Hello fellow Fodorites,

I am taking my family to Disneyland for the first time just before Christmas. My wife and I will be travelling with three kids who will be aged 8,6 and 3 when we arrive. We are planning on being there for 3 days of fun and memories.

Any tips those of you who have been there might have with respect to saving money and getting the most out of the experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Go to the budget board at www.disboards.com for many, many suggestions.

Get the book Birnbaum's Disneyland. . .they have expert advice. You'll need to get the newest edition as it's continually updated. We followed their advice and saw all the characters we desired. . .or rather that the kids desired! And, did things the way they suggested. . .best trip of all of them. They suggest patterns so that you avoid the crowds, etc. . . Worked for us! Alos, there are money saving tips. . .like packing treats and eating them in line. We did that and still ate at a nice place for lunch. (Blue Bayou) We called ahead and didn't have to wait. You can also do a character breakfast at one of the hotels. . .forget which one. . .on a day that you will not be at the parks. . .extend your trip and the fun. You don't need to stay at the hotel to do the breakfast either. I hope the book helps you like it helped us!

Couple of tips:

Take film from home. Process it at home as well.
Wear a fanny pack or backpack and carry granola bars or similar and some bottled water.
If using a stroller, DO NOT leave anything in it unattended.

I agree with the bringing of bottled water and snacks in a backpack. If you don't want to lug it all around, rent a locker in the Main Street area - all day for approximately $5 - $7, with in/out ability.

This locker was a lifesaver when we were at Disneyland a couple of years ago - we planned to be there the entire day, so we put our jackets and other stuff for the evening in there and retrieved it later. Also a good place to put rain ponchos/umbrellas if the weather looks like it might turn bad later.

With a 3 year old, I'm thinking you might want to leave the park for a bit for a rest sometime mid-day. If you do, eat lunch outside the park - much cheaper.

Read up on the Fast Pass program - it will save a lot of time.

If you plan on watching any parades, study the route and scout out your viewing area ahead of time. Best to be there at a minimum of 30 minutes before the parade starts as it gets crowded fast.

Disneyland sells autograph/picture books in the parks - essentially your child stands in line to take a picture with a character and get an autograph at the same time. This is wildly popular and takes up a lot of time - but my daughter loves the photos she has with all the characters.

While this was something my daughter loved to do, I really didn't care for it too much. You'll have to decide if you want to spend the time and effort in doing it. Sometimes the process of standing in line to meet the character is orderly, and other times it turns into a mob of shoving, pushing parents - yes, parents. Hate to say it, but if you aren't assertive as to your place in line, you'll never make it up there - and the characters are out for only about 10 minutes at a time. Once they leave, they leave - even if a mob of people are still waiting.