Hi, Shannon!
You're sure to have a marvelous time, no matter what order you visit the attractions at Walt Disney World.
While it's challenging for me to put together an itinerary without knowing a little more about the members of your traveling party, I can get you started and we ca then work together to hammer out something that fits your group the best.
I recommend you create a travel planner; this is easy enough to do on a couple of sheets of paper. You'll want a
Must Ride column,
Must Do,
Must See,
Must Eat, and
Must Meet.
In each column, fill in - by priority - the attractions, shows, treats, and character experiences you want to take in during your first visit. And there is no better place to start than the official
Walt Disney World theme Parks web site.
You can also check out fan sites: one excellent resource is AllEarsNet.com, run for over fifteen years by Disney experts and traveloguers. In addition, TouringPlans.com uses user contributions and historical data to develop itineraries for groups of all numbers and ages.
It's definitely an overwhelming prospect for a first-time visitor! I can tell you that unless your children are true "shopaholics," you'll likely not need an entire day at
Downtown Disney. Consider spending a half day there, and half a day at the pool at your resort.
Once you have developed your
Must Lists, why don't you send me your top five of each? From there, I can help you break out your days into manageable chunks.
I look forward to hearing back from you!
See you later, celebrator,
-Deborah B.