Hi Holly, so glad to hear how much you love the Disney Parks Moms Panel and I'm glad we can be a source of help in all your planning needs.
It sounds like we have similar thinking as my family usually skips the park on our arrival day, too. Sometimes it's nice to relax and get settled before the real fun begins on your first full day! I love your plan to go to 'Ohana and then watch these two magical shows from the beach. To time your reservation for 'Ohana, you will first want to check the times of
Wishes and the
Electrical Water Pageant for the day you hope to watch. Since this showtime can vary based on the day of the week or time of year, it's hard to tell you exactly when to make your reservation. Once you know a rough time frame, you can plan accordingly. I would suggest making your reservation about an hour and a half before they begin. It usually takes our family of five approximately an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes to eat and pay the check. Then, you want to allow a few minutes to get from the restaurant down to the beach. Obviously, this time frame could be different for your family. So, I'll give you an example. Based on today's date according to the website, Wishes starts at 10pm and the Electrical Water Pagaent starts at 9pm and works it's way around the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. So, it might be best to make a reservation around 7:15 or 7:30pm. Again, this is just an example based on one particular day's schedule of events. Keep in mind that these shows can change without notice and could be cancelled due to inclement weather.
I hope you have a pixie-dusted ending to your arrival day and may it get your trip off to a magical start!
~Allison L