First Evening Suggestions?

[Frogglet]

We have our first trip booked for the first week of April. It will be myself, my husband and 2 daughters ages 7 and almost 3. We are flying from the west coast so we will get in about 4:30 in the afternoon. I am looking for something to really start the trip off with a bang for my girls. We are staying several days so it is not much to get a park ticket for the first night and being west coasters I think the girls will be up for staying up late. Any great suggestions to really kick off the trip?

 

[nickys]

We have our first trip booked for the first week of April. It will be myself, my husband and 2 daughters ages 7 and almost 3. We are flying from the west coast so we will get in about 4:30 in the afternoon. I am looking for something to really start the trip off with a bang for my girls. We are staying several days so it is not much to get a park ticket for the first night and being west coasters I think the girls will be up for staying up late. Any great suggestions to really kick off the trip?

Here are a few of my suggestions:

Character meal at a resort. Chef Mickey is the one that springs to mind.
Pirates & pals cruise (I have read lots of good reviews of this) for the girls whilst you could dine at Californian Grill
Disney Springs with a meal somewhere appropriate for girls' interests

Enjoy the planning!

 

[Schneewittchen]

We like to go to Disney Springs for a couple of hours when we arrive in the afternoon or go over to the Contemporary and visit the shops there. Then we do a character meal or dinner show the first night. Then maybe end the night with a Dole Whip at the Poly while we watch the MK fireworks.

I think dinner shows get us into the right "Let the mouse drive" mindset. But a dinner at Chef Mickey's can start you off on the right foot as well.

You might want to consider the Hoop Dee Doo or Mickey's Backyard BBQ, they're both a ton of fun. The Revue is a great show for kids and adults, the kids get to participate a bit and the food is pretty decent. At the BBQ, the kids get to dance with the characters, my kids loved it. But the food is meh. On the bright side, you won't have to stand around on line to meet Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, or Chip n Dale on your park days. You get to meet them at dinner instead.

 

[21stamps]

Here are a few of my suggestions:

Character meal at a resort. Chef Mickey is the one that springs to mind.
Pirates & pals cruise (I have read lots of good reviews of this) for the girls whilst you could dine at Californian Grill
Disney Springs with a meal somewhere appropriate for girls' interests

Enjoy the planning!

I think the Pirates & Pals is with adults as well. The Pirate Adventure Cruises are kid only, but are at 9:30am

 

[JennSmith]

We usually go to Disney Springs as well. We walk shop and have a nice dinner. Last year we did the Characters in Flight thing which was neat. I also had a Welcome Celebration delivered to our room while we were at DS last year. It was our first vacation in a while and my kids knew all about it. SO it was a super nice surprise for them when we got back to the room. They loved it! Even my 16 and 22 years olds! I wouldn't do it again because it was so expensive but definitely worth it once considering the circumstances.

 

[HurricaneHanna]

You don't mention where you're staying. If onsite and especially if at a monorail resort, we'd head for Magic Kingdom on a trip with small kids. That's probably what they want to see most. Just make sure it's not closing too early on your arrival night. If it is closing early check to see if another park is open late. With your plane landing at 4:30 I'd be hesitant to schedule a dinner show as has been suggested. You have to pay for those in advance and notice is required to cancel and get a refund. Landing at 4:30, it's going to be at least 6:30 before you're settled at your hotel because you need to allow plenty of time to make it off the plane, get luggage if necessary, get the children a bathroom break and a snack, deal with transportation to your hotel, etc., and flights do frequently have delays. Then you'd need to turn around and get to the show on time. I wouldn't do that on arrival day unless I was arriving earlier than you are. With children and a late afternoon flight I personally wouldn't plan anything that locks me into a specific time. It's a recipe for starting off the trip in a stressful way especially if you aren't very familiar with Disney World. I'd stick with a park visit, time at the resort pool if the weather cooperates, or a visit to Disney Springs.

 

[JohnD]

It depends on what you plan to do with your first day park tickets -- use it on arrival day with a half day in a park, or wait until the next morning where you would have a full day to use your tickets. You talked about it wouldn't be much to use it on your arrival. If your girls like Anna and Elsa, they are now in Epcot. You could do a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa, ride Frozen Ever After than do a princess character meal at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Depending on when other characters are available around World Showcase, there are also Snow White, Alice, Jasmine (with Aladdin), etc.

 

[Sonconato]

WDW has the four mini golf courses that could be fun. It probably will not fill all your time but it's something to consider, perhaps before or after a visit to Disney Springs.

 

[J_Krafty24]

My preferred first evening is Animal Kingdom. We normally get checked in and head over in time to arrive at the park by mid/late afternoon when the crowds are starting to die down there anyway. We take it slow, do a few of the attractions, enjoy the atmosphere of dusk/dark (we go in the winter) and then go to the Magic Kingdom for the parade and a few favorite attractions.

Later in the trip we go back to Animal Kingdom for a half day visit to do the animal attractions and anything else we missed on our first evening.

 

[JillC LI]

I would say either Disney Springs or a character meal. The kids are likely to be tired from their travels and we like to be rested for an early morning in the park the next day so I recommend not staying up late that first night.

 

[Frogglet]

Thank you all so much for all the wonderful suggestions. We are staying at AOA and we will be there for 8 days so the extra ticket is not very much at all. I would love to go to Magic Kingdom but I think I will wait to see what the park hours are however seeing Anna and Elsa is such a dream for my 7 year old, Epcot may be the place to be. Love planning this trip for them! I wish I could say going to bed early would be an option but I know us and I travel to the east coast a few times a year. I am always calling home at midnight since it is only 9 on the west coast So I am not planning an early day the next morning.

 

[DisneyDaver]

I highly recommend MK for your first night if it is open late that night. It is the most magical of the parks, especially for young kids. Take in a few rides and see the fireworks, just to get them a taste of the excitement coming up for the next week.

Disney Springs is a good option if you want something to do without purchasing the extra day at the parks, but since you are ok with buying the extra day, then go MK!

 

[NonnaT]

Since you think the girls will be up to it, I would go to one of the parks and take in the evening shows. MK's fireworks would be awesome. And you could fit in 3 fast passes prior to the show.
Honestly I wouldn't waste precious time (you won't believe how huge WDW is -twice the size of Manhattan) at Disney Springs the first night. It's basically a shopper's mecca with some admittedly great restaurants, but not necessarily an attraction in and of itself.
Have fun!

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

In my experience, there's no need to start a trip off "with a bang".

It's the first night, you'll have that initial rush of excitement and burst of energy.

I would keep it simple and head to whichever theme park is open reasonably late, usually Epcot.

Save the character meal or dinner show for later in the trip, when you're potentially getting tired of the crowds and the lines and what not. To me, that's the time to do something special and take a break from the regular WDW routine.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

WDW has the four mini golf courses that could be fun. It probably will not fill all your time but it's something to consider, perhaps before or after a visit to Disney Springs.

When we arrive from Colorado, we hit up Beaches and Cream and then walked over to the mini-golf course to play a round or two without having to use our park tickets and it got us so excited to BE IN WDW but taking it easy and not needing to use a park ticket day!

I highly recommend MK for your first night if it is open late that night. It is the most magical of the parks, especially for young kids. Take in a few rides and see the fireworks, just to get them a taste of the excitement coming up for the next week.

One year, we went to Boatwright's for dinner (took the boat from DS) and then took the bus to MK for late night in the parks. Definitely check the schedule to see if it's open late while you are there. It's truly incredible at night!

 

[RMichael21]

Thank you all so much for all the wonderful suggestions. We are staying at AOA and we will be there for 8 days so the extra ticket is not very much at all. I would love to go to Magic Kingdom but I think I will wait to see what the park hours are however seeing Anna and Elsa is such a dream for my 7 year old, Epcot may be the place to be. Love planning this trip for them! I wish I could say going to bed early would be an option but I know us and I travel to the east coast a few times a year. I am always calling home at midnight since it is only 9 on the west coast So I am not planning an early day the next morning.

On most of our arrival days, we go to Epcot and ride a few of the rides, eat at Teppan Edo (the hibachi restaurant in the Japan pavilion that I cannot recommend ENOUGH), go to Beaches and Cream nearby at the Boardwalk for dessert and then reenter the park to watch Illuminations. You could easily fit in a few rides (maybe Nemo, Imagination and Spaceship Earth) and meeting Anna and Elsa in that time too.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

On most of our arrival days, we go to Epcot and ride a few of the rides, eat at Teppan Edo (the hibachi restaurant in the Japan pavilion that I cannot recommend ENOUGH),.

THIS! THANK YOU! @RMichael21 I am so excited to try Teppan Edo on the trip with my mom and am very excited that you love it! Gives me good thoughts!