Howdy Thomas!
Welcome to planDisney. What an awesome opportunity to experience the wonder and joy of taking your grandchildren to
The Most Magical Place on Earth. My kids still talk about the trips that their grandparents took with them. Of course, it could be all of the churros and Mickey bars they bought. Let's get to making some magical plans for you and your family.
I see you have your two grandchildren, ages 8 and 5, and you would like suggestions for parks to visit over 3 days. You have the park hopper option with your tickets, which will give you a ton of flexibility. In my experience, when my children were that age, starting early was key so we could take a midday break and then head back into the parks after a little rest. Typically, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens the earliest at 7AM, so I could plan on starting with this park first. We like to hop over to EPCOT from there for lunch at one of the many awesome dining options.
The International Festival of the Arts will be taking place, and there are many fun, interactive experiences that the kids will be sure to enjoy.
For your next day, I would start at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I think your grandchildren will love shrinking to the size of a toy and having fun at Toy Story Land. Star Wars Galaxies Edge is every Star Wars fan's dream come true, as well as fun shows like Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The Backlot Express would be the perfect place to have a hamburger before hopping over to the Magic Kingdom. Here, I would recommend starting your journey in Adventureland and making your way around the park clockwise. This has always served us very well in getting to experience as many of the rides and attractions as possible. Be sure to take a little time out of your day to catch my favorite parade, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, and then finish with the fireworks spectacular, Happily Ever After.
On your final day, I would identify which rides and attractions the kids enjoyed most and prioritize those parks to give your vacation a magical finish.
One last thing I recommend is downloading the
My Disney Experience app. This app will be an invaluable compass for navigating and managing your park days. You can use it to check showtimes, book Lightning Lanes, reserve dining, and so much more. Be sure to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with it before arrival so you can maximize its capabilities.
Thomas, I hope that this helps you and your grandchildren have an absolutely magical vacation at Walt Disney World. Please stop back by if you have any more questions we can answer here at planDisney.
See ya real soon,
Robert