Oh my goodness Phillipa! You must be so excited to be planning your very first visit to Walt Disney World Resort! There is something extra-special about first visits! It is my pleasure and honor to assist you with your planning.
I have limited space, so I can't give you ALL my best tips and hints at once, so I'll get you started and then you can come back any time with more questions as you plan your trip, okay?
You don't mention whether or not you have already made reservations for your vacation. If not, I recommend browsing the various
Disney Resort Hotels to find which ones suit your taste and budget. Basically, the Disney Resort Hotels are divided into
Value,
Moderate,
Deluxe, and
Deluxe Villa categories. Most standard rooms sleep 4 or 5 Guests, and larger 2 and 3 bedroom villas are also available. I'd be happy to weigh in with my thoughts once you've narrowed the choices down a bit.
There is so much to see and do, it is impossible to do it all in one trip! In fact, my fellow panelists and I have each made dozens of visits to Walt Disney World Resort, and not one of us has done
everything there is to do. That being said, I recommend planning the longest visit that time and budget allow. A week is great, if you can, a couple of days more than that is even better! Longer stays allow you to experience more of all that Walt Disney World has to offer and spend some downtime relaxing as well. No matter how long or short your stay will be, we will help you get the most out of your vacation.
When my family of 6 plans our vacations, we each decide on 3 "must do" experiences for each day of our visit. This could be a particular
dining experience,
attraction, or
character encounter, or it might be ensuring we stop for a
favorite snack. We usually have some overlap with our priorities, and this usually fills out our daily itinerary nicely with some flexibility to add in extra experiences as we go along.
A great way to learn more about Walt Disney World and get ideas for
things to do is to read the
answers to questions other Guests are asking the Moms Panel, and to watch the
videos featuring my fellow panelists. Another resource is the
Disney Parks Blog. Here is a recent
article about traveling with the entire family.
Phillipa, I am
so excited for you and your family to have the opportunity to experience all the magic of Walt Disney World Resort together! Please reach out to Moms Panel again as you plan your vacation. We are happy to help you every step of the way!
Anne Marie