Hi Yvette,
Thank you for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. How exciting to be planning your first trip to Walt Disney World!
I think that your instinct of looking for a place to stay first is a good one. I typically recommend that guests begin planning by choosing a resort at which to stay. Especially for your first visit, I do suggest that you stay at a
Walt Disney World resort hotel. There are many different themes and price points for these resort hotels. As you mention, there are
benefits to staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel. Some of the most important for me are the complimentary and frequent transportation options around Walt Disney World, as well as access to Extra Magic Hours, which allow you to spend extra time in certain theme parks on certain days. Other benefits include complimentary
MagicBands and early access to making
Disney FastPass+ selections.
I also suggest that each member of your traveling party view the
Walt Disney World planning video online. This will start to give you an idea of what you would like to experience while on your vacation.
There are sometimes
special offers for Walt Disney World vacations for Canadian residents, so do be sure to look for those in your planning.
I hope that these thoughts are helpful for you, Yvette. Please do let us know if you have any further questions!