Hi Ryan! From one “Disney Dad” to another, I’m happy to give some vacation advice as you prepare for your first visit to the Walt Disney World Resort!
When planning a visit to the Disney Parks, there are four –
Magic Kingdom Park,
EPCOT,
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – I recommend thinking about the specific interests of your kids (and you too)! Visit the
Walt Disney World Resort website and present some of the attractions to your kids to get a sense of their interests.
Do your kids love Star Wars and Toy Story? If so, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the park to visit! With lands themed to both film franchises and characters, these are “must-dos.” This park is also home to great thrill rides such as the Tower of Terror and Rock n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith! Another fun attraction at this park, perfect for the whole family, is Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also home to Fantasmic! This nighttime spectacular, starring favorite Disney characters, movies, pyrotechnics, and theatrics, is another must-do for our family!
Perhaps, the nostalgia of Disney is for your family! With classic attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and “it’s a small world” your family will have a great time! The magic of other attractions might also be calling your family – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic!
My sons love attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom such as Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. I also highly recommend Kilimanjaro Safaris and Festival of the Lion King. Over at EPCOT, my family loves The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Frozen Ever After, Soarin’, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind!
Families need time to relax! One thing that I’ve always found important is to plan some downtime for my family. We intentionally plan a “resort day” (or two) to enjoy the pool and resort activities. We usually make a resort day a “sleep-in” day.
Another strategy is to go to the theme parks when they open in the morning, then head back to the resort for an afternoon break (swim in the pool, nap, etc.), then head back to the theme parks for the evening.
Ryan, check out the “first-time visitors” video I included with this answer! It’s full of great tips for first-time visitors! Also, be sure to send more questions to planDisney! We can answer very specific questions to assist with your planning!
Dreams do come true!
Jonathan