Boardwalk or Epcot on arrival day?

[MiniMinnie]

I would just hang out at the Boardwalk and there are good restaurant choices like Trattoria al Forno.

 

[PetePanMan]

we are debating the same thing as we just got a full week at BCV and arrive around the same time of day. Right now we are thinking of biergarten + frozen FP and then possibly walk on soarin and/or illuminations.

 

[Farro]

Well, in our case we always have hoppers from arrival day until we leave, so no brainer for us! We would go to Epcot.
Make some fast passes, get something from France, watch Illuminations, great night!

 

[tjmw2727]

We don't make ADR's on arrival day as you never know how travel is going to go. If it were us we would probably go to Epcot because we have AP's and there are so many great quick service options! I would also make some later FP+ and plan for Illuminations.

If you don't have a park day to use (depending on your length of stay the price of adding a day can vary) then the Boardwalk resort area is a great place to spend the evening. A few QS options at Boardwalk and Beach Club and you could probably snag a last minute ADR as well. There is entertainment on the boardwalk and you can see a fair amount of Illuminations from the bridge!

 

[Chami]

to DisBoards!

DW and I have stayed at the Boardwalk many times and have faced this question before. When we would arrive a bit earlier in the day we would always head over to Epcot for our first evening meal. By the time you arrive and get settled in your room it will be after 7pm. Tough call. You didn't say how long you would have been up and going for the day and how much energy you would have left to walk around Epcot. Traveling always wears me out so I think if it were me I would follow Bill from PA's advice and find a meal on the Boardwalk. We are partial to the Big River, we would always have at least one meal per trip there. Basic food, but convenient. Then get some ice cream from Ample Hills and relax and enjoy the ambience of the Boardwalk.

If you arrive with plenty of energy and have the ticket by all means head over to Epcot. Walking over to Epcot and entering via the International Gateway is quite special. Illumination would be a great way to celebrate your first night at WDW. One word of warning... We stayed at the Boardwalk for our first trip to WDW. After that we never wanted to go anywhere else. The Epcot resorts have a special draw, especially for adults.
Wishing you a visit!

Your post makes me think we may need to play it by ear. Since we will be feeling west coast time, it would still be pretty early for us. But you’re right, traveling is exhausting. I think I am going to have to learn how to go with the flow for once!

The Boardwalk was my husband’s pick. I am hoping we love it!

 

[Chami]

I also fly from the west coast and my last trip I had your same timing, landing around 5pm. For the first time ever I made an arrival day ADR for dinner at Teppan Edo. The flight was late leaving Seattle, late landing and when we were pulling up to the Orlando terminal the pilot came on the PA and said we were going to sit there for a while because a "TSA event" had taken place in the terminal (turned out some camera batteries had exploded and sounded like gun shots so they had shut everything down). When they finally let us de-plane the terminal was packed with people and the sky-trams weren't running, so we walked from the satellite to the main terminal (which was actually really cool). All this is a long winded way of saying I didn't make it to my ADR and don't think I'll ever book one on arrival day again, at least not until I'm actually at the resort.

So my choice would be to play it by ear, and see what's available and what you feel like doing once you get there. It is often easy to find last minute ADRs, so you wouldn't necessarily be restricted to counter service if you don't book ahead.

Okay, you have convinced me not to make an ADR that night. In my planning excitement, I completely forgot how many things could go wrong with flying.

I will take your advice and play it by ear. Thanks!

 

[CJN]

We are also from the west coast and like to stay in the boardwalk area (the swan this next trip). Eating fish and chips while watching Illuminations is one of our favorite things to do, doubly so if we can do it on arrival night. Make a plan, know where you’d like to go, then if it doesn’t work out just roll with it.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Your post makes me think we may need to play it by ear. Since we will be feeling west coast time, it would still be pretty early for us. But you’re right, traveling is exhausting. I think I am going to have to learn how to go with the flow for once!

That's how we always play our arrival days. If you are still feeling up to it by all means wander over to Epcot and find a QS meal that appeals to you. Or perhaps just snack around the World. Then pick a spot to watch Illuminations. We would watch from the middle of the bridge between UK and France, right above where the Illumination cruise boats tie up. Good view and makes for a quick, easy exit after the show. Then enjoy the Boardwalk until you are ready to call it a night.

The Boardwalk was my husband’s pick. I am hoping we love it!

Same here. The Boardwalk was my pick for our first visit. We had no idea what to expect except for the location. We both loved it and I predict that you both will love it too.

 

[GillianP1301]

I would go to EP, assuming you are getting a longer stay park ticket where adding an extra day is minimal cost. I always add a 10th day to mine for arrival day and it's only about $10. You'e already decided no to an ADR, which I think is a good plan. You will only have a couple hours of park time so no point using half of that for a TS meal. I would book some fastpasses, grab a QS meal and enjoy Illuminations. Sounds like an awesome way to start a vacation to me.

And since you'll be on west coast time, you could still come back and do a little Boardwalk exploring after Illuminations.

 

[nkereina]

FWIW, the price difference to add an extra day to your tickets is negligible. So it would be easy and relatively inexpensive to add the extra day to enter Epcot that night, if you don't want to burn a day on your existing tickets.

As mentioned, an ADR that night would not be a good idea. I can see the benefit of staying at the Boardwalk and eating a TS meal at ESPN Club or Big River Grille, which don't take ADRs. It would be relaxing. You could grab an ice cream at Ample Hills or even walk over to the Beach Club and Beaches & Cream.

BUT, if it were me, I'd be excited to get into the parks - even if only for a few hours on the first night. Epcot is so convenient to the Boardwalk that it would be very easy and quick to walk over and just stroll around World Showcase. Without an ADR, you MAY be able to get into one of the less popular TS locations or you'd have several options for a QS dinner. By doing this, it likely would also save you some time on a subsequent Epcot day, allowing you to do other things, since you can check out quite a bit around the World Showcase in 2+ hours. So, Epcot would be my vote.

 

[Chami]

Well, in our case we always have hoppers from arrival day until we leave, so no brainer for us! We would go to Epcot.
Make some fast passes, get something from France, watch Illuminations, great night!

We will probably have park hoppers for every day of our trip as well.

 

[Chami]

Thanks everyone! I think we will make two plans for the evening, and then just pick the one that feels right when we get there. I have to keep reminding myself that there is no wrong way to have fun at Disney.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I also fly from the west coast and my last trip I had your same timing, landing around 5pm. For the first time ever I made an arrival day ADR for dinner at Teppan Edo. The flight was late leaving Seattle, late landing and when we were pulling up to the Orlando terminal the pilot came on the PA and said we were going to sit there for a while because a "TSA event" had taken place in the terminal (turned out some camera batteries had exploded and sounded like gun shots so they had shut everything down). When they finally let us de-plane the terminal was packed with people and the sky-trams weren't running, so we walked from the satellite to the main terminal (which was actually really cool). All this is a long winded way of saying I didn't make it to my ADR and don't think I'll ever book one on arrival day again, at least not until I'm actually at the resort.

So my choice would be to play it by ear, and see what's available and what you feel like doing once you get there. It is often easy to find last minute ADRs, so you wouldn't necessarily be restricted to counter service if you don't book ahead.

Off topic, we were trying to leave Orlando the day the camera batteries exploded. Ended up having to stay an extra night because our flight was cancelled and nothing available until the next day. Good times.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Your post makes me think we may need to play it by ear. Since we will be feeling west coast time, it would still be pretty early for us. But you’re right, traveling is exhausting. I think I am going to have to learn how to go with the flow for once!

The Boardwalk was my husband’s pick. I am hoping we love it!

I'd probably say Boardwalk too, but there isn't really much "nightlife" there. It is pleasant to walk around though. We almost always stay at Yacht Club and really like grabbing a late evening bite to eat and drink at Crew's Cup lounge (though they've made some recent menu changes that removed some items we like) on arrival day, so that might be an option. It is a short walk from Boardwalk. Crew's Cup menu here - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/crew-cup-lounge/menus/

On edit, I just saw that you'd have park hoppers for that day. If that's the case then I'd make FP+ reservations at Epcot for 3 rides from 6-7, 7-8, and 8-9 with the ride you are most interested in scheduled last. I'd go over to Epcot that evening and walk around and do a few rides and then either grab QS or go back to Crew's Cup after park close.

 

[kniquy]

Given the timing, would you eat somewhere on the Boardwalk and just enjoy the night life there? Or would you head over to Epcot, grab something from counter service, and watch the fireworks?

If you were arriving a lot earlier even by 4 or 5 pm then i would say go to epcot.

If your plane really lands at 5pm you could possibly be at your resort (taking ME) by 6:30 or 7pm, by the time you check in and drop off your bags you could be off and over to the park by 7:30 or 8. Epcot frequently closes at 9pm, so you would have about an hour in the park. It probably is not worth wasting a park ticket.

If you are looking for a nice place to go without a reservation look at the options over at swan and dolphin. There are some great restaurants there - I have heard reviews that Il mulino is suppose to be amazing. It is a very short walk.

 

[Farro]

We will probably have park hoppers for every day of our trip as well.

Then definitely make some fast passes for Epcot on your arrival night. Even if you miss them or decide to skip, no harm!

 

[Scrappingjen]

Its hard I know but its okay to go with the flow. Another idea is Disney Springs, open later and has shops and restaurants. I would not waste a Epcot ticket on just a couple of maybe hours. Sure its still early in your day 3 hours time difference and all.

 

[DisneyFive]

Being that you are arriving in the evening, I vote for staying in the boardwalk area. It is beautiful and it would be very nice to spend the first evening relaxing around that lagoon

Dan

 

[OneinThree]

Another idea is Disney Springs, open later and has shops and restaurants.

That's definitely where I'd be. Raglans, FTW.