Hi Courtney:
My family, including my 8 and 7 year old sons, have been traveling to Walt Disney World since my boys were infants. Disney World is a wonderful family vacation spot, even for those less brave. While there are ways to enjoy intense attractions, most Disney World attractions are not too intense.
While every family has different tastes, hopefully these tamer attraction suggestions will give you some inspiration. For toddlers: at the Magic Kingdom, we always ride the Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Mickey's PhilharMagic, and it's a small world. At Epcot, we take in Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, and tour the countries of World Showcase through Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. Highlights of World Showcase are the Kidcot Fun Stops, which are craft stations where children can draw and color while learning about different cultures as they interact with Cast Members from around the world. Our must-dos at Hollywood Studios include Toy Story Mania and Muppet Vision 3-D. At Animal Kingdom, our family always rides the Kilimanjaro Safari and visits The Boneyard and Conservation Station.
My youngest went through a phase when he was scared of characters. The characters were always good about recognizing his fear and giving him distance. Characters are so popular that you have to go out of your way to meet them, so it's unlikely your children will have unwanted close encounters with characters.
Disney World has provided wonderful memories for my family.