Hoop-dee-doo revue as a first night location

[MrVargas]

I have a 10 day Disney trip planed for my family of four (kids ages 6 and 8) for next July. On the first night, our plane arrives around 3:08pm. We are staying at the All-Star Movies. I figure we'll go to the resort unpack (my wife is big on doing a thorough unpacking on the first day of vacation), maybe take a dip in the pool and then go out for Dinner.

I was thinking of doing the later Hoop-De-Doo Revue dinner reservation (8:30pm) on the first night.
My reasoning is:
1. It'll add some Disney excitement on the first night despite the fact that we aren't doing a theme park.
2. I heard that taking the bus to Magic Kingdom and taking the ferry there could give us some new views which could be a teaser of things to come.
3. I'd prefer a place not in a park, I would hate to bring the kids to a park and let them see rides and attractions but not get to experience them until a later date.

Thoughts?

 

[OhThePain]

We love HDDR. It's one of those experiences we have done more often than not ever since I was a kid. And your reasons for doing it on your first night are reasonable and make sense to me. With that being said, I wouldn't do it on your first night.

If you are flying in, chances are you'll be up early that morning and spending all day traveling. It might make an 8:30 dinner show a little tough on everyone, especially the little ones. Do you really want to spend that kind of money just for everyone to be struggling to stay awake? If you are landing at about 3:08, you probably will not make it to your resort before 4:30-5 (after taxiing, getting off the plane, getting your luggage, getting to ME or your rental car and travel time to ASMo). To take a bus to MK and ferry to FtW, you will have to leave your resort no later than 6:30. This is just adding to busyness of the day. And of course, there is always a chance that your flight is delayed and/or there is some other hiccup in your travels that can cause a big delay. If your party doesn't show up for whatever reason, you will still be charged the full amount.

Your best bet, IMO, is to save HDDR for later in your stay and maybe head to Disney Springs for dinner on your arrival day since you are looking to avoid the parks or just hang around your resort and have dinner there, have an evening swim, call it an early night and start the first full day fully fresh and recharged.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I agree with PP, an 8:30pm reservation on your arrival day could make for some very tired kids (and parents!). I would suggest eating dinner at your hotel and getting a good night's rest so the family will be fully charged to start the trip.

 

[Pumbaa_]

You are also assuming your flight arrives on time. I will not book anything non refundable on arrival day. Too many time my arrival has differed greatly from planned

You are also greatly underestimating how long things take

If your flight lands at 3ish, you won’t be off the plan til closer to 3:30
Assuming you are not taking dme, you have to get your luggage and your car?
Or if you do dme, you won’t see your luggage for 3-4 hours at least

Either way, you won’t be at your resort until 5ish
Allow 60-90 minutes for Resort to resort transportation. At least

Your best bet, is stick w the pool plan. Eat at your resort, let everyone relax and play after a long day of travel

 

[rg35]

We have done HDDR as our opening dinner several times. It's a great way to start the trip.

However, we always take the earliest flights and usually get in at 8 or 9 am, which gives plenty of wiggle room.

In your case, I agree with maybe doing something at Disney Springs would be a better option if you want to have a nice sit down meal somewhere and do HDDR another night of your trip.

 

[purple figment]

Since Hoop De Doo is a fully pre-paid dinner show that's a lot of money to lose if your flight is delayed due to weather, mechanical or other problems. With a 10 day trip book the dinner show on a different night. Make the arrival night a more low key evening, explore the three All Star resorts and have dinner there or at Disney Springs. Rest up and get an early start the next morning.

 

[JZCubed]

We love HDDR. It's one of those experiences we have done more often than not ever since I was a kid. And your reasons for doing it on your first night are reasonable and make sense to me. With that being said, I wouldn't do it on your first night.

If you are flying in, chances are you'll be up early that morning and spending all day traveling. It might make an 8:30 dinner show a little tough on everyone, especially the little ones. Do you really want to spend that kind of money just for everyone to be struggling to stay awake? If you are landing at about 3:08, you probably will not make it to your resort before 4:30-5 (after taxiing, getting off the plane, getting your luggage, getting to ME or your rental car and travel time to ASMo). To take a bus to MK and ferry to FtW, you will have to leave your resort no later than 6:30. This is just adding to busyness of the day. And of course, there is always a chance that your flight is delayed and/or there is some other hiccup in your travels that can cause a big delay. If your party doesn't show up for whatever reason, you will still be charged the full amount.

Your best bet, IMO, is to save HDDR for later in your stay and maybe head to Disney Springs for dinner on your arrival day since you are looking to avoid the parks or just hang around your resort and have dinner there, have an evening swim, call it an early night and start the first full day fully fresh and recharged.

You know your kids best, but I'll join the chorus by suggesting that the excitement of (airplane) travel day and a 'late'ish' dinner plan at HDDR may impact your enjoyment....and the following day too.

 

[StageTek]

That's a great plan! We LOVE taking the bus to MK and then the boat to the fort.

It will make for a long day. Figure 90 minutes from landing to ASMu so if you get in on time that's 5:30/6:00. Then it's easy 60 minutes from Music to the Fort. That doesn't leave a lot of time for unpacking or a dip in the pool - about 90min if all goes well. Will get really stressful if just a couple of things go just a little wrong.

 

[CarolynFH]

Re the suggestions for Disney Springs, several restaurants there take reservations through Open Table, which is a lot more “forgiving” if you have to cancel or reschedule. Raglan Road, T-Rex and Rainforest Cafe can be fun for kids. Or, if you have or get a Landry’s Select card, you could show up at T-Rex or Rainforest whenever you’re ready to eat and be seated ahead of those with reservations.

I also want to point out that if you’re riding DME from the airport, your luggage won’t arrive until 3-4 hours after you arrive at the resort, unless you claim it yourself and take it on the bus with you.

 

[2hapykdz]

I have a 10 day Disney trip planed for my family of four (kids ages 6 and 8) for next July. On the first night, our plane arrives around 3:08pm. We are staying at the All-Star Movies. I figure we'll go to the resort unpack (my wife is big on doing a thorough unpacking on the first day of vacation), maybe take a dip in the pool and then go out for Dinner.

I was thinking of doing the later Hoop-De-Doo Revue dinner reservation (8:30pm) on the first night.
My reasoning is:
1. It'll add some Disney excitement on the first night despite the fact that we aren't doing a theme park.
2. I heard that taking the bus to Magic Kingdom and taking the ferry there could give us some new views which could be a teaser of things to come.
3. I'd prefer a place not in a park, I would hate to bring the kids to a park and let them see rides and attractions but not get to experience them until a later date.

Thoughts?

Not a bad idea....as long as you arent planning an early morning at a park the next day. By the time you're done and then back to your hotel...it'll be after 11.

 

[jimim]

Ya getting back makes for a long night. But that would be a great way to start off ur trip! So much fun! I like the food too. It’s a great night!

My best memory of the show is when my wife and I were single. One of our first trips together. We got there early and got poured on! Soaking wet. It was a typical 30 sec summer downpour. We were at a table up front. We were freezing when we got inside. Our server wrapped ya up in table cloths next to each other to warm us up. That was a somewhat long time ago but we have the memory.

Good times.

 

[siren0119]

That's what we did - but our flight arrived much earlier. We didn't want to do the parks on our travel day, so we booked HDDR for our first night dinner. Our flight landed at MCO at 10:30am, and we arrived at Pop Century around 12:30. Checking in and getting things up to our rooms took a little while, but we had about an hour to rest before getting a bus to MK and then hopping on the ferry to FW from there.

I would be worried that plane delays could mean you don't have time to get settled in the room before having to head back out again, but one option might be to use Lyft or Uber to go directly from your resort to FW. Waiting for the bus and waiting for the ferry can eat up a lot of valuable time especially if you're cutting it close, and HDDR doesn't seat people on a rolling basis (as they arrive) because there's a stage show - everyone gets let in and served at the same time.

 

[Lehuaann]

Are you on the DDP? If so, they are very understanding about reversing credits due to emergencies. I have never prepaid oop for this show, but have had credits reversed at the booth last minute due to an emergency.

Are you are utilizing DME? If so, I would have a backup plan due to luggage transfer and flight delays (think carryon items to freshen up and Uber/Lyft/Minnie Van if running late.

Almost every HDDR show we’ve been to has been on our first day, so I personally like the plan. However, I would skip the pool plans and try to tour FW via wagon ride and/or visit Chip and Dale’s Campfire Sing-a-long.

 

[shocker]

I can NEVER recommend a pre paid, lose your $$ if you don't show ressie for an arrival night.

There's too much that can go wrong. Ride the boats, monorail, plan a low key dinner at a resort. Go to bed early & rope drop a park the next morning.

 

[Vieve]

I agree with the above posters that this could make for a very long day, even if travel plans go smoothly. The Disney Springs options are all good ones but if you are looking for an alternative I would also throw out doing one of the restaurants at the AK Resort. We are at Jiko with our 7 year old and loved it, but there are several options. You could walk around the resort a bit before/after - dusk is a great time to see the animals and we saw many! Plus they were doing kids activities in the lobby so it was a bit of a “destination” dinner. I would also keep in the back of your head that if you do HDDR or AKR, Uber is always an option if timing or the idea of multiple mods of transportation is becoming stressful, especially on a travel day. We used Uber a handful of times and was never more than $10. Sometimes it’s worth it if it means making up vacation time on the other end.

 

[MrVargas]

Thank you for all the replies. They were very helpful. I’m leaning towards Disney Springs instead (if the family is up to it).

 

[CarolynFH]

I’ll add that if you decide to do HDDR, the Minnie Vans drop off and pick up very near to Pioneer Hall (Uber/Lyft drop off and pick up at Ft. Wilderness entrance and you have to take an internal bus) so are an alternative for transportation. Also, when the late show of HDDR is over there are buses near Pioneer Hall to take you to your resort, no need to boat to MK then bus to resort.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you for all the replies. They were very helpful. I’m leaning towards Disney Springs instead (if the family is up to it).

Another advantage to DS is that when you’re on DME (thus have better idea of family status and timing) you can look on MDE for ADRs that fit.

 

[gorkt]

I would vote against it. It makes for a long day, and if your flight is delayed and you miss it, you are out over $200. At those ages, your kids will likely be too tired to enjoy it.

Disney Springs is a great first night idea!

 

[MrVargas]

So I've decided for Disney Springs. What do you guys think about a TREX reservation? On one hand it sounds fun for the kids. On the other hand, it sounds like it could be over-stimulation. Would a quick service at Wolfgang Express, or Morimoto be better? Thoughts.

As for a few things to do, my kids are too little for the VR (Bummer), my wife is anxious about heights so the hot air balloon wouldn't work. I hear they're adding an NBA experience, anybody knows dates. We're hoops fans so that sounds fun. What other things are there to do? I saw something about a boat ride tour. Anybody know anything about that?