Moments before rope drop at Disneyland Park (all photos by Seth Kubersky)

If you’ve been following us at Touring Plans for a while, you already know the first and most important step on any Disneyland itinerary: arrive at the front gate early (at least 40 minutes before opening during busy seasons) with your tickets in hand.

But what do you do first once you’re through the turnstiles? People have their own traditions for where to head first at the Happiest Place on Earth. Here are five of my favorite ways to kick off my day at Disneyland Park.

Ride The Horse-Drawn Trolley

Most visitors sprint past the antique vehicles that toddle along Main Street USA in search of swifter thrills. But if you are in a rush to ride rides, consider rolling up to the hub aboard the horse-drawn trolley.

Sure, you can probably walk faster than the trolley travels. The real attraction, other than saving a little shoe leather, is the likely presence of the Dapper Dans, who regularly perform their first set of the morning hanging off the sides of the trolley. The Dapper Dans are one of our favorite Disneyland acts any time of day, but sitting in the middle of them on a rolling stage is a unique quadrophonic treat that you can only experience in the a.m.

Get A Cup of Coffee

I’m including this entry in preemptive tribute to my favorite soon-to-be-extinct shop on Main Street USA. The Market House has been a Disneyland staple for generations, know to regulars as the best place to get a cup of coffee inside the park. Brewing their own tasty bean blend, rather than the awful Nescafé served (until recently) in most Disney eateries, the Market House even offered a rare Disneyland freebie: unlimited same-day coffee refills with your receipt, a caffeine junkie’s dream come true.

Sadly, the Market House, along with the collectibles shop adjoining it, will shortly be shuttered and gutted to make way for a Starbucks franchise, similar to the one found on DCA’s Buena Vista Street. When it re-opens later this year, you’ll still be able to get a cup of (overpriced, over-roasted) java, along with quick-service snacks, but don’t expect any free refills.

Greet Some Characters

As soon as you enter Disneyland, you are likely to run into a menagerie of oversized cartoon creatures roaming around Main Street’s town square. If you are lucky, you may be able to simply walk up to the costumed characters and snap some puctures without much hassle.

On the other hand, you may face substantial queues for these early a.m. encounters during busy periods. If lines are long but your kids are itching to meet Mickey, take the first railroad train of the day to the Toontown Station, where you’ll find the Big Cheese in his elaborately designed house and “movie barn.”

Rope Drop Rush to Peter Pan

Ok, so the real reason you got the kids up early wasn’t to stop and smell the roses around the Partners statue; you want to be the first one in line for your favorite rides. Our premium Touring Plans are time-tested to help you experience the most popular attractions, and our Lines app can help you customized the most efficient path to your personalized picks.

The mountains (Space, Splash, Big Thunder) are primary destinations for many, but my first stop when I want to hit the park’s highlights in a Peter Pan’s Flight. If you position yourself along the rope to the left or right of the Partners statue, and walk briskly (don’t run!) across the drawbridge when the rope is drop, you can be among the first few guests of the day flying off to Neverland. Pan is Fantasyland’s most popular dark ride among all ages, but it has a low capacity and doesn’t offer FastPass, so your momentary wait at rope drop will become a half hour or more within minutes of opening.

From there, I like to ride Mr. Toad or Alice in Wonderland, use the single-rider line for Matterhorn Bobsleds, and collect my first FastPass of the day at Space Mountain or Star Tours while while waiting standby the other. Attractions on the west side of the park either offer single rider (Indiana Jones Adventure, Splash Mountain) or have high capacities (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean) so I usually save Adventureland and Frontierland for later in the day.

First Stop, Fantasy Faire

If you are a) visiting Disneyland this spring, and b) bringing a female child under the age of 15, you’re going to want to put the park’s newest addition at the top of your priority list. The Fantasy Faire, which overtook the placid Carnation Plaza Gardens adjacent to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, includes a storytelling stage show, snack vending, and some animatronic surprises. But the headliner attraction is the Royal Hall, home to Disney’s insanely popular, paparazzi-posing, autograph-signing princesses.

Fantasy Faire opened on March 12 (with Annual Passholders previews offered the prior week), and we can safely predict it will quickly become one of the park’s top draws. The former Princess Royal Walk, relocated last summer to the small world mall due to the Fantasyland Theatre’s renovation, regularly received some of the longest wait times in the park, as does Tinker Bell’s Pixie Hollow meet & greet. So if your kid (or you) wants to meet Fantasyland royalty without wasting hours in line, you’ll want to line up along the left side of the hub and hustle straight towards the the garishly colored awnings upon rope drop.

5 Ways to Start Your Day In Disneyland Park is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Photo copyright Disney

The brand-new Fantasy Faire at Disneyland Park doesn’t open to the public until tomorrow (March 12), but annual Passholders like our own Guy Selga Jr. have already been inside the princess-centric expansion adjacent to Sleeping Beauty Castle.

If you’re a Passholder who can’t get enough of Fantasy Faire, a free presentation and panel discussion will be held on Thursday, March 14, in Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House. Show Director Christopher Utley and Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Director Michel den Dulk will share “fascinating” details on the new mini-land’s design and construction, and answer audience questions.

Registration for Thursday’s 6pm show begins that morning at 11:30am at the Opera House, and must be done in person by all participating Passholders. Space is limited, so arrive early to register if you’re intent on attending.

“Making of Fantasy Faire” Presentation for Disneyland Passholders on March 14 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

All photos copyright Disney

Construction is nearing completion on Disneyland Park’s new Fantasy Faire, the princess meet & greet complex that is replacing the classic Carnation Plaza Gardens. The new area, which controversially extends Fantasyland’s theming into the central hub for the first time, officially opens to the public on March 12.

If you are an annual Passholder, you can get a sneak peek of this expansion on March 7, 8, 9. The preview events will be held between noon and 6pm on those three days, with Passholders limited to designated two-hour entry windows.

Passholders wishing to attend must register in person on the day of the event, beginning at 10:30am in Fronteirland. For more details, see Disney’s official instructions here.

Annual Passholder Previews for Disneyland’s Fantasy Faire This Week is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

All images copyright Disney

Disneyland recently released new details about its Fantasy Faire project, confirming that the former Carnation Plaza Gardens will reopen to guests on March 12, 2013.

The stage once used for swing dancing has been radically refurbished, with new surrounding facades giving the entire area to the side of Sleeping Beauty Castle a Fantasyland feel. Now known as “The Royal Theater,” the performance space will host a rotating pair of interactive shows.

Both productions feature Renaissance Faire-style actors (Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones) helping the audience act out the story of Beauty and the Beast or Tangled. These participatory shows sound suspiciously similar to the interactive Enchanted Tales With Belle attraction found at Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland in Florida.

In addition to the shows, the Fantasy Faire will feature a Royal Hall where guests can meet & greet a trio of princesses, including Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Unlike similar attractions in WDW, Disneyland’s version is not scheduled to utilize FASTPASS.

Finally, a few new pieces of concept art are available for Mickey and the Magical Map, the musical stage show opening in the Fatasyland Theatre later this summer.

Disneyland Fantasy Faire to Open March 12 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.