Hi, I am taking my first trip to Disney World in a very very long time and going with my wife and two young children (4 yr old and 1 yr old). We are arriving at Orlando airport at ~8:45AM (6AM departure) during arrival day and will be taking Magical Express to the resort. I am trying to decide what to do on check in day. I was considering checking in my bags and going to the pool before the room is ready but am concerned about not having access to a room for changing clothes. A second option was to take a ride from the Wilderness Lodge to the Boardwalk, walk around, and have lunch but that seems like it may be a very long commute. Do either of these plans make sense or should I be considering something else? Thank you in advance for your help!
That is definitely an early arrival. Why not eat breakfast at Whispering Canyon? I bet there would be a good chance your room would be ready by the time you finish eating.
I would probably take a bus to Disney Springs for some shopping and considerably more lunch options. I’ve not had much luck with rooms ready that early, especially if staying in the dvc rooms at a resort.
i would pack a carry on with what you need to totally hang out at the pool and the incredible, beautiful resort. try for a whispering canyon ADR, but there is also Geyser Point. the lobby, the gift shop, the pools, there is pool side crafts/activities for the kids. Old Faithful on the hour. Boulder Ridge Railroad displays. I would just lay about and enjoy
You should be able to use the health club for changing. (That’s what someone suggested for us for swimming on our checkout day at AKL, anyway.)
The resort will be able to accommodate you in some form like the health club as @amvanhoose_701479 suggested. My family did something like this at AKL on our checkout date years ago.
Wilderness Lodge is a fantastic resort! My personal favorite amongst the Disney resorts (Animal Kingdom Lodge is a very close second). WL has great (and underrated) pools, as @DumboRunner already said:
Back in 2017 before we stayed here, my family spent some time in the Boulder Ridge rooms playing checkers and enjoying the serene atmosphere.
Agreed. And it’s probably quiet enough that the kids might fall asleep if they’re still tired after the flight.
When my DD was 5 we had the same timing On our very early flight. We dropped our large carryon at WL, put sunscreen on at the bus stop, hopped on a bus to AK, had a relaxing lunch at Tusker House and enjoyed the park until 5 then went to bed early and she was ready for RD at MK the next morning!!! AK lends itself to being a little more relaxing with littles. The boneyard is a nice place to let off steam.