need help planning my 1st day

[princessat37]

we'll arrive at the airport at 11:30am (ish) and will take the ME to CBR. so, my 1st question is, about how long will that transfer take?
when we arrive we'll check in and have them hold our bags or hopefully head straight to our room. next we'll eat at OPR so the girls can get their kid's meals in sand pails. :)
so we have a 5:00 res at hoop-de-doo. do you think we'll have time to visit MK briefly before getting on a water taxi headed for FW? anyone know how long the water taxi ride is? and if there's another transfer once you get there? and any idea how long hoop-de-doo is?
i'm sorry for the buttload of questions. :blush: i'm just trying to figure out how much time to allow for travel and if it's even worth it to go to MK just to catch the water taxi. it may sound silly but i think it will be our only chance to ride it all week and we really want to experience it all. :D
after dinner we'll head back to MK for Spectromagic and Wishes. :mickey:

[Gregandmel]

If you get to the airport around 11:30am, you "should" be to your resort no later than 1pm if everything goes well...hopefully a bit sooner, but 90 minutes is reasonable. If you ge to your resort to check in, your room may or may not be ready by this time...but hopefully you can have lunch and then check in to your room. I would leave your resort no later than 3:15 - 3:30pm to reach the MK water taxi over to FW. Don't underestimate the time it takes to get from place to place. You still have to wait for the bus to pick you up at your resort to get you to MK, as well as wait for the water taxi. I do not personally know how long the Hoop De Doo show is, but since Wishes doesn't start until 9pm, you should be fine if you have 5pm dinner ressies. Sounds like a full day for you!! You should be fine with your plans, but again, just don't underestimate the time it takes to get from place to place. Better to allow "extra" time and get there early, than to be stressed out that you are running behind. Have a fantastic trip! :thumbsup:

[Gregandmel]

Sorry - I just re-read your post and you asked about visiting MK before hitting the water taxi over to FW. I guess if you back everything up time-wise, I would be at the boat launch at MK by about 4:15 or so to allow plenty of time to "wait" for the launch if needed, as well as the time it takes to get there (about 15 minutes). So.....depending on what time you get to the MK you might have time to visit for a while. I'm impressed with your schedule though! My family just wants to "get" to the resort (our time frame is about the same as yours) and then just chill. No one wants to do anything other than check in, swim, relax, walk around the resort, have dinner, then get a good night's sleep. Although on the first day....we are usually READY to hit the parks. We'll see how our next trip goes though. Regardless, you'll get some great advice on these boards from other posters who have maybe had the same itinerary as you. :)

[twinboyz]

Looks like your questions about ME and the water taxi have already been answered. The HDDR is about and 1.5 hour show, maybe longer. We were lucky enough to have the water taxi waiting when the show is over. Next time we book HDDR I will book a later show since those have buses to take you right back to the resort. Make sure you give yourself enough travel time. The water taxi's fill up quickly.

[Polynesian Dweller]

The most important comment I've read so far is to not under estimate the time it takes to get around WDW. The buses etc. run on much looser schedules than city transportation and there can be lengthy waits for them.

The boats around WDW really aren't like water taxis on most city harbours. They boats between the various resorts are called resort launches and there may only be one or two running between FW and MK at any given time. So you can't count on there being one there when you want to go. You almost have to build in at least a 10 - 15 min wait.

So as others have said, don't underestimate the times involved and give yourself at least an extra 30 minutes to get everywhere.

[princessat37]

thanks peeps. hopefully we'll fit it all in. :mickey: