Hi Carmi! It's great to have you stop by planDisney with your question!
You have come to the perfect place for tips and recommendations on your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort stay! This is my favorite part of the planning process because all the magical possibilities still await. One thing to note since this is your very first time, set your expectations at a reasonable level. It's impossible to fit everything into one trip. I recommend making a priority list for each park you visit, which should include all of your must-dos and help you stay on track.
The first thing you want to do is to create a My Disney Experience account to link your tickets, Disney Resort information, and dining reservations. Once created, you can download the
My Disney Experience App to your mobile device and have all of this on the go. You can use your device as your park ticket upon entry, to mobile order food at select dining locations, and open your Disney Resort room without having a room key. You can also purchase a MagicBand and link it to your account. You'll wear this band around your wrist as you would a watch, but you can link your credit card to use it for purchases at the parks and resorts. Both the MagicBand and the My Disney Experience App will help simplify your life while enjoying your park days!
Since your arrival date is only about a month away, if you haven't purchased your park tickets just yet, I highly recommend doing so. Walt Disney World is requiring park reservations to enter any of the four theme parks, and availability is not guaranteed with a park ticket. Your best option for tickets is to buy 3-day park tickets and add on the Water Park and Sports Option. This will give you access to three theme parks over six days and also allow you to visit the water park on three separate occasions. (The cost is just about to same for this option as it would be to purchase a single-day water park ticket.) If you didn't feel the need to visit the water park more than once, you can also play a couple of rounds of miniature golf instead.
To help maximize your days in the parks, plan to utilize
Disney Genie as your tour guide for the day. This is a complimentary service provided by Disney and you can access it using the My Disney Experience App on your device. Disney Genie will give you recommendations throughout the day of which attractions fit your schedule and what dining locations you should eat at. You also have the option to purchase Disney Genie+ for one or all of your park days. By using this service, you can make reservations to select attractions to not have to wait in standby lines. It can be a bit tricky to use, so I would suggest researching it to make sure it will work for you.
There are a variety of
Disney Resort Hotels to stay in during your visit and different types to fit everyone's budget. Each one is themed differently and comes with perks to staying there. First, you'll have complimentary transportation to and from the parks in the form of buses, boats, gondolas, or monorails. It's honestly a big part of the fun just getting to your destination! You will also have access to Early Theme Park Entry which allows you to enter the parks 30 minutes before the official park opening. If you're an early riser like myself, you can get some attractions in before many of the other Guests are allowed to enter.
Carmi, I can't be more excited about your first ever visit!
Send any more questions my way before your upcoming arrival! I'll be happy to help out more!
See ya real soon!
Greg