IMGONNABE40! said:
That being said, if we are there when the gates open, what ride should we beat feet to right away? My thought is to get on the must see attactions early (though I am not sure what the must see attractions are), hit some shows late morning, leave the park around 2PM for some R&R and return in the evening hoping that the lines will have settled down on the things we missed in the morning. And I hear that the fireworks are pretty good...
Any advice? Thanks.
Beat feet to Buzz Lightyear -- early in the day like that, you can ride it repeatedly and my 7-year-old son loves this ride dearly. There is not one remotely scary thing about it. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is also a huge favorite -- you don't have to rush there as there is almost never a wait to ride; it's a little tram that takes you around part of the park and through part of Space Mountain. There are times when it rides through darkness, but it is a slow smooth track without anything designed to scare anyone.
You could then move quickly over to the Indy Speedway -- these are the little cars that you "drive' around a track. It's funny; this is a pretty typical attraction at amusement parks (not remotely unique to WDW), yet it generates a LONG line that lasts all day so it is worth doing it early (and it is NOT worth waiting in line for more than 15 minutes at any other time!)
Next, try the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Again, even though he does love Splash and Big Thunder, etc., this is still a favorite of our 7-year-olds and it is a good way to introduce a child to a dark ride. This also generates big long lines, so do it early. It will give him a feel for dark rides and you can gauge his reaction and perhaps "move up" from there. You could also check out the line at Dumbo and have him gauge if he wants to try it; we do not get in any line with more than a 20 minute wait, and for us Dumbo is not enough of a draw to miss out on the early chance of "lots of Buzz."
From there, head over to Toon Town. Have him take a look at Goofy's barnstormer -- a roller coaster designed to introduce kids to coasters. That said, it is still a "real" coaster -- the ride is over quickly but it does pack some thrills. Again, it is over quickly so it's worth a try (if he likes the looks of it -- you can see the entire thing by walking around) -- if he hates it, you'll know his limits.
From Toon Town, jump on the railroad and ride it all the way around to Frontierland. If you know you are skipping the thrill rides, walk over to the Jungle Cruise -- loads of fun, kid-friendly. Magic Carpets of Aladdin (variation on Dumbo and a good alternative) are right there, along with Tiki Room.
Personally I'd head back over to Fantasyland from there -- if you wanted to let him try to target shooting at the Frontierland Arcade you could walk back along that way and then head to Mickey's Philharmagic (3-D, nearly "surround" movie -- very fun, not scary). If he's done great so far, get a little more adventurous (Snow White, Peter Pan's Flight). I'll also say that my son loves it's a small world, so that's worth a ride, too. Hope this helps and illustrates that you could easily, happily, spend a full day with nary a scare!
. My nephew has never been to Disney, and my sister and I have not been to the MK since our parents took us back in '78. I would love to hear from the seasoned folks what type of things appeal to this age group and how we should plan the day. 
He tried Space Mountain for the 1st time this trip last Sept. and absolutely loved it. I think we rode it in a week about 30 times. He will not ride Haunted Mansion. But my 2 yo will. 
If you go over to SM he can see the Big Drop and decide if it's to scarry.
