No Disneyland Vacation can be complete without a Disneyland tour – especially if it is your first trip to Disneyland. There are currently four different tours to choose from, and Disneyland park admission is required for all tours. It is strongly advised that you make a reservation for the tours that you wish to go on.

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 Fast Pass, two bonus Fast Pass 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!

Any guidebook you read will tell you that you should begin your day at Disneyland enjoying the attractions found in Fantasyland. There are several important reasons as to why this advice is given, and it is advice that you should strongly consider following.

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 has Fast Pass. This is another reason as to why you should go there first. Fast Pass 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 Fast Passes 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 Fast Pass tickets for the other attractions that have Fast Pass throughout the park. It is best to collect these early in the day – the longer you wait, the longer it will be before your appointed time comes around, depending on how many Fast Passes have been issued for each ride.

While you are waiting for the appointed time for your first Fast Pass, you should enjoy other attractions, visit the shops, or get a snack. Times between Fast Pass 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 Fast Pass tickets. Enjoy other attractions between Fast Pass 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 time wandering around the park.