This thread is for Melissa (bubbaray). I promised her that I would post my Disneyland tips after our trip!
1. We bought our DL tickets and character meal vouchers from Ares Travel. Canadians might have better luck with Flight Centre.
2. If you buy tickets online and get a printable voucher that needs to be exchanged at Disneyland for actual tickets, go to the ticket booths the night before to get your tickets. The lines at the ticket booths were *really* long, and we almost missed our Princess lunch reservations at Ariel's Grotto.
3. Character meal vouchers are totally worth it. We paid $18 for a child's meal (princess lunch/dinner) and $33 for an adult's meal. These vouchers include tax and gratuities. The price of the meals fluctuates depending on high/low season. We ate at Ariel's Grotto on 3/24, and I think the listed price for the meals was $44.60 for adult and $24.77 for children. So we saved a bundle. Plus, DD2 got a free toddler meal since she is under 3. ETA: Sitting inside is *way* better than sitting on the patio.
4. If you get a Disney Visa card for the free stroller rentals, click on the ad in the Disneyland.com site so that you get a $40 credit on your first purchase. And don't forget to bring the card.
5. If you forget to bring the Disney Visa and are kicking yourself because you only brought a Volo, and both kids get tired, send your DH to Target to buy a second Volo.
6. On second thought, forget the Disney Visa and just bring two strollers to Disneyland from the beginning. I debated 1 double vs. 2 single strollers, and 2 singles were the best choice for us--hands-down because of the greater flexibility since DD2 tired out much sooner than DD1.
7. If DD2 is mostly PT'd but gives little warning when she.must.pee, then suck it in and put her back in pull-ups. Much easier, and then there's no anxiety when you've been waiting for fireworks for an hour, are surrounded by people, and DD2 announces she needs to potty.
8. When watching fireworks, some of the "gateways" from the hub to the various lands are roped off a little after 8 pm, which gives you a prime viewing area without having to wait for 2+ hours. We got the best spot at a roped-off gateway between Tomorrowland and the Hub. Could see just about everything, although you probably need to be closer to see the projections on Sleeping Beauty's castle.
9. It's cheaper to buy kid meals for everyone from the counter service restaurants. Toontown has kids' meals with turkey hot dogs that are not bad at all.
10. If your DDs insist on standing in line to see the princesses at the Princess Fantasy Fair (even after you took them to Ariel's Grotto specifically so you wouldn't have to line up for the princesses), send DH to wait in the 1.5-hr line. Then take the girls on board the DL railroad from the nearby Toontown station. By the time you get back, DH will have moved up quite a bit, and you can rejoin him in line.
11. Here's a bonus tip: we *loved* our stay at the Howard Johnson Anaheim. The pirate's cove water play area was fun for the kids, the walk to DL was fairly short, and the rooms were clean and comfy (updated bedding in Bldg. 1's premium view rooms--I think they're working on updating the beds in the other rooms too). The $79 entertainment card rate was the best! However, the rooms were a little noisy from the freeway, and the DL view was partially blocked by trees. I think the new kids' suite rooms will be great (but noisy because they face the highway).
Melissa--any questions?