First Day Traditions at Walt Disney World

[Kate]

what do you do on your first Orlando day then?

Always SeaWorld for us on our first day

[Deafjeff]

Once we arrive (via publix) it's usually pretty late. Especially this time as we were on the later of the planes from Manchester so didn't end up arriving at the villa until about 9pm.

We USED to have a tradition of the hoop dee doo on the first evening but with the flights getting later and the hoop dee doo getting worse :/ we've not done that on the first night for a while.

If we get the chance, my favourite first night is to arrive late at EPCOT, grab a glass or three of champagne and watch illuminations. I don't know if I mentioned it before but illuminations is how I found Disney in the first place.

( Many years ago I was coming back from a hellish corporate meeting somewhere in Europe. The company driver met me at the airport and told me I looked like hell.. which was better than I felt after having drunk more than was sensible on the plane to try and forget the meeting and said I should take a holiday.
Well in that place, it was so political, I'd NEVER taken a holiday because it was so political I'd have come back and not had an office. The driver went on and on about how he'd quit a terrible job some years ago because it was ruining his life and how he now concentrated on non-work things. His favourite being this place in Florida where they had the most amazing fireworks around this huge lake. It sounded wonderful.
When I turned my phone back on, in the space of the 3 hour flight, I'd received over 99 voicemails (maximum the service allowed), 40 odd texts and 200 emails (all from people not automated stuff). I listened to the first few and thought the hell with it, life's REALLY too short and phoned the 24 hour bank travel line to book my flights to Orlando
I had no idea it was even Disney, no accommodation or anything. Told the airport taxi "erm EMCOT? ENCOT? some place with a huge lake and great fireworks?" Thankfully the taxi knew where to take me, although I seem to recall a rather large bill After the fireworks, I asked a cast member if there were any hotels nearby and they laughed and gave me the disney resort line. They fixed me up at all star movies of all places!
So before I knew there were Disney sites, or what Disneyworld was or anything else, there was EPCOT illuminations and some great life advice from a driver)

Fab story Keith had me smirking


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[Britchick]

great story and indeed a life changing moment, what Oprah would call an aha moment.

We tend to crash after shopping and a light meal when we get there, next day is Magic Kingdom! always!

[Beccaberry]

I'm an unpacker. Doesn't matter if I'm there for 2 days or 20, I'm not really there until all of our clothes are in the drawers and our toiletries are on the counter by the sink. Then and only then have I "officially" arrived ;-)

Holy goodness, I have issues don't I?

[Johnie]

Haha!! I have to unpack as well. I can't stand living out of a suitcase

[Wendy]

I'm an unpacker. Doesn't matter if I'm there for 2 days or 20, I'm not really there until all of our clothes are in the drawers and our toiletries are on the counter by the sink. Then and only then have I "officially" arrived ;-)

Holy goodness, I have issues don't I?

Umm, well, errr umm wellllllllllllllllll.............................. ..

[Watchinherskip]

Haha!! I have to unpack as well. I can't stand living out of a suitcase

Wow, never bothered me!! I can live IN my suitcase so....

Not sure if we have a first day thing. Our flights from VA are pretty short so we have most of the day to go to a park. Normally we go to AK as it requires less time to feel like you have "been there" officially. Then off to our resort pool to wind down.

[Johnie]

I don't have a first day tradition other than the unpacking. Sometimes my flight comes on very early in the am. And other times it comes in late afternoon/evening.