Good deal. Thanks Dangerosa and ummm… Lee Trevino?
A week sounds perfect; you can do the most important thing, which is to relax. It’s easy to get caught up in rushing around and doing everything there is to do, because the place is so huge. I go once a year with my family, and have for the past 33 years, and I still haven’t seen everything at Disney World.
General recommendations: use the FastPass early and often. It’s been years since I’ve had to wait in line more than 15 minutes for anything (other than food) at a Disney park. And you can spend the time until your FP reservation comes up either riding something else, seeing a show, or just wandering around looking at the theming. Unless they’ve changed it recently, you can have two out at the same time, which makes it easier. Be aware that for really popular rides, like Test Track, they can run out of FP’s early in the day.
Also, take advantage of the park early entry if they’re still doing that (they close it sometimes because of budget cutbacks). Each day they open one of the parks an hour earlier for Disney hotel guests, and you’d be surprised at how much more you can see when the crowds are reduced.
My recommendations for absolutely-can’t-miss stuff:
Illuminations Fireworks at Epcot: it’s the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen, anywhere. The entire thing, from the opening narration and turning out the lights until the grand finale, is perfectly timed to the music. It happens around the World Showcase lagoon; I believe they’ve opened up the entire park to see it, but you want to be around the Future World side of the lagoon for the best view. We always watch from the Canadian pavillion.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney/MGM: IMO the best ride Disney’s ever done. I’ve heard people dismiss it as just a short freefall ride, but what gets me is all the theming and the effects. The whole queue area, with the creepy fog effects (in Florida!) and the old music playing, and the effects on the ride, really sell the idea of a haunted hotel.
Test Track at Epcot: It’s a crash test dummy ride with some pretty neat theming and effects indoors and then a test run outside that goes over 60 MPH. It’s surprisingly fun, and well done.
Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom: I forget what it’s called – “Wish” or “Believe” or something like that. Like all the Magic Kingdom shows, it’s heavy on the “believe in the magic of a child’s imagination” type stuff, but the show itself is amazing.
Ferry Boat from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom: You can take a monorail or a bus directly to the park, but I think the best view in the entire resort is on the boat headed into the Magic Kingdom. If you can time it right so that you’re on the boat when the fireworks are going off, it’s beautiful.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug at Animal Kingdom: it’s inside the big tree in the center of the park. I still say it’s the best 3D movie Disney’s ever done. It’s themed to A Bug’s Life* and has more the Pixar sense of humor than the Disney one.
MuppetVision 3D at MGM: you already said you were going to see it; I’m just seconding. It’s starting to show its age, but it’s really neat. I actually recommend you go when it’s crowded, so you can make sure to see the queue and the pre-show. That’s where all the best jokes are.
Mickey’s Philharmagic at the Magic Kingdom: the newest 3D movie in the parks, and it’s extremely well done. Probably best at night, when you’re less likely to have to wade through all the children and grumpy parents to get to it.
Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom: The first is a log flume ride themed to the Song of the South, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun – more for the animatronics inside than the big drop at the end, IMO. The other two are roller coasters. Space was my favorite ride ever until Tower of Terror came out, and it’s good any time of the day. Big Thunder is best at night.
Rock’n’Roller Coaster at MGM: Yeah, it’s cheesy to have an Aerosmith-themed roller coaster, but it’s still pretty well done. Like with everything Disney, it works because of the theming. I’ve been on coasters that have a faster take-off (they say it’s 0-57 MPG in 2.8 seconds), but the on-board audio, the traffic light, and the tires squealing, all make it work.
The Future World Fountain at Epcot: I always annoy my family because I can just sit and watch the fountain for an hour, instead of going off on rides. It plays about every 15 minutes, it’s synchronized to a soundtrack and just neat to watch – if you’ve seen the Bellagio in Las Vegas, it’s the same idea but on a smaller scale, and you can get closer to it. It also rings off the time every hour.
If I can go and do all those, I’ve had a complete trip. Other stuff that’s good to see: The Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan’s Flight (again, at night unless you want to wait forever), Tapestry of Nations parade at World Showcase in Epcot, Star Tours at MGM, the Living Statues at France in Epcot, the Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom, the Primeval Whirl at Dinoland in Animal Kingdom, and the Peoplemover at Magic Kingdom.
DisneyQuest at Paradise Island is pretty neat if you like VR rides. Best things there are the virtual Jungle Cruise, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and CyberSpace Mountain, where you design your own roller coaster and then get in a motion simulator to ride it.
I’ve also heard people say good stuff about the Adventurer’s Club at Paradise Island, although I’ve never been myself. It’s a themed nightclub, kind of like those mystery dinner party things.
Okay but not essential: Mission: Space (was more uncomfortable than impressive, IMO; it gave me a headache), Dinosaur (too dark and muddled), The Great Movie Ride (meh), and Pirates of the Caribbean (too short; Disneyland’s is so much better).
Stuff that IMO is a total waste of time: The Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom (they ruined it! like pissing on my childhood memories!), Journey Into Imagination at Epcot (ditto!), Kali River Rapids at Epcot (other people on here love it, so of course YMMV, but I thought it was short & pointless), Fantasmic at MGM (always over crowded, you have to get there super-early to be able to see anything, and it’s not as good as Disneyland’s).
Do yourself a favor and take the Maelstrom ride, in EPCOT’s Norway exhibit.
Yoooou are not de first to pass dis vay… nooooor vill you be de last…
When (yeah I said when, not if) you go see this one, sit forward in your seat … trust me 
Okay, I have a little more time, so I’ll list of some more things I enjoy there every visit …
Ice Station Cool (Epcot) - This one isn’t a ride or anything, it’s a quick walkthrough that lets you sample soda from around the world. There’s some really good stuff there - particularly the watermelon and lemon sodas. Oh, and the Italian soda Beverly is good if you get a full glass and take a biiiiiiiiig gulp 
360 Movies (Epcot) - Kinda cheesy, yeah, but in Epcot a couple of the countries in the world showcase that have movies projected on 360 degree screens. My personal favorite is the one in China because they show some really beautiful places. The Canada one is okay, but nothing too great. I also like the regular movies in the other pavilions.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Magic Kingdom) - this is the peoplemover that other posters have talked about. It’s nothing fancy, but after a couple of hours of exhausting crowds and blazing heat, this is a godsend. You can ride it around as long as you want, no lines, and it’s a good place for a quick nap.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom) - Others have mentioned this and I stand with them. It’s a blast. My sister-in-law’s parents have a tendency to ride this over and over when they come down, so it goes to show you that it’s fun for all ages.
Dole Pineapple Whips (Magic Kingdom) - mmmm…Dole Pineapple Whips.
All the major rides are pretty much worth it, as well. If the lines are bad, you won’t get through them all, but if you go during the off-season, you can usually ride them repeatedly and still be ready to head for the hotel by 4 pm. I love going there during the off-season due to the lack of crowds and the great weather. September is usually my favorite time to go - all the kids are just back in school, so few parents take them out for vacation so soon.
As for favorite park, I also vote for Epcot. It’s literally the only major park that I can stay in from morning until close. The other ones get too tiring and I just want to leave, but Epcot is great the whole time. There’s a great atmosphere just after the sun has set and all of the lights start turning on.
Man, now I wanna go on vacation.
Nuh-uh, it’s there so that you’ll get totally soaked to the freaking bone and not only have to buy one of their overpriced t-shirts (at the stand that they oh-so-conveniently placed at the exit), but also new shorts, panties, and socks as well.
Since The Sausage Creature is my daughter, I will have just one nitpick from her post: you buy the fans at Yong Feng Shandian in China, not Mitsukoshi in Japan, but don’t go into YFS unless you are prepared to spend some money. They have the same attitude toward customer service that Nordstrom does. There will be a salesgirl who will glom onto you and make sure you find absolutely everything that you are looking for, and who will hold your selections behind the counter until you are ready to go. I always spend more in that shop than I intend to, but it is not bad thing at all. I got the cheesy plastic folding fans (a lifesaver while standing in line in the Florida heat in August), and also the most kick-ass teas. It is a large shop and has everything from little kitzchy knick-knacks to the most beautiful silk kimonos. A great place to browse and cool off.
I also cannot seem to get my family out of The Living Seas. They just won’t leave unless forced. There are whole pavilions at EPCOT I haven’t seen because of this. And be sure to ride Maelstrom in Norway, and also Spaceship Earth.
More links:
The Delswife Chronicles: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=454128 An absolute must to read! Hysterically funny!
What NOT to wear on your feet: http://badshoe.com/
Have fun! I wish I were going!
Gahhh! The first time I went to the Tiki Room when it was “under new management” was my last! I had been there so many times had finally become “classic”.
More into the “irony” department, I think it’s funny when they remodeled Tomorrowland in the mid-90s into a “retro-futuristic” look. It’s ironic because Tomorrowland hadn’t been remodeled in so long it already was retro-futuristic, but in an actual, organic sense rather than artificially. But not halfway as annoying as the New Tiki Room. I was never that big a fan, but the reason it gets my ire so much is that they make a point that this is not the “old, tired” Tiki Room! :rolleyes:
I stayed at Port Orleans last time and really liked it.
The most fun I had last time I went was at the Adventurer’s Club.
Best way to beat the heat: Go early. Take a midday swim/nap to recharge your batteries. Return to a park in the late afternoon/early evening.
I believe some MGM restaurants offer Fantasmic dinner packages. Dinner and reserved seating at the show.
Tapestry of Nations stopped running a few years ago. Epcot has no parade (though Illuminiations is great - btw I would NOT try for a table at Rose and Crown - they won’t guarentee outside and there are LOTS of people who have this idea. Ending up inside a crowded restaurant and then being hustled outside to a crowded patio while my food gets cold is not my idea of a good time and not worth the risk).
It does really depend on you (and your party) Brainiac4 doesn’t like thrill rides (which there aren’t a lot of at Disney), so I haven’t ridden Tower of Terror or Test Track or Space Mountain in years. (He is enough of a geek to love Mission:Space). Part of that is him, part of that is for the last several years we’ve had young kids and Dumbo’s been a priority.
I love the Safari at AK and the Festival of the Lion King (think 30 minute Lion King themed Cirque show), but I could skip Its Tough to be a Bug, which someone else highly recommended. I like the newest version of Journey Into Imagination (not as good as the first one, but better than the travesty that was the second) and wouldn’t skip that (unless I was travelling with SolGrundy) and my kids love the new Tiki room show (they’d never seen the old one so nothing was “ruined” for them. I tend to agree that they messed with a classic - never a good idea.)
Okay, the post about the Living Sea reminded me: the thing with the turtle from finding Nemo is very cool at least once. It’s interactive animation, so while my youngish kids were engrossed, I got to think about how they did it. Would love a “behind the scenes” tour on that one!
Yeah, that’s exactly the thing about Tomorrowland – remodeling it to look retro-futuristic was completely missing the point. WDW’s fared better than Disneyland’s, but it still just wasn’t as cool as the whole early-70’s NASA Space Race version. It had already become a case of “this is what people in the past thought the future was going to look like,” and I wish they had just cleaned it up and refurbished it instead of being so sensitive to complaints that it was “dated.”
The only thing from the Tomorrowland rehabs that really worked, IMO, was the soundtrack on Disneyland’s Space Mountain. The first time I heard it, I thought, “Finally, somebody gets what it is that makes Tomorrowland cool.” Ah well, at least they’ve painted it white again. Remains to be seen whether the ride itself (and the new soundtrack) is any good.