by Rabenschwarz

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Disneyland Experience

Disneyland,it's known as the happiest place on Earth. It is a very fun destination that is renown the world over and gets millions of visitors from all over the globe. However, more often than not people just go there, pick up a map and wander about hoping to see everything they want. This can be very challenging especially if you have only a one day's visit or are visiting on a holiday. I am a Disneyland veteran and no longer need a map so I've decided to share some incites about making the most of the time you have.

If you can afford it there are two Disney hotels, the Disneyland hotel in which you can take the monarail into the park as well as a hotel inside the California Adventure park. If you can't afford that there are several across the street, the Desert Inn and Suites is very nice and affordable. Some of the hotels may be able to offer discount tickets to Disneyland if you are going to spend at least three days there. One of the hotels you want to avoid is the Peter Pan Motel. I had a guide book that said this was a nice, affordable place near the park but it's got roaches. If you are only going to the Disneyland park and have mainly adults wanting to see most the big attractions there is a way to go about it.

First there are fast passes. You save your tickets and place them in the Fastpass machine and you will get a pass to go on the ride at a later time without having to wait. Be careful how you use the fastpass because once you get one you will not be allowed to get another for an hour. However, if you don't want to deal with that the order to ride the most thrill rides with less lines and hassle is to go on them in this order: Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Star Tours and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. If you want to see some of the other rides Roger Rabbit and Buzz Lightyear rides also have long lines so they would be the next in line after the big thrill rides. After that one can take in any other rides or shows at their leisure.

If the trip is mainly for the enjoyment of children there would be a different path to take. Some children may be too small physically or be frightened of the larger rides so Fantasyland is probably going to be the destination of choice. The best thing to do is hit the Autotopia,followed by Dumbo or Roger Rabbit and then by Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It seems these are the ones that are usually the most crowded. Peter Pan, Pinnochio, the Merri-go-round, the Circus Train, Small World, Alice In Wonderland, the Tea Cups and Snow White usually have little to no waiting unless it is on a holiday or holiday weekend.

A word of warning about the Snow White ride, very young or sensitive children may be frightened of this ride because the witch pops up a lot and some children find her intimidating. After the Fantasyland thing one can shoot over to Adventureland and take in the Tiki Room, tree house and the Jungle Cruise. In New Orleans Square the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are favorites of many guests of all ages and there is a new Winnie the Pooh ride in Critter Country. There are also many parades and shows throughout the day so check the show times and maps for times and locations if you want a break from riding all the rides. A word of warning about the food though, I've heard that only the French Restaurant in the Pirates of the Caribbean is good food, the McDonald's french fries and the Dole pineapple stand are also OK but don't eat anywhere else. It's overpriced and most people I've known that have eaten at Disneyland have gotten food poisoning.

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