Hi Shayley! Welcome to planDisney.
Oh boy! How exciting that you'll be visiting Walt Disney World Resort for the first time! Be sure to stop by Guest Relations at the theme parks to pick up a complimentary "First Visit" badge. Most larger merchandise shops also have celebration badges at the counter -- just ask!
Let me begin by saying that you are welcome to have your
My Disney Experience accounts set up however you like -- whether everyone in your party is managed under the same account or if everyone prefers to have their own account. My recommendation would be for at least each household to have their own account, and perhaps for all adults in your group to each have their own account. I have a feeling that your first trip won't be your last, and if members of your party will be traveling to Walt Disney World in the future without you, they'll want to be able to manage their own plans without creating duplicate profiles.
When assigning tickets to the members of your party, if anyone has their own My Disney Experience account, they are then the owner and manager of that ticket, as well as the tickets for any family members whose profiles they manage under their account. Since you may not always be together as a whole group during your visit, I think it would be best if each person or household managed their own tickets. Each party member will need a ticket card, a
MagicBand, or a
Disney MagicMobile pass to access their theme park admission. Anyone with their own My Disney Experience account should create their own Disney MagicMobile pass on their own device. (Select "Add to Device" under "Tickets and Passes" in the My Disney Experience mobile app.)
To make plans together, you'll want to be sure you have connected your My Disney Experience accounts through
Family & Friends. The easiest way to do this is via the
My Disney Experience mobile app. Use the menu button in the lower right corner of the home screen, scroll down to "My Profile", and select "Family & Friends List" at the top. Scroll to the bottom of the list, choose "Add a Guest" and "Scan their linking code". Any friends you need to add can find their linking code on their profile. You can then scan their code with your phone's camera or enter the code manually.
As far as experiencing attractions together, it will not be a problem at all when using the traditional standby line; simply enter the queue together. If you plan to book
Lightning Lane access with
Disney Genie+ service or purchase Individual Lightning Lane access, know that the maximum party size that can be booked at once is 12. You'll need to have more than one person in your party make Lightning Lane reservations and coordinate time windows when booking. My panelist pal
Jennifer explains how to do this in detail.
As a reminder, theme park reservaitons are required. Be sure everyone in your party (age 3 and up) has a
Disney Park Pass reservation in addition to valid admission.
Shayley, I know I just threw A LOT of information at you. If you have any additional questions or need further explanation, please do not hesitate to write back -- we are always happy to help.
Anne Marie