Hi Vanessa,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Hooray for your kids' first visit!
Magic comes in unexpected ways on first visits. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, stop by the front desk when you check-in and request first visit buttons. If you wear these throughout the parks, cast members will take notice. On our first visit, our girls were 5-years old. A performing cast member picked them to be in the finale of the Festival of the Lion King show and another cast member surprised us by getting our very own bus to take back to the resort on another evening. When we boarded the bus, the announcement said "Welcome, Disney Princesses on Board." Our girls were dressed in their Cinderella best and were so tickled.
There are a few things you can do to create some magic! Be sure to make advanced dining reservations for
character meals. Have your kids take autograph books to get signed. If your kids are ages 4-12, test their powers against the Dark Side at Jedi Training - Trials of the Temple. Make sure you get your recruits to Disney's Hollywood Studios by park opening. We usually make a pre-park opening dining reservation at Hollywood & Vine so that we can enter the park early and sign up for training.
Vanessa, make sure you end at least one day seeing the Happily Ever After fireworks in Magic Kingdom. If you watch carefully, at some point after the Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party, you will see cast members taping off the viewing areas in front of Cinderella castle. Save your spot immediately. One or two people in your group may have to sit for two hours, but the view will be spectacular! If others wander off while you are saving seats, be sure they get back an hour before the show - the crowds get intense!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell