We (me, DH, and 5 year old twins) are arriving this Saturday at about 11:45am so we are assuming we will get to the Grand Floridian via Magical Express by about 1:30????? What should we do until our ADR at Chef Mickey's at 5pm? And ideas??????

we are wondering the same thing. We get in around noonish on the 8th. No dinner plans yet, although we are thinking of doing the Cape May Clam bake at our resort (Beach Club).
We will have gotten up at the crack of to dang early that day (3ish) and don't want to plan for or get into anything that will make it a late evening. I figure we'll be tired.
We are thinking of just hanging around the pool and (hopefully) enjoying the warmth and sun (as compared to a cold Maryland:D). However, I have a feeling my husband will be restless and want to go - go - GO! and do something. We may walk over to MGM. Or enjoy the goings on at the Boardwalk.
I'm very excited about staying at the Beach Club, being able to walk to EPCOT and MGM.

Guess I should answer your question!
If you didn't want to jump into touring the parks right off the bat, you could go and check out another resort or two. You know, those places you say "I'd like to stay there sometime" or "I wish we had checked such-and-such resort out while we were there".
Go, have a drink, walk around the pool/beach/water area. Let your daughter poke around and explore. Lots of resorts have beach areas, or quite walkways and playgrounds.

You could also check out Downtown Disney. We have lots of fun there.

Guess I should answer your question!
If you didn't want to jump into touring the parks right off the bat, you could go and check out another resort or two. You know, those places you say "I'd like to stay there sometime" or "I wish we had checked such-and-such resort out while we were there".
Go, have a drink, walk around the pool/beach/water area. Let your daughter poke around and explore. Lots of resorts have beach areas, or quite walkways and playgrounds.

The kids will love riding the monorails, and that's an activity, in and of itself. When we visit another resort, my kids like to explore the game room, as well as walking around. If the kids have not had lunch, you would want to get them a snack, at least, at the hotel. Then do the monorail circuit, and, before you know it, it's dinnertime. You will, really only have about three hours to kill, and can spend at least half an hour at each resort, counting your own.

oh yeah. the resort arcades...always a big hit with our boys:cool:

Eric & I always wonder at the irony of the kids dying to get to the arcade when we are AT WDW!!!!!
We got a free 30 min. at your resort arcade with this buy 4 get 3 promo...and when it arrived that was a big deal. To them!

I think I would play it by ear-depending on what time in the morning you are up to catch your flight. We have to get the kids up quite early, so by the time you get to the hotel, get settled etc. it is likely 230. If you weren't up in the pre-dawn hours I would go check out resorts and ride the monorail, but if you were, I would like have some 'quiet time' in the room, give the kids a rest before dinner-especially if you are there for a week or more. I know it is hard to pace but that first travel day I think can wipe kids out if the trip is long-I am coming from the west though so my experience is based upon that, if it is a 2 hour flight I would say hit the ground running and go have some fun!

I think I would play it by ear-depending on what time in the morning you are up to catch your flight.
DEFINITELY play it by ear - and don't be afraid to give the kids some food after you land, if you've been flying for a long time and have only had access to 'airplane' food. And if they don't eat as much at dinner, so be it - it's better than them being cranky from being over hungry, dehydrated, and over tired (those things just DON'T make for a good photo op!)

For me this is a cinch: take the monorail to MK, see Philharmagic, get a fastpass for Peter Pan (if they're not out), ride a few rides, breathe in the sweet smell of the MK, and then take the monorail just a bit further to the Contemporary. It's like a bonus MK visit; we do it every time we go, but we usually eat at Columbia Harbor House the first night and close down the park. No matter what you end up doing, you'll have a great time. Because after all, it's Disney!

DEFINITELY play it by ear - and don't be afraid to give the kids some food after you land, if you've been flying for a long time and have only had access to 'airplane' food. And if they don't eat as much at dinner, so be it - it's better than them being cranky from being over hungry, dehydrated, and over tired (those things just DON'T make for a good photo op!)

You walk right by the food court in the terminal, and it is a good idea to get them something to eat, if it's anywhere around their usual meal time. It will make the hour or so to get checked into ME and the bus trip that much easier. You just catch the next bus after you check in, so it's no big deal if you take a few minutes break to grab something to eat.

You could ride the monorail to the station at the MK, get off and take the boat to Fort Wilderness, walk around and look at the ponies that pull the Cinderella carriage.

You could ride the boat from Fort Wilderness to Wilderness Lodge and look at that too.

Then ride the boat back and get back on the monorail and ride over to Epcot and back.

Or just check out some playgrounds and let the kids blow off enough steam to make it and early night and hit the ground running early in the morning.

For me this is a cinch: take the monorail to MK...

Ahh, but the important question is what kind of tickets does Shawnda have? I'd not be thrilled about burning a full day's ticket on just a few hours in the MK. Now, I always have an annual pass, so after hotel checkin I head right to Epcot for the afternoon & evening. But without an AP that's a bit costlier.

We actually do have an extra ticket (the buy 4 get 3 free) but I wasn't sure if we should go to MK b/c we are going the next morning for breakfast at Cinderella's royal Table and didn't want to ruin the "awe" for my kids... any thoughts????

I think I would save the Magic Kingdom, while I think our first instinct is to get in there and start experiencing stuff, the reality of travelling with little ones is that I would take it easy, ride the monorail, do the pool, have some dinner and get ready for what is to come. Course, you know your kids best and what your travel day was like. We leave tomorrow (whoo hoo :)) and arrive at 5, but we have to be up at 5 am to get there. So, after a full day of travel it will be just chillin' at the resort I think. Then next day...GAME ON!

I don't know; if I'm a kid, and I was one once, having to pass by MK on the way to the Contemporary would be borderline torture. Kids still have the instant gratification thing going. Nothing like dipping your toe into the Magic, even if you are coming back the very next morning.

Nothing like dipping your toe into the Magic, even if you are coming back the very next morning.

I completely agree with you - that's the way I do it (with EPCOT). But it all depends on the ticketing. Is it worth $50 or $60 per person to come in to a park for a few hours? If the OP is on a multi-day ticket, however, it gets real cheap to add in extra days the longer you stay. If it was only say $20 or less per person, I'd be all for going into the MK and hitting a few high capacity rides with no lines, like the train or the People Mover or even the Haunted Mansion if the line isn't too long. Get that taste of Disney pumping early!

If you aren't planning on getting park tickets that day may want to check out Fort Wilderness Campground. They have pony rides, petting zoo, etc. Downtown disney is another way to go. If you are planning on using park tickets that day I would go to magic kingdom!:fez:

I really like the low key idea of some resort touring and monorail ride-especially if you are up that early. But if you want to do an "activity" but don't want to use up a park day...isn't there a miniature golf course that's relatively accessible from the Contemporary? And if you're doing a package, then you have that bogo thing included in that, right? So, you get a monorail ride, check out the resort and get to "play" a bit.

I learned from experience-DON'T pass up the airplane food court if it's near a meal time in your "hurry" to get to WDW. We did-and we were adults. We landed at 3:30-but didn't check in to our resort(CBR was a madhouse) until almost 6pm. Dang-we were all hungry and tired-even including the snacks that I'd packed.

Bogo thing???

Bogo thing???

Sorry-dang short hand, -think there's a package inclusion that's "buy one round of miniature golf; get one free" at least there is in the package that I booked for September. Something of that nature?

I'd do lunch right away (b/c your dinner isn't all that late), then check in, take a dip in the pool, then take a quick nap. You'll be ready to tackle the rest of the day! If your room isn't ready, I'd probably sit by the pool (be sure to put the swimsuits in the carry-ons) or at their little beach or perhaps rent a boat. I wouldn't hit the parks right away.

If I go, go go from wee hours of the morning until evening on that first day, it sets me up to be tired the whole trip. I'm pretty much a modified commando (hit the parks early in the morning, take a rest in the afternoon, then back to the parks in the evenings).

(BE PREPARED TO GASP)....sometimes we don't get to MK until the 3rd day!!!! We build up to it.....Delayed gratification at its best!

I'd stay away from the parks--a little taste of the attractions and then going off to dinner would be torture for me. I would eat something, check in (if the room is ready), take a chill by the pool or the beach, then go back and take a quick shower and get ready for dinner. I like to take that first day SLOWLY b/c you get up so darn early. If I get overtired that first day, I'm behind the whole week.

If the room isn't ready, you could still swim if you put the suits in the carryons. If all of that isn't to your taste, I'd probably resort hop the monorail resorts.

Get ready to gasp--sometimes we don't get to MK until day 3!!!

I'd stay away from the parks--a little taste of the attractions and then going off to dinner would be torture for me.

See, I'm just the opposite. Actually being on WDW property and NOT getting to go into the parks as soon as possible would kill me! But I agree about not going full tilt on that first day. Catch a nap and then enjoy an easy evening in the park of your choice (for me it's Epcot!).