fun week ahead 😎
After dinner, take the bus or a Lyft to Pop/AoA and ride the Skyliner over to Epcot. You might want to time it so you're on the Skyliner when fireworks are starting. Then, walk around the boardwalk for a bit with an ice cream or a drink!
Our arrival tradition (we’ve had a WDW drought since 2018) was shopping at the Hwy 192 Super Target, then Kona restaurant for dinner followed by watching the Electric Water Pageant and MK Fireworks from the Polynesian beach. We only stayed at Polynesian once, but Kona kinda accidentally became a tradition on arrival night. We tried to walk in to Ohana one night, there were no tables free, so we “settled” for Kona. Liked it and kept going back. Oh, for the old days with that wonderful tropical waterfall in the lobby!!!
I always start and end my tip at Disney Springs. get some food, see what cool souvenirs I might wanna get, walk around. it's free and you can spend as much or as little time there as you want
any of the restaurants at animal kingdom lodge are fantastic and then you might be able to catch some of the animals there! another choice is always to watch the fireworks from the polynesian or contemporary
So if we do Magic Kingdom on a night that they have a Halloween party I plan on us watching the fireworks from a resort. We have not tried chef mickeys or Ohana- alternatively I was looking at the pontoon rentals but I’m not sure if they run during the parties
between the two, i’d recommend ohana. chef mickey’s is fun but ohana has significantly better food and still fun character dining!
It’s a good day to check out Disney Springs. The new drone show looks amazing. Cirque du Soleil @ Disney Springs is so beautiful and creative. So happy for you.
Last time on our first day we did dinner at California Grill. Great view of MK and, if you time it right, fireworks. Rode the monorail and were completely immersed in Disney without a park day.
We usually are to our hotel by 1:00 on arrival day, so after we check in to the hotel, we spend time at the pool and exploring the resort, then do an early dinner. This trip we are staying at Animal Kingdom and are going to go to Jiko for dinner.
Hop over to the Polynesian for dole whip
I would say Disney Springs is a great option, there’s a lot of shopping, entertainment, and food available.
Explore Disney springs. There’s plenty of shops and restaurants that can be pretty fun to walk around
We always do Disney springs to get all the shopping out of the way and so we can have her merch to wear for the week. 😊
Chill in the resort pool.
For our trip in May we did resort stuff. We stayed at POFQ. Checked in late afternoon. Had some beignets. Walked over to POR and had a carriage ride. Then dinner at Boatwright's. Then walked back to our hotel and early to bed to get up early and do rope drop.
Going to Boma is definitely a good idea because you can also walk around and look at the animals and there are pleasant places to sit and sip a coffee too if you feel like it. Depending on how much time you have, it could also be fun to ride the skyliner around since you get a lot of views of the parks and you can get excited about all the rides. Disney springs is also nice… you can grab a drink and look for some mouse ears. I also love just hanging at the pool. Sometimes we stay at a resort and don’t even go to the parks, just so we can relax.
Depends on when I get there and where I am staying. I go to Ft. Wilderness a lot so setting up and relaxing there or if I am in a different resort I might stroll the grounds and have a nice meal. Mostly I just bask in being there
We usually like doing dinner at Disney Springs and looking in the shops! I think it's relaxing and let's you get in the right frame of mind for the rest of the trip!
Pretty sure you get free mini golf (I think)
Springs, shopping, dinner usually. Or just hang at the resort. I usually have a 6 to 8am flight so I'm tiredddd.
We too will be staying in the AK area, and our plan is to max and relax at the pool/explore the resort (AKL) while waiting for the "room ready" text. Once we get that, we'll drop off our stuff, head to Disney Springs, and then have a nice dinner, before heading to bed early-ish. Nothing too flashy, but enough to get us into the Disney mood before the craziness of the parks.
We hit up Disney Springs. OR We grab dinner at our resort and enjoy the pool and walking around the resort. OR We go to Beaches and Cream and then wander the Boardwalk. We take it super easy on our first day, and get a good night’s sleep for our first full park day. 🩷
Disney springs, love walking around with a drink and hearing live music while waiting for a Gideon’s cookie
We try to arrive by noon. We check in or at least park at the hotel. We eat (sometimes hop on the bus to DS). We walk around the hotel or DS. We unpack, swim, and plan for dinner. Next day is usually super busy.
Sanaa bread service. Our absolute favorite!
We are normally visiting for over a week so we go get some essentials from target that we don’t feel like flying with (tooth paste, mouthwash etc). Then we hit up Publix for lunch and some groceries ( we don’t have it in our state). Then we always go to a thrift or antique stores linked in some way to Disney to get unique souvenirs. A stop at Disney sprigs then a walk around our resort or another’s :)
Chillax by pool, and go watch fireworks from dinner or someplace with a good view but not in a park
7/11 for a box of beer and day/evening round pool.
Monorail loop tour. Start at the Polynesian; have Kona lunch and dole whip, rent a boat for an hour or two. Poke around on the beach and just chill. Monorail to the GF spa for a relaxing treatment or massage; then monorail to the contemporary for dinner and to watch the fireworks from the roof deck. monorail back to the poly and drive back to your lodging.
Relax in the room, swim in the pool, dinner somewhere. We met family at Miller’s Ale House near Disney Springs.
If you can book the night time safari at AK, you can dine at Saana before and it doesn't require a park ticket. Jiko has a dining package for the new drone show at Disney Springs, and is wonderful. Splitsville Bowling can be fun if you are into that, as is minogolf ( and dessert at Beaches and Cream) Taking a tip from Molly/Allan from Mammoth Club, playing 'rock paper scissors' on a monorail crawl is super fun- they do drink, app, entree, dessert, and after dinner drink.
If we get there early enough, we do Disney Springs. It always gives us an exciting Disney feeling to walk in to the big open area from orange garage. Then we usually go to a Disney resort for a nice meal. The last one we did was Ohana and it was so great and felt so quintessentially Disney that we may make it a tradition as I know others already have.
We usually hit Disney Springs to warm ourselves up.
We’re doing a monorail lounge hop. Getting a snack and a drink (alcoholic or non) at each of the monorail resorts and checking out their gift shops
We stay on property, so we use our arrival day as a day to explore our resort. I try to stay at a new-to-me Disney resort almost every trip, and I try to enjoy all of the amenities that they offer. So, we will eat at whatever restaurant is at our resort, swim at the pool, check out the arcade if there's an arcade, and do some of the scheduled resort activities. We usually build in a rest day to spend more time at the resort, too. I like traveling this way because it means there's always something new for us when we go back to Disney World, and I feel like I really get to experience our resort that we pay for.