We’re huge Disney fans, and are often asked for ideas of how to make a visit to the Parks even more special. There are quite a few ways to make your Disney experience more unique and memorable. Here are some ideas we came up with to share:

Free Pins
Pick up your free pins such as “I’m Celebrating”, “Birthday”, “1st Visit”, “Anniversary”, etc… from City Hall, when you enter Disneyland. You may also pick them up at the Guest Relations office at the entrance to California Adventure. You’d be surprised how attentive the Cast Members are to guests wearing the pins, with greetings throughout the visit.

Character Dining
Get lots of face-time with characters, including many photo opps by eating at one of the Character meals at the Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian, Disneyland, or California Adventure.

Search For Hidden Mickeys
Buy a Hidden Mickey book at one of the gift shops at the entrance to Disneyland and search for Hidden Mickey’s throughout the Parks. This is a lot of fun, and a great thing to do with the entire family. Once you start, you’re hooked!

Signature, Please!
Buy an Autograph Book, or bring your own, and have characters sign it during your visit.

Visit Downtown Disney
Be sure to take a walk around Downtown Disney. Visit the shops and restaurants, listen to music by one of the live performers (from our experience they mostly perform at night), sit, relax and take in the moment.

Pin Trading
Trade pins that you’ve purchased with pins belonging to Cast Members or visitors wishing to trade. Pins are available for purchase throughout the Resort. These are different pins than the ones that are free from Town Hall. Many times we see people trading near the bakery inside Disneyland, but if you see a Cast Member with a pin you’d like, stop them anywhere and ask to trade.

Pressed Coins
Collect pressed coins from around the Parks. You can pick up a free map showing where you can find the coin pressing machines from Town Hall, inside Disneyland.

Eat One Special Meal
Eat one special meal within the Parks, such as at the Blue Bayou. Here you can watch the boats of Pirates of the Caribbean float by the restaurant as you dine.

Get A Photo Pass
Have Park photographers take photos of your family, which they’ll put on a free Disney Photo Pass. Each time you have a Park photographer snap your shot, hand them the Photo Pass to add the photos on for you. You can view them for up to 30 days from the time they were taken, purchase the ones you’re interested in, or buy nothing at all. Sometimes it’s hard to get all of the family in the same shots on your own, but it’s easy to have a Disney photographer do so, and add to a Photo Pass.

Special Tours
Take a special tour, such as Walk in Walt’s Footsteps. This is one thing that we have yet to do, but have heard great things about. Sounds super fun!

Jump On Board the Main Street Vehicles
Take a ride on the double decker bus, horse drawn carriage, and old car at Disneyland. You can hop on one of these modes of transportation from either Main Street, or in front of the Disneyland Castle for a one-way trip. We’ve often taken one after the other for a fun and memorable experience just as we enter the Park. You can now also take a ride on the trolley inside California Adventure. The trolley is also a one-way trip, so ask the attendant the details prior to boarding. Super fun!

Get A FASTPASS®
Whenever possible, get a free FASTPASS® for each member of your party, for each ride you’d like to go on. The FASTPASS® kiosks are located near the rides and will give you a return time for you to get on the ride. You could potentially save yourself a lot of time by using the FASTPASS® option.

Take It All In
Find a comfortable spot, buy a treat, sit, and take in the atmosphere. Part of what makes Disney so special are the little things, like the music, the smell of freshly popped popcorn, and beautiful decor. Be sure to take some time to simply sit and enjoy your surroundings.

These are some of the things that we thought of that can make your trip to Disney even more special. What ideas do you have to enhance a trip to The Happiest Place On Earth? Perhaps we’ll see you there!