Disney World Advice: Advice for Disney First Timers

General advice

Get the parks early. Take a break during the afternoon. Either go back to your resort and swim or take a nap or just plan on some in-the-park relaxing. Get a snack and sit and watch the people.
Carry as little into the parks as you can get by with.
Stay hydrated. You can get free ice water at any restaurant. The water from the drinking fountains is fairly unpalatable.
Pick up a "Times and Attractions" bulletin at the front of each park. It will have times for all the parades, fireworks, etc. for that day.
You are allowed to visit other resorts. It's worth going to some of them just to look around, even if you aren't eating there at some point.
Lunch time crowds at restaurants are insane. Eat early or late to avoid the crush. We usually eat a big breakfast and then have a snack in the mornings and then eat a late lunch.
Wear comfortable shoes. Most people walk about 5-10 miles per day while at Disney.
Have PhotoPass photographers take your picture with your camera.

Magic Kingdom (MK)

Drive to the MK so you can take the Monorail on your way in. Coming out, take the ferry boat and stand at the back so you can enjoy the view..
You can walk through the castle (my favorite spot in all the parks is the Cinderella fountain just behind the castle)
If you have time to go to Tom Sawyer's Island, look for old paintbrushes that look like they have white wash on them. If you find one, your whole family can get fast passes to either Splash Mt. or Big Thunder Mt. It's not that great a prize, but looking for the paint brushes in the caves, tunnels, and fort is fun.
Skip Stitch's Great Escape and Tiki Birds Under New Mangement. Neither one is worth spending your time on, in my opinion.

Columbia House restaurant has good salads.
Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland is generally considered the best place to get counter service in the Magic Kingdom.
Pecos Bill's in Frontierland has a Fudrucker's style bar for decorating your hot dog or hamberger.
Another option for lunch, especially a late lunch in the heat of the day, is to go to one of the resorts by Monorail or hit Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge (by boat).

After the fireworks, just relax rather than trying to get out. There is always a mass exodus that is crazy. You can do a little looking around in the shops, take pictures, etc. After about 30 minutes you will probably be able to just walk right out.

Epcot

Enjoy the restaurants in the World Showcase. They really add to the experience. A few of the best are

There is a free Segue experience in Intercot. I think you have to be 16 to do it. If you've never been on a Seque it's worth trying. Intercot also has some cool interactive things to do. There is a build your own roller coaster and then ride it thing called "Sum of all Thrills". There is also a thing where you can create a video game staring yourself. This is also where you get the Kim Possible mission phone.
A great place to view Illuminations is at the very front of the World Showcase (towards the big golf ball). There is a boat landing area between a couple of shops where there aren't any trees to obscure your view. However, just about anywhere around the lake will provide a good view. If you can afford it, there is also an Illuminations cruise.
Do the Kim Possible missions. It's a fun experience and gives your kids something to do while you enjoy the museums, exhibits, and shops.
Try to hit some of the street shows in the various countries. They are very entertaining.

Hollywood Studios (HS)

Get FastPass for Toy Story Mania first. They run out very quickly.
StarTours has just been refurbished. Should be great.
HS has some of the most unique shops of the four parks. I usually find my trip souvenir here because the shops are less cookie-cutter than the other parks.
Night time show, Fantasmic, is a must see. The theater fills up quickly. Don't sit too close because you'll get misted from the fountains during the show.
Best counter service restuarants are:

Toy Story Pizza Planet - individual pizzas, salads, cookies
Backlot Express - Hot Dogs/Bratwurst, Hambergers with a bar for dressing them up
ABC Commissary - Some good salads and it's air conditioned and generally not too crowded.

Animal Kingdom (AK)

Flame Tree BBQ near Dinoland is very good and has seating behind with a very nice view of Everest.
Take time to notice theming throughout the park. The Imagineers went out of their way to put special touches throughout the park.
There are not that many attractions and this park can easily be done in 1 day. There is no closing show and the park closes much earlier than other parks. We usually spend 2 half days at this park and spend the evening at Epcot or another park that is going to be open late.
Festival of the Lion King is a must see show.

My Favorite Table Service Restaurants

Disney World Advice