Disney Magical Express from MCO to WDW (Polynesian) in July About This Page:

[Sue M.]

I agree with Dani, give yourself 3 hrs. Why add stress. It will prob take less time, so if you get to the parks earlier you can either ride an attraction with no wait, at MK we love going on the people mover. Or you can just shop and stroll around enjoying the sights!
Or if your room is ready, you could unpack any carry-ons and get semi settled in, and walk around resort to see where stuff is. Lots of changes at Poly!!

[Her Dotness]

Originally Posted by CheerDisney

It typically takes 90 min from when your flight lands until you reach your resort. I would give yourself a little bit of time to checkin, get settled if your room is ready,aunt eat lunch In the food court before you headed over to MK. I would say you could be there in 3-4 hrs after you land, but of make your first fp 4-5 hours after you land just so u are comfortable and not rushing around.

There are two reasons why I wouldn't do this--three actually given how very long it's been since the OP was last at WDW. It's going to quite literally feel like "a whole new world" as a result of the many changes. We were unsettled enough by the switch to Magic Bands just three years after our previous trip.

1) Don't plan to do much but get acquainted with your resort. There will be so much that's unfamiliar that even if you're booked where you've stayed previously, it could seem quite new and strange.

2) As I mentioned before, is it really worth using a park ticket for a few hours before the tiring effects of travel catch up with you?

3) Consider booking a table service meal for dinner, at your resort if it has a TS restaurant. Upon arriving, dining by "sit 'n' set" (We sit, and someone sets food in front of us ) appeals to me lots more than queuing up at a food court and schlepping a tray around for drink and utensils, then finding a table.

As ever, YMMV. (Your mileage may vary.) Just thought I'd toss these reasons out here in case the OP agrees arrival day may demand a more lowkey approach than someone returning a few months or years after their prior trip might need.

[HollyH]

For those who don't want to "burn a day on your ticket" for a partial park day, once you hit 5 days or so an additional day on your ticket only costs around $10. Personally, I'd likely spend more than that browsing the shops at DTD.. Of course there may be other good reasons to relax and take it easy on arrival day, but "wasting" a ticket day really isn't a that big of a deal for most visitors.

[Her Dotness]

Good point, Holly.

I guess I say "Don't do just a few park hours upon arriving" because I can't bear to spend part of a day in the MK first thing. Of course, if you get to WDW hyped and there's EMH in the MK, you could have hours more park time than on a regular day.

I keep thinking, too, of how very crowded the MK could be that time of year, so perhaps my preference for going when it's least crowded and not doing any parks until our first full day is coloring my view too much.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by HollyH

For those who don't want to "burn a day on your ticket" for a partial park day, once you hit 5 days or so an additional day on your ticket only costs around $10.

Yes and no.

On the one hand, the price of the ticket can go up by very little - the difference between a 5- and a 6-day ticket is only $10. But on the other hand, the average price per day never gets lower than $36.50 (and that's for a full 10-day ticket) ... for the 5- vs 6-day ticket, the average daily price goes from $63.00 for a 5-day ticket, to $54.17 for the 6-day ticket.

[HollyH]

Originally Posted by Pax

Yes and no.

On the one hand, the price of the ticket can go up by very little - the difference between a 5- and a 6-day ticket is only $10. But on the other hand, the average price per day never gets lower than $36.50 (and that's for a full 10-day ticket) ... for the 5- vs 6-day ticket, the average daily price goes from $63.00 for a 5-day ticket, to $54.17 for the 6-day ticket.

True, Pax. But if you look at the average daily cost, you have to run thru the entire scenario. You pay $54.17 for that partial day (not a horrible value, a 1 day MK ticket costs over $100). But by going that extra day, you reduce the cost of your other 5 days by about $9 each, saving $45. Any way you slice it, the additional cost is minimal.