HELP. I'm going to DLR!!! :)

Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So, I am traveling to DLR in Cali with my hubby and three kids (4, 6 and 11) in July. Hubs and I haven't been since 2001. We are WDW vets and DVC owners. We will be staying in San Francisco visiting family for a week and then going to DLR for 4 days. We will be staying on site at GCR.

ANY advice, dining suggestions, tips, secrets, things I MUST see/do? I appreciate your help. I am beyond excited to go. I will miss WDW but I am excited for this new adventure. My kids are stoked to go to Carsland!!!! Plus if anyone could get me into Club 33, i'd love you forever. hahaha.:)
 
Kingdom Konsultant

Kingdom Konsultant

WDWMAGIC Board Sponsor
Premium Member
WDWMAGIC Sponsor
I love the Grand Californian!! We had a great room last time we stayed there that overlooked downtown disney and we caught some of the fireworks at night also.
For dining I will give you a few of my favorites. Blue Bayou, Steakhouse 55 and Napa Rose are all great restaurants that I highly recommend.

There's also a back entrance into California Adventure from your hotel that puts you in close proximity to Cars Land. And my daughters favorite thing was that we were close to the Jamba Juice in downtown Disney too. LOL

In California Adventure

Don't miss World of Color. It's phenomenal!! I absolutely loved it. California Screamin is an excellent coaster if you like coasters. I love my favorite Soarin also.
Cars land was so much fun. I loved all the rides there. Oh and make sure that you go see Aladdin, it was a fantastic show!!!
The Monsters Inc ride was cute too.

In Disneyland

I love the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean their It's a Small World rides are all great to do since they are a bit different than their WDW counterparts. The Indiana Jones ride is awesome also. I wasn't crazy about the Finding Nemo submarine ride. It made me feel claustrophobic and it was beyond uncomfortable.

I hope you have a fantastic time!!

Enjoy!!

Pam
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Disneykidder said:
ANY advice, dining suggestions, tips, secrets, things I MUST see/do? I appreciate your help.
Click to expand...

The best advice you can get here is found in the dedicated thread already here, the "Guide To DLR For WDW Veterans".

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/guide-to-dlr-for-wdw-veterans.875596/page-8#post-6295288

I bet 98% of your questions will be answered there, and you'll get a much better perspective on what to expect and what to focus on when you get there. Enjoy!
 
RMichael21

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
I went in July of this year. It's actually a great time to go because all of the AP block outs. Here's my must-dos:

  • Indiana Jones Adventure
  • Space Mountain
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Splash Mountain
  • Peter Pan's Flight
  • Pinocchio's Daring Journey
  • Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Haunted Mansion
  • Radiator Springs Racers
  • California Screamin'
  • Grizzly River Run

Also, depending on when you go in July, you may be able to be there for the 60th in mid-july. It's going to be VERY crowded for that, so avoid DL park on that day if you go that time.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
Disneykidder said:
So, I am traveling to DLR in Cali with my hubby and three kids (4, 6 and 11) in July. Hubs and I haven't been since 2001. We are WDW vets and DVC owners. We will be staying in San Francisco visiting family for a week and then going to DLR for 4 days. We will be staying on site at GCR.

ANY advice, dining suggestions, tips, secrets, things I MUST see/do? I appreciate your help. I am beyond excited to go. I will miss WDW but I am excited for this new adventure. My kids are stoked to go to Carsland!!!! Plus if anyone could get me into Club 33, i'd love you forever. hahaha.:)
Click to expand...
If your kids like character dining, then I recommend the Plaza breakfast. You will meet over 10 characters and many that you will not see in WDW. We've done it three summers in a row and enjoyed it each time. Take advantage of the 7 am extra magic hour!
 
Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What characters are at the Plaza Breakfast? Sounds great. I was also told Storytellers for breakfast is awesome. We prefer dinner reservations (heard Blue Bayou is awesome for dinner??) but will def look into those. Do we have to make the reservations 180 days out like WDW? Don't shoot the newbie but there are only cards, right? no magicbands?
 
RMichael21

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
Disneykidder said:
What characters are at the Plaza Breakfast? Sounds great. I was also told Storytellers for breakfast is awesome. We prefer dinner reservations (heard Blue Bayou is awesome for dinner??) but will def look into those. Do we have to make the reservations 180 days out like WDW? Don't shoot the newbie but there are only cards, right? no magicbands?
Click to expand...
No, if you search in this sub-section of WDWMagic, you'll find a thread of Blue Bayou Lunch Vs. Dinner. Read that. IMO, Blue Bayou for dinner is over-priced and the food is so-so. Better price for lunch and the only reason why I would go there is for the atmosphere.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Disneykidder said:
What characters are at the Plaza Breakfast? Sounds great. I was also told Storytellers for breakfast is awesome. We prefer dinner reservations (heard Blue Bayou is awesome for dinner??) but will def look into those. Do we have to make the reservations 180 days out like WDW? Don't shoot the newbie but there are only cards, right? no magicbands?
Click to expand...

DL folk rarely, if ever, make reservations. You can make them starting 60 days before.
 
coachwnh

coachwnh

Well-Known Member
Disneykidder said:
What characters are at the Plaza Breakfast? Sounds great. I was also told Storytellers for breakfast is awesome. We prefer dinner reservations (heard Blue Bayou is awesome for dinner??) but will def look into those. Do we have to make the reservations 180 days out like WDW? Don't shoot the newbie but there are only cards, right? no magicbands?
Click to expand...
We were disappointed in Storytellers. Limited characters compared to the Plaza. Id go back to Goofy's Kitchen at The DL Hotel before Strytellers. We met at least 10 characters there too! As far as who we met at the Plaza, it varies. But we have met Pinocchio, Geppetto, Chip and Dale, Fairy Godmother, Hook and Smee, Eeyore, Pooh, Tigger, Foulfellow and Gideon, the mice from Cinderella (perla a maybe, not sure of the other name), and Minnie to name a few. There were others. When we were asking who else was there on our first trip (we were amazed at how many we had met), the CM whispered and asked us "who would you like to meet?" Its a fun breakfast.

At Goofy's Kitchen we also met a few face characters. I remember Aladdin for sure. Ill have to check out my old pictures later. But many of the same from the Plaza too.

EDIT: Just checked out my other laptop. Also met Alice, Baloo, and Rafiki at Goofy's Kitchen.

Storytellers was just Chip and Dale and two characters from Brother Bear.
 
Last edited:
Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wow, that's a lot of characters and some not so common ones, too. We will def. have to eat at Storytellers or Goofy's Kitchen. I have heard great things about both. Maybe Blur Bayou for lunch ( I read the thread), Goofy's Kichen for breakfast, Cozy Cone things (look scrumptious) and the Plaza for lunch. YUMMY!!!

Any fun events or activities?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom