First DL trip this April! I have some questions...

acishere

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I will be visiting DL & CA for the 1st time on the 17th and 18th which is a Wed/Thurs. What kind of crowds should we expect?

We are also staying about 20 minutes away at a friend's place. During my WDW trips I always felt that taking a break in the afternoon really saved us having meltdowns before dinner. since we have no hotel room nearby to head to, is there anywhere good to kill an hour and relax?

What restaurant should we go out of our way to have dinner?

I know 2 days is not going to be enough to see everything, but no one else really wants to spend more time than that at the parks :(. So its up to me basically to get everything we can out of these two days. What better place to get my planning started than here?
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Expect moderate crowds. You'll still need to hit Cars Land first thing on your DCA day.

Good spots to relax for a bit are Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian, Trader Sam's/Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel, etc. With only 10 hours of park time on each day, if you take a big long break you'll find yourself missing a lot of attractions.

Blue Bayou is the signature joint for dinner at Disneyland. Carthay Circle at DCA is overpriced and not so great. Napa Rose at the Grand is the best restaurant on property.

Hope that helps!
 

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
The crowds shouldn't be too bad, but expect a little bit more on Thursday than Wednesday. Radiator Springs Racers will always be crowded, so get in the line for the FP before the park opens. I always sent the family on Little Mermaid or Monsters, Inc. while I was in the FP line.

For relaxation: the Animation Bldg at DCA might be a good bet. There aren't a ton of places to sit down, but there's a nice darkish lobby, you can watch the projection shows and do the low-key activities like drawing or Crush. There aren't a ton of AC'ed indoor spaces like that at DLR... it's almost like an Epcot pavilion like the Seas or the Land. Also, there's an outdoor seating section at Flo's in Cars Land that runs parallel to the walkway to Pacific Wharf that I never saw crowded. It's shaded and quiet and you can watch the cars go by on Radiator Springs Racers.

You could also try taking in a show... there's whatever-it's-called at the Golden Horseshoe and Aladdin. The Golden Horseshoe show is a little diversion and Aladdin is a destination. Plus, at Aladdin you get the cushy theater seats for a good like 45 mins!
 

Lizzie In Disney

New Member
I know your trip is in a few days, but I want to suggest Animation as well. One of my favorite things to do in DCA was grab a Mickey Ice Cream or pretzel, wander into Animation, and just watch the projections. It was so nice to rest my feet, surrounded by old classic Disney movies and music. It is also air conditioned and there are a few sparse benches. The "When You Wish Upon A Star" sequence is gorgeous. The Aladdin show is also a great suggestion. Enjoy your trip!
 

acishere

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the tips. I already set up having dinner at Napa Rose for Wednesday since I figured my gf deserved a fancy dinner after being dealing with the dirty mess that was Coachella.

For some reason our friends thought day 2 was going to be Universal and really screwed me up for while in planning this. Disney won out so I'm sticking with all of your break suggestions and I'm making sure we hit Radiator Springs nice and early.

For DL I was planning on using a variation of my MK gameplan, but with Indy thrown in after we start off at Space, then head for the other mountains. Hopefully it works.

Also hope the wind is better in Anaheim than it was in Palm Springs. One day of being out and about during a dust storm has been enough for me.
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
It's not looking good for Space Mountain. The Matterhorn was already scheduled to be down this week, but Space Mountain and Soarin' are experiencing unscheduled indefinite closures due to DOSH compliance concerns. I hope they've reopened by your trip, but thought you should know just in case!
 

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