going to disney for the first time: tips,tricks, advice please

Any advice I'd have would pertain to staying onsite.

Still, go to touringplans.com, get the $10 membership, and start making plans. Figure out based on their crowd forecasts which parks are most likely to be least attended, and hit those parks for those days. And know what you want to see/do at those parks, and get an idea of the order in which you'll want to do them.

If you're planning on having sit-down meals, make your reservations ahead of time, ideally based on what park you'll be at that day. I.E. if you want to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe' in Hollywood Studios, make a reservation for the day you'll be in that park. No sense traveling to a different park JUST to eat. It would really stink if you didn't have Park Hopper tickets.

You've got plenty of time. Get online and find some planning sites, like disboards.com, or pick up a book or two to start making your plans.