Disneyland

5 Steps to the Perfect Disneyland Experience

1. Buy your tickets as early as possible to avoid a long wait for tickets. You can buy packages that include tickets and hotel rates on Disneyland.com. Prices at Disneyland are high, so consider how many times you will go to Disneyland in the next year. If it's more than two or three, consider buying a year long pass.
   • There are 4 kinds of Annual Pass (In order of the cheapest): Southern California Select (You have to live in Southern California and there are 175 days you can go to Disneyland), Southern California Pass (You have to live in Southern California and there are 220 days you can attend), Deluxe Annual Pass (Available to all guests, 315 days you can attend), and Premium Annual Pass (Available to all guest).
2. Show up to the park as early as possible. Hours are subject to change so look it up beforehand. With parking and getting to the front gate, allow 30-40 minutes. The front gate opens half an hour before the actual park opens, so take this time to look around in the shops. If it is early enough in the day, you may be able to arrange an express pick-up of your souvenirs at the front of the park when your day is over. Ask a cast member at the shop in question about express pick-up and they will be happy to assist you.
3. Walk as fast as you can to the most popular rides, once the park opens(Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, and Thunder Mountain Railroad), because later in the day these rides will have incredibly long lines.
   • Disney now has a FASTPASS option for their most popular attractions, including the ones listed above. Just insert your ticket or pass into the machine (located near the ride, just ask a cast member) and out will pop out a ticket with a time. This time, usually an hour away, is the time you may return to the ride and cut far ahead of the line. It's sort of a placeholder - you can go do other things, instead of waiting in the line.
   • Consider visiting Pirates of the Caribbean early in the morning as the changes to the ride have extended line wait times considerably.
4. Eat meals earlier than usual, or after the mad lunch rush of 11am-2pm and the equally mad dinner rush between 6:30-8:00pm, to avoid lines and so you can go on rides while everyone else is eating.
5. Remember that for parades on Main Street, instead of fighting for a small spot behind everybody - head over towards Tomorrowland, and right before you enter turn left and follow down the path to the King Triton Statue. This is a great spot to see the parade without all the people.

Disneyland Tips

• Before your visit, check out Disneyland's website for operating hours, entertainment schedule, special events, and weather forecasts.
  • Pick up a map and an entertainment guide when you enter the park. This will be invaluable to the planning of your day.
• Remember that Disneyland is a family place, so enjoy yourself and be considerate of others that are in the park.
• Ask the Cast Members (workers) if there are any Hidden Mickeys on the ride you are on. Most will be glad to tell you.
• City Hall on Main Street has maps in the most common languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, etc) and "Honorary Citizen" stickers, so go in and ask for one. They are more than willing to give you one.
• You should never wait in line for the Haunted Mansion, the ride capacity is quite large and they move people through quickly so just go on something else till the line shortens.
• Most of the parades and shows like Fantasmic repeat, once right after sundown and a few hours later. Take advantage of this, see a show at the early time then after the last show the park slows down you can go on more rides. Don't waste your whole day to get a plum seat for just one show. All of the shows are designed to be seen from many angles by hundreds or thousands of people - there's not just one "perfect spot" to see a show from.
• When Disneyland gets really crowded, or you just want to take a break, head over to California Adventure for more rides and shops. This park is never as crowded as Disneyland! Want to relax? Across the way from Grizzly River Rapids is the Grand California Hotel where you may enter and dine at the restaurants or sit and take a breather in the lobby.
• Wait until the end of the day to purchase souvenirs from shops on Main Street - it's on your way out anyhow, why carry the package all day?
• If you plan to store your items in a locker, arrive early as they fill up fast.
• For a more exhilarating experience don't hold on to the handles on rollercoasters and Hollywood Tower Hotel elevators. The harnesses and belts should keep you safe, the rides are built so that people can put their hands safely in the air.
• Fastpasses can be used after the time they expire, but only on the day issued. Don't worry about being at the ride right when your pass time begins - just make it back that day and you will be fine.
• Fastpasses are great, but if you want to only wait in line for rides for 10 to 20 mins go to this link: http://www.ridemax.com/ You simply enter when you are going, arrival time, time you are leaving, and what rides you want go on. It tells where to go next to avoid long lines. Its 15 bucks for three months and 25 bucks for one year. It can help so you only wait in line 10 to 20 mins (sometimes you can STAY ON THE RIDE AND RIDE IT AGAIN).

Warnings

• Avoid going to Disneyland on weekends, holidays, and during the extremely hot days of summer. Most of Disneyland's guests are locals, so it will always be crowded on those days. Late August and spring are great times to go because most kids are in school and days it's raining will scare a lot of people away.
• You can only get one FASTPASS at a time so decide if the attraction you are considering is really worth it.
• Disneyland is very costly all over so it's better to buy big meals to fill you and your kids up than buying little "tide-overs" throughout the day. Consider bringing several sandwich bags (Ziploc or similar) filled with trail mix or little cookies, or even an orange or two - it can keep kids happy while you wait till your next meal.
• Seek out characters that have an organized line so that you will avoid a potential conflict with another guest. Always be polite, regardless of whether someone is rude to you. You will be more likely to get what you want.
• If you are afraid of a ride or have a major medical problem, do not ride the attraction. Always pay attention to warning signs.
• It is easy to forget that every attraction that you are visiting involves high tech machinery that could cause serious injury or even death. Therefore, always pay attention to cast members' directions for your own safety.

Things You'll Need

• If you're traveling with a family you'll need:
• A Backpack, Sunscreen, Water Bottles, Jackets for Kids, Sunglasses, Wallet, etc
• If you're traveling with friends or a date: A bag (small enough to not be a burden but big enough to hold stuff), wallet, sunglasses, sunscreen.