Hey, Dawn! Nothing like having your cake and eating it too, right?
Your kids are at an awesome age to help with planning. Great idea bringing them into the fold! If I'm following you correctly (I'm a little slow sometimes,) it sounds like you will be leaving your footprint on Walt Disney World this December, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 7.
According to TouringPlans.com, the crowd levels look pretty good. Just keep an eye out for the mighty, mini muscle in town for the Pop Warner football championship, especially on that Saturday.
Let's start out by planning which parks you should visit. Since it's your first trip, the quintessential first stop should be Magic Kingdom. The week entire could look something like this:
- Thurs., Dec. 1: Magic Kingdom
- Fri., Dec. 2: Animal Kingdom
- Sat., Dec. 3: Epcot
- Sun., Dec. 4: Magic Kingdom + Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (morning) and Hollywood Studios (evening, depending on hours)
- Mon., Dec. 5: Epcot
- Tues., Dec. 6: Hollywood Studios and People's Choice (let your kids choose what to do in the afternoon/evening)
- Wed., Dec. 7: Magic Kingdom
In terms of which attractions to hit, let your kids in on this planning aspect too and make it a family activity. Huddle around a computer and visit http://customizedmaps.disney.go.com. You'll be able to learn about each attraction and add them to your own customized map. You can then order full color print outs for free! After you get your maps and have the attractions you want to hit figured out, go to TouringPlans.com for the most efficient approach to seeing those attractions.