Hi Justin!
Welcome to planDisney! I've been traveling with my sons to Walt Disney World Resort for more than a decade and I'm always delighted to hear when families are getting ready to experience their first magical vacation together!
Justin, I think the best place to start is to recognize that you won't be able to see and do everything on your vacation.
Walt Disney World Resort includes four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, and even the resorts themselves are destinations to enjoy. I find that I'm still uncovering new things to experience on each trip we take! Your vacation will be full of memorable moments and you'll want to slow down to soak all of that in - don't rush through the little sparks of magic!
No first trip would be complete without a visit to
Magic Kingdom Park. Regardless of whether your family is full of
thrill seekers or wants to enjoy some of the
slower family-friendly attractions, there is a bit of everything here. Plus, you can't really go to Walt Disney World Resort without that iconic photo in front of Cinderella Castle, right?
My next favorite park for first-time visitors is
Disney's Hollywood Studios. Walt Disney was a pioneer in the art of animation and storytelling and here in this park you can see some amazing stories come to life. My middle son still talks about
piloting the Millennium Falcon - and I think my stomach still may be a bit queasy from his flying skills! My favorite part of the park though is
Toy Story Land.
Slinky Dog Dash is one of my all-time favorite rides and is a great coaster for the whole family to enjoy. We also love competing against each other in
Toy Story Mania! While you're there, you can use
Mobile Food and Beverage Ordering to grab a bite to eat from
Woody's Lunch Box.
I would say Day 3 would be a toss-up between the two remaining parks based on your interests.
EPCOT is the perfect place for families that love exploring - whether it's new countries, outer space, or life under the sea!
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is full of adventure for families who want to take a walk on the wild side. If you visit there, your son is the perfect age to enjoy the
Wilderness Explorers activities - my boys loved collecting the badges!
Justin, as you can tell, there is a lot of information to cover and planDisney is happy to help you every step of the way! Don't hesitate to
write me back directly or ask a question to any of my panelist pals - we're all ears!
Cheers,
Kristi