A plan of attack for Disneyland.
 

All you experienced Disneylanders do you have a recommended method of attack, any areas first any hints and tipd to make the day more enjoyable. Any little snippets are appreciated.

Be early! Get there before it opens, you are allowed onto Main St. before the park opens. They drop a rope and everyone heads off. Pick the biggies first and gather fast pass tickets at other rides for later.By 11:00 the park will begin to get crowded. Take a break in the afternoon, go for a swim or a nap at your hotel. Go back in the cool of the evening.

logandog has said it all! Amazing! :)

Go early, get on the most popular rides first and get them out of the way, after lunch and during the hot afternoon relax at your hotel pool, and return around 5 or 6pm for the rest of the evening. This way the kids have enough energy to stay up for the BIG PARADE!

Have a great time! :)

We were just there and I just wanted to add that it was unusually crowded with the 50th year celebration. The parade was great as usual and you may want to see the earlier parade because the evening parade was especially packed. We did this and then went on rides during the evening parade.
The fireworks show is amazing. We saw it two different nights from different spots: in Carnation Court and near the Merry-go-round. We were unable to get directly in front of the castle, suppossibly the best view, because of the crowds. Still great! The park does start roping off areas an hour to an half an hour before the fireworks, including the area behind the castle and near Mr. Toads Wild Ride. Toon town is also closed early.
If you are going to California Adventure they have added a block party at 5:15, cute, and we enjoyed the Alladin Show and the 3-D bugs life.

Marko....
www.disboards.com
All you could EVER want to know.....
Good Luck and May the Peace be with you!

Bring your own food & drinks into Disneyland if possible...it's very expensive to buy food inside the park. I just returned from DL a few days ago and we brought in one of those collapsable coolers stocked with enough food & drinks for the day. It saved us a bundle. Have fun!
Kenm

check out a book called Unoficial Guide to Disneyland

If you have little ones, you might want to head to Toontown first to bounce in Goofy's House, visit Minnie and Mickey's Houses, and greet Mickey before that area gets crowded and waiting times get long. If you don't have young children, I would follow the advice of hitting some of the big rides first.

Also, if there is a ticketed show you want to see, get those tickets early. You might choose your show time based upon when you feel you'll be ready for a break.

Have fun!

Upon entering Epcot or the Magic Kingdom, we made a beeline for the very back, and had things to ourselves for the first three hours while the crowds are seeing things in the front.

You can make reservations ahead at Blue Bayou for lunch. It is cool inside, and the atmosphere is great (better than the food). The number is 714-781-3463. It's a nice break from the crowds. The Mexican food at Rancho del Zocalo is not that bad if you decide to skip Blue Bayou, and the patio is pleasant. I try not to buy snacks and drinks at the park, but the main courses are not a bad value, they are large enough to share.
The new fireworks, parade and film on the first 50 years are all worth seeing. If you have older children (say, over 6) I would skip Toontown entirely. I would head straight for Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain. I would check the new exhibit at Disney Gallery, it's easy to miss if you don't know where it is (above Pirates). Another area that is easy to miss is Innoventions, at the back of Tomorrowland. It's good for cool-down breaks and when you are just tired of standing in line.
The live shows are worth seeing. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies is corny but funny. You may need to arrive about 1/2 hour early if it is busy.

Do the same rules apply to the Calofornia adventure park. I have set aside one full day for each and one full day for the Universal studios thingy ! Enough ? (I know it will be enough for me, but 1 x 15yr old and 2 x 13 year olds might disagree ;) )

I don't think you'll spend a full day at CA adventure - just not enough to do. But as it is right across the entrance from Disneyland if you get a 2 day hopper ticket you could just head back over to Disneyland when you've finished at CA adventure...

The best advice I ever got regarding Disneyland with kids: If you see a bathroom, visit it. It's not that they are rare, but there's little that is more annoying than waiting patiently in line until you are just about to get on a ride, and hearing your little one say, "But I have to go now!"

The hours are shorter at Cal Adventure. The big rides tend to have shorter lines. There is a larger concentration of "thrill rides". You should still use Fastpasses. Again, the issue with Fastpasses is that you can only have one within a two-hour window or until the Fastpass window expires. First Fastpass pickup should be Soarin over California (on the right as you enter), then head over to Tower of Terror on the far end of Hollywood. The morning standby wait times are fairly short. I love that ride! On Hollywood Blvd, the Animations building is great for a cooldown. Go to the Sorcerer's workshop and find out which Disney character you are. Hidden in the backlot near the Muppets show is a small stage that has an improvised comedy skit, really clever (and I am a somewhat jaded too-often visitor). The California Screamin roller coaster is intense... do it before lunch! If it's a hot day, I'd get the second Fastpass at the Grizzly River Run which has a slow line. Bug's Life show is cute, you usually will get in without a wait. Other than a walk thru, you can skip the Bug's Land area with older kids. I like the Aladdin stage show and the Golden Dreams video. The food is better at DCA than Disneyland. Just stay away from the Cucina Cucamonga Mexican and hot dog restaurants. There is an entry near the River Run to the Grand Californian Hotel. Whitewater Snacks is near the park exit into the hotel & is great for a quick lunch. There is also a bar in the hotel if you want to leave the kids to ride the Coasters while you relax. There's also a nice bar at the upper level of Avalon Cove that opens in the afternoons-eves Fri-Sun. Another nice place to hang out is the central Sunshine plaza with an ice cream, listening to California-themed music. Look out for the roving surf musicians.
For a first visit, with teenagers, I think you will have a full day at DCA, especially if they want to redo the rollercoaster and Tower. I think it is a less stressful day than Disneyland.

"the issue with Fastpasses is that you can only have one within a two-hour window or until the Fastpass window expires"

You can sometimes get special deals (usually with Disney Travel) where your day passes entitle you to unlimited fastpasses where you don't have to wait until one expires before getting your next one; and if you miss your window on one those fast passes you can still go after the window expires. It's very much worth it and I would check that out with Disney Travel.

I'm not sure if anyone already mentioned it (don't remember seeing that in here) you should definitely buy your passes in advance before getting to the park so you don't have to wait in line for that (one less line at Disneyland is always a good thing).

And if you are planning to let the teens go off on their own for some period of time, I saw lots of families using 2-way radios to keep in contact rather than cell phones.

Good rides to go on during hottest part of day (if you don't go back to hotel to relax): Splash Mountain, Grizzly River and Pirates of the Caribbean (this one is a long ride and you spend alot of time in cool darkness).

Enjoy!

I just returned from Disneyland a couple days ago. My advice is get there early- for the opening. I noticed that when I was there, the ride with the longest lines through the day and the one that filled up first was Indiana Jones. That was the first ride we went to when we got in the park and it turned out to be a good move. If we had waited to do it later in the day, the lines were just too long (90+ minute wait) and one evening it sold out and they would not accept anyone else to join the line, as the waits were too long.
Another area that gets really packed is Fantasyland. If you have interest in doing the rides over there (Peter Pan, Mr. Toad etc) those would also be rides to do early.

Good advice, thanks everyone.

This may sound weird - but...

eat at odd times.

You'll find that lines are shorter during regular meal hours. Also, lines will be shorter during parades.

Are the parades a "not miss" situation or are they more for the younger visitors?

The Disneyland parade is a not-miss. Best viewing is on the Tomorrowland side of the Plaza (near the Plaza Inn or the Astro Orbiter.) I haven't seen the DCA "Block Party Bash" yet. I was at Disney today (Tuesday) and it was not really that crowded.
I checked the revised menu at Rancho Zocalo, they've eliminated the barbeque and expanded the variety of Mexican combo plates. Looked pretty good.

Tried to see Disney Gallery today but it seemed to be closed. Not sure if the new exhibits are still in the works.

Fastpasses do not "expire". If your fastpass says return between 10:00 and 11:00, for example, and you don't make it by 11:00, you can still use it any time for the whole rest of the day.

You can collect the next fastpass for another ride as soon as the earliest time on your previous fast-pass has arrived... for example if you are holding a fastpass for Splash Mountain that says to return between 10:00 and 11:00 am, you may then collect a fastpass for Indiana Jones as early as 10:01 am. Doesn't matter whether or not you have used the first fastpass yet.

Apparently most people don't understand how to use fastpasses. There is no additional charge for fastpases. Anyone can use them. Why are all those people insisting on standing in 3-hour lines for Splash mountain when that's not necessary?! I don't get it!!!

We have been using fastpases for disneyland for several years, and we NEVER wait in any lines that are longer than about 10 to 20 minutes for any rides that use fastpasses. Be sure you get in the fastpass line and not in the regular line!

You cannot efficiently do 2 parks in 1 day. The reason is that you must collect your fastpasses for the popular rides in the morning. If you get a fastpass for Splash mountain in the morning it will tell you to return at a reasonable time. But if you try to get a fastpass for splash mountain in the afternoon it will tell you to return at some ridiculous time like 10:00 pm!

There is plenty to do at California adventures all day. 1 day for disneyland. 1 day at California adventures.

Best place to see the fireworks is standing in the middle of Main Street. Do NOT try to stand up closer to the castle...it is insanely crowded up there and the trees block some of your view. Instead go shopping on Main sTreet, and about 15 minutes before the fireworks start walk out of the shop and stand in the middle of Main Street. Enjoy.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU Melissa, for the excellent description and correcting the errors of the other posters.
We're also astounded at the huge number of people who wait in line! Even the posters here who have been there and supposedly used them don't seem to really get it.
As you said Melissa, you do not have to wait in line if you use fast pass CORRECTLY.
And you don't need to get them through *deals* from somewhere as someone said. HUH?
They are there AT THE PARKS, ready and available for anyone! anytime! everytime!
All you have to do is read and follow the directions.

Here is some more information on the Fastpass: Each Fastpass has written at the bottom of the Pass, the time when you can get the next one. It will not be any earlier than the start time of your 1-hour window. According to what I have experienced when trying to get all my Fastpasses in the morning, and have been told by the Castmembers, there is a limit of two FPs you can have at any one time (there are some rides that don't count toward the limit, though). You will find out soon enough when you get a rejection ticket. Most of the time you can use a FP later than the window, but it is up to the Castmember at the Gate. I've never been told no. Some of the popular rides, such as Haunted Mansion and Pirates, do not always give Fastpasses except on Holidays. None of the rides in Fantasyland have ever had them, nor has the Matterhorn. I agree with Melissa on the location of mid Main Street for the fireworks, but for the parade, the top Tomorrowland side of the Plaza is better. I've done both.

While we're on the subject of Fast Passes, AAA has a Disney Resort Magic package that includes hotel, along with the ability to collect Fast Passes to multiple attractions at one time. Disney Travel offered that the last time we went (5 yrs ago) but it's not listed on their website right now. But it is on CSAA's website. With this option we would arrive as soon as the park opened and collect all the Fast Passes for the rides we wanted to go on (of the rides that offered Fast Passes, that is) and then go about our day. Fast Passes are great....multiple Fast Passes -- even better!

The whole fastpass thing wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that it gets you criss-crossing the park to grab the fastpasses for the rides you'd like.

And I had no idea you could still use them after their expired time - doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Yes SFImporter, that is very true (running back and forth).
While it takes time (and energy) its more than compensated by the HOURS saved standing in line.

We have held as many as 3 disney fastpasses at once before using them. (Don't forget the computers don't know when you use your fastpass...they only know when you received them!)

I assure you that fastpasses don't expire all day, we have been going to disneyland twice a year for several years in a row, and they are always accepted when it's "past" your time.

You do have to be organized, to get a park map and figure out how you are going to go about collecting fastpasses without wearing out your feet.

Fastpasses allow you to enjoy the park, maybe shopping or watching a parade, or getting an ice cream, instead of waiting in a line for 3 hours.

Using fastpasses "past" their time doesn't defeat the purpose. It still helps to regulate the lines because, remember, you have to return AFTER a certain time. Also, most people are looking forward to that ride, and they won't wait too long after their time has arrived anyway. So the system works.

It also works because many people just love to wait in 3 hour lines, I guess. I have to thank them for making my fastpass lines shorter. Thanks, folks!

You can get a fastpass for the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion in the afternoon and it will still tell you to return at a reasonable time. But this is NOT true for Splash Mountain or Indiana Jones...don't forget to get your Splash Mountain pass early, and your Indiana Jones pass in the morning as well.

When Space Mountain reopens they will also have fast passes.

The Matterhorn doesn't have fastpasses and we never go on it any more because the line is always long and slow, and it's not that much fun anyway. Thunder Mountain railroad does have fastpasses.

When disneyland lines are really slow, they don't give fastpasses, but then you don't need them! This usually only happens in the winter.

For California adventure get a fastpass for the Soaring over California ride...it's nice and relaxing, you feel like you're flying over a movie of California. Anyone can go on, it doesn't go fast or anything. Gives the illusion that you are flying.

I love disneyland and california adventure is nice too. Enjoy!

I think I have a handle on it ! Great advice, we will be prepurchasing the Park entry packages before we leave Australia. I gather that they allow multiple entries on the day you use it, so you can go back to your hotel for a rest and dive back in later.

Marko, you can certainly return to your hotel for a rest and then re-enter disneyland, but you may need to get your hand stamped before you leave.

(People with southern california resident annual passes don't need to get their hand stamped for re-entry, but I believe that everyone else does need to get their hand stamped for re-entry as they exit.)

Don't make the mistake of leaving your tickets at the hotel...we've done that...You need the tickets for re-entry and also to get fastpasses out of the machines!

Enjoy!