Start with the Character Breakfast. Here, you will
probably see Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow
White, Mary Poppins, Jasmine, Ariel, Minnie and
Mickey Mouse, and many others. If you miss your
favorites at the breakfast, don’t despair – simply go
find them! Many characters will be on hand, right
inside the gates, to greet you as you arrive in the
morning as well.

Start in Toon Town, where all of the Disney
Characters live. Visit their homes to see if you can
get a glimpse of them. Go early, while they may still
be at home! Be sure to visit Goofy’s Kitchen as well,
since many characters pop in and out throughout the
day. If you’ve been through Toon Town, and you still
haven’t seen your favorite character, your next stop
should be Fantasyland. Different characters can be
located telling stories throughout Fantasyland.

For instance, Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and
Thursday’s are the days when you will have shorter l
ines for the attractions, because there will be fewer
people there. On the other hand, the entertainment
on those nights cannot compare to the entertainment
that is offered on the weekends. If entertainment is
important, plan your visit to Disneyland for the
weekend.

If you will be at Disneyland for several days, however,
plan to ride the attractions on Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday, and then enjoy the entertainment, as
well as the other things the park has to offer on the
other days. If you are visiting during the off-season,
you should note that entertainment usually isn’t
offered on weekdays. Also remember that the park
really fills up as the day wears on, so try to ride the
attractions in the morning if possible!

If you don’t want to plan your own trip, you have
several options. Of course, you can have a travel
agent make all of the arrangements for you, but for
the best Disneyland experience, you might be better
off using the Disney Vacation Planning Services.
Either way, you can have every single aspect of your
trip planned for you. Once you get there, all you will
need to do is follow your Itinerary.

If you prefer the fun involved in planning your
Disneyland vacation yourself, there are some things
that you absolutely must not leave out of the planning
stage. Before you can decide what you will be doing at
Disneyland, you must determine which dates you will
be there. The parks offer different things at different
types of the year, with many different themes and
entertainment to choose from.

Once you know when you will be at Disneyland, the
next step is to figure out what you will be doing each
day that you are there. Once you’ve set up your travel
arrangements and your hotel reservations, there are a
few more things you must consider.

Food is one thing you might want to arrange in
advance. Disneyland is a very popular place, and
having reservations at some of the more popular
restaurants is recommended. These reservations can
be made well in advance – before you ever leave home.

When planning which attractions at Disneyland you
want to visit, use a map of Disneyland as a guide.
This will make it easier to schedule time for
attractions that are near each other. You want to see
and do as much as possible, so as much walking or
travel time as you can.

Keep your budget in mind. Often, by making
arrangements through travel agents or through the
Disneyland Vacation Planning Services, you will be
able to get better deals – which can save you money.
Look for these deals, and save as much money as
you can on your hotel and food. If you have small
children with you, keep their priorities in mind – they
have less interest in where they will sleep and the
food that they will eat, and more interest in what they
will see and do!

The guest rooms in the Disneyland Hotel are
astounding. Offering standard rooms and suites,
each room has either a king size bed or two queen
size beds, room service, phones with voicemail, irons,
ironing boards, refrigerators, hairdryers, make up
mirrors, and safes. Cribs and roll away beds are
available, as well as smoking and non-smoking rooms.
The rooms are even sprinkled with Pixie Dust! For
families, the suites are highly recommended. Suites
contain one, two, or three bedrooms, and have all
of the amenities of a standard room as well.

The Concierge service at the Disneyland Hotel
cannot be topped. Concierge service entitles you to
priority check-in, admission to an exclusive lounge,
a continental breakfast, an evening wine and cheese
reception. Nightly turn-down service is included, as
well as DVD players and complimentary movies.
You will also have an unlimited supply of bottled
water and soft drinks. The Concierge serves to
make your vacation as enjoyable and trouble-free
as possible.

Disney touches are everywhere, and this is the
closest you can actually come to living in Never Land.
The swimming pool even has a Never Land theme,
and there are several cove pools and a sandy beach.
The hotel also features a children’s playground, a
volleyball court, and Koi fish ponds. The recreational
area encompasses a 5000 square foot area inspired
by Peter Pan. There are many scenic waterfalls,
tropical foliage, and mysterious caves on the property.
There is even a Team Mickey work out room full of
state-of-the-art gym equipment.

At the Disneyland Hotel, you will feel like your
Disney experience has truly already started as soon
as you walk in the door. This is where the famous
Goofy’s Kitchen is located, as well as The Captain’s
Galley, The Coffee House, Crocs Bits ‘n’ Bites,
Granville’s Steak House, Hook’s Pointe, The Wine
Cellar, and The Lost Bar.

When you stay at the Disneyland Hotel, your
vacation continues even after a day of sight seeing
and attractions in the park. In fact, your Disneyland
vacation begins each and every morning when you
wake up in the Magic Kingdom that the Disneyland
Hotel represents.

Disneyland’s Discover the Magic Tour may be the
most popular of the four. This tour will have you and
your family working with Disneyland characters to
find clues and hunt for treasure. You can literally live
out a Disneyland fantasy with your family and loveable
characters, outsmarting the Disney bad guys! This
tour includes lunch and an exclusive gift that can only
be obtained on this tour.

The Discover the Magic Tour lasts for about three
hours. There is a two ticket minimum, and the cost
is $49 each of the first two tickets, with additional
tickets costing $39. The tour is appropriate for the
5 – 9 year old age group, and adults. The tour is
not really suitable for children under the age of five,
or for children who need strollers.

The VIP Tour lasts for about four hours, and costs
$75 per hour for a party of up to ten people. You
must book this tour well in advance, or there will be
an additional twenty dollar fee. The tour is not
recommended for children, but is designed more for
people who have a true love and interest in Disney
and Disneyland history.

The Welcome to Disneyland Tour is absolutely
perfect for first timers. There are many benefits to
this tour, including priority seating at one of the stage
shows, tips and suggestions for getting the most out
of your Disneyland vacation, a brief history of the
park, priority seating at one of the many restaurants,
instruction in using FastPass, two bonus FastPass
tickets, and much more. This tour lasts about two
and a half hours, and costs $25 per person.

A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps focuses on the vision of
Walt Whitman, and is not really suitable for small
children. Filled with history and trivia about the park,
this tour lasts for more than three hours, and costs
$49 per person. The main feature of this tour is your
peek at the exclusive Club 33.

Again, you should definitely consider making one of
these tours part of your Disneyland experience –
especially if this will be your first trip to Disneyland.
You may see things and learn things that you would
not see or learn without the benefit of the tour!

Fantasyland is one of the most popular areas at
Disneyland because there are no age or size
requirements. The only height restriction is a 35
inch requirement for the Matterhorn. As the day
progresses, Fantasyland will fill up. Getting there
first thing in the morning will help you avoid the long
lines that others will encounter later in the afternoon.

None of the attractions in Fantasyland have
FastPass. This is another reason as to why you
should go there first. FastPass allows you to more
or less ‘set an appointment’ to ride certain rides –
but none of the attractions in Fantasyland have this
option. Cover Fantasyland first, then go get
FastPasses for the other attractions that you want
to ride.

The crowds and the lines will start growing within a
few hours of Disneyland opening each day. Make
sure that you arrive before the park opens so that
you can be one of the first ones through the gate –
and head straight to Fantasyland before going
anywhere else.

Since all of the guidebooks suggest this, many
other early risers will also be headed for Fantasyland.
Even so, the lines won’t get really long for two or
three hours, and by then, you will have already ridden
all of the rides there.

From Fantasyland, you should start collecting
FastPass tickets for the other attractions that have
FastPass throughout the park. It is best to collect
these early in the day – the longer you wait, the l
onger it will be before your appointed time comes
around, depending on how many FastPasses have
been issued for each ride.

While you are waiting for the appointed time for your
first FastPass, you should enjoy other attractions,
visit the shops, or get a snack. Times between
FastPass appointments are great for visiting the
restrooms or sitting down to rest with a cool
beverage.

Just remember that in order to enjoy the most
attractions at Disneyland you should start with
Fantasyland, followed by gathering FastPass tickets.
Enjoy other attractions between FastPass attractions,
but make sure that you don’t put yourself on such a
tight schedule or such a rigid itinerary that you forget
to have fun! Some people simply like to spend some t
ime wandering around the park.

It is also important that you bring a change of
clothing. You can rent a locker at Disneyland to
store your extra clothes. You can rub your thighs
raw if you ride water rides in denim shorts, then try
to walk around while you dry out! Enjoy the water
rides – but then go change into dry clothing! Bring
extra shoes as well. Walking around in wet shoes
is not only uncomfortable; it can also contribute to
blisters.

More than blisters can cause discomfort. Some
people simply are not used to being on their feet all
day. If your feet are tired and sore at the end of the
day, soak them in cool water with Epsom salt. This
will offer more relief than soaking them in hot or
warm water. After a good twenty minute soak, your
feet will feel refreshed and ready for more walking!

The easiest way to get pampered on your Disneyland
vacation is to book your room at one of the
Disneyland resorts, and upgrading your room to one
that includes Concierge services. The difference in
the price may startle you a bit, with rooms costing
up to $300 per night, but the service you receive will
be out of this world.

First, your room will be much nicer if you have the
Concierge service. You will have free bottles of water,
soft drinks, coffee, and tea at all times. You will be
able to check in and out faster at the Concierge
check in counter, and a nightly turndown service is
included.

Access to the Concierge lounge is where the
pampering really starts! You will enjoy a continental
breakfast in the lounge each morning. You can also
opt to take your breakfast back to your room. In the
afternoon, while the kids watch Disney Videos, you
will enjoy a wine tasting in the lounge as well.

There are many more perks available with the
Concierge service, differing at each resort. To
determine whether the Concierge service will benefit
you and your family, call the resort that you are
considering, and simply ask what perks are included
with this service. Ask to be connected with the
concierge desk to ensure that you are getting
accurate information.

Again, the cost of this upgrade is a bit high, but
when you close your eyes and dream of all of the
pampering and special treatment that you and your
family will enjoy, and you tally up the cost of the free
breakfast and drinks, you may find that the cost is
well worth it. In fact, depending on the size of your
family, you may even discover that the value of the
free breakfast and the free drinks even makes the
entire Disneyland trip a little less expensive for you!

Once you’ve experienced the Concierge Service on
a trip to Disneyland, you may not be satisfied with
anything less on future Disneyland trips. The
service is out of this world, and can only serve to
make your trip more relaxing and enjoyable.

Start by making a reservation. This can be done
through the Disneyland Vacation Planning Services
Department. Reservations can be made up to sixty
days in advance, so don’t leave this to the last
minute. Make these reservations while your
Disneyland vacation is being planned.

Character breakfasts take place each morning at the
park. You do not need a reservation for these meals.
These breakfasts take place in many of the parks
restaurants, but Goofy’s Kitchen is a great place to
start. It is located in the Disneyland Hotel, and there
are dishes to please everyone. Children under three
years of age get to eat free, which should be
considered when you are planning the budget for
your trip. Goofy is always there, with Pluto, but
other characters come and go all throughout the
day. You should definitely make reservations for
Goofy’s kitchen, as it is quite popular, and the wait
can be very long.

If dining with Princesses is important, than Ariel’s
Grotto is the place to be. Serving three course meals,
this is elegant dining that both kids and adults can
enjoy. Each princess will come spend a little time at
your table during your meal – one at a time.
Reservations for Ariel’s Grotto are also recommended.
This is one place in the park where both alcoholic and
non-alcoholic drinks are served.

The Storyteller’s Café is another place that is highly
recommended for Character Meals. Characters are
only here during breakfast, however. While time is
not spent at each individual table, the Characters do
interact with the children as a group. Both buffet and
menu dining are available, and again, reservations
are recommended. Lilo and Stitch also have a
Character Breakfast, as does Minnie Mouse.
Breakfast with Minnie and Friends is extremely
popular, so make reservations.

You should definitely include a Character Meal or
two in your Disneyland Vacation plans. This is
something that your child will remember forever and
interacting with the famous Disney characters that
we all know and love is part of what Disneyland is
all about! Be sure to make reservations as far in
advance as possible.

Get to the park early. The lines are shorter in the
morning when the park first opens. Instead of
jumping in line for the first ride you see, head for the
rides that you really want to ride the most – the
most popular rides. Another option is to purchase
FastPass tickets for the rides that offer them. Again,
do this early to ensure that you get to ride those rides
earlier in the day.

The third option to avoid long lines at Disneyland is
to ride many of the popular rides later in the evening,
while the majority of people are enjoying the
entertainment. Disneyland has nightly entertainment,
and this is a good time to find shorter lines. Of
course, it will mean that you probably miss the
entertainment, so if you can use one of the other
options for shorter lines at Disneyland, you should
probably do so.