Hi Wendy!
Thanks for bringing this question to planDisney! As a mom to 3 boys (two of whom are 7 and 9 years old!), I’m happy to help out!
First up, let’s chat about where to start planning. You’ll want to download the
My Disney Experience app right off the bat. This will be your hub for everything you need when planning and on your park days, so it’s nice to get a feel for the app prior to your trip.
I’d start by
booking your resort and
purchasing your park tickets, then you can start daydreaming about all the fun details. We love to add in a day or two when we don’t visit the parks because my boys love pool time and the resort activities. But of course, we spend lots of time at the parks, too.
When planning your park days, I recommend choosing a handful of priority attractions/experiences, then coming up with a “nice-to-see” list to fill in the in-between moments. To give you some guidance, on our most recent trip, here were my boys’ favorite attractions in each park.
Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Tomorrowland Speedway, and PeopleMover.
Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog Dash, Smugglers Run, Rise of the Resistance, and Toy Story Mania.
Epcot: Soarin’, Test Track, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. My 7-year-old also loved Guardians, but my 9-year-old isn’t quite ready for the bigger roller coasters. We used
Rider Switch in that case!
Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, and The Animation Experience.
We almost always purchase
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass to bypass some of the standby queues. If you’re staying at a Disney World resort, you’ll be able to purchase your Lightning Lane services beginning at 7 AM Eastern, 7 days prior to your resort check-in date.
While my boys do enjoy meeting the characters, something I’ve found that they really love is the experience-based restaurants. Some of their favorites over the years include
Roundup Rodeo BBQ and
Sci-Fi Dine-In at Hollywood Studios,
Space 220 at Epcot (I highly recommend going for lunch for a better value!), and
Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness resort. On our trip last month, their absolute favorite place was
The Beak and Barrel at Magic Kingdom.
Your
advanced dining reservation booking window will open at 6 AM Eastern, 60 days prior to your resort check-in date if you’re staying at a Disney World resort.
I hope that gives you a good starting point! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach back out! You’re more than welcome to
ask me a question directly at this link. But if you’d like to send your question to the whole group, you’re in great hands, no matter who answers it. Happy planning!
Jenn J.