Marko

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.

logandog

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.

easytraveler

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!

ceg

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.

BeachBoi

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

kenm

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

Lynette

check out a book called Unoficial Guide to Disneyland

KathrynT

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!

abram

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.

mlgb

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.

Marko

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 )

Alice

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...

likeswords

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!"

mlgb

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.

my2cents

"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!

Miramar

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.

Marko

Good advice, thanks everyone.

SFImporter

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.

Marko

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

mlgb

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.