Hi Doug!
Welcome to planDisney.
It sounds like you are planning a lovely family vacation, which is very exciting, but I know it can also be overwhelming.
Promotional maps, brochures and DVDs are not mailed out to Guests, but we have many other resources to help you. The first step is to decide on which category of Disney Resort hotel you wish to book, maybe based on your budget, or location (ie which theme park do you wish to be closest to?). There are 3 categories of hotels:
Deluxe,
Moderate, and
Value.
This interactive map on the official website is useful for seeing where everything is located.
Please have a look through our
Video Library on our planDisney website. Many of our panelists are there to provide useful hints and tips in a wide selection of videos, covering the Disney dining plans, water parks, the Wild Africa Trek, a tour of Disney's Beach Club Resort and so much more. Also, I always recommend that you search planDisney.com for the answers to any questions you may have. If you can't find the information you are looking for, please send us some more questions! Another good resource is 'Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2024' (the official vacation guide).
Park Guide Maps are really useful, so when you are enjoying your vacation pick up your maps at any Guest Relations or the entrance to every theme park. The Welcome Center at Disney Springs keeps a supply of all the park maps, and those for the water parks too. You can see a copy of every park map here:
Magic Kingdom ParkEPCOTDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Animal Kingdom Theme ParkWater Parks (Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach)
Please come back and visit us again if you have any further questions, and if you have any specific questions about Disney Resort hotels, or anything else while you are planning your trip you can also
send me a direct question if you wish. We are always happy to help you plan your magical vacation at Walt Disney World, and keep your eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for all the latest official news on events that may be happening during your stay.
Sue