Picture this: you hop off the place at Orlando International Airport and your Disney World vacation has officially started! This article will help you determine exactly how to plan your arrival day at Walt Disney World, including the ins and outs of hotel arrival, how to actually get on Disney World property, and how to plan the rest of your day.
While at Walt Disney World, your time is money. It’s important that you don’t waste a single moment while visiting. At the same time, you don’t want to feel overwhelmed from the get-go. That’s why I’ve compiled the following information to help you plan your first day at Walt Disney World in 2026.
Arriving from Orlando International Airport
If you’re flying into Orlando International Airport, you have a few options when looking for ground transportation to bring you to your hotel. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, and you are NOT renting a car, you have two main ground transportation options: a shuttle service or a taxi/ride share service.
As of this writing, if you opt for the shuttle service, you are likely going to look into Mears Connect. The service brings guests from Orlando International Airport to their Walt Disney World Resort hotel (you can book round-trip service for a return trip to the airport at the end of your vacation, too). Mears Connect provides 24/7 service and serves both the Main and C Terminals at Orlando International Airport.
Mears Connect doesn’t just serve Walt Disney World hotels — they’ll bring guests to a select number of non-Disney resorts, too. For a full list of hotels served, you can visit the Mears Connect website. Note that Mears Connect is not a complimentary service. As of this writing, a one-way Standard Service trip on Mears Connect costs $16 per adult and $13 per child. They also offer an Express Service that brings you directly to your resort with no stops at additional hotels along the way.
Your second option would be to use a taxi or ride share service such as Uber and Lyft. This can be a more cost-effective option depending on how many people are in your travel party (keep in mind Mears’ prices above). You’ll want to be aware of the potential for airport surcharges when using ride share services. One benefit of booking a taxi or ride share is that you know you’ll be the only stop for that driver, giving you more instant access to your hotel. To streamline the process even further, you can pre-book an Uber or Lyft prior to arrival at MCO.
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Disney World Resort hotels: check-in basics
You selected your ground transportation option, and you have finally arrived at your hotel! For the purposes of this article, I’m going to be focusing on Disney World’s hotel policies regarding check-in. If you are staying off property, make sure to confirm check-in times and any other important information with your hotel.
Check-in time is 3:00 PM for Walt Disney World Resort hotels and 4:00 PM for Disney Deluxe Villas. If you arrive prior to those times and you want to start your vacation as early as possible, you can leave your luggage with Bell Services while you go off and play in the theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, etc. While it’s not a guarantee, it is possible your room may be ready before 3:00 PM. If you wish, your bags can be delivered by Bell Service to your room for your convenience later in the day.
If you just want to spend time at the hotel, be sure to research Disney’s Direct-to-Room service. With this service, you can use your MagicBand or the Unlock Door feature on the My Disney Experience app to enjoy select areas of your Disney Resort hotel, like the pool, on your check-in day, even before your room is ready.
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Returning summer 2026: free water park admission on check-in day
To provide guests with more options on their check-in day, Disney World is bringing a special promotion back for the summer of 2026. Any guest staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel (vacation package or room-only reservation) will receive complimentary admission to one of Disney World’s water parks on their arrival and check-in day. In order for a guest to be eligible for this offer, their name must appear on the room reservation.
As of this writing, Disney has not announced which specific dates are eligible for this offer, but we do know that this promotion will be back for the summer season. Disney World provides free bus transportation from their resorts to the water parks. Once you arrive at your hotel, drop your bags off with Bell Services (or in your room if it’s ready) and you’re off to the water park!
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Disney Springs and resort hopping
If I had to venture a guess, I would say the majority of guests head to Disney Springs on their arrival and check in day. Disney Springs is the shopping and dining district at Walt Disney World where you can visit free of charge — so it’s a great way to have something to do without paying for a full theme park day (and not necessarily getting a full day’s worth of time in said park).
There’s tons to see and do in Disney Springs, and it’s a great spot for dinner the evening of your first day at Disney World. It’s also a good way to ease into your vacation so your check in day can have a more leisurely pace.
Like the water parks, free bus transportation is available from your Disney World resort to Disney Springs. If you choose to visit Disney Springs on your arrival day, I recommend making an Advance Dining Reservation at a restaurant, as many tend to fill up.
Another option you could consider is Resort Hopping. This is a fun way to travel around and see the various resort hotels at Walt Disney World, grab a bite to eat, and settle into vacation mode.
Like Disney Springs, I’d recommend booking an Advance Dining Reservation if you know where you want to eat. Getting from your hotel to another Disney World hotel could be a little tricky and may involve multiple transportation options, depending on where you’re trying to get to. In the event that your flight gets delayed, you may call the restaurant and let them know of your situation to avoid being charged as a no-show.
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Visiting a Disney World theme park
If you’re feeling really adventurous, and time is on your side, you can totally squeeze in a day at a theme park on your arrival and check-in day. In general, the earlier your flight lands at MCO, the more it makes sense to try to fit in a day in the park, especially if your vacation is short (I’d say 3 nights or fewer).
In this instance, you have a couple of options. If you’re renting a car, you can drive straight to the theme park from Orlando International Airport and check into your hotel that night. If you don’t have a car, you will need to go to your resort hotel first and then take a mode of Disney World transportation to the theme park.
Keep in mind that adding a day to your Disney World theme park ticket can be costly, so take a look at your flight time and assess whether it’s worth the added cost. If you aren’t arriving until later in the afternoon or evening, it may not be worth the extra cash to tack on a park day. That said, depending on how many days are on your park ticket, the cost of adding a fifth, sixth, or seventh day could be negligible.
I’m still a little hesitant to add a theme park day to my check-in day in the event that your flight is delayed significantly or canceled. While unlikely, I would hate to lose out on the money spent on that extra day. Talk it over with your travel party and figure out what’s best for your itinerary!
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How to make the most of your Disney World arrival day
If you want to hit the ground running on your first day at Walt Disney World, there are a few tips you will want to keep in mind:
- Consider the most efficient ground transportation method. This could mean pre-booking an Uber or Lyft upon arrival at MCO, or it could mean looking into Mears Connect’s Express Service. Standard Service at Mears Connect could mean waiting in longer lines for a shuttle to arrive, and once on board, you could be making multiple stops before reaching your resort hotel.
- Make sure you enable Disney’s Direct-to-Room service with your Magic Band and My Disney Experience app. This will allow you to access resort amenities like the pool on your check-in day before your room is ready.
- Pack a change of clothes, bathing suit, etc. in your carry-on bag so you can take advantage of your resort pool or complimentary Disney World water park admission. This way you don’t have to worry on the off chance your checked luggage is misplaced.
- Have an Advance Dining Reservation booked for your first dinner. Whether you are visiting Disney Springs or a resort hotel, it’s good to have something on the books so you can start off your vacation strong. I recommend booking something that is at least three (3) hours after your flight lands to allow for travel to your hotel, checking in, and arriving at your restaurant.
I hope this article helps you navigate your arrival and check-in day at Walt Disney World! The first day of a vacation is so exciting, but I don’t want you to get carried away and over-commit right when you arrive. Keep following along for more Walt Disney World vacation tips!
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What To Do On Your First Day At Disney World in 2026 was originally published on The World of Spark.
