My third visit to Disneyland and DCA in Feb. 2008 was my best, thanks to some advice from the guide books and other DL fans. To enjoy the park best any day, be there at least 15 minutes before the park opens. There's no practical advantage to being first in line however. Often everyone is admitted into the Main Street area about 15 minutes before the park officially opens. Take a few snapshots and browse the Emporium shops. When the rope drops, proceed directly to the prime rides (the submarine ride, Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, Dumbo ride, and most Fantasyland rides). The lines will never be shorter later in the day, and your energy level will drop after lunch. In general, plan on the most active rides early in the day, take a leisurely lunch and finish the day with more casual rides like the Jungle Cruise and take in the many shows and parades. When I was there this year, the longest lines were for the Submarine Voyage and Autopia. There were very short waiting lines for Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Star Tours. Take advantage of the FastPass system when you can. I got the 5-day parkhopper pass and it was great. I used my early-admission entry to take in the most popular Fantasyland rides. By 11 AM I had gone on the teacups ride twice, the Peter Pan ride and all the other dark (indoor) rides, as well as Dumbo and the Matterhorn. The Fantasyland rides seem to have the longest lines in the park because all the families are there later in the day. Most of these rides take less than 3 minutes to ride, so it's not worth your time waiting a half-hour or more for each of these.
If DL is really busy you may want to take in the California Adventure rides. DCA is typically less crowded that Disneyland, and I think it's a nice addition to the original park. Too hot? Try the Muppetvision 3D show in air-conditioned comfort. It's funny, and the lines are not long at all. Must-rides are Soarin', Tower of Terror, and Screamin' California. Meet the characters in both parks when you can and take home some souvenir photos. I'm a kid of 50 1/2 years, and I was delighted to meet Snow White, Cinderella, Alice and the Mad Hatter, as well as Mickey, Minnie, and a lot of the other Disney characters. I love how they stay in character as they make small talk. You need at least 2 days to see all the things you'd like to see. There are always new things, so I recommend at least a 3-day parkhopper visit. Check the web site for rides which will be closed for maintenance. Small World is being renovated and will not open again until Thanksgiving time this year. You will want to see everything, so give yourself a break. Stay at one of the many motels near the park and take a nap after lunch. You'll enjoy the night-time events better that way. Check the Disney fan websites for more advice or your local library may have a recent guidebook available to help you plan your trip. Be sure to toss a coin in Snow White's wishing well to make your dream come true!

It hurts my heart to dis Disneyland. I got to go here for my birthday the year after it opened. It is a part of my childhood, my teen years (dates and grad night); part of my child's childhood, and a place I could not wait to bring my only granddaughter to. OK I'm done. I will never step foot in the place again.

Broken rides: Pirates, Indiana Jones, Splash Mtn or Thunder Mt. - whatever - down off and on all week-end.

Monolithic Crowds: it was impossible to walk two steps without tripping over a stroller. Great, heaving , sticky, sweating, tattooed, pierced, and sunburned masses.

Fast Pass: a complete joke - worthless worthless worthless - don't bother. They make it so complicated - you can't reserve fast pass tickets for more than one ride at a time. What the use is that? The return time for the Indiana Jones ride was 11:50 to 12:50 PM - and we were at the kiosk at 4:00 PM!!!! We're supposed to come back at nearly mid-night? What a joke.

Lines: horrific. hours and hours waiting in lines. Fortunately, we stayed at one of the hotels (that's a whole 'nother Oprah) and could get into the park at 7:00 am - the only way I was able to take my g-daughter on the Nemo ride - and even then it was a 30 minute wait - with only hotel guests there! Could not get near the thing during regular hours. Fuggeddabougit.

Food: breakfast from the place across from the Nemo ride - no problem. Fine. Grab a egg/bacon/cheese croissant and stuff chunks into the kids as you wait in the Nemo line. Calif Adventure - had mexican food that was virtually inedible - microwaved burrito that was like eating shoe leather. Food in the parks - very chancey. Eat anywhere else but here.

Ambience: not crisp, well-groomed and perfectly maintained as it used to be. Looks tired and run down. One never saw a leaf out of place or a square inch of chipped paint years ago.

The Disney Princesses: worth their weight in gold. Sweetest, most adorable girls on the planet. Just darling. They embody the perfection and fantasy Walt intended. Just enchanting.

The Throw Up Rides at Calif Adventure: forget D-land unless you have 3 year olds and head straight for C-A. The Calif Screamin roller coaster is a good thrill. You feel like you've been shot out of a cannon. Skip the Ferris Wheel - even a 6-year old knows boring when she sees it, and she could not get off this worthless contraption fast enough. Nice strolling, wide open spaces and good ambience, though.

Conclusion: save your money and head for Orlando. Now that's a party waiting to happen. Lots going on other than Disneyworld, which is much better than the Calif original. Lots more real estate to spread out over - it's a whole different world built for one purpose and one purpose only - PAR-TAY!!!

When I got back to the hotel room every day, I stood under the hottest shower I could stand and scrubbed myself all over twice with a stiff loofa. The only way to get off what my daughter called: ":Park Build-Up": SPF 45, sweat, cotton candy residue, bbq turkey leg grease... well, you get my drift. Orlando - think Orlando (but not in June, July or August!!!). Cheers!

We just returned from a 16 day holiday to Disneyland in late March/April. We had been in 2000 with 2 young girls, but wanted our two young boys to experience the same magic. Our previous experience had taught us that you need more than a week at this place to truly appreciate the effort that has gone into making it such a great holiday destination, So this time, we purchased 14 day park hopper tickets for our family of 6 and it was the best decision we have ever made. We stayed a short 10 minute stroll from the parks and never had an issue with the distance. We bought cheap strollers from Target for the boys and donated them to the hotel when we left.
One of our sons is Autistic and with our documentation, we approached Guest Relations on the first day - they were extremely helpful and issued us with a special pass that gave us auto entry into most rides and attraction. I met a few other parents with similar children who, like us, were very grateful for this special provision, as it really gave our son an opportunity to enjoy each ride without the long wait.
Having said that, I must express my disappointment at the vast number of teens who have exploited the disabled pass. They arrive in a group of 6 (maximum people who can use a pass) and one of them plays the disabled person. They then hire a wheelchair and use this gig to get to the front of the line. We watched them leave at the end of the day and run off , laughing. It is a shame that there is no regulation for this type of deceit. Maybe the introduction of compulsory documentation to support the need for a pass might deter these sad people.
Disneyland and California Adventure are supposed to be crowded, we simply paced ourselves and arrived early each day. We took a backpack, filled with water bottles, camera, sunscreen etc and enjoyed one land at a time. We made sure to eat well at breakfast each day, which gave us energy till early afternoon. Then we would go home for a few hours, rest and return early evening for the parades and fireworks. We always carried a small hand towel (wet rides) and a jumper for each person, so the evening chill didn't pose a problem. Try to experience the popular rides when the parades are on, and don't go on a wet ride until you are almost ready to leave. It is handy to obtain a map for both parks and familiarise yourself long before you go. The Disneyland website is perfect for this.
Be prepared to enjoy all that does not require time consuming waits, ie: parades, spontaneous street theatres etc. And above all - remember to look at this wonderful place through the eyes of a child. You will be absolutely enchanted if you simply sit back and let it do it's magic.

We went March 31-April 4. It was a little crowded over the weekend but the Disneyland Dream squad was out in full force giving stuff away so it was very tolerable. California Adventure was not crowded at all.