Class assignment: How to ...

... get the most out of your day at Disneyland!

Allow me to start by saying that this guide is not for the tourist. I can’t tell you where to find coupons or how to make sure you get on every ride at the park. I have been going to Disneyland since I was about two years old, and I’m not even sure if it can be done in a single day. (I think that’s why they have those nifty two-day passes: so you can go back and follow up on the things you missed or redo your favorites.) No — I am here as a seasoned Southern Californian to let you in on a few tips and tricks that will make your day more magical.

Don’t go when the park first opens, or you’ll be stuck waiting just to get on the tram for at least half an hour.

Know the rides and attractions you want to visit for certain, and do those first — even if it means jumping around the different lands. You can move to second-choice things once you’ve finished all the necessities.

That being said, it’s OK to detour to some of the second choices, if the lines are super short (as it almost always is for Star Tours).

To help with this, use the Fastpass options. But only when the return time is not ridiculously late, because you can only have one Fastpass at a time. So get a Fastpass for a ride that will let you return in a couple of hours, go on another ride (or two) in the meantime, return and use your Fastpass, and then restart the process.
*Bonus hint: the ride(s) you go on between Fastpasses should generally be the ones that don’t have a Fastpass option.

Don’t watch the parades! This is the best time to get on the rides that usually have the longest lines, because everybody else has gone to watch the parade. (This includes Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and the Buzz Lightyear ride.)

Don’t buy souvenirs until you’re leaving the park (unless you’re just getting Mouse ears to wear in all the pictures). This way you don’t have to carry everything around and you won’t have to worry about leaving it on rides, etc. But this doesn’t mean you can’t look around in all the shops. In fact, this is encouraged, because you can decide ahead of time what you’d like to purchase and expedite the shopping at the end of the day, when you’re tired.

Finally, don’t forget to have fun at the happiest place on Earth!