Questions about DL and California

[happymom52003]

I am so excited about our DL trip, but I have so many questions! Here are a few...and help would be greatly appreciated!

Are there any good websites that have info on DL? I use this one and allears for WDW info, but would like more info on DL. Also, any good guide books out there on DL? I use the Unofficial Guide to WDW and Passporter for my WDW planning. Also would love suggestions on California guidebooks, as we will be visiting other places as well.

We really would like to stay at one of the Disney hotels. Of the three, which has the easiest access to DL? We have little ones who need to come back to the hotel to nap in the afternoon, so we would like easy access.

How does the crowd level at DL compare to WDW in the month of June? Is is just as important to get to the parks early to avoid long lines at DL as it is at WDW?

What is the weather like in June? How hot does it get compared to Florida? I've never been to California during the summer so I have no idea.

Can you suggest any good character meals and other table service restaurants that are good for kids (ages 3 and 6)?

We are planning on spending at least a couple of weeks in California.....we really do not have a time limit. We will be flying in and renting a car. We would like to take our time traveling up the coast (or down...we have not decided where to start from yet), and will probably go to Yosemite as well, and we want to go to the San Francisco area too. We would also really like to spend a couple of days at a nice beach that is good for kids. We like resort type places that are on the beach. Any suggestions? I have alot of planning to do and would love any help ya'll could give me. I need to decide where to start out....norhtern CA or Southern CA? (we plan on flying home from a different city than we fly into....so this will be a one way trip either up or down the coast), and what route to take, what cities to visit and spend the night in, where to fly in to and home from, etc...It will be just me, my DH and our kids, so all activities and places we visit need to be appropiate for small kids.
This is a very special trip for us, so our budget is not a huge concern, to an extent of course. We want to stay at nice places, but nothing "fancy".
Any help would be greatly apprciated!

 

[mouselvrmom]

I don't have a lot of answers for you, but I am planning a trip, so I can offer you what I have done as far as planning.

You had asked about guidebooks. I usually get the passporter every year, I don't know why I just like writing things in the yellow section, so I have the binder that I just refill each year. So I did get the Disneyland edition of that. It does have a lot of info on other Southern California attractions as well. I found it helpful. Mainly for internet, I just go here and on allears, which does have a small disneyland area, and on the disneyland site-mainly for the calendar.

As far as meals go, we just booked our meals for our stay. I ended up doing six. They were the ones that I really wanted to make sure we got. We are trying the Blue Bayou for lunch based on everyone saying the Monte Cristo is terrific. We are also trying each of the character meals, the only one we have been to so far is Ariel's Grotto, but the kids really liked that one last time so we will do it again. Also, there is Goofy at Goofy's kitchen, Chip and Dale at Storytellers Cafe, Lilo and Stitch at the PCH Grill, Minnie at the Plaza Inn. I think that's it. I can always let you know how these meals go after our trip.

Oh, we're also staying at the Disneyland Hotel and we have young children. So I'll let you know how that went as far as access and getting back and forth during the day, but it looks like it is going to be fine. It is a lot smaller the WDW.

 

[svickersart]

Grand Californain is the Hotel that is closest to the parks with its own entrance into California Adventure and a short walk to Disneyland either up downtown Disney or through CA.

Minnie and Friends breakfast on Mainstreet at the Plaza Inn is great, so is Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel, I have only done dinner at Goofy's kitchen but have heard the breakfast is just as good. And the Lilo and Stitch breakfast at PCH grill in Paradise Pier hotel is great also.

If your goiing to drive the coast go for highway one, its right along the ocean.

For your beach go to Santa Cruz, they have beach and amusement park boardwalk, very nice area but water is cold. I have heard Seal Bech in S Cal is nice but never been there myself but Santa Cruz is a great place to visit, you can go from beach to redwoods in less than an hour. Lots to do in the area, do a web search on Santa Cruz and try Santa Cruz redwoods. Theres tons of hotels and motels in the area, also Monterey and the aquarium is not far away.

In the bay area SF zoo, Exploritorium, Golden gate park, Palace of fine arts and fishermans warf/pier 39 and take a drive over the golden gate bridge.

For your lodging try hotels.com or cheaptickets.com or if you have AAA book with them and they have the best tourbook, it lists everything.

Weather in june in S cal, hot, not as humid as Florida usually but it can get humid but hot. Use sunscreen and drink water. Weather in the bay area can be cold even in the summer, Mark Twain was right. Get to the parks at opening and hit the big stuff first, break in the afternoon and back at night. Disneyland stays open later than WDW in my experience, often to 11 or 12 during the summer and definetly on weekends. We have much more local guests than WDW. It will be a bit crowdede but I have been there end of june the last two years and didnt find it too bad and oen year they were premiering POTC dead mans chest at the park and I still didnt think it was that bad.

 

[hoppypooh]

Sites: www.mouseplanet.com or www.micechat.com

Character Meals:

- Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel - brunch and dinner buffets - usual characters include Goofy, Max, Donald, Pluto, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins and the occaisional princess or other furry character.
- Minnie's Breakfast at the Plaza Inn - Main St. USA Disneyland - brunch buffet - usual characters include Minnie, the Pooh gang, Chip/Dale, Capt. Hook & Fairy Godmother
- Ariel's Grotto, California Adventure - lunch & dinner - set menu/choose 1 appetizer, entree, dessert - Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Mulan

These are my 3 faves. Of course, they are expensive and the food quality is so-so. The buffets have good selection (and kidlet friendly choices) but the food at Ariels is hit and miss. Basically you'll get the same interaction at all of these places (same as WDW) they tour the room pausing at each table in turn for pics/autographs. There is some spontaneous interaction.

Non character choices: I like Taste Pilot's Grill at California Adventure (burgers, ribs & such) Redd Rockets in Tomorrowland (pasta/salads/pizza - HUGE portions, easily shared) Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street for baked goods, sandwiches, Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland (Mexican) and the French Market in New Orleans Square for fried chicken and Dixieland bands.
And don't forget to get your Dole Whip at the Tiki Room! :sohappy:

 

[Nicole220]

Grand Californian is the closest hotel and the best one to stay at if you want to be on property.

Crowds are okay in June. Nothing too crowded quite yet. Make sure you get there at opening. The park is empty for the first 2 hours or so.

The weather in June is described as "June Gloom." It's overcast, cloudy, temps in the 70s-80s. It hardly ever gets humid here. When the sun does come out, it gets very hot. But those temps don't usually start till July.

The best and most popular character meal is Goofy's Kitchen. I'd definitely look into that.

hoppypooh listed my favorite table meals at the Resort. Stick with those and you shouldn't be disappointed.

 

[happymom52003]

Thanks so much for all the great info!
What about the parades at DL....do you have to stake out a good seat early like you do in WDW?

 

[Nicole220]

Thanks so much for all the great info!
What about the parades at DL....do you have to stake out a good seat early like you do in WDW?

Yes.

For Parade of Dreams, you should get there 45 minutes to an hour early to get a front row seat, and 30ish minutes to get a good seat along Main Street.

For Fantasmic and Remember, you need to get there 1 and a half to 2 hours early to get a good seat.

All of this depends on the crowd level. If the crowds are high, be sure to get there extra early.

 

[DAKOTADISNEY]

We found that it's important to get an early start in Disneyland just as it is at DisneyWorld. Be there before they open the gates and the crowds are very managable. We had early entry one morning and the place was really quiet. Any of the hotels would be great and everything is so close at DL that you could easily go back for a nap or whatever. Have fun!

 

[GoofyMom2]

Please read all of the great suggestions I received in October to some of my questions. The wonderful posters gave me ideas, links etc....and it was an incredible trip!! I think if you scroll down you can find my original post.


As for character meals: They are very different than the ones at WDW. But, we did go to Minnie's breakfast in DL and had a good time. Had a very long wait for characters and had to keep asking to have them come to our end of the restaurant. Some did but many did not. We eventually gave up but did get to see Max, Pocahantas and Fairy Godmother. Saw Chip and Dale on the way out and got a couple of pictures.

We were there in Oct so can't compare to June for crowds. But, the parade and fireworks were fantastic! We were able to get pretty good vantage points even pretty late.

I would suggest avoiding the parks on sat and Sun, those are local days and are crazy. Friday was pretty crowded compared to the other days as well. So, I suggest Mon-Thurs for DL parks.

My Ds ages 8 and 11 enjoyed the Taste Pilot Grill in CA. Pinocchios in DL was uneventful and very unorganized.

If you don't want the side w/ the combo meals, or a different side, just ask. Most places were very accomadating. And if you don't get the chips, fries etc it saves some money.

There are so many fun hidden extras in DL, you will all have so much fun. One of my kids' favs was the Goofy drinking fountain in Toon Town. It played music, flashed different colors etc. There are also all types of buttons to push, things to open etc in Toon Town. Snow Whites wishing well near the castle is also fun.

Great place to see characters, especially villians, is in CA near the Golden Screams award show.

POTC ride in DL is just too awesome!

If you need a good family meal off property, we recommend MiMi's Cafe, just down the street from the entrance of the parks. I wish I could have brought some of their carrot nut bread home! Call ahead seating is available and they serve kids breakfast all day and night. The 3 of us ate for under $25 for dinner! Downtown Disney also has lots of places, but more expensive.

OK, will type more later!

 

[mouselvrmom]

Thanks for letting us know how your trip went, goofymom! I'm glad you had fun!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We went for our first time in July, only spent time at Disneyland Resort we didn't do anything else in SoCal . I really liked the information from the Passporter, and it had info on other SoCal stuff. Typically I'm a disney snob and would only stay at a disney hotel, but Disneyland is different from WDW in that there are cheaper hotels litterally right across the street so that was a good way to save money, be close, and still have something nice. We pre-ordered tickets and got a early entry day. It is a good idea to go early in the am, take a break, and go back in the afternoon.

I personally didn't think that the food at DL is as good as WDW. However, I really enjoyed the Blue Bayou for lunch (love the MOnte Cristos, I miss that they aren't at WDW anymore), and Rancho del Zacho in Frontierland was good. The skewers at Bengal BBQ in Adventureland were good, but the line was so incredibly slow, so if you need a snack and the line is short I recommend that. We ate at the Taste Pilots grill in CA Adventure and that had good food, and Pizza Ow mow Mow, and that was average.

You do have to wait a long time for a decent Fantasmic seat, but we show up on Main Street 30 minutes before the fireworks and had a good spot.

We were also pleasantly surprised with the length of the lines, the park seemed crowded but the wait times were short. It also could have been because Nemo was new and people were waiting up to 3 hours for it (not worth it). The weather was hot but not oppressively hot and humid like WDW. There still is a lot of walking at DL so take the breaks you have planned.

 

[mermaid1]

I agree with all the Character meals. but as I said on your other thread, I would pick the Disneyland Hotel, very kid friendly and has that Disney Magic. It is themed to Disney as the other resort hotels are not. Grand Californian is like a big lodge and Paradise Pier is like a beach resort. We love DLH because of the theming. Goofy's kitchen is right there in the Disneyland Hotel and has awesome character interaction at the meals. We have gone every trip to Goofy's kitchen. I went there for my birthday dinner! And I am 53!!!! We are actually going at Christmas again and have resses for Ariels Grotto, never have done that lunch, but will this trip. ADRs can be made 60 days out. no sooner, unlike WDW. Get the Birnbaums 2008 Disneyland Guide. I like it a LOT.
Another great character meal to consider is at the Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian. If the kidlets like Brother Bear and Chip and Dale that is the breakfast for them, More woodsy oriented to go along with the Lodge feel.
You can find some chilly afternoons in San Francisco in the Summer months. The fog can roll in late afternoon, but that does not really happen until July usually...I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, born and raised all my life. So we always took a jacket whenever we went to The City, no matter what time of year. You never knew if you would need it. I took two changes of clothing. Jeans, tee shirt and tennies and shorts, tank top and sandals, with that ever present jacket or sweater. There are so many fun things to do there. The wharf, ride a cable car, the zoo is great there, museums abound, the coast is gorgeous. Santa Cruz is a good pick for a stay at the coast, but it is busy season and lodging reservations should be made early. We go to Santa Cruz in the Fall and it is empty, the off season and I love it. There is a really good restaurant right as you get on the pier. It has great food. Or you could go south to San Diego and check out the greatest zoo in the country as well as the wild Animal Park. San Diego is lotsa fun too.
You could do Disneyland, go to San Diego and visit the two attractions there, then drive up the coast to Santa Cruz and then San Francisco. The coastal drive is a must. It is beautiful and everyone should do it once. Sure I-5 will get you there faster, but the scenic route of Highway 1 has the unparallelled beauty of a drive right next to and along the ocean's coast. That is just my opinion. I love the ocean!!! If you have extra time take a trip up north of San Fran across the Golden Gate Bridge (!) to Marin County and check out Muir Woods for the giant Redwood Trees and then hit Stinson Beach! The ocean is COLD up north though, even in the summer and you do need to keep an eye out for sharks. They have been seen off the NorCal coast. Or you could go all the way north to Sonoma County and hit some wineries. Lots to do!!!!!! Get a good California Guide book and decide WHAT you want to do while in the state, then try to work out a gamepplan that will have you going in one direction, not all over and back and forth.:wave:
Have Fun!!!
Mermaid1

Oh yeah by staying in a Disneyland resort Hotel you can take advantage of Early Entry Hours. Check the Disneyland section on Allears for info and check the Disney site itself for any special things going on at the time you are there. The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland is one of my favorites also, just go to a Barnes and Noble or Borders and find an inclusive California travel guide that show all the attractions in both NoCal and SoCal.

 

[GoofyMom2]

Thanks for letting us know how your trip went, goofymom! I'm glad you had fun!

I wanted to post a big thank you and a trip report....but I have been sick w/ the flu since the day after we came back. I keep saying "I will feel better tomorrow and will post then..." Just not happening. Will as soon as I have energy....

Second doctor appt tomorrow.... :hurl:

 

[lilphil6487]

This past June was my first time there and I too had a lot of questions. For the guidebooks, we bought the Birnbaum's guide. Thats how we found out about the Fantasmic Dessert Buffet, which unfortunately is no longer available. That was a great way to end a day at Disneyland. Anyway, Goofy's Kitchen is great for kids however the food selection to me wasnt that great but I did love the pizza. For hotels, the Disneyland Hotel was amazing but the Grand Californian to me is like the Wilderness Lodge which is awesome and it is closer to the parks. The weather when I went was perfect. it wasnt too hot and not humid at all. It seemed very crowded to me but i guess its because things are fit into a smaller area at the parks. If you want to get on the sub ride, definately take advantage of your early entry. Other great resturaunts would be Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian (GREAT PIZZA!!!!), Yamabuki at Paradise Pier, ESPN Zone, and Rainforest Cafe. The Blue Bayou seems like a really great place because you overlook the Bayou part of Pirates of the Carribbean. Its really cool. Overall, Disneyland is amazing and in my opinion, better than Disney World, and Ive been goign to disney world every year since I was 2. But thats just my opinion.

 

[TP2000]

Overall, Disneyland is amazing and in my opinion, better than Disney World, and Ive been goign to disney world every year since I was 2. But thats just my opinion.

Another Easterner gets converted. :lol:

lilphil has great advice.

Weather in SoCal, compared to central Florida, is nearly perfect year round. Even when it gets "hot and muggy" in July and August in SoCal, it would be comparable to a nice day in April for Orlando. It is nearly statistically impossible for it to rain in SoCal betwen May and September. Your best chance of any rain is in January and February, and it's usually showers or light rainfall. Locals, however, when faced with the prospect of water falling from the sky will completely freak out. Watching the local TV stations in SoCal when it is raining is hilarious for anyone from the East Coast. TV stations go into STORMWATCH! '07 mode, and dispatch news vans around SoCal to breathlessly report that there are puddles on the sidewalk in Burbank, a lady is walking with an umbrella in Pasadena, and cars on the freeways are using their windshield wipers. Updates are posted every 10 minutes, a concerned weatherman briefs us intently on the Doppler radar, and the footage of the lady with the umbrella is broadcast often. It's HILARIOUS! Sadly, most SoCal natives have no clue how silly they act in the rain. But any East Coaster will get a huge laugh out of it.

I've lived in the Southeast, and can tell you that Californians are wimps when it comes to weather. So if you ever hear a Californian complaining about it being "hot" or "cold", take that with a huge grain of salt. They are only comparing it to the majority of the year when the weather is nearly perfect, and so their point of reference is horribly skewed.

Other good news is that the Fantasmic! desert buffet is still available, just not up in the Gallery anymore. They do the desert seating thing down near the riverbank on a terrace. It's not quite as good a view as the Gallery was, nor does it have as exclusive a feel, but it's still a great view with a proper chair and some decent food service. You can't really call it a "buffet" anymore, as the deserts are given to you in a little box with waiters/waitresses that assist you and bring you beverages. You can inquire about reservations through the standard dining reservation line (714) 781-DINE

It's a fun splurge and a good way to see Disneyland's superior and grander version of Fantasmic!.

 

[happymom52003]

Another Easterner gets converted. :lol:

lilphil has great advice.

Weather in SoCal, compared to central Florida, is nearly perfect year round. Even when it gets "hot and muggy" in July and August in SoCal, it would be comparable to a nice day in April for Orlando. It is nearly statistically impossible for it to rain in SoCal betwen May and September. Your best chance of any rain is in January and February, and it's usually showers or light rainfall. Locals, however, when faced with the prospect of water falling from the sky will completely freak out. Watching the local TV stations in SoCal when it is raining is hilarious for anyone from the East Coast. TV stations go into STORMWATCH! '07 mode, and dispatch news vans around SoCal to breathlessly report that there are puddles on the sidewalk in Burbank, a lady is walking with an umbrella in Pasadena, and cars on the freeways are using their windshield wipers. Updates are posted every 10 minutes, a concerned weatherman briefs us intently on the Doppler radar, and the footage of the lady with the umbrella is broadcast often. It's HILARIOUS! Sadly, most SoCal natives have no clue how silly they act in the rain. But any East Coaster will get a huge laugh out of it.

I've lived in the Southeast, and can tell you that Californians are wimps when it comes to weather. So if you ever hear a Californian complaining about it being "hot" or "cold", take that with a huge grain of salt. They are only comparing it to the majority of the year when the weather is nearly perfect, and so their point of reference is horribly skewed.

Other good news is that the Fantasmic! desert buffet is still available, just not up in the Gallery anymore. They do the desert seating thing down near the riverbank on a terrace. It's not quite as good a view as the Gallery was, nor does it have as exclusive a feel, but it's still a great view with a proper chair and some decent food service. You can't really call it a "buffet" anymore, as the deserts are given to you in a little box with waiters/waitresses that assist you and bring you beverages. You can inquire about reservations through the standard dining reservation line (714) 781-DINE

It's a fun splurge and a good way to see Disneyland's superior and grander version of Fantasmic!.

Thanks! That is so funny. Our weather reporters act the same way when there is even the slightest chance of ice in the winter (which happens once in a blue moon!). Our whole city shuts down if there are a couple of icy bridges. But it is probably for the best, becuase people here do not know how to drive in ice! Northerners make fun of us to no end.

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

I've lived in the Southeast, and can tell you that Californians are wimps when it comes to weather. So if you ever hear a Californian complaining about it being "hot" or "cold", take that with a huge grain of salt. They are only comparing it to the majority of the year when the weather is nearly perfect, and so their point of reference is horribly skewed.

Much of what you say is true. But, what I find odd is that many Californians are actually transplants from other states. Yet, they seem to complain about the weather here as much as the natives. Guess it's easy to be spoiled.

 

[hoppypooh]

I've lived in the Southeast, and can tell you that Californians are wimps when it comes to weather. So if you ever hear a Californian complaining about it being "hot" or "cold", take that with a huge grain of salt. They are only comparing it to the majority of the year when the weather is nearly perfect, and so their point of reference is horribly skewed.

So true. Before our trip we were warned about the "cool" evenings. Ummmm, we live in Northern Canada... The coldest winter day in California is still warmer than our hottest summer day! :lol:

 

[Tigggrl]

I Just have one suggestion....IF you want to ride Peter Pan, get there early and go there first. Its not fastpass, and the que is narrow, and there is always a line. Alice and Toad can be that way too.
Most importantly....
Enjoy yourself!:wave:

 

[happymom52003]

Thanks for all the great info, everyone! I am so excited about planning this trip. I just bought a couple of books about CA and the Unofficial Guide to DL. I'm going to get a couple of more DL books that some of you have suggested as well. I cant do much planning right now because of all the Thanksgiving stuff going on.....but I am hoping to get some planning done and reservations made the week after Thanksgiving before the Holiday rush begins. I'm sure I'll have more questions! Thanks again guys!:wave: