Hi Ashley-Jayne!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
That long flight from the UK, with a five-hour time difference, can be challenging, especially with a young child, but I can give you an idea of what I do whenever I travel to Walt Disney World. My son was three-years-old when we first brought him to Florida and I remember if he wanted to nap on the plane I just let him - it is a long travel day, let alone the jet lag aspect, so their routine is going to be slightly different for a while anyway. We don't make any plans for our first evening, except for a dinner reservation for around 6.30pm at our Disney Resort hotel. We try to keep awake for as long as possible, to get onto US time as soon as we can. The temptation to fall asleep as soon as we get to our room is very great! It doesn't seem to matter how early or late I go to bed that first night, I am usually wide awake at 3.00am (8.00am UK time). We make the most of being up early the first morning and enjoy breakfast at our hotel around 7.30am (which we don't reserve in advance, we just go as soon as we are ready) and then usually spend the first few hours of our first day at one of the Disney water parks. You could also arrive at a theme park in time for rope drop at park opening and have a few hours there before it becomes more crowded later in the day. From the next day onwards I would recommend getting into your holiday routine as soon as you can, and ignore what the time is back at home! Any dining reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance,
online, or by using the
My Disney Experience mobile app.
Please come back and visit us if you have any further questions. We will be happy to help you plan your magical holiday to Walt Disney World.
~ Sue