9 Disneyland tips to ensure your best-ever visit

Get advice on what to see, where to explore, and how to beat the crowds.

Disneyland calls itself The Happiest Place on Earth. And we're not going to disagree. But even the happiest place can be a little bit happier if you know the tricks to enjoying it at its best. Sunset Editor-at-Large Peter Fish is a Disneyland fanatic. Here are his 9 tips for making the most out of your summer visit to Disneyland and California Adventure.

Stay close
Booking a hotel within walking distance of Disneyland means you don't have to deal with traffic or with the Disney parking lot. That gives you more time on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which is more fun. The three Disneyland Resort Hotels (the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian) are all a quick walk to the entrance gates. And you'll find a number of outside-the-park-but-still-an-easy-walk-to-the-entrance hotels (at disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/good-neighbor).

Get there early
A Disneyland rule: the early bird catches Indiana Jones. If you want to avoid lines, be at the entrance gates the minute the park opens-8 A.M. in summer (10 A.M. for California Adventure). Disneyland is least crowded from opening until about 11:30 AM or so. Use that time to hit the popular rides like Jones and the new Star Tours.

Get there even earlier
The Morning Magic package offered to guests of the three Disneyland Resort hotels lets you into portions of Disneyland (usually two of the "lands") an hour before the official 8 A.M. opening. That's right-you can avoid lines and zoom around Space Mountain at 7 A.M. (A select number of Main Street U.S.A. restaurants are also open, in case you need coffee before stepping aboard Space Mountain at 7:05 A.M., which you probably will.) Magic Mornings are available Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.
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Have fun at California Adventure
The Park Hopper ticket lets you visit both Disneyland and California Adventure. And here's why we love California Adventure: it tends to be less crowded than Disneyland, and it has some of our favorite rides, including the spectacular World of Color show and the new The Little Mermaid-Ariel's Undersea Adventure. Coming next year: Cars Land.

Master the Fastpass
The Fastpass saves you a place in line for the most popular Disneyland and California Adventure attractions. You go to a Fastpass ticket machine-for, say, Splash Mountain-then return at the time marked on the pass. Then you hop on the ride-generally, with very little waiting. One catch is that you can only have book one Fastpass at a time. A second catch is that for some super popular rides (Indiana Jones, we mean you) the entire day's Fastpass times book up early. Another reason to take advantage of that morning visit.

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