Hi Adrienne,
My daughter is also 8 years old, and it is such a great age to be at Walt Disney World. They are generally old enough to keep up with most of the walking and can stay awake for an occasional late-night fireworks show, but they are still young enough to have wide-eyed wonder at so much of the magic.
Be sure to order the free
Walt Disney World planning DVD. Let your son watch it, you can start to get some ideas of what attractions and activities appeal to him. Next, you can have him make
customized maps of the Walt Disney World theme parks. When he does this, he can put the attractions that are the most interesting to him right on a map of a Walt Disney World theme park, which will then be delivered to your home.
When you are at Walt Disney World, I suggest that you arrive at the theme parks as early as you can, even 30 minutes before the posted opening time. This way you will be ready to go into the theme park right when it opens, and take advantage of lower lines and cooler temperatures early in the morning. As a guest staying at a Walt Disney World resort, you can also take advantage of
Extra Magic Hours, during which one theme park opens early or remains open later for Walt Disney World resort guests.
Finally, you have a nice long time at Walt Disney World - eight nights! Given this, I would say pace yourself. Get to a theme park early and stay through lunch, but in the afternoon, head back to your resort for a nap or a dip in the pool. No one will be happy if they are exhausted.
I would love to help you plan more Adrienne; however, I am limited in the amount of space that I have to answer. Please do write back if you have any further questions!