[CathysCAT]

On our day of arrival in June we'll get to the resort by 11am. We want to head out to a park, but wonder which one would be better for an afternoon visit. Looks like MK has early morning entry that Thursday, and no park scheduled for late evening hours. We don't want to make it a late late night, since we're thinking of getting up early the next day (Fri) for AK. Any thoughts for that first day?

[ingamba]

My first bit of advice would be to avoid MK that day, since it's early morning EMH. 11am is still pretty early, so the crowds that got there early in the morning for the most part will still be there. I'd go to Epcot or the Disney Studios that day, since you want to go to AK the next day.

I don't know how late of a night you want to make it, but you could spend the evening at Epcot and leave around 9 when they close.

[Dana]

I like to go to MGM and do my favorite attractions there first. I would avoid MK if it's EHM that day. The park does tend to get really busy, but if you like to get that first glimpse of the castle as soon as you get to WDW, just go for it. Don't plan on going on many attractions, just go and watch the parade and grab some lunch.

[robinmouse]

I love to do MK our first day, but it doesn't look like a good plan for you. Last trip wasn't good for us either, so we went to Epcot the first day, had a great dinner in Mexico, watched Illuminations and then back to the hotel to sleep. It was a great start to the week!

[MissDisney]

We have fine-tuned our first day rituals! We get to the parks about that time, too. And so we go to MGM and ride Star Tours, The Great Movie Ride and whatever else we can squeeze in. Then we take a Friendship Launch over to Epcot for a quick run on Maelstrom and dinner at Rose & Crown or L'Originale Alfredo di Roma, followed by a glass of wine and fireworks from the bridge between France and UK.

This is an easy plan, it always works, and you get a full-day of fun! Good luck!

[twinsplusone]

I've noticed that a lot of you post not to go to a park featuring EMH's. If you're a resort guest, is it really worth it to use the EMH's? We have MK as an evening EMH planned and AK as a morning EMH. Will the parks be overcrowded these days?

[WishUponAStar]

I usually arrive in Orlando about that same time and like to head to MGM. I feel like MGM is a small enough park that won't exhaust you after the travel and if you only go to do a couple "favorite attractions" there uit wouldn't be a big deal to leave when you get tired. I definately think MGM is a good choice!

[tinkerbell]

you mentioned you didnt want to make it a late night .. why not start with AK, since it closes earlier then any of the other parks

[jo-jo]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell

you mentioned you didnt want to make it a late night .. why not start with AK, since it closes earlier then any of the other parks

I was thinking of AK too. And although it may seem busy when you get there, I've heard that many times people are already leaving by early afternoon. So you get lunch, then hit the rides and shows and you will cover a good bit by closing and still have a early night.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by twinsplusone

I've noticed that a lot of you post not to go to a park featuring EMH's. If you're a resort guest, is it really worth it to use the EMH's? We have MK as an evening EMH planned and AK as a morning EMH. Will the parks be overcrowded these days?

I don't want your post to get overlooked, nor do I want to hijack this thread. I just wanted to say that the parks are more crowded those days, but you can look at it two ways.
1. Avoid crowds at all costs (this will have alot to do with when you go) or

2. No matter what it's EXTRA hours in the parks (and it will only be resort guests) Extra time, is after all, extra time. No matter what the crowd level.

[CathysCAT]

Great advice everyone. I think my boys have agreed that MGM will be a good place to start. A lunch at 50's Prime Time, ride on Star Tours, and whatever else we have the energy to do. Anyone know what the usual show times for LMA have been? Do FPs go really fast for this? When we were there in April it wasn't officialy opened yet, but we did get to catch a show. Then back to resort to see our room and unpack and take a dip in the pool.

[tragic312]

usually, we don't hit the parks right away on our first day. we unpack and unwind at the hotel for a while. most of our trips, we go to Epcot to catch Illuminations. we both love that show and try to make it the first thing we do to start off the trip. maybe try going to Epcot on your first day. i find Epcot to be a relaxing park. so hit there first.

[quakercub]

To answer the question posed by another DC'er, yes, the EMH hours are worth it, though I've usually used the evening EMH rather than the morning. Get there earlier, enjoy the crowds for awhile, then, when the non-resorters leave, you'll be early for the EMH hours. That seems to work best.

As for first day plans, we usually don't go to a park on the day we arrive. We use it to explore our resort. If they have a table restaurant, we usually eat there. We find it's a relaxing way to begin the trip.