Hi Jessica! You have every reason to be extremely excited! You’re about to have your first visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth! You’re arriving in less than a week! I hope you’ve got your final countdown going!
The first thing that I like to do is visit the park I’m most excited to see during that particular vacation! So, if you can’t wait to visit the 999 happy haunts at the Haunted Mansion or explore the diamond mine at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train then head on over to
Magic Kingdom Park! Or, perhaps you’re most interested in climbing behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or exploring Andy’s backyard in Toy Story Land at
Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Of course, you could go visit Olaf and Sven at Frozen Ever After or Star-Lord at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at
EPCOT! However, if you’ve got that “Hakuna Matata” kind of feeling going on then a trek through
Disney’s Animal Kingdom might be first on your wish list! Either way, you can't go wrong because you're about to arrive to the vacation of your dreams!
Jessica, if you arrive at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort prior to your room being ready, you are welcome to leave your luggage at
Bell Services. You can then head right over to the bus transportation location and hop a bus to the park you want to visit first! Your bags will be waiting for you at Bell Services when you return to the resort!
For budgeting with food, we’ll usually place an order for food delivery to our resort hotel using any of the well-known delivery services. We try to eat some meals in our room rather than purchasing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have food delivered, your resort will refrigerate your items for you until you are able to pick them up! Or you can wait for your delivery. Please note that any age-restricted items (i.e. alcohol) that you order will require you to be present to show ID upon delivery.
The one other piece of advice that I'll share is that you could also choose to explore your resort hotel upon arrival. I always enjoy getting the "lay of the land" at a new Walt Disney World Resort hotel. Find where the pools, main lobby, shops, transportation area, and food service areas are located. The sooner I become accustomed to my resort, the sooner I feel right at home!
Jessica, since this is your first visit, I’ve linked a “First Time Visitors” video to this answer! I hope you find it helpful! I’m so excited for you! I hope you have a magical visit!
Happy Planning!
Jonathan