336...Arrival Day

We live 16 hours away from the World.  We have driven there twice and will drive again in the summer of 2012.  So the question is what to do on arrival day especially after being on the road for that long?

In the summer 2006, we split our trip up by staying in Atlanta with my brother in-law.  We then got up early the next day and drove the rest of the way to Orlando.  A LONG 7 to 8 hour drive.  We ended up checking in around 4 and were so excited to be there we had to head to the Magic Kingdom.  It was a great first day there.  I still remember the the look on my wife's face as she held our baby girl.  Priceless!  We ended up staying at the park until about 1 in the morning.  Needless to say, we were wore out.  We slept until almost 1pm the next day making it another half day at the park.

Our first picture in the park.

In the summer 2008, we spent the night in Orlando before checking into our Disney hotel the next day.  We got up pretty early and headed to the resort not knowing if our rooms would be ready.  They let us check in around 10:30.  By the time we got the van unloaded it was right around noon.  We decided to hit the Magic Kingdom.  Not my greatest decision.  The park was crowded and hot.  After getting our picture taken in front of the castle we headed to Fantasyland.  We didn't have a plan and that's when the rain started.  My party ran is several directions and it took another hour to regroup and make our plan.

Here is my dad and Izzy riding Small World.  Notice the rain on my dad's shirt.  It rains in Orlando, a lot!

So I am torn.  Once I hit Disney property I am ready to go to the Magic Kingdom, but is that the wisest thing to do?  There is part of me that really likes the idea of crashing at the hotel and going for a swim.  After cleaning up maybe go to the Disney Boardwalk and eat at the ESPN Club or Beaches and Cream.  I think it would be nice to watch Illuminations from the Boardwalk and then go back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. That would allow us to wake up bright and early so we could be at the park 30 minutes before rope drop.

I only have 336 days to make my decision and right now I really have no idea what I want to do.  What do you like to do on arrival day?  Any suggestions would be great.  I promise to let you know what I decide.  Thanks for reading.