Advice for 1st day

[Dream bigger]

Hi all, just after some advice.

We land in Orlando 6:30pm (11:30pm uk time), myself and 3 kids aged 8, 6, 4.
I was planning a chilled out day as our first day?

Everyone else seems to be planning for an early start the first day, but I imagine arrival day we won't get to bed until 9pm and after a whole day travelling, imagine my kids won't be up that early the next day.

Anyone got experience of landing early evening with kids and what time they got up the next day?

[Madfish]

Daughter was 5 on our first visit and was up around 4am Florida time despite very early start the day before and only a brief nap on the flight.

Plan to be up early and hit a park at opening time. Don't waste the first day hanging around the hotel.

[Geordieprincess]

We arrived at our villa at around 6pm but it was around 9pm by the time we went to bed - hour in the pool, unpacked, quick dinner out. On dibbers advice we had booked 8.10am ADR at Tusker house. Kids were 10 and 7. We were all up before 6am. Ended up arriving at AK around 7am (before the car parking staff even got there!) and were first car in the car park and first through the turnstiles. Left at 2 or 3pm as we were all flagging by then so back to pool. It worked well.

[DisneyBride08]

We are always up bright and early the first day because of the time difference. Even if we tried to sleep in our body clocks just won't let us. It was the same for our son, who was two at the time of our last visit. We normally book a character breakfast in one of the parks on our first day. I never expect to do a late night on that first day either as it normally calls for another early ish night.

[Maggi68]

We arrived into Sanford at 4.30pm last year with our then 8 year old. We'd had a long day travelling, she didn't sleep on the flight either and after going out for dinner we got to bed at 9.30ish. Our daughter was still up at 5.30am! She'd had her 8 hours and that was it, she was wide awake and so were we! We lounged in bed but were at animal kingdom by 8am.
By 4pm we were all flagging though and ended up in bed by 8.30pm on our first night!
It took a couple of days for us all to readjust to florida time.

[ChoppyGirl]

You will be wide awake really early - hit the parks at opening then be back at the resort ready for the crash about 4pm

[biggbenn]

Agree with the above make the most of the fact you will be bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5am

[mrsmagoo]

We normally head to AK on our first day as it was seen as a chilled out park. This year we are we have changed that as ROL will change the hours for AK and it will be open a lot later. We decided to have a chill out day on the first day, lazing by the pool, going to Walmart, but my kids are desperate to go on test track. We have now decided that we will go to Walmart (will be awake at crack of dawn), then head into Epcot for the morning, leaving around lunch and then chill by the pool.

[thefourDs]

We aren't arriving at our hotel until around 8pm so we are planning a quick bite to eat, a wander around our hotel & bed!

[Galela1986]

We are always up between 5-6 the first few days as we are still on Uk time, Make the most of the early starts.