Okay, so no one has actually asked me these questions yet.  But these are the questions I asked (or wish I’d asked) before going to Disneyland, and I hope my answers will help others who are planning a family vacation to this classic and timeless resort.

Are my kids too young/too old to enjoy Disneyland?

Personally, I don’t think anyone is too old to enjoy Disneyland.

Too young though…that depends on your situation.  For example, I know Oliver (14 months) won’t remember this trip to Disneyland at all.  Tacy (7 years old) will remember it well, and CJ (4 years old) will remember certain highlights, especially with the aid of pictures and video.

But we’ll remember CJ’s and Oliver’s enjoyment of the trip, their reactions to everything that they saw and did.  As much fun as I know Tacy had at Disneyland, I think CJ’s and Oliver’s experiences were more magical, which made them even more fun for Kyle and me to observe.

So if you’ve got an only child, I’d say wait until they’re three or four, so that they can get the full effect and you can marvel at the experience through their eyes.  But if you’ve got two or more, don’t wait for the youngest to be old enough to remember the trip.

What are the must-ride rides?

I love rides.  I don’t care how kiddie they are, rides at a big park like Disneyland are all awesome.

But I did have a few top favorites that I’d highly recommend.  First, at Disneyland, “It’s a Small World” is non-negotiable.  It’s integral to the Disney experience.  The ride itself, inside and out, is just beautiful, and I love the subtle cultural messages.  Plus, if you’re there on a day like the one when we visited, a nice cool boat ride is just the ticket.

Also at Disneyland, if you have a fan of the Disney Princesses, check out the Disney Princesses Fantasy Faire.  Even if you don’t wait in line to meet and greet the Princesses in person, go around the corner to the merchandise area and spot them as they make their entrances and exits.  CJ waved at them all like she was hailing a cab, and Belle - still in character - greeted her: “Hello!  Have you read any good books lately?”

Over at Disney’s California Adventure, I had to forego the big rides in favor of those the kids could enjoy too.  But I didn’t expect to love Toy Story Mania! as much as I did; I insisted that we ride it twice.  It’s a 3D virtual midway, where you “shoot” targets and a small screen mounted on your car totals up your points.  Absolutely addictive.

My other top favorite at Disney’s California Adventure was Soarin’ Over California.  It’s a simulated hang glider that suspends you over a hemispheric screen with footage of gorgeous parts of California - sail over orange groves (you can smell the oranges!), up the cliffs of Yosemite, skimming the ocean past the surfers, down the ski slopes.  I’ve never been on another ride like it.

What’s FASTPASS?  Does it cost extra?

One area in which I did not adequately do my homework before our trip was FASTPASS.  I thought it was a premium service, so I dismissed it as a nice-to-have.

FASTPASS is basically a virtual line.  At the rides which feature FASTPASS, you can get a ticket that tells you to return to the ride during a certain window of time, and when you do, get in the FASTPASS line instead of the regular line.  This means that you will likely wait somewhere between 5-15 minutes to get on the ride, instead of 45-90 minutes or more.  But it also means that you need to plan out your day, so that when you get a FASTPASS ticket for a particular ride, you can be sure to make it back there during the window.

While FASTPASS is found at rides with height requirements that leave out many younger kids (such as California Screamin’, with a 48″ height requirement), it’s also available at rides with lower height requirements like 40″, which both Tacy and CJ met.  I really could have used FASTPASS when the three of us went on Soarin’ Over California, and it would have allowed Kyle and me to enjoy some of the bigger rides ourselves without splitting up the family for an hour or more while one of us waited in line.

What are the must-see shows?

I have to admit that I’ve never really been one for seeing the shows at amusement parks.  Why sit on bleachers when there are roller coasters waiting to be tamed?  Even when we went on family vacations to Disney World and Disneyland, we stuck to the rides.

But this trip to Disneyland really changed my mind about shows.  I was fairly well blown away by every one we saw.

The newest one, which just debuted the day before we saw it, is Celebrate! A Street Party with costumed street dancers and dancing characters.  High energy, with lots of crowd involvement - it had even Kyle and me dancing and singing along, and we typically only do that at Depeche Mode and Rush concerts.  But even better was how much Tacy and CJ got into the fun, thanks to the engaging performers.  I would absolutely recommend camping out twenty minutes ahead of showtime to get a front row spot for Celebrate!

Also at Disneyland, we were amazed by the theatrics of Fantasmic!, the evening show featuring Mickey Mouse, which takes place just before the fireworks display.  The effects are incredible, in particular the projection of vintage Disney film sequences onto huge sheets of water.

Over at Disney’s California Adventure, we saw the stage production of Aladdin.  It’s a 40-minute show, and all five of us were riveted.  The costumes were beautiful, the animatronics were lifelike, and the actors were talented and entertaining.  I was genuinely impressed.

As an aside, I haven’t taken the kids to any stage shows yet.  I knew Tacy would do well at Aladdin, but I wasn’t sure about CJ - that’s a lot of sitting for a four year old.  But since she knew the story and was able to follow along easily, it was an ideal first stage show for her.

Go see the shows.  They’re absolutely worth the time.

Next up: the logistics and costs associated with a trip to Disneyland.