First Time DLR need dining and touring advice!

[PrincessPooh]

We are DVC members from NY and travel to WDW several times a year, and have done HHI and VBR. This is our first ever trip to DLR and our first cross-country trip with the kids (3 girls=9, 5, 18 mos)....

We are travelling to DLR Feb 16-23 and DVC Grand Californian villas. I only expect to tour DLR for 3 days, maybe 4 and use the other days to tour around LA/Hollywood, and enjoy the resort. We are also going to spend 2 days in SoCal, San Diego, and the end of the trip.

So, I need advice on dining mostly....is there a dining plan like there is a WDW? Do I stand a chance at reservations for characters meals if we haven't reserved already? Which meals to book?

Is a 3 day park hopper enough time to see both parks, comfortably? I'm not interested in getting completely park commando with 3 kids in tow! What are the major attractions different than WDW that are a must see?

Any other info and tips is greatly appreciated! Thanks all ºoº

 

[Californian Elitist]

Hello! I hope your SoCal trip will be a fun one!

Don't even worry about dining at Disneyland. Don't even think about buying the so-called "plan". It's nothing like WDW's. The quick service restaurants at the Disneyland Resort are really good, and getting a table at a table service restaurant is simple. You don't even have to make reservations.. I just went to Disneyland yesterday with my friend, and last minute, we decided to eat at a character dining spot. We went right up to the host and he was able to seat us in less than an hour. It's really that simple. No making reservations 6 months out, no having to rush to a restaurant. That goes out the window at the Disneyland Resort.

As far as character meals go, you've got a few choices. There's Ariel's Grotto, the Plaza Inn breakfast, Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel and a character breakfast at the Paradise Pier Hotel. I've heard great reviews from all of them, but since you have three girls, I'd recommend really Ariel's Grotto, due to the princesses.

Ariel's Grotto:

Plaza Inn Character Breakfast:

Goofy's Kitchen:

Downtown Disney is right next to the two parks, and you don't need reservations for those restaurants. Let me know if you need the names of the table restaurants at the resort.


Normally I'd recommend five days to see everything, but since you're planning on seeing other places, which is great, three days are fine. Make sure you get park hopper tickets. The parks are only 100 yards away from each other. Starting from the back of Disneyland, you can be at the other park, California Adventure, in five to ten minutes. That's how close you are. If you start from Disneyland's entrance, you can be at California Adventure's gates in just a few seconds. I HIGHLY recommend getting park hopper tickets.

As far as attractions go, I'd say pick as you go. I would recommend a few, though.

Alice in Wonderland dark ride. Disneyland is the only Disney park with an Alice in Wonderland ride.

I'd also recommend Pinocchio, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Storybook Land Canal Boats and the Casey Jr. Circus Train. All four do not exist at WDW.

Mr. Toad:

Storybook Land Boat Canals:

Casey Jr. Circus Train:

 

[Californian Elitist]

Continued

I'd also say Indiana Jones, Toontown, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Autopia, New Orleans Square and Cars Land as must do's. Overall, just take your time and do the attractions you want to do!

As far as entertainment goes, Disneyland has great choices. I'd HIGHLY recommend seeing the Aladdin show at California Adventure. It's a FANTASTIC show. You can't skip World of Color or Fantasmic! at Disneyland, the new Soundsational Parade and Disneyland's firework show. You're going to be seeing Remember... Dreams Come True during your stay. In my opinion, Remember... Dreams Come True is the best firework show Disneyland has ever come out with. You're in for a treat!

I'd recommend seeing the second showing of World of Color, and get there early for Fantasmic!. The show does not have its own stadium, like WDW has. The show is on the Rivers of America, and the guests stand. If you get there early enough, you can grab a spot in the front and sit. Just a warning, people grab spots up to four hours before the show starts. You can also get the Fantasmic! dining package, where there are seats available. Tickets are $60.

Disneyland's Fantasmic! setting:

You can't miss World of Color and Cars Land. You just can't. Let me know if you have more questions!

 

[croboy82]

World of Color will make the whole trip worth alone trust me!

If you decide to watch Fantasmic and there are two shows, just get there right before the first show ends and as soon as the people leave you can get a great spot I've been there in a not too busy week and was able to get always good spots very easily though.

Don't miss out on Cars Land! You need to get Fast Passes though so first thing in morning go to DCA and grab the fast passes (you will easily see where to wait). After that you have enough time to visit other fun attractions in DCA.

And yes, watch Aladdin! It's only about 45 minutes long but truly wonderful.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

World of Color will make the whole trip worth alone trust me!

If you decide to watch Fantasmic and there are two shows, just get there right before the first show ends and as soon as the people leave you can get a great spot I've been there in a not too busy week and was able to get always good spots very easily though.

Don't miss out on Cars Land! You need to get Fast Passes though so first thing in morning go to DCA and grab the fast passes (you will easily see where to wait). After that you have enough time to visit other fun attractions in DCA.

And yes, watch Aladdin! It's only about 45 minutes long but truly wonderful.

There's already a lot of great advice in this thread; I just want to throw out some quick bullet points that are on top of my head right now:

1. Hollywood is a dump. I wouldn't recommend going except on some type of set tour (like maybe the former Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held). Then if you're going to be in the area, the Disney-owned El Capitan Theater and Soda Shoppe are worth checking out. Not worth a special trip, but they're a nice add-on. Just don't go out there expecting to walk around and soak up the "ambience"; that's not ambience you're stepping in.

2. World of Color is awesome! They start loading the Fastpass viewing area an hour before the show; I totally recommend bringing some counter service food and getting there right when the viewing area opens, grabbing a spot on the railing right down in front and hanging out 'til show time.

3. Yes, Aladdin is awesome, too. It's easy to skip because it doesn't get advertised at all or talked about too much or there aren't a ton of showtimes, but it's worth planning your day around. I myself had been to DLR a total of 4 weeks over 3 trips before I actually made myself go see it, now I wish I had done it sooner!

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Is Fantasmic at DL the same as WDW?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Is Fantasmic at DL the same as WDW?

No, not at all. The overall story is the same, but other than that... There are some differences.

 

[PrincessPooh]

Raven, you are a wonderful wealth of knowledge! Thank you so much! This is exactly the info I was looking for! Cosmic, thank you also, I definietely don't know what to expect of LA/Hollywood. Keep in mind, we live in the suburbs of Manhattan, so I can somewhat imagine what the LA/Hollywood area has to offer. Nonetheless, my oldest daughter insists that she "MUST" see the Hollywood sign and I would like to go to Kodak theatre or the chinese theatre. Adventures by Disney has a one day LA tour, but its $200 per person and I feel like that's pretty steep.

What are the nearest beaches to Anaheim? Any advise on driving to San Diego for the day, to the zoo maybe?

 

[Californian Elitist]

I agree, $200 is a lot of money. Will you be renting a car? If you will be, swell. You can tour around LA on your own and not pay all that money. I think you're on the right track with Hollywood. The Chinese and Kodak Theaters are great choices to check out, and they're right there with the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Might I suggest The El Capitan Theatre that sits right across the street? It plays solely Disney movies in one, large theater. If there are no new Disney movies, they play old ones. For example, Peter Pan will be playing in the theater from January 11th-February 6th. Your dates are February 16th through the 23rd, and Mulan will be playing during that time, along with Lady and the Tramp screenings at 7 pm from February 14th through the 18th. I will post a link to their website, just in case you want to participate.

http://elcapitan.go.com/

Right next door to the theater is the Disney Soda Fountain, which sells ice cream and lunch/dinner. Very fun for kids.

El Capitan and Disney Soda Fountain:

Inside the theater:

I'd also like to suggest going to The Grove. It's an outdoor shopping center. I'd also make a quick stop to Farmer's Market, which is attached to The Grove. Lots of yummy food at Farmer's Market! I always enjoy myself at those two places.

The Grove:

Farmer's Market:

Huntington Beach and Newport Beach aren't too far away from Anaheim. Laguna Beach isn't too far, either.

Huntington Beach:

Newport:

Laguna:

Lots of people drive to San Diego from Anaheim. It's not a short drive. About 90-120 minutes. The San Diego Zoo is very nice. San Diego itself is very nice, and there are some beautiful beaches there.

Let me know if you'd like more advice on what to do in Los Angeles. I'm a native, so I don't mind helping.

 

[danlb_2000]

There's already a lot of great advice in this thread; I just want to throw out some quick bullet points that are on top of my head right now:

1. Hollywood is a dump. I wouldn't recommend going except on some type of set tour (like maybe the former Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held). Then if you're going to be in the area, the Disney-owned El Capitan Theater and Soda Shoppe are worth checking out. Not worth a special trip, but they're a nice add-on. Just don't go out there expecting to walk around and soak up the "ambience"; that's not ambience you're stepping in.

I have to agree with this, I was shocked how much of a dump that area around Grauman's Chines theater is. We did the Dolby Theater (what the Kodak theater is now called) tour which was very cool, especially if you are into the Oscars.

 

[Chriscampbell]

This information was rather interesting, I'm coming from Scotland over Christmas and New Year, staying in Hyatt Regency OC and have never been to DL or that side of America, proper tourist mode. Thanks for the information anything else you would suggest doing, thinking of doing a few tours around LA and stuff and Universal and Seaworld down in San Diego.

Again thanks for some interesting information

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Raven, you are a wonderful wealth of knowledge! Thank you so much! This is exactly the info I was looking for! Cosmic, thank you also, I definietely don't know what to expect of LA/Hollywood. Keep in mind, we live in the suburbs of Manhattan, so I can somewhat imagine what the LA/Hollywood area has to offer. Nonetheless, my oldest daughter insists that she "MUST" see the Hollywood sign and I would like to go to Kodak theatre or the chinese theatre. Adventures by Disney has a one day LA tour, but its $200 per person and I feel like that's pretty steep.

What are the nearest beaches to Anaheim? Any advise on driving to San Diego for the day, to the zoo maybe?

I've heard good things about the Dolby Theater tour; not sure what kind of tours Grauman's has. When we went in 2007, I'm not sure what we were expecting to happen, but we just kinda walked around and it just wasn't that great. There's a mall attached to the Dolby theater; this is where you see the Hollywood sign from Hollywood. Somewhat ironically, the view of the sign is not the greatest from here... it's way off in the hills. If your daughter has her heart set on seeing the sign, but you don't really want to do anything else in Hollywood, I'd suggest going to the Griffith Park Observatory. Here's the view from Hollywood:

The mall has this multi-level viewing catwalk in the middle of it:

The sign is actually a bit far away:

If you have any interest in doing a dolphin/whale watching trip, I had a really good experience this past November with Captain Dave's. They're in Orange County, so it's not too far from Disneyland. They have underwater viewing areas so you can literally be right next to the dolphins.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Oh, and if you do go to Hollywood, you should watch the documentary "Confessions of a Superhero". It's about some of the "characters" (in multiple meanings of the word!) that walk around near the Chinese Theater. It's on Netflix streaming.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I personally love Hollywood, but I'm a native, so I guess my opinion doesn't really count. @Cosmic Commando One of my teachers told me to watch that documentary but I never got to it. I'm glad it's on Netflix!

 

[PrincessPooh]

I'm loving all this info!! Thanks so much!

Here is the loose itinerary I put together today....feel free to comment:

We are staying in the DVC Grand Californian Villas 2/16/13-2/23/13 (although we dont' arrive until very, very late on 2/16, it's more like starting on 2/17). We were unable to add on 2 additional nights to our DVC villa so we are spending 2/23 & 2/24 at Paradise Pier hotel.

Sunday: resort fun/relax/downtown disney or dinner at Napa Rose
Monday: San Diego Zoo/San Diego area
Tuesday: Disneyland or DCA
Wednesday: LA/Hollywood touring day
Thursday: Disneyland or DCA
Friday: resort fun/relaxing/tour Santa Monica pier or one of the nearby beaches (character breakfast at Storytellers cafe)
Saturday: Disneyland or DCA
Sunday: Disneyland or DCA (charachter breakfast at PCH grill)
-->departing early Monday morning for home

I also want to try to fit in Goofys kitchen and/or Ariels grotto for dining on property. What are the other favorite counter service and full service restaurants on property?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Your schedule looks pretty good!

The Plaza Inn is a great counter service spot, and it's one of my favorites. It used to be called the Red Wagon Inn, and it was Walt Disney's favorite place to eat in the park! They have the best fried chicken.

I also very much enjoy Hungry Bear. Their food is tasty and the setting is really peaceful and nice.

French Market and Cafe Orleans are both great.

French Market:

Cafe Orleans:

Flo's in Cars Land at California Adventure is a must.

Flo's:

Table Services.

Blue Bayou has great ambiance, but it's pricey. It's in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Carnation Cafe is also great.

Carnation:

The new Carthay Circle Restaurant just opened up at California Adventure. It's got a Snow White/young Walt Disney theme.

Carthay Circle Restaurant:

The Downtown Disney restaurants are good choices, too.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I also want to try to fit in Goofys kitchen and/or Ariels grotto for dining on property. What are the other favorite counter service and full service restaurants on property?

All of what @raven24 said, plus Earl of Sandwich is open in Downtown Disney now if you like the one at WDW. DtD also has Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen and House of Blues. I haven't been to them, but the people from the Mousetalgia podcast like them both, so that's a good endorsement. If you want to listen to get excited and get some tips for your trip, Mousetalgia is definitely the best DL podcast, btw. If you end up at the Disneyland Hotel (just a short monorail ride or walk away from DL), Tangaroa Terrace is a good place for food and Trader Sam's is a good place if you need an adult beverage.

Here's my take on some of the rides that DL and WDW both have:

Buzz- Totally better at DL. You can pick up the guns (I think it's much easier to aim then), the targets have shapes relating to their point value, targets light up and they're worth more. I'm "meh" on the one at WDW, but I could ride the one at DL all day.

Indy- Like Dinosaur, but with stuff to look at!

Pirates- Much longer at DL, and more pirates=better.

Mansion- A little better at WDW. Although, if you don't like the digital hitchhiking ghosts, they still have the originals at DL. And I like how at DL, you enter through the front door of the house instead of the weird basement side entrance at the WDW Mansion.

Pooh- The only dark ride that I'd say is worse than its WDW counterpart. They just didn't have the space to match the WDW version. The scenes are all shorter and the effects with the ride vehicle (swaying in the flood and bouncing with Tigger) are missing.

Splash- Almost like a different ride at DL because the animatronics are mostly reused from a show call America Sings. WDW's does a much better job of communicating the story, but you're more likely to see the stuff in DL's Splash working. I don't know how to grade this one.

Space- The track was completely torn out and a brand new coaster put in its place at DL. It is a modern, smooth coaster. I love it.

Tower- No 5th dimension and no random drop sequences. A shadow of the WDW version.

Soarin'- DCA has better air filtration in the projector rooms, so you're less likely to see dust on the film and there's not the crazy standby lines that WDW's normally has.