We've BOOKED IT! Our 1st Disney vacation!

[DISvirgin1]

For our first trip we used "The Unofficial Guide to WDW with Children" and it was great! It rated rides for kids (and was spot on for us), gave us a concise list of the "must see/do" attractions and had handy touring plans included(with several options depending on your group). Since neither my husband or I had been to Disney it was invaluable in helping us navigate a very large area. There are also apps that you can put on your phone to give you wait times for attractions which was helpful for planning our day as well. But I can't tell you enough how much I loved the guide. It's gives the great, the good, bad and the ugly (not so much "ugly" at WDW) so you are prepared and not surprised.
Congrats on your first Disney vacation!!! And good luck with the surprise!

 

[cricket12960]

I am so excited! We have booked our 1st trip to Disney! My son will be 5 1/2 at the time and it is going to be a complete surprise to him! Woo Hoo! We have a trip planner and we are staying at the Art of Animation in a Cars suite. I would love any tips from the pros out there.

Congratulations on booking your first trip...All I can tell you is to just have fun!!!

 

[wishing4PA]

For our first trip we used "The Unofficial Guide to WDW with Children" and it was great!

Not sure I qualify as an "expert", but my thoughts, FWIW:
- get the 'Guide to the Magic for Kids' for the kid to enjoy on the way down
- review a list of attractions that you think you might hit, and if he hasn't seen the related movie watch it (skip over scary parts if you think they will bother him)
- you know if your kid needs a nap or not. I was "blessed" with a non-napper from her infancy, so we didn't do that - but we did have to shut down for down time on about day 4
- dark rides that may not seem scary to you could scare the kid - hopefully you're past some of that by 5 1/2
- you might want to give him an old digital camera of yours, or a new (cheap or kids version!) one of his own to carry when he wants. My video slideshow of that first family trip includes the most adorable little video DD4 made on her Kidizoom on the way down saying "we're going to Disney World. I don't know if I'm going to like it, but I think I will like it!" and we didn't even know she was making that movie!
- make the kid carry his own autograph book

 

[DISvirgin1]

Not sure I qualify as an "expert", but my thoughts

I'm not either, I just thought I'd share what worked for us on our first visit.

 

[Alexsandra]

Congrats, you will have such a wonderful time.
Tips I can offer:
DOn't go commando style, follow your child's pace
Take afternoon breaks
Research rides before you go
Check out my blog for a list of rides appropriate for pre-schoolers and toddler.
http://disneyplaning101.blogspot.ca/
Go there to have fun together as a family instead of trying to see and do everything.
Bring snacks/water with you to the park
Take a day off from the parks to enjoy some downtime.
Don't forget your rain ponchos and sunscreen.

Have a magical time filled with pixie dust

 

[Familyof4lovesDW]

Welcome! I am sure you and your family will have a great time! I remember our first trip when Ds was 5 and DD was 4.

We are getting ready for our forth trip, so beware you may think it is just this one trip, then you go and, well you want to go again and again

I would reccomend Photo Pass as we had a computer crash and lost most of the photos from the first trip We have always prepurchaced the photo pass after that! It is so nice having photos of the whole family.

 

[nettii]

so excited for you & your family! it will be a Magic time! I did tinker treasures in the room every morning when they woke up, just lil gifts and I would sprinkel glitter around them....doing t shirts is fun too ive made them from dis-ingners or i buy them from the disney shopping site...just fun stuff...
Ohh i have also brought inner tubes for the pool and balls for playing in the pool...the pressed pennies are a fun treat!
Have a blast!

 

[mouseaddicts]

Welcome & Congrats on your first trip!!! I hope it's as magical as possible for your family!

As a mom of now teens who started going when they were 2 & 5 ...... my advice follows the rest of the group ........ down time, hydration, relaxation, etc. ...... but the best advice I could possibly give a parent taking their child to the World for the 1st time ........

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!!! You don't get "do-overs" on most of these experiences, so snap the moments while you can! You will never regret taking that photo once you come back home ......

 

[MHSweb79]

I also recommend getting a good guidebook. I love the Unofficial Guide, but at 800 pages it can be daunting for a first-timer.

When my DD was your son's age, we used Birnbaum's WDW for Kids, which was great as it rated each attraction and its popularity/ suitability for kids of different ages. Our AAA office sometimes has Birnbaum's travel books at a pretty good discount, so if you are an AAA member and have an office nearby, check it out.

Having a guidebook also helps with the best piece of advice I used on our first trip: Before you get there, take a look at all the attractions in each park and rank them with a star (definite must-see), a check mark (would like to see) and an X (don't need to see). This way, if you get all of your stars and a good number of checks done, you've had a successful day. It also saves you from waiting in line for something that is just not up your family's alley and lets you use that time for something better.

 

[CruellaDuVille]

So happy for you. Have the best time ever!