General tips

• 1). Browse around on Disneyland.com a few weeks before your trip. Take advantage of advance-purchase online ticket specials and have tickets held at will-call. If yours is a last-minute trip, arrive 30 minutes before the official opening time and get in line at the entrance gate. Print out a map, surf around and look at options, and start thinking about how you'd like to approach your visit.
  
  
• 2). Decide how long you'll stay. The park can be done in one day, but you'll miss a lot. If you have little kids or if it's crowded, plan a two-day trip (or even three with a Disneyland Hotel package). Avoid summer weekends and major holidays if at all possible.
  
  
• 3). Use a FastPass. Find kiosks at extremely popular rides such as Indiana Jones and Autopia. Slide in your park ticket, and the machine will print out a FastPass with a reservation time slot-- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., for example. Come back to the ride anytime between 11 and 1 and blow right past the crowds by jumping into the FastPass line. Often you'll save an hour or more.
  
  
• 4). Sit down with your crew and your map to plan out the best route around the park. Your map also has scheduling details of all the productions, parades, and live entertainment.
  
  
• 5). Grab an early lunch at Frontierland's Blue Bayou, the only fullservice-and recently refurbished-restaurant in the park. Nearby (and less expensive) is the French Market Restaurant, a counter-service cafe'. You'll find a wide variety in the $10 to $15 range, with kids' meals for about $6.
  
  
• 6). Give tired legs of all ages a rest by taking a ride on the Disneyland Railroad instead of walking. Or board the Mark Twain Riverboat or the Sailing Ship Columbia in Frontierland for a peaceful cruise. Tom Sawyer's Island is another great getaway.