Hi Dorothy,
Hooray! What a magical first vacation you are about to experience! You have come to the right place for Disney vacation planning advice. First I highly recommend arriving to the parks early each morning. By arriving early you will avoid excess heat and crowds, and be able to experience more attractions in a short amount of time. I also suggest taking an afternoon break and going back to your Resort hotel for some rest. If you are lucky you might even be able to take a nap while your children do!
Another great idea is to make some reservations for character meals. If the location is a buffet then your children will dine free, but even if you order from a menu they will be allowed to eat from your plate. This makes
Character Dining at Walt Disney World not only an experience unto itself but a good value for your family. When my children were little I preferred visiting the theme parks from park opening until lunch time, having a character meal in the park, and then a long nap at our Resort in the afternoon.
Another tip is to know which attractions are suitable for your children ahead of time. Here is a link to the
Attractions at Magic Kingdom by Height. You can use the filters in this page to view other parks as well as sort by thrill level, darkness, etc....
Finally you should know about Disney's
Rider Switch Service. Even if an attraction isn't suitable for your children, you and your spouse may switch off and enjoy these attractions yourselves.
Blessings,
Brenda ºOº