First trip to WDW 24 April 2008 - What to do on first day?

[Dudette]

Help needed! Having big dilemas about what to do on our first day? The other half is desperate to see MK and castle but I'm worried about jet lag so have suggested Seaworld. Any suggestions gratefully received!

An additional factor is that we land late Thurs so first day would be a Friday and have been advised to avoid MK on weekends??? HELP!

Thanks in advance :grin: :grin: :thumbs-up

[fluffybunny_15]

BUMP BUMP - just bumping this up as i am having the same problem. would love to be able to visit MK on the first day as for me MK is the ultimate in disney however dont want to be trudging round if were are tired which might sort of dampen the spirit a little. so many decisions. i see it will be your first disney holiday too - where are you flying from?

[Dudette]

Flying out of Gatwick on 24th....dreading the flight as the other adult in party has never flown and we have 2 kids (9 & 7) who have never flown either!!!! Argh! Looking at sedating the kids....lol! :d:

[PrincessX2]

We arrived late for our first time. I think it was around 9.30pm US time when we arrived at the villa. Seaworld was sorted for our first day and to be honest we were knackered. We just didnt get to see half or even quarter of it. If everyone has lots and lots of energy normally then go for MK. Personally i wouldnt. We never made MK until 4 days in and it was worth the wait. We are going for 23 nights in June and next time we are going to recharge the rest of our arrival day plus the next day.

[simon and marcie]

There is alot to do at Seaworld aswell so i would suggest a water park or smaller park like MGM or Downtown Disney and Disney quest

[noodler]

We always do Seaworld and go back for a second visit later in the holiday.

[Dabies]

Every time I've been, I've done Seaworld on the first day. There may be a lot to do there but it's all at a relaxed pace, you've only got a handful of rides and the rest is either shows or animal exhibits.

I would defiantely say no to Magic Kingdom, I know the temptation is very strong to get your first glimpse of the castle, as that is what signifies an Orlando holiday, but it is much better when your not tired from the long flight the day before. But if it's a case that your other half is desperate for some Disney magic, you could as Simon and Marcie suggested, go to one of the waterparks for the first part of the day, then hit Downtown Disney and possibly even Fantasia Gardens Golf to finish.

[CBR600]

According to the guide books Friday is usually a quiet day at magic Kingdom, but having said that, your going to be so tired, your body clock will be all over the place and it will take a couple of days to adjust to the time difference/heat etc So I agree with everyone else, Seaworld is a great park to do on your first day, very relaxed and easy going :)

[summertime85]

We usually visit Epcot on our first day as we always find it alot quieter than the other parks. This year though we decided to do MK first and found it was a big mistake. We were all really tired from travelling and really didn't get much out of the day at all. I would advise Sea World, Epcot or a water park.

[Burties]

:thumb: :thumb: We shop :thumb: :thumb:

[ceri]

This is a tough one, usually I would say do seaworld, however the 25th and 26th are both grad nights at MK so that may affect your decission as it will close earlier than usual then. The knock on to this is that it may well be busy on the 24th.
Ceri x

[Dudette]

Thanks for all of your advice/ideas. Do you think we could get away with doing Downtown Disney on the first morning then going back for an afternoon nap and over to MK for fireworks? Or is that too much?

[summertime85]

Thanks for all of your advice/ideas. Do you think we could get away with doing Downtown Disney on the first morning then going back for an afternoon nap and over to MK for fireworks? Or is that too much?

Sounds great to me. You can do as much or as little as you like in DTD so that would be fine, especially if you do choose to go back for an afternoon rest. Wishes at MK is fantastic and not to be missed. If you're all too tired on the first night you could always reschedule as Wishes is on every night (weather permitting). :spin:

[KathStacey]

MK then you know you are there its a fantastic feeling always my first stop off :spin:

[Dudette]

MK then you know you are there its a fantastic feeling always my first stop off :spin:

Do you mean you would do MK on day one?

[Dave9LPG]

GO to the Magic Kingdom :d:
Once you see the castle you know you've arrived.

Don't worry about jet-lag, you'll be up bright and early so make the most of it and hit the park running!!!!

We've been three times now and started with Magic Kingdom each time.
On our last two trips we had breakfast at Chef Mickey's in The Contemporary and found this a wonderful start to the holiday. Great for getting that first character experience along with a good breakfast to keep you going.

As for not arriving until late Thursday on our first trip our flight was delayed and we didn't arrive in our accomodation until about 1am and we were still awake about 6am unpacked, breakfasted and in the park before 10am.

Marie

[TinselAngel]

We arrived about 11 pm last Christmas, and had our breakfast booked and paid for at CRT in MK. We had a fantastic day, staying right through for the fireworks and the parade, though we were wiped out by the end of it. Nobody minded though.

When we go back at Easter, we've decided to just do a half day at MK the first day, then go to Walmart for toiletries, snacks and such like (and lots of tubs of Ice-breaker sours for me - I'm addicted!).

[susieb]

on our first trip last year, we landed on a Thursday too with kids age 4 (x2!). I was expecting total exhaustion but to be honest the kids were totally hyper so were fine - it's later on in the hol that exhaustion hits after a couple of theme park days. I woudl build in a rest on say day 3, but I bet your kids will be desperate to do teh Disney thing!!

[Paul R]

We always do MK on the first day, you know it is all real then.

And to be honest you don't get jet lag going there, you get it on the return.

[Katherine]

We arrive at 6pm on a Saturday 8th March so straight to villa , stopping off at Publix for some essentials. Sunday is our first day so ...........we are doing a water park in the Morning and a little LIGHT shopping in the afternoon, followed by a relax by the villa pool, then off to Outback for our evening meal. In bed by 9:30pm I suspect!!

[joanne]

I would go for MK early do at least a half a day then pick up provisions and swim. I wouldnt be able to leave MK till a more sensible day

[TinselAngel]

We did MK first day on our first visit last year, and plan to again when we go back in March. Yes, you will be tired, as we were (we only got to bed at midnight having been delayed by about 6 hours with airline delay and then huge immigration queue), but there's something very energising about seeing the castle for the first time. Others may disagree, but I think it has to be MK on day one, especially for that first trip !

[alysond]

The 3 times we`ve been we`ve found that due to jetlag and excitment we`ve been up at stupid times the first morning.. 5am usually! My philosophy now is to get up and get going. If to you MK IS Disney then I`d go, have a look round and absorb the sights sounds and smells then if you feel wrecked you can always go back to your hotel/ villa and have a swim and an early night. Mind you this is from someone who on the last 2 vists has dumped the bags as soon as we arrive and heads straight over to a park to see the fireworks.. I couldn`t imagine just going to bed without a park fix .. and really feeling I`d arrived! :grin:

[erkeyderkey]

I think you get you're second wind when you arrive at your hotel, but it always hits me and I'm pretty pooped for the next day.
We always do Seaworld on our first day. There is a lot to see but it's at a more relaxed pace.
Dont worry though, whatever you think is best will be fine! :wave: