If you had to pick just ONE tip....

[DisGirl819]

Peter Pan first and early!! Same with meet Mickey and Minne! We missed Mickey this time because the line was too long

 

[Teki]

Utilize your fast pass to the max.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm going to cheat and offer two.

1. Get to Disneyland before the park opens (or as close to park opening as you can). When the park is crowded, this will enable you to experience minimal line waits at some of the most popular attractions which will soon have very long lines that will not diminish as the day winds down as little as 2 hours after Disneyland is open. This also enables you to grab multiple fastpasses for such attractions as Space Mountain and Indiana Jones.

2. Stay late. You can experience everything in Fantasyland in the last 2 hours of the park being open (after fireworks) with less wait times, and I can hit everything in Fantasyland except for Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, IASW, and the Matterhorn in the hour from 11:00pm to 12:00am. And if you want to see Mickey at his house in ToonTown, go there after dark before it closes for the fireworks. Last Saturday, Disneyland was pretty crowded, but I only waited maybe 10 minutes to see Mickey in his house.

These tips may require an afternoon break/nap, but they work really well. I tend to spend my afternoon break in the longer shows at DCA such as Aladdin. It's a great way to rest if you don't want to leave the parks.

 

[Misskitty3]

Bring and use Purell-type hand santizer. So nice, when you sit down to eat lunch and realize you haven't washed your hands in 3 hours and you have been touching A LOT of stuff.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Take time to actually enjoy the Park, not just checking off a list of attractions, parades, and shows you have ridden / seen.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Bring plastic baggies- big and small. They come in handy for saving leftovers, containing candy and snacks when the bag they came in ripped down the side, and keeping cameras and phones dry on wet rides.

 

[nunzia]

...that you would give someone who hasn't been to Disneyland in 10 years and never before with kids (they are 5 1/2 and almost 8)....... what would it be?

Go in off season! (if there is such a thing anymore)

 

[Vacation Dad]

Since the main ones have already been covered (get there early and maximize the use of fastpasses), how about:

Eat as many churros as possible.

 

[charmama4]

Well for one.. Homeschool so you can go anytime you want.
LOL
Otherwise.. read DIS forums and plan.
If I have to pick one, it is SMILE.

Too true, too true. Hello, fellow homeschooler.

My tip would also be to eat early or late. It seems that as soon as the clock struck 12pm or 6pm there was a mad dash for the eateries. That's was a great time to jump on more rides!!!!

 

[prncssmel]

Always have your camera handy.

And make sure you bring all the cords, chargers, extra batteries, extra memory cards, extra film - you don't want to miss the wonderful photo/memory opportunities.

 

[MommyWithDreams]

Don't forget that your main goal is to have fun and enjoy yourself!!!!


I mean it is fine to try to talk your child into something when you know when they will enjoy it but when they are crying and screaming, it's just a ride!
The first time we took my daughter was when she was three and one of the first rides we went on was Pinnochio. Well, it totally freaked her out and she refused to go on any rides that were basically inside.
At first my husband and I were a little upset and then we realized that the reason we came to Disneyland was for her. So so we just went with the flow and went on rides that she was willing to go on and if we wanted to go on a ride she didn't, we went on ourselves while the other one stayed with her.
She also wouldn't go on Storybook because she refused to go through the whale's mouth even though she could see the other side. Kids!

I hope this wasn't me....my son sometimes puts on an act in the line. He's been on the ride a million times but he'll say I don't wanna go the second we get in the line. It's more less an opportunity to whine of there's a long line LOL THe truth is..he LOVES the rides and hates getting off. He even did this with Dumbo once. His favorites are BTMRR and Matterhorn. I always wondered if people thought I was that horrible mom forcing him to go. Keep an eye on him though...he's clapping his hands when the ride actually starts lol He should have been a girl...he's my drama boy!

 

[Mackysmycat]

Well for one.. Homeschool so you can go anytime you want.
LOL
If I have to pick one, it is SMILE.

lol I actually would pull my kids out of school to go during less peak times, however, I work AT their school, so I get the typical Teacher holidays myself, of Spring Break/Winter Break and Summer off, so it works out best this way!

 

[lntsmom]

Familiarize your kids with the parks before you get there. Use guide books, YouTube, and the Disney website to help them preview what they will see and do. Let them pick some "must do" rides and activities.

I've found that my kids enjoy the things they have some background knowledge of much more than the things they encounter unexpectedly.

 

[mystic_path]

Check out Fantasyland at night. It is more magical and charming at that time and its not as crazy crowded. Its just very calming.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Many of my tips have already been mentioned, and I agree with ALL the tips that have been stated.

A couple things I wish we had done:
if you walk by Bengal BBQ or the Tiki Juice Bar, and walk past thinking "Man that looks fabulous, but we are rushing to get in line for _____ and it really isn't mealtime anyway...." STOP, shake yourself, and go back and get that item that caught your attention!! Very seldom will you make time in your touring plans to "go back and get a bacon wrapped asparagus skewer"!

Also, I second a few other posters - I wish we had taken more time to just soak in the atmosphere of Disneyland - on our last night, I sat alone in TL with sleeping kids as the sun set and the neon flickered on, and realized I hadn't taken much time like this to just relax. We never sat out by the Castle and just stared at it, we never visited Snow White's wishing well, never just sat in FL and waited to see what characters would wander along...and I feel like we missed a little of the magic with too much rushing. Perhaps schedule a couple hours of just "soaking" time, if you can.

There's my very long 2 cents!

 

[mechurchlady]

REad everything you can online and in books before going is the key to a trip. If something is not working out then you will have a back up plan. If munchies hit then you know where the best things are located. Do not be so commando that you do not enjoy the park. Be flexible and enjoy the sites instead of going from point A to Point B.

Yes on zip loc bags as they gave me corn on the cob that was oozing butter.

Wet wipes are very important with turkey legs. It is a long walk to the bathrooms. Golden Horseshoe review is a great indoor place to have lunch and they let you bring your food from the Rancho or turkey cart.

To save walking I would take the train as it takes about 10 minutees to get to Toontown and 5 minutes to get to New Orleans Square. The rope drops and as they are thundering around the corner you are sitting relaxed in the train and get off and in line about the same time as the people who waited for the rope drop, lol. Same for the monorail.

 

[drag n' fly]

Try to avoid the parks on the weekends. That is when the locals use it. I save Sat and Sun for some sightseeing and shopping down the coast

 

[erinbev]

This is pretty general, but...
I would say not to schedule yourself too much. I know that goes against what a lot of people think, but let me explain! Instead of planning out a detailed itinerary, I just read about the parks like crazy and found out all the information and tips I could. Once I was there, I had a general idea of what to do and when, and certain strategies and tips, etc, but I could also do everything on my own time. Because of that, we ended up with a lot of great free time to just enjoy ourselves, eat delicious snacks, and people/character watch!
So, I guess in a nutshell my "tip" would be - do your homework! Hehe.

 

[Ride Junkie]

Get there early & hit Fantasyland first! Those rides don't have Fastpasses, and some tend to have long lines, especially Peter Pan & Dumbo. I would hit those two first.

 

[Hollsey]

Take advantage of multiple showings of things (like the parades and Fantasmic!). A lot of people don't ride rides during those times, so lines are shorter Eating can be convenient, too. When I was there in July, we ate at the French Market during a showing of Fantasmic! and it was awesome because there was no line and it was easy to find a place to eat because everyone was viewing the show, yet we could still hear the music from the show (we've seen it in Disney World a couple times, so we were pretty familiar with it).

And I know it was mentioned a few times, but it can't be stressed enough. FAST PASS IS YOUR FRIEND. Take it from a WDW Vet who's very used to long lines (an hour wait? Oh, that's nothin'!). Fast Pass is awesome and saves a lot of time.