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You\u2019ve been awake since before the sun, wrangled your littles onto a plane, entertained them with books, toys, endless snacks, your phone, and somehow you\u2019ve managed to keep them happy during the ride on the Magical Express. Welcome to Arrival Day!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Take a deep breath because mama, you\u2019re here. You\u2019re finally here! Bask in the sunshine that is Orlando. You’ve made it to Walt Disney World.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now what?<\/span><\/p>\n The absolute best advice I can give to you is this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Are you listening?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n DO NOTHING.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n I know. I know you want to make detailed plans with FastPasses, Park Hoppers, and character meals, but hear me out. I\u2019ve made this mistake. I thought <\/span>we get up early every day now! We won\u2019t be that tired! We only have so much time in Disney, so let\u2019s use EVERY minute of fun!\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Does this resonate with you? You want to show your children <\/span>everything <\/span><\/i>you love about this amazing and magical place. But sister, you can only do this when your children are rested, fed, and ready for it. Hot off a multi-hour plane ride, onto a bus, and all without a nap is not the formula for a successful afternoon of park time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s unlikely that your room will be ready once you arrive. This has thrown us into frantic planning for how to get our daughter to nap. The answer to this dilemma seems simple, perhaps so simple you don\u2019t need me to tell you, but I wish someone told me: <\/span><\/p>\n 1. Quiet time by the pool\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n You are only toting around your carry-on luggage, so make sure you have a bathing suit and extra change of clothes for later in case it takes a while for your checked bags to arrive. Check in at the hotel\u2019s front desk. Bell Services will take whatever items you don\u2019t want to carry and every resort has a \u201cpublic\u201d style bathroom close to the entrance. You can change here, make sure your MagicBands work, and head out for a leisurely few hours by the pool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I find that the <\/span>pools in Disney<\/span><\/a>, regardless of which resort you stay in, are underutilized. There may be games going on that your kiddo can participate in or you can sunscreen them up and lay them in a lounge chair for some mandatory napping. Either way, it\u2019s likely to be more successful than running into the parks! You can also order snacks and food here (and drinks – you deserve drinks for the morning you\u2019ve had!) and munch poolside. <\/span><\/p>\n 2. Explore your resort\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n If the weather doesn\u2019t allow pool time (or you\u2019d rather skip being wet, your child has a fear of water, you did this for an hour and needed another activity, etc.), these first few hours can be well spent through exploration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Walt Disney World resorts have gorgeously landscaped sidewalks and walking paths. Along them, you\u2019ll likely find your onsite dining, transportation stops, shopping, and more!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n During our exploration of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, we wandered into one of the shops and Caleigh picked out her first set of Disney ears and new shoes. We were also able to get our first pressed penny! We knew we were going to start this as a tradition, so part of Arrival Day for us was getting the collection going and <\/span>purchasing a penny book<\/span><\/a>. My husband and I made a really big deal out of these two activities, which made them both last longer and more memorable now for our daughter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If pressed pennies aren\u2019t your thing, maybe pin trading is! This would be a lovely time to interact with Disney\u2019s Cast Members! <\/span><\/p>\n 3. Ride the Monorail\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re staying somewhere that allows for easy access to the monorail, you absolutely need to ride it. It\u2019s a full loop, so you never have to disembark, but if you wanted to, you could explore new resorts along the way!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The monorails allows for a bird\u2019s eye view of Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, in addition to some pretty amazing resorts. We\u2019ve traveled to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort simply to play outside (and share a Dole Whip!). <\/span><\/p>\n 4. Visit Disney Springs\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Disney Springs is a themed retail, dining, and entertainment space that Disney owns. You can get here through your resort\u2019s transportation service, car rental, or <\/span>Minnie Van <\/span><\/a>service. I would recommend a stroller for toddlers because this is such a large space and it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re all tired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Upon first visit, we simply strolled to see what our options were. I knew I wanted to <\/span>shop<\/span><\/a>, but I also knew that might not be what Caleigh does best. We looked at all of the Lego creations, listened to the bands play, bought some treats for the following morning, and visited the Marketplace, which features a small train and carousel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Arriving](\"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Arriving-in-Walt-Disney-World-400x400.png\")
What To Actually Do on Arrival Day<\/b>:\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Arial](\"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Bay-Lake-Tower-Grounds-The-Grand-Floridian-Walkway.png\")
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